1st In Bound Delegation

1st In-Bound Newsletter – Participants

1st In-Bound Newsletter – Direct Action

1st In-Bound Newsletter – Volunteering

1st In-Bound Newsletter – Professional Fellowship Congress

1st In-Bound Newsletter – Testimony

1st U.S. Mentors

Meet the first U.S. mentor group traveling to Europe

1st U.S. MentorsThe first delegation with a total of 19 fellows from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia visited the U.S. from April 1 – May 11, 2013 and participated in group seminars, round-table discussions, site visits, and had have interactions with United States leaders..

U.S. mentors will travel  for a  reciprocal visit to Europe. The Out-Bound component will include at least two American mentors’ teams to travel to Europe (between June 2013 and March 2014) for up to 21 days to provide joint workshops with the alumni and on-site consultation and fieldwork, and conduct wider outreach programs. The first U.S. mentor group will travel to Europe from June 19 through July 17, 2013 with 8 Americans who hosted, trained, worked with the European participants of the Spring 2013 delegation. Americans will work with the European alumni in providing workshops, assist with consulting and mentoring. They will be involved in field experience and learn about best kayak reviews minority issues and gain cultural experience in Europe. They will have an opportunity to share professional expertise and gain a deeper understanding of the societies, cultures and people of other countries. This citizen civic exchange will promote mutual understanding, create long-term professional ties, enhance the collaboration between GLC and its partners.

The second European delegation is expected in the U.S. from September 29 – November 9, 2013.

The Great Lakes Consortium – through WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc. – as Contract Agent and Manager – received a grant for a two-way exchange between September 2012  and August 2014 from the U.S. Department of State for the “Building Grassroots Democracy in Minority Communities” with at least 32 participants from four countries of Europe and for 18 U.S. mentors.

Meet the U.S. Mentors:

BG Organizations working with Roma

“Association Integro” was registered in 2002 as a non-profit organization under the legal non-profit organization.  The association’s activities is aimed to build structures of active citizenship in Roma communities, uniting the efforts of these structures for adequate gm diet plans representation of Roma at all levels of decision-making and responsibilities and create conditions for dialogue and cooperation with local authorities and national institutions.

City: Razgrad
е-mail: info@integrobg.org
web: http://www.integrobg.org/

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Amalipe Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance is a leading Roma organization, working for the equal integration of Roma in Bulgarian Society. The organization plays a central role in organizing a Roma civic movement and advocating for Roma integration within the state institutions. Amalipe believes in the equal integration of the Roma people in society by focusing on the preservation of the Roma identity and on the modernization of the Roma communities.

City: Veliko Turnovo
e-mail: center_amalipe@yahoo.com
web: http://amalipe.com/

————————————————————————————————————————————————

areteAreté Youth Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization supporting high-potential youth who are limited by social and economic barriers in Bulgaria and the Balkans. We envision a Roma community of engaged citizens and positive role models who support each other to achieve educational, financial, and personal success. Our Mission is to build sustainable social networks that encourage educational pursuits, instill a culture of giving back and promote mentorship.

City: Sofia
e-mail: info@areteyouth.org
web: http://www.areteyouth.org/

————————————————————————————————————————————————

student organizationStudent Society for the Development of Interthnic Dialogue – We are a non-governmental and politically independent organization. Our mission is to realize a complete social-educational cycle for the young Roma – popularization of education, carrying out pre-application preparation for entering high schools, carrying out pre-university application preparation, organizing scholarship competitions, motivating young people to acquire the highest possible degree of education, dissemination of information on competitions, scholarships, qualification courses, apprenticeships.

City: Sofia
e-mail: roma_students_org@abv.bg
web: http://ssdid.org/en

————————————————————————————————————————————————

dromThe organization Drom is a Vidin based non-governmental non-profit organization and aims to support the integration of Roma within Bulgarian society, thus helping the process of democratization and European integration. In 2000 the organization started the desegregation process with the idea to provide free access to quality education for Romani children from the all-Romani segregated „Nov Pat” quarter to the mainstream schooling system.

City: Vidin
e-mail: office@drom-vidin.org
web: http://www.drom-vidin.org

————————————————————————————————————————————————

romadestinyThe mission of Roma Destiny is to help the personal development and social integration of children, youth and adults from Roma origin; to promote the equal access of the Roma to quality education, employment and social services; to promote convergence of ethnic groups in the region of Stara Zagora and nationwide, and to build the spiritual values and the virtues of the civil society by implementing programs and developing partnerships. Roma Destiny connects the different generations with one purpose alone – the Roma to have a better future and Bulgaria to become a model in the area of the uniting of the different ethnicities.

City: Stara Zagora
e-mail: romadestiny@gmail.com
web: http://www.romadestiny.org

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Creating Effective Grassroots Alternatives works for capacity building in different levels, changing attitudes and improvement of policies for social inclusion of disadvantaged communities. The organization works in 4 main fields: 1) Capacity building for social inclusion of disadvantaged communities; 2) Improvement of policies for social inclusion of disadvantaged communities; 3) Changing attitudes for social inclusion of disadvantaged communities and 4) International development. Young people are cross-cutting priority target group in all fields and activities.

