Final project press release – Romii de stepă

Completion of the project “Steppe Roma – a story about the past and roads to modernity”

31.10.2023

The Labor Training and Consultancy Center announces the completion of the project “Steppe Roma – a story about the past and roads to modernity” financed with the support of EEA Grants 2014 – 2021 within the RO-CULTURE Programme and implemented during the period 01.06.2022 – 31.10.2023 (17 months ) in partnership with the Ialomita County Museum. The total eligible value of the project was 956,847.33 lei, the equivalent of 193,384.53 euros, calculated at the InforEuro exchange rate from the date of signing the contract (1 euro=4.9479 lei).

The project targeted the Roma population from 10 localities in the steppe area of Romania that face economic, social and cultural underdevelopment, the project implementation area being represented by the counties of Ialomița (the localities of Andrășești, Căzănești, Slobozia and Traian), Călărași (the locality of Dragalina ), Brăila (Berteștii de Jos and Viziru localities), Ilfov (Cernica locality) and Buzău (Rușețu and Padina localities).

The general objective of the project was “Consolidation of the economic and social development of the Roma from the steppe area of southeastern Romania (10 localities) through cultural interventions and modern art” and was achieved through the three specific objectives:

O.1 Empowerment of 64 young people/students of Roma ethnicity through the development of skills specific to the cultural and creative sectors;
O.2 Strengthening the cultural identity of 30 young people/students of Roma ethnicity through non-formal education;
O.3 Improving the reception of Roma culture and implicitly increasing the degree of inclusion through the creation and promotion of artistic productions/cultural products.

The target group included as direct beneficiaries more than 500 people participating in project activities (200 people of Roma ethnicity participating in the sociological research and documentation activities on the traditional Roma culinary art, 34 students of Roma ethnicity participating in the training/empowerment activity through contemporary art initiatives, 30 Roma students participating in cultural identity strengthening activities and 838 Roma and majority participants in the 10 exhibition events), and the indirect beneficiaries were communities and local authorities, as well as internet users .

The Roma traditionally face exclusion from the labor market, severe impoverishment, emigration, access to seasonal jobs, discrimination and ethnic segregation, and the intervention contributed to solving the needs for capacity building, increasing self-confidence and strengthening cultural identity, desegregation and the elimination of discriminatory stereotypes through the activities carried out within the project, which came in response to existing challenges: the lack of empowerment measures, the lack of non-formal education programs specific to the cultural and creative sectors and the lack of measures to improve the reception of Roma culture . Among them, we mention:

A.2 – Public awareness activities and reception of Roma culture through artistic products and productions – the activity facilitated the intercultural dialogue between the Roma minority and the majority population with an emphasis on promoting the cultural history of the Roma minority and increasing the degree of understanding of the style of specific life. Through the proposed cultural-artistic approach, the activity contributed to improving the knowledge of Roma intangible heritage in an innovative way, through original artistic products and productions, facilitating the inclusion of Roma in their communities, in parallel with wider recognition. As part of the sub-activities, a sociological research was carried out with the title “Representations and lifestyle in the Roma communities in the steppe area of Romania”, a film about the lifestyle and cultural representations specific to the Roma, 1 online platform to promote the elements of Roma intangible heritage (www.romiidestepa.ro) and a product that documents the tradition of Roma cuisine – Culinary recipe. All the materials and cultural products produced within the project can be consulted and/or downloaded from the website dedicated to the project, www.romiidestepa.ro.
A.3 Roma empowerment through contemporary art initiatives – the activity contributed to improving access to culture by empowering 34 Roma youth/students. Cultural initiatives about the Roma minority were supported through two contemporary art activities: the organization of a creative writing circle and a digital narrative photography training program, activities that stimulated the participants’ creativity and imagination using technology, new media and innovative training methods, in the context where digital and creative skills are becoming increasingly important on the labor market.
A.4 Activities for the consolidation of cultural identity through clubs, workshops and non-formal training for Roma youth/students: the activity had the main purpose of strengthening the cultural identity of Roma youth/students by developing self-esteem, confidence, creativity and the ability to communicate through innovative methods, the use of ICT and new media and favors in the long term the improvement of access to culture/traditional culture. Within the themes addressed, the activity capitalized on the intangible Roma heritage elements identified in previous activities and contributed to supporting cultural initiatives about the Roma minority by organizing two contemporary art activities aimed at Roma culture: organizing an experiential theater group and storytelling workshops for 20 of Roma youth/students and to a number of 10 people of Roma ethnicity trained at the workplace (job shadowing).
A.5. The organization of cultural events with the participation of Roma and the majority population: 10 exhibition events – the activity had an essential contribution in improving the reception of Roma culture and increasing the degree of inclusion of Roma in the project implementation area and contributed to improving access to culture of 838 of people (participants in exhibitions) and supporting cultural initiatives about the Roma minority by organizing 10 contemporary art activities aimed at supported Roma culture; within the exhibitions that were organized in the 10 localities, snapshots captured during the project activities, images of representations and lifestyles in Roma communities, elements of Roma cultural heritage from the collection of the partner, the Ialomița County Museum, as well as photographic achievements of the participants in the contemporary art activities.

Indirect results (outcomes) and direct results (outputs):

1102 people participating in cultural activities;
16 contemporary art activities aimed at Roma culture;
Jobs created – 3.07;
Persons of Roma ethnicity targeted by training measures – 64;
Persons of Roma ethnicity trained at the workplace-10.

The EEA Grants represent the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway towards a green, competitive and inclusive Europe. There are two overall objectives: reduction of economic and social disparities in Europe, and to strengthen bilateral relations between the donor countries and 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics. The three donor countries cooperate closely with the EU through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA). The donors have provided €3.3 billion through consecutive grant schemes between 1994 and 2014. For the period 2014-2021, the EEA Grants amount to €1.55 billion. More details are available on: www.eeagrants.org and www.eeagrants.ro.

RO-CULTURE is implemented in Romania by the Ministry of Culture through the Project Management Unit. The Programme aims at strengthening social and economic development through cultural cooperation, cultural entrepreneurship and cultural heritage management. The total budget amounts to almost 34 million EUR. For more details access: www.ro-cultura.ro

Training and Consulting Center Labor Str. Matei Basarab, No. 1, Block U21. Slobozia Municipality, Ialomita County E-mail: centrullabor@yahoo.com

The document can be accessed here:

The press release for the completion of the project picked up in the media, here:

Finalizarea proiectului „Romii de stepă – o poveste despre trecut și drumuri către modernitate”