On the leave

2016-02-01 -
2020-03-31

Development Training

Colleagues

The aim of the project is to eliminate the physical and mental segregation of the Roma community of Szúcs-Bagoly-lyuk settlement. The former miner settlement (appr. 300 habitants, 40 houses) located in the Northern part of Hungary is a typical Roma ghetto with its ‘typical’ social-economic problems. The habitants are excluded not only from the Hungarian society but also from the daily life of the neighbouring village, Szúcs (2,5 km). Local people have low education, health problems, high unemployment rate and the do not take part in the community life of the village. The Bányatelep community can be considered as ‘anomic’ society without solidarity and cooperative skills.

The other aim of the project is to break this ‘bad circle’ involving mainly the youngsters into community activities (drama workshops by Youth Program of Katona József Theatre – one of the Hungarian leading theatres – http://katonablog.hu/), taking efforts for the financial consolidation of the households (using Autonomia Fondation’s methods), providing wide publicity for the ‘opening of the ghetto’ to fight against the stereotypes against the Roma on the side of the Hungarian society. Katona József Thetare (KJT) will has wide network in Budapest and these ‘opinion leaders’ and donors will stand up for the project in the media.

Mutual visits and co-working of the local youngsters in Szúcs and members of Youth Program of KJT will contribute for the opening if the symbolic or cultural segregation of the Bányatelep.

As an integral part of the project is the communication. In the project, the local people will turn up in ‘unusual’ roles regarding the stereotypes on the Roma. The project will fight against two typical stereotypes:

1 The Roma like savages who are not interested in the culture although they like to dance and sing in the caravans.

2 The Roma cannot plan the future and do not have any financial planning skills.

The project will show that local youngsters and high-society urban youngsters can produce common and valuable artistic shows. They are open, need it and can take part if the opportunity is given.

Nevertheless, the main indicator of this activity of the feeling of creation and happiness of it has to be presented and communicated.

Using Autonomia’s financial development methods local community (based upon the experience, the housewomen mainly) will start think and communicate on financal issues. They start microsavings and planning their financial future – in small steps. Autonomia avoids the direct teaching or frontal training but focuses on the exploring of the existing skills and the communication on the financial situation – instead of hiding them.

Project aims to foster the re-integration of the segregated Roma community into the Hungarian society. The ultimate goal is the change of the representation of the Rome in the eye of the Hungarian majority that is the Roma are not the members and not the beneficiaries or the burden of the society – depending of the political view. Both perspectives consider the Roma as outside part of the society that is supported by the physical and symbolic segregation in which they live usually in Hungary.

The action would be doublefold – providing opportunities for the local community building bridge between the local poor people and the high-society of Budapest and presenting the process and result in the media, social media. Nevertheess, the emphasis is on the drawing attention to the pure facts of the living in the segregation. The logic has to be represented simply: Living in segregation is one-way road and hopeless if there is no chance to break. Local people can take advantage of the opportunity but this chance, the first step can come from outside. This is the responsibility of the society because no one can expect that segregated people leave their situation without information, resource, and pscichological support.

Theater workshops