Active Citizenship in Europe. Roma participation against discrimination: building trust between Roma communities and civil society

ended

ACE aims to contribute to effective implementation of the principles of non-discrimination and fight against anti-gypsims, addressing political participation, promotion of active citizenship and building trust between communities and municipalities in selected areas of SP, SL and IT. This will encompass the empowerment of Roma men and women for their participation to social, cultural and political life as well as tackling anti-gypsyism among policy-makers, enhancing critical thinking and raising awareness about the advantages of social and political inclusion of the target audience. The methodology is built around the concepts of integrated, evidence-based and participatory approaches leading to (1) assess motivations, expectations and any other relevant information affecting the Roma in their behaviours towards political and social participation as well as factors external to them, such as specific systemic barriers and individual approaches of relevant stakeholders or general society (2) Empower Roma on their rights and mentor them on how to advocate on their needs, (3) raise awareness and increase capability of policy makers and institutional officers about inclusive policy making processes, (4) implement pilot co-design policy meetings between the actors in play to test the cooperative and concrete process to be implemented after ACE. In doing so, ACE in the medium and long run will increase active citizenship and inclusive policy-making, which in turn will be the assurance for holistic inclusion and the factual implementation of principles of non-discrimination.