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Description
The “Gira Comigo” project’s main objective is to promote the social inclusion of 40 children and young people from the Roma community in the district of Leiria, through workshops and activities that will allow them to develop socio-emotional skills, knowledge of Roma culture and greater interest in participation in order to maximize their professional and educational success. The project also intends to bring the Roma community in the Leiria district closer to the rest of the community and thus contribute to reducing existing stereotypes in relation to the Roma community, through public sessions that aim to raise awareness.
Summary of project results
According to the National Strategy for the Integration of Roma Communities (2013-2022), despite recent progress, there are still high levels of discrimination, poverty, and social exclusion among many Roma individuals and families, as well as significant mistrust and lack of understanding between Roma and non-Roma people. These issues perpetuate stereotypes and prejudices, leading to the vulnerability of Roma people and difficulties in exercising their rights to education, health, employment, and civic participation. It is essential to promote social and personal skills that lead to active participation, which in turn requires awareness of a set of rights and duties.
In the BSCF, educationally, children attend the Correia Mateus School Group and the Caranguejeira and Santa Catarina da Serra School Group for preschool, primary, and secondary education at Francisco Rodrigues Lobo School. There is high absenteeism, school failure, and early dropout, although these have been decreasing since 2013, when InPulsar began the Giro ó Bairro project. Schools report issues with rule compliance, commitment, and low participation of children and their families in educational activities. Many of these children have their first contact with non-Roma children and the school environment upon entering primary school, leading to adaptation challenges. Schools often struggle to promote the academic success of these children and to value their culture, a situation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
These educational challenges reflect in the professional paths of young people and adults, often characterized by unemployment or engagement in precarious and seasonal activities, reinforcing stereotypes and prejudices that hinder the integration of the Roma community into the broader society. Long-term unemployment affects 69 people (out of 78 unemployed), particularly women.
The project focuses on promoting a set of transversal skills and new forms of education that enable beneficiaries to become more participative and aware of their rights and duties, positively impacting the integration of Roma communities. The accumulated experience shows the importance of involving participants in activities and equipping them with tools to develop skills, minimizing the integration difficulties faced by the Roma community.
Finally, it is important to note that this community has a strong affinity for music and dance, values spontaneity and improvisation, and has shown interest in learning crafts such as sewing, DIY, and decorative arts. The project focuses on children, young people, and adults, with particular emphasis on the most vulnerable groups, such as at-risk and/or school dropout children and young people, unemployed young people and adults, and long-term unemployed individuals, especially women.
The project focused on three main components. In the first component, developing skills (academic, digital, and emotional), participants were divided into subgroups based on age and educational level, allowing for targeted and effective engagement. This activity was continuously attended by 8 children aged 6-10, 8 children aged 11-16, and 5 young adults over 16, totaling 23 participants. In the digital and non-digital literacy workshops, regular participation included 6 adults in non-digital literacy workshops, 4 participants in digital literacy workshops (covering basic Office skills and internet research), and 11 children and young people in a Stop Motion workshop.
In the second component, empowering knowledge, 20 young adults participated in creative workshops such as decorating wooden boxes, painting t-shirts, human silhouette painting, diaper painting, and creating Christmas objects with fabric and embroidery. These activities saw increasing engagement and growth among participants. There was also a plastic and participatory photography intervention where participants used photography and various plastic expression techniques to explore self-awareness and female empowerment. Additionally, sessions on Roma history and culture were directed at social intervention technicians, educators, and others.
In the third component, capacity building for inclusive citizenship, activities included creating a mural and producing a fanzine to showcase ongoing project activities.
In summary, the project engaged 63 participants across all activities, resulting in increased community involvement in addressing neighborhood issues, higher participation and regularity in activities, enhanced emotional, social, and personal skills, and improved institutional capacity through the development of an organizational diagnosis.
The project Gira Comigo aimed to increase the social inclusion of the Roma community in BSCF, involving at least 40 direct participants, by developing personal and social skills and creating spaces for civic participation to reinforce inclusive citizenship. The project achieved several outcomes and impacts for its beneficiaries.
The project increased socio-emotional and literacy skills (both digital and non-digital) through activities such as literacy workshops, a Stop Motion workshop, and emotional education activities for children, young people, and adults. These activities saw the participation of 44 direct participants. The project resulted in improved abilities to understand and manage emotions (self-awareness, self-regulation, and interpersonal relationships), which reflected in better behavior and thought processes. There was also an increase in digital and non-digital literacy skills, enhancing decision-making and problem-solving in daily life.
Practical and artistic expression skills were improved through creative workshops, including activities in handicrafts and a workshop on building Flamenco boxes. These activities involved 20 direct participants and 170 indirect participants. The project led to enhanced artistic expression and practical skills.
Civic and associative participation was increased through activities such as creating a fanzine, an intervention workshop for collective neighborhood construction, sessions on Roma history and culture, capacity-building workshops for creating an Active Community Group in Leiria, and sessions for the Roma and majority communities on positive integration paths in education and employment. These activities engaged 63 direct participants and 165 indirect participants (teachers, social workers, and other neighborhood residents). The project resulted in increased civic participation and a stronger sense of belonging, which helped reduce stereotypes and prejudices against the Roma community.