Description
The project addresses low civic engagement of the Roma and the need to overcome it. The project aims at engaging the Roma with the help of trained Roma opinion leaders who can transfer the acquired knowledge. First, a profile of the Roma civic engagement and the needed skills will be made. Second, 18 Roma aged 20-40 will take part in the Civic Engagement Programme and will develop their skills for communication, negotiation, conflict-resolution, teamwork, group solutions. Fourth, each participant will develop a project to solve an important issue, will be mentored by an active Roma or Bulgarian and will present the project at a public debate. 4 mentors will join the project each taking charge of 4-5 participants. Finally, a network of young Roma leaders will be set up for peer-to-peer support. The project will benefit the Roma community, opinion leaders and the public. The partner will help with the selection of mentors and the setting up of the Roma leader network.
Summary of project results
The project aimed at creating conditions for vulnerable groups, including the Roma, to present their problems in public and to take actions to solve them as well as ensuring the involvement of these groups in decision- and policy-making. The project achieved its goal through the identification and detailed study of the reasons for the low civic participation of the Roma in the development of public policies. Based on the study, a training programme was drafted which is directly targeted at supporting vulnerable groups to voice their problems in public, get involved in presenting them and learn about various civic participation tools. A group of 18 young Roma leaders was selected and they joined the training programme. Next, a mentorship programme was created and the trainees prepared final non-financial projects. These projects enabled the young Roma leaders to apply in practice what they learnt and develop projects to solve important local issues. The projects were presented to the community and the stakeholders and thus more got involved in the implementation. The training system and the mentorship programme supporting the application of the knowledge and skills acquired in the community helped establish a sustainable mechanism to involve the Roma community in the relevant places. The mechanism was introduced at first in 18 local communities which were mobilized and motivated to join the discussion of specific issues and look for solutions. Both the young Roma leaders, and the communities where they live and work presented their issues in public, acquired knowledge and further developed their skills which will help them be active citizens. The Roma communities in some municipalities not only took part in the implementation of the projects but also achieved specific results which had a favourable impact on their life. An active network of young Roma leaders from various regions was set up and started running under the Programme for active civic participation and development of leadership skills of young Roma. The network includes the mentors and the representatives of the two partner organizations. After the project activities were completed, the participants continued to keep in touch and share their experience with each other. They discuss issues they encounter or work on in a Facebook page created for that purpose as well as keep constantly in contact with their mentors and support each other with ideas and good practices.
Summary of bilateral results