Description
There are sharp social inequalities between the different parts of Székesfehérvár and also its agglomeration. The social exclusion is strong that affects the low-status social groups especially Roma families and communities. Nowadays grandparents are not as close to families as they used to be, which makes the life of families with children more difficult: social network of parents (especially mothers) weaken and they become isolated and lonely. The objective of the project is to reach more families with underage children, facilitate the meeting of different cultures and realize a long-term cooperation with local Roma communities in order to help their social integration and active participation in several projects and initiations. The project aims to involve about 150 families and parents with children between the age of 0 and 3. Different games and programs will activate and bring them closer to each other thus their social network will be improved. Activities like trainings, clubs and conferences will also motivate them to participate.
Summary of project results
The project promoter wanted to address and involve into community life the members of local families of Székesfehérvár by various programs organized at playgrounds. During the project simple outdoor games,activities were organized and taught to the participants. The main objective was the social inclusion and community development and the involvement of local Roma families, and the common programs for Roma and non-Roma families, thus building cooperation and good relationship with the local Roma community. A so called “Game Master” organized and led the games and as a result of this process new relationships were built in the community. This helped sometimes to solve everyday problems of families with small children and their problem-solving skills and practices were improved. The participants could get know each other, and this helped them to understand each other better, and they became more open to each other. In more cases more generations took part at the games which resulted in that tensions among different age groups were handled. Volunteers were recruited and professionally prepared for this bridging work with the partner organization which was a Roma organization. Presentations were organized about Roma culture, the situation of Roma, thus the participants became more well prepared how to get in touch with the Roma community. Altogether 16 game programs were designed and elaborated with the aim to teach the parents how to play with their kids on the playground in different circumstances and under different weather conditions even when they only have a few toys. The project was closed by a final conference where the results were presented by the participants of the project, and presentations were organized about the importance of playing games as well. The project was successful in reaching its objectives, as it contributed to strain tensions between the different generations and to help parents in solving their problems more efficiently and to foster the better understanding among people with different cultural background.
Summary of bilateral results