Description
Our project aims to show life in socially excluded localities and overcome prejudices between majority and minority groups, which mainly consist of members of Roma communities. The main objective is to foster active citizenship through sensitizing and mobilizing the public, especially young people on both sides at the local level in the field of overcoming and fighting of established stereotypes and prejudices about majority and minority. The project is designed to bring these groups together in non-violent and participatory form by tackling prejudices and finding differences and similarities of life in front of and behind the "door". By using creative and artistic activities, we will connect children and youth from both sides of the "door" and we will look for their common that could be presented in their micro-region. The theme should be sought in joint meetings during which they will look at stereotypes in their own thinking and logic and challenge their own prejudices. The project finishes with a public exhibition, where visitors can find not only artworks but also described processes that took place at each stage of the project and they would be able to participate in the creation of interactive joint work, and thus go through a symbolic door. The target group of the project are mainly children/youth from the Roma community and the majority of the population aged 14-18 years. The latter will be able to participate in a cultural event with the current theme, will be able to experience a different culture peacefully and engage in interactive activities during the exhibition. The project implementation expects to stir mutual acceptance and communication between the majority and minority at the local level. We also hope that the project will stimulate reflection primarily of the majority population of approaches and working with members of Roma community in this micro-region and to overcome discriminatory tendencies towards minority populations.
Summary of project results
During this project we have created active group of young people who are interested in the life within society. However we would welcome more interest of participants from majority even they joined our activities in the first phase of the project. With youth we were discussing topics like discrimination and xenophobia in daily life. The piece of art was the idea of children who decided to build a wall as a barrier between two worlds. They created the final work together with the artist. All the goals of the project were fulfilled. We have realized information phase when we introduced the project to community, in the schools and in our community centre. We have engaged several children from majority and Roma community. Unfortunately children from majority dropped out. We realized also training of art techniques, which was divided into two parts. The youth met regularly and we discussed the topics like discrimination and xenophobia in daily life and we were creating different kinds of art. In the end we realized the final piece of art, opened the exhibition in the Synagogue in Spisske Podhradie and the exhibition will continue in other towns, the first one will be Bardejov. Sustainability will be also assured by existence of youth group which will continue to follow other meetings of active citizens in our centre. The project was needed to “revive” the community in Spisske Podhradie and to reopen the topic of coexistence of people in the town and also to inform both groups about the life of the others. However, the project didn’t bring these groups together as friends; it opened the “door” through the exhibition to show the unknown life of Roma people and it also presents how the young Roma people see this situation in society. Majority got the message and had an opportunity to reply by letters. The cooperation with the school was positive, but our expectations were higher. The cooperation with donor was greatly appreciated.
Summary of bilateral results