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Description
The project is a respond to a critical situation of the housing estate Janov, which is the largest socially excluded locality in the Czech Republic. Goals of the project reflects the needs of local residents which are based on the the findings from the existing activities of the organization in the locality and are in harmony with the strategic documents of the city.
The project is going to improve the media image of the Roma in the Czech Republic, their inclusion and empowerment and participation in solving local problems. During the project we are going to establish a Roma platform of the Most region, which will help to promote the interests of the Roma better and defend their rights. The implementation of the project will connect several Roma and pro-Roma organizations and deepen cooperation with the city of Litvínov. An important output is the creation of a strategic background for community activities in the locality in the form of the neighboring house Libuše. The content of the project also includes the implementation of support activities such as neighbors meetings, which as a result will lead to the harmonization of relations between the Roma and the majority.
Summary of project results
The project enabled the financing of activities outside the standard social inclusion programmes in Czechia, which allowed the implementation of innovative activities for which it woud be difficult to find funding. Roma people gained facilities for community activities and participated in their implementation. Challenges: changes in the geopolitical situation and the related social/economic phenomena, skyrocketing energy prices, and bad relations between the Ukrainian and Roma minorities.
The basis was community work, where the project promoter engaged the Roma community in Janov to repair a dilapidated villa in the middle of a housing estate as a base for the project''s activities. The non-professional work was provided by members of the community, which promoted their identification with the place, the growth of competences and the possibility of self-realization. The Empowerment of Roma in the area included organising civil rights lectures, workshops and discussions. The purpose was to strengthen the competences of community members, especially defining problems and formulating demands. Community members participated in the meetings of the Settlement Committee of the town. Thanks to the project, the project promoter harmonised neighbourhood relations by offering regular leisure clubs and neighbourhood meetings and by organising 10 cultural events. The Roma platform of the Most region was established, where representatives of pro-Roma organisations and municipalities met to share problems and opportunities with each other.
The project activated local population. The community gained a background for its activities in the form of a functioning Neighbourhood House Libuše. 10 rooms were repaired. During the project, more than 400 Roma were involved in the activities.The project has contributed to the creation of a Roma platform for the Most region, which has connected Roma actors with each other and contributed to the activation of Roma to define common themes, share experiences and solve problems. Thanks to the professionalization of the association and the involvement of the community, it was possible to ensure the implementation of other activities.