Building bridges
Start date: Sep 1, 2014,
End date: Aug 31, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
Building Bridges brings the previous European voluntary service projects based mainly in Roma communities of Jelsava and Liptovsky Mikulas to another level as other young people get inspired for international volunteering and the impact on communities is ever widening.
There are two sending organisations, two hosting organisations (where one takes the coordinating role) involved in this project from Slovakia, Poland and Germany. We would like to strenghten a create new partnership with Poland for further regional cooperation in Liptov region.
As there is not much other European living contact in our areas, interest for international volunteers spread across Jelsava and Liptovsky Mikulas, new and wider local groups got inspired into cooperation. Therefor, we would like to host one young volunteer for a year in Jelsava who would be involved in Roma community centre, local schools as a part of non-formal education activities with students and other interests groups (mother centre). Other two young volunteers will join the activities for a year in Liptovsky Mikulas, mainly in Roma centre, new Youth lab media studio, local schools according to interests of volunteers and cultural activities in the town (new activity: Language cafe in town public spaces). Volunteers approached us actively to join the project, they are very interested in other aspects of cultural exchange (fight against racism, own heritage exploration with local community)
Each volunteering programme builds upon the previous, new initiatives and cooperation with wider community begin and quality is raising in the existing ones to meet new objectives:
- more active involvement of Roma and rural youth in development programmes
- non/formal education leading to better employability, personal development and better quality of life
- creating, developing relevant programmes for youth (media education, communication and leadership skills, active citizenship and volunteering as a lifestyle, etc.)