EUROPEAN COOPERATION FOR ROMA INCLUSION / ECRI is a European project aimed at developing the skills of adults working to support and include ROMS communities. ECRI was born from a youth worker mobility project HOHO - Home Hospitality supported by the Erasmus + Youth and Sport programme where the partners all met in Bulgaria and Romania. They have all been involved in the processes of inclusion of Roma communities. The project is part of a context of tightening national policies towards Roma communities. In a context of rising nationalism, xenophobia and glottophobia, the partners consider that the tools, methodologies and processes of inclusion are now too compartmentalized (social assistance, educational assistance, cultural assistance...) Inspired by practices in Bulgaria, Romania and Germany, they are developing innovative cross-functional training processes in this project through the practice of mentoring. They are putting in place tools to train Roma mentors who can become a strong link between local authorities and private organizations and Roma communities. The partners are foundations active in adult education, advisory bodies, universities, municipalities, social and cultural centres, sustanability organisms, advisory agencies. They are located in Germany, France, Bulgaria and Romania. The ECRI project will therefore focus on developing the skills of trainers working with Roma communities living in Squats (artists, mediators, trainers, educators, etc.) by supporting their ability to - develop their capacity to integrate cross-sectoral integration processes - Train mentors - Train local authorities to propose internal mechanisms and cooperation for the inclusion of ROMS The ECRI project will develop several types of activities for the development of adult skills and qualifications: - 2 learning activities - 1 transmedia platform on inclusive methodologies of mediation for Roma communities - 1 inclusion mentoring training course with certificates for the project's target audiences (trainer and educators but also mentors within the Roma communities) - 1 dynamic and storytelling mapping of technological and economic resources so that local authorities can rethink the services and spaces needed to include Roma people - 3 transnational dissemination events (Bulgaria, Germany and France). These activities will bring together the following participants: - Roma communities - Recognized European experts in adult education (mediators, writers, artists, trainers, social inclusion specialists, education, etc.) - Managers of public and private companies active in the social, educational, cultural and entrepreneurial sector - Specialists in digital tools for the enhancement of productions - Heads of local authorities responsible for the integration of Roma communities in large metropolitan areas The relevance of the ECRI project is based on a formal and non-formal education methodology that promotes: - The development of content based on the needs of the final beneficiaries of the project (Roma communities) and concrete experiences in the territories - Cross-fertilization of expertise: culture, social, health and entrepreneurship - The creation of mentoring inclusion certification programs The results and impacts of the ECRI project will act at all levels, from local to international, but will focus on the certification and skills development of the final beneficiaries, the Roma communities. The ECRI project provides tools for: - Strengthen the skills of people working with these audiences. - Enhance the life skills and know-how of Roma people, and turn them into mentoring and training skills - Facilitate the participation of Roma communities in events and mechanisms set up in communities for social, cultural and economic inclusion. These impacts will be disseminated through networks in the educational, social, cultural sector and social and solidarity economy, local authorities, European and global networks defending Roma rights. ECRI's response to the difficulties of cooperation with Roma communities aims to promote the knowledge of these groups by pooling the support services offered in our cities and local authorities.
The response to the difficulties of cooperation with Roma communities proposed by ECRI aims to act on the valorisation of the knowledge of these groups thanks to the mutualisation of the support services offered in our cities and actors of the territory. ECRI has therefore focused on developing the skills of educators (artists, mediators, trainers, educators, etc.) working with Roma communities living in squats by supporting their ability to: - Strengthen the inter knowledge between actors and Roma communities for a greater complementarity of actions - Identify actors & actions that promote access to rights for Roma families - Better orient Roma families with a solid network of actors - Innovate and capitalise by identifying actors and professional practices in other territories The relevance of ECRI is therefore based on a methodology of formal & non-formal education that promotes - Development of contents based on the needs of the final beneficiaries of the project (ROMS communities) and concrete experiences in the territories - Cross-fertilisation of expertise: cultural, social, health and entrepreneurship - Creation of training courses in the field of integration mentoring
The Roma in Europe number between 6 and 12 million people. Two thirds of them live in Central and Eastern Europe. Sedentary for several centuries, generally in rural areas, they live mostly in poverty. The Roma population is very young, growing and excluded from the labour market in countries that are also facing rapid demographic ageing. In Bulgaria & Romania, almost one in five market entrants is Roma. Because of their growing proportion in the working age workforce, their inclusion is an economic given. In Western European countries, the eviction of Roma populations from squatter settlements is a concern. The ERRC (Europea Roma Right Center) & the Ligue des Droits de l'Homme (LDH) detail the figures for 2014 in France: 13483 evictions of people living in camps; a rate of 3 evictions of living places per week The partners consider that the tools, methodologies & processes of inclusion are today too sectorialized. Inspired by practices in Bulgaria, Romania & Germany they are developing tools to train Roma mentors who can become a strong link between local authorities, private organisations & communities