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Description
Roma youth, beneficiaries of social services are often not aware of their rights and are not involved in the society. Due to their growing up in institutions and their low education they cannot make sense of social processes and can be manipulated and discriminated. The project aims at supporting Roma youth living in residential care in order to protect their rights and stimulate their active participation in the processes that concern them through education in rights and involvement of young people with different experience. 25 volunteers with different expertise in human rights will be trained to support vlnerable youth. They will study the problems of Roma youth and look for solutions, meet together with experts and organize campaigns across the general public to achieve change. The project will help 8 Roma youth become more aware of their rights and less vulnerable to discrimination, 25 volunteers understand and support solving the problems of the first, raise the awareness and engagement of the stakeholders with the opinion of vulnerable youth through holding meetings with representatives of institutions during which specialists will understand the difficulties faced by Roma youth in upholding their rights, consult them about finding a solution and understand better the need of involvement. The volunteers and young people will present possible solution to their peers, colleagues, institutions, etc. and to the general public through a public campaign for change. The project is targeted at the Roma, the general public and public institutions.
Summary of project results
As a result of the project, eight young people from the social services "Supervised Housing" and "Sheltered Housing for people with mental health needs" were introduced to basic human rights documents and increased their knowledge about their rights. Those young adults can now recognize the institutions that can protect them and can point out situations of violated rights; recognize the types of discrimination, prejudice and can determine what makes them a vulnerable group; participated in the design, organization and implementation of the training programs under the project. The young people also participated in meetings with institutions and received attention and support. The training and practical experience gained through the project helps them to assert their rights in their jobs.
The project involved more than 20 volunteers - young people with different expertise, who actively participated in trainings on the rights of Roma youth, supported them to analyse the problems related to the protection of their rights. Volunteers learned more about social services for young people growing up without families, their problems and difficulties. The project conducted a public campaign entitled "Vulnerable + Support = UNvulnerable", aimed at drawing the attention of citizens and institutions to the needs and opportunities of vulnerable young people to employment. The volunteers of the project continue to be interested in the problems of young people with mental health needs, maintain individual contacts with them, while some of them are involved in donation campaigns to maintain the supportive services.