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Description
Each year the following activities shall take place:
- Information and recruitment campaigns in collaboration with high schools, universities, regional education inspectorates, NGOs and media;
- A call for applications for mentors, and selection based on a set of criteria and interviews;
- Matching of mentors and mentees based on areas of work, location and previous experience (when applicable);
- A capacity building training for the mentors joining the programme to enhance their mentoring skills;
- A joint event for mentors and mentees at the end of each academic year.
During the entire period of the project, the project promoter shall further provide:
- Financial support for mentors and mentees to attend medical seminars and conferences in Bulgaria or abroad;
- Financial and administrative support for students to initiate and implement initiatives in their communities.
Summary of project results
The number of Roma completing higher education is significantly lower than the same statistics for other ethnic groups in Bulgaria. At the same time, the country has a growing problem with the lack of medical professionals, especially young people who can ensure continuity and reasonable geographical coverage of medical care for the population throughout the country. Roma communities are heavily affected by this problem and generally lack access to quality medical care due to systemic discrimination, financial and other structural barriers.
The project aimed to contribute to the provision of financial (in the form of a scholarship) and mentoring support to at least 65 individual beneficiaries. At the end of the project, there were 111 students who received mentoring support, working with nearly 50 mentors since 2020.
In essence, the project set out to contribute to the formation of a community of health professionals motivated and prepared to contribute to the solution of health problems in the Roma community and with the potential to become significant role models for young people of Roma origin.
The mentoring program supported scholarship recipients in maintaining high academic success, for participation and presentation of academic research, for organizing small health and educational projects aimed at improving awareness in Roma communities, disease prevention, provision of free health consultations. In addition to direct support for the students, the project also supported the development of the mentors'' capacity, as well as indirectly - it places a focus among the Roma communities on the good examples and high ambitions of the supported students.
Within the framework of the project, the students, supported by their mentors, organized over 20 small projects in different settlements in the country. The students chose to raise awareness in their communities about socially significant diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, spinal diseases in children, topics such as healthy eating, dental health, sexual health. They organized talks and game workshops with children in the primary course of study and high school students.
The pairs of mentors and students prepared dozens of appearances at scientific events and some took their first steps in public speaking. The program had an unplanned but significant contribution in providing opportunities for Roma students to be part of scientific teams investigating health issues and problems directly affecting the Roma community. This provided a unique voice and perspective to the whole body of research.
Mentors were repeatedly part of experiential learning sessions related to working in a multicultural environment, communication approaches and skills to help them be better mentors, program ambassadors and more empathetic professionals.
During a series of online and face-to-face meetings with the students, we talked about topics they themselves chose as important for each academic year - Roma history and culture, identity and mental health, financial literacy, building presentation, communication and other professional skills. Although implemented during a pandemic, the project managed to build an emerging community of young men and women with a more confident voice and like-minded fellow students and mentors they can rely on going forward.