Background: The image of Roma people among the members of majority young people is quite negative in Europe. The Roma and non-Roma young people are both not aware of the values of Roma Dramas and dramatic heroes, who could serve as inspiring human examples in order they can become more conscious, responsible and active citizens. The WFFA has organized two times in 2017 and 2018 the Roma Heroes – International Roma Storytelling Festival, which is the first international theater festival on the World focusing on the self-representation of Roma dramatic artists. The festivals also served as a network for the artists and educators, who didn’t have connection to each other. The plays and videos recorded about them served as a base of an educational material, and 13 workshops reaching many young people in Hungary and Belgium. During the workshops the participants can meet and discuss Roma dramas and the heroes, social questions appearing in them. Afterwards they share their own heroes’ stories and also their own heroic acts, which are presented by some creative production (scene, letter, drawing, video), which are created in a cooperative way by the participants of the workshops. These workshops empower young Roma people, and develop the image of non-Roma people regarding Roma communities. Because of the success of the festival and the educational activities, and the desire of the international partners regarding deepening not only the artistic but also the educational cooperation, we decided to build strategical partnership. This project will be realized in Hungary, Romania, Italy and Spain, where the number and relevance of Roma communities is very intense. Partners have know-how and network for diverse target groups (young women, undereducate youngsters, secondary and university level students). Aims: - Share know-how of partners regarding non-formal education focusing on artistic and social issues. - Develop and disseminate the methodology of Roma Heroes workshops among European youth work and educational experts. - Training Roma and non- Roma peer trainers, who hold Roma Heroes workshops and participate in other youth work activities afterward. - Disseminating the educational values of the Roma dramas, the metods and the heroes stories of young Roma participants. - Building network among Roma experts, who are active on the field of art and non-formal education. - Informing, empowering and making active Roma and non-Roma young people throughout Europe. Activities: - Staff training for partners for sharing know-hows and building methodology - Creation of a central European Roma Heroes methodology and its 4 adapted version - Blended training for 16 Roma and non-Roma peer trainers - Holding 8 pilot workshops by peer trainers - Realizing 2 dissemination event reaching 200 professionals and disadvantaged young people promoting the Roma Drama and the educational methods and activities - Sharing the Roma heroes’ stories in the social and main stream media throughout Europe reaching 100,000 European media users Results, impact: - Strategical partnership among four Roma-led artistic educational organization - The hardly known values of Roma dramas, dramatic and everyday Roma heroes stories will be visible - 16 Roma and non-Roma peer trainers will be professional in holding Roma Heroes workshops and other art educational initiatives. - 100 young mostly Roma or disadvantaged young participants of the pilot workshops gain information about the values of Roma dramas, inspired their heroes, recognize and communicate with creative tools their own heroes and heroic acts, their communicational, cooperative and creative competences, critical thinking and knowledge regarding social and artistic issues will be improved. - Experts and organizations active on the fields of youth work, education or Roma inclusion get useful, practical tools, how to develop and empower Roma and disadvantaged people - The image of Roma communities will be developed, meanwhile the members of the Roma communities have been empowered by the examples of Roma heroes. - The values of Roma Dramas and heroes in the education will reach the threshold of the institutions and decision makers on European level. In longer term the visibility of Roma Dramas and dramatic heroes, who always take responsibility, use their voice, and through their activities bring change in their own life or in the ones in their communities, beside everyday Roma heroes, who are positive examples for the majority and the minority as well – can open new perspectives in the structure of educational initiatives focusing on the awareness raising of the majority regarding Roma or the empowerment of Roma people in order they can become active citizens, who use the opportunities of the democratic Europe.
Prior to the project, there was no initiative outside Hungary in which Roma and non-Roma peer trainers brought the diversity and challenges of European Roma communities closer to their peers through the heroes of Roma dramas, highlighting the values of Roma culture - strengthening the positive identity of Roma youth, improving the image of non-Roma youth about Roma, and strengthening openness to active citizenship in both groups. The ethnic and gender diversity of the young people participating in the training, their interest in theater, social issues and Roma communities were important to us. It was equally important to see if young people had the basic skills (e.g., communication, openness, relationship-building skills, creativity, team spirit) along which they could become successful trainers during their training. Finally, 28 young people were able to take part in local trainings. The first meeting took place in Italy, where the partner countries presented their context and methods, on the basis of which an outline of the methodology was compiled. Its final form was born over the summer, including artistic, educational and psychological backgrounds, the contexts of the different countries regarding Roma communities, a comprehensive picture of European Roma theater, the structure of the pilot workshop and other relevant aspects that could be useful in further developing of peer trainers' training and methods. At the end of August, a 5-day-long training was held for the staff in Bucharest, where we examined aspects of training and selection of peer trainers as well as possible methods for the workshop. During the autumn, all partners started to select peer trainers, and at the end of the autumn and in the winter, the selected trainers took part in several days of training in each country. The international training for the youngsters took place in Budapest in February 2020, where 24 people took part instead of the planned 16. Here, in addition to the training about basic skills of a trainer, the leaders of each partner held workshop modules, and the youngsters also presented their workshop plans for each other and they also formulated feedback and development suggestions. Each country’s peer group prepared their own workshop plan. The workshops to be held by peer trainers would have taken place in the spring, but due to the obstacles caused by the pandemic, a significant part of the workshops took place only later. Eventually, workshops were held in all countries. Instead of the 8 workshops undertaken and 120 participants led by peer trainers, 18 workshops were finally held with a total of 236 participants. The collaborative, communication, creative and intercultural skills and coaching competencies of the young people involved have developed. Interethnic groups also led to an increase in their social awareness for all participants. It strengthened the positive identity of Roma youth and improved the image of non-Roma youth about Roma. The aim of the project was, on the one hand, to promote social inclusion and acceptance towards Roma groups. The Roma Heroes workshops provide knowledge through Roma dramas, dramatic heroes and social themes raised in the dramas, and as at least one of the trainers who held the workshops was Roma, they also provided an opportunity for a personal meeting. Personal encounter has proven to be one of the most effective tools for shaping attitudes. Moreover, the participants did not meet with the members of the given group to “sensitize” them directly, but to help the dramatic heroes, or their own heroes, to present and process their own heroic deeds. As the workshops focused not only on the challenges of the Roma heroes but also on their active role, and in parallel on the heroes in and around the participants, the emphasis was on basic human connections and values. In parallel with the training of peer trainers, the consortium leader also provided training for university lecturers - participants in the two courses could mix and participate together in some modules. The Roma dramas, the interdisciplinary themes that appear in them, as well as the possibility of processing these themes and dramas can be the focus of seminars held in many university disciplines. Thus, the themes and tools of Roma Heroes are relevant not only to young people but also to the academic field. In the recent period, nearly a dozen university courses related to the topic have been implemented. We consider it important to cooperate with formal education, and especially with universities that educate the intellectuals of the future, the multiplier effect of which cannot be overemphasized.