A STEP FORWARD – EMPOWERING YOUNG PEOPLE AND WOMEN FROM LOCAL ROMA COMMUNITIES

The project is a two-year initiative. The project will be implemented in Bulgaria, Romania, Spain and Hungary. In Bulgaria the project will be implemented by Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance Amalipe (leading organization), the partner organizations are SASTIPEN (Romania), Romani Women Association Drom Kotar (Spain), and Colorful Pearls Association (Pecs)- Hungary. The project is funded by the European Commission’s General Directorate Justice under the Daphne III program. The project is a continuation of “Promoting Fieldwork in Marginalized and Traditional Groups of the Roma Community” implemented by Amalipe / League Pro Europe / ARSIS in 2011/2012.The project builds upon the know-how, established within another project implemented by Amalipe Center- “Strengthening participatory field work in Roma community” supported by DAPHNE and implemented in 2011-2012.

An additional aim is to create prerequisites for further extension of the model to other communities and regions throughout Bulgaria in the coming years of the program. Main work will be on further introducing, testing and evaluating the Community Development Center – an innovative model for the provision of community-based services. This service supports community efforts to develop self-organization and mutual assistance mechanisms. Contributes to developing skills in children, young people and women from the local Roma community to create a safe environment in which to build a resource for self-organization, self-help and support, and to increase their own capacity to deal with violence. The main approach to be used is based on fieldwork in a Roma community in six areas in Bulgaria / where the Amalipe Center has Community Development Centers established and operating / and one in Spain, Romania and Hungary. The project will build on what has been achieved in 2011/2012 and will continue to develop and refine it, further developing the Community Moderator position, expanding the local support system with Local Development Clubs, and building co-operation with existing institutions for prevention and protection and implementation of programs for prevention, protection and development of the community. With regard to the main objective, the main aims of the project are:

1.  Strengthening structures for local community mobilization to support and protect victims of violence in the pilot municipalities: as a further step of the existing innovative service Community Development Center (CDC) and the position Community Moderator we will establish through the creation, testing and implementation of Local Development Clubs. To achieve this, the activities of the now existing 6 Community Development Centers (in Bulgaria) will be continued and one Center will be set up in Spain and Hungary. There will be two Moderators working at the Municipal Centers. An additional 24 Local Development Clubs will be created at the Municipal Centers, 3 for each pilot municipality, with 24 local moderators. Community moderators will develop their activities in the respective Roma communities.

2.  Examining the specific needs of local communities and developing activities for empowering Roma youth and women to protect against violence. As the mobile work method for researching the needs of the population, as a basis for defining follow-up prevention and protection activities, is not particularly popular and as the capacity of the local community to develop its capacity to deal with forms of violence needs to be increased and the protection of victims of violence, defining the profile of each community will play an important role in developing effective community support activities and mechanisms.

3.  Building local capacity for inter-institutional cooperation for the protection from and prevention of violence:  this will increase the capacity of key institutions, involved in prevention and protection, to work in dialogue, in an environment of inter-institutional cooperation and cooperation with the local Roma communities. За достигане на тази цел се предвижда обучението на служители от тези институции, както и изпълнение на съвместни програми в ромската общност, заедно с активисти на ромски неправителствени организации и модераторите в общността. В същото време ще бъдат предприети дейностите застъпничество пред ръководството а тези институции за продължаване на работата на местно ниво.

To achieve this, the training of staff from these institutions is envisaged, as well as the implementation of joint programs in the Roma community, together with activists of Roma NGOs and moderators in the community. At the same time, advocacy activities will be undertaken with the management and these institutions will continue to work locally.

Project target groups are:

• Children, youth and women at risk from Roma communities

• Roma families from marginalized and traditional Roma groups:

• Social workers, teachers and other field workers

• Moderators in the Roma community

• Local Roma leaders and activists of NGOs from Bulgaria, Romania, Spain and Hungary;

• National authorities and officials from key institutions for prevention of violence and protection in Bulgaria, Romania, Spain and Hungary

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.