Creation of a system of development of volunteers coming from disadvantaged socio-economic background, specifically from Roma communities Erasmus Project

Project Title

Creation of a system of development of volunteers coming from disadvantaged socio-economic background, specifically from Roma communities

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Romas and/or other minorities; Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal)

Project Summary

The objective of the project “Creation of a system of development of volunteers coming from disadvantaged socio-economic background, specifically from Roma communities” is to create an innovative, and as of this moment missing approach to creation of programs for volunteers coming from disadvantaged socio-economic background (DSEB).

Inspired by and in accordance with the Paris Declaration we want to use this project to participate in the dismantling of stereotypes concerning Roma and to provide support for their active citizenship. This project is aimed at finding effective factors in education and development of people coming from DSEB, finding practical application of these factors and creation and verification of innovative methodologies based on acquired findings. In this way, that is to say, by providing support and tailor-made personal development, it is possible to draw these people out of the patterns of generational poverty and to change their attitude from passive waiting for help into an effort to become an active member of the civic society. Execution of the project will facilitate a creation of education aimed at meeting special needs of volunteers from DSEB. A methodology named “A guide to working with Roma volunteers” will be created as well as material “Exercise book for volunteers”. This will not only be an assistance to organizations working with clients coming from DSEB in helping them become more active citizens, but will also help to bring up a change in the perception the society has of the community coming from DSEB, which is still perceived by the society as being passive and without any contribution to society.

To achieve this objective we will form a cooperation between two organizations specialized on creating these kinds of trainings (YMCA Praha, Centrum dobrovoľníctva) and YMCA Revúca, an organization with rich experiences in work with volunteers coming from disadvantaged socio-economic, more specifically Roma background. The work of this organization is unique in that Roma volunteers are not only passive recipients of its help, but they actively participate in leading miscellaneous activities conducted by this organization.

The actual materialization of the collaboration will consist of 5 volunteers from YMCA Revúca and 5 volunteers from YMCA Praha, all from disadvantaged socio-economic background, undergoing four different trainings. A varied degree of innovation will be used in the preparation and execution of these trainings. We will use forms of informal education at the training. Values and data for the methodologies will be collected by observation and analysis of feedback from volunteers, experts, and participants of the Conclusive conference. A mentor will be the tool for collecting data from the volunteers, using quantitative and qualitative methods. After the last training, the group of experts will systematize their findings and use them to prepare materials called “A guide to working with Roma volunteers” and “Exercise book for volunteers”.

These materials will be presented to professionals from the field in the form of interactive lectures together with other findings of the project at the Conclusive conference. The objective of this conference is not only to offer these materials to its participants and encourage their use of them, but also to present convincingly the need of eliminating barriers standing in the way of personal growth of young people from disadvantaged socio-economic background and motivate the participants to dedicate their time and energy to this cause in their area of influence. Over the course of this conference we will also use the example of our collaboration to demonstrate the need and benefits of such a cooperation and we will initiate creation of similar partnerships, that could deepen the results and impacts of our project years after it has ended.

In order to spread the results of the project we will create the methodologies in three languages (Slovak, Czech and English). By doing this, we want to attain the easiest possible propagation not only in Slovakia and Czech Republic but also in European context. The other means we will use to achieve this goal is by focusing on organizations working on national and international level (YMCA v Českej Republike, YMCA na Slovensku, Platforma dobrovoľníckych centier, Rada Mládeže Slovenska, YMCA Europe).

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 116997,76 Eur

Project Coordinator

Miestne zdruzenie YMCA Revuca & Country: SK

Project Partners

• YMCA Praha
• Centrum dobrovolnictva n.o.