City: Sofia
e-mail: cega@cega.bg
web: http://www.cega.bg

————————————————————————————————————————————————

————————————————————————————————————————————————

The Association Youth Club “Roma Stolipinovo” is youth oriented non-governmental organization established in 1996. The vision of the Youth Club is to improve the quality life and social inclusion of the Roma youth from Plovdiv and its district through implementing sustainable mechanisms for building capacity, increasing the potential and the self-confidence of the young Roma.

The priorities of the Association are focused on changing the negative attitudes towards the Roma and other ethnic minorities through active participation and engagement of the youth from those societies in the social and cultural life of the country, promoting human rights, education and protection.

City: Plovdiv
e-mail: mkrs@abv.bg
web: http://www.youthclub-roma.org

EU Fellows

Anita Vodal reflects on her time in the US

EU FellowsMy name is Anita Vodál, and I’m a trainee lawyer at the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union. I came to the U.S. through an international community organizing exchange. My previous intention was to learn how to combine legal empowerment with community organizing back in Hungary. Surprisingly, I learned that you cannot empower people without organizing them – making them aware of their own power.

I was so absorbed in the issues and social problems of Hungary that I didn’t have much time before I arrived to think about how things would be in the U.S. I spend most of my time in the “world as it is,” instead of the “world as it should be,” which means that I was complaining about social injustice all the time without taking any action.

Five weeks ago, I arrived in the U.S. with 18 other fellows from Central European countries with the enthusiasm to learn community organizing and how grassroots democracy functions. Our training included a three-week internship during which our group split up and each of us went to different organizations in various states across the country. We all work with minority groups back in our countries (Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia) as part of the legal, social worker or organizing staff. I was placed for my internship at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH), along with Miro Ragac from Slovakia.

This exchange program, funded and organized by the U.S. State Department, also allows community organizers from the U.S. go to Central Europe in order to learn how things work there, how powerful organizations operate, what are the biggest social challenges organizers have to face, etc. Europeans try to get the same answers from American organizations and participants during the six weeks spent in the U.S.

I was completely aware that there are homeless people on the streets in the U.S. too, and that people are concerned about various social issues. However, I never thought that Americans struggle with the same challenges as we do in the middle of Europe – after 40 years of Socialism – nor that in the U.S. people also have to fight for democratic values and against racism. I had to realize that discrimination remains an issue even if we are across the ocean in a country ruled by a democratic leader. It seems to me that this struggle is something that we have to fight for, no matter where we live.

In Hungary, Roma people are the biggest ethnic minority, or about 10% of the entire population. The Roma community faces an enormous level of discrimination in every facet of life, including housing, employment, and education. They live in very poor living conditions, lots of them have no running water in their houses, the unemployment rate is almost 90%, and most of the Roma children go to segregated schools or classes. The far-right political party, Jobbik, has 20% of the representatives in the Parliament. This ruling conservative government supports the idea of “gypsy criminality.” This concept has significantly increased the level of racism experienced by Roma people in the last few years.

During my stay I the U.S., I have realized that this country also faces serious problems of discrimination and segregation, even though it is ruled by a democratic government.

I would like highlight the issue that surprised me the most.

If a person has a criminal background in the U.S., they have to carry this felony through their entire life as a stamp on their forehead. It stays there forever; anyone can have access to their criminal record. Related to homelessness, these people are excluded from public housing through the Chicago Housing Authority for at least five years, and have to wait at least another couple of years on the housing choice wait list until they can access an apartment. They cannot rejoin family living in public housing just because of the felony. They can hardly get a job, since their future employee can easily do a background check on them. What is the point of letting people out of prison if they are excluded from most services and their fundamental rights are curtailed? In Hungary, you can get rid of the felony after a certain amount of time, depending on the crime. There are some extensions, but in most of the cases your criminal record becomes blank and nobody can check it except certain authorities. It is your private information. It seems that there are regulations that are more humane in Central Europe and the U.S. has to improve.

Besides plenty of best practices, useful tools and great advice that I can take back home with me, I’ve learned during my time in Chicago to live sometimes in “the world as it should be.”

Short picture’s story from our fellows

On 12th of April our fellows safety arrived to their fellowship placement site in 9 states at 11 hosting organizations. Read some of their first actions/meetings and impressions:

Raluca Negulescu, Romania

My first day at the Granite State Organizing Project was delightful. I met a group of fantastic Latin-American women from Nashua and we discussed about the main issues in their community. In the evening, I attended a fundraising event – the 2nd Annual Spaghetti Supper organised by Holy Cross Family Learning Center in Manchester. I met the Mayor of the city and enjoyed a Bhutanese dance show.

Raluca Negulescu

Raluca Negulescu, Romania

Martin Klus, Slovakia

I had a “sharp start” here in Little Rock and today became part of very strong state-wide initiative within Arkansas State Congress and will be famous for couple of seconds even in local TV.

Martin Klus

Martin Klus, Slovakia

Dzhevid Mahmud, Bulgaria
Csaba and Dzhevid met with senator Kennedy in Brockton, Boston during interfaith community action meeting.

dzhevid mahmud

Dzhevid & Csaba

Simona Barbu, Romania

Two very interesting meetings today in Seattle, the first one at CASA LATINA, where the Care Council meet to discuss about the national updates on the law of immigration and the activities they prepare for the next period: on the 9th of May they will put together and action called Mothers Day in order to highlight the role of the mothers in immigration.

Later on, in the Industrial district (aka China Town) we had the opportunity to participate at the meeting of the coalition for preparing May Day in Seattle, a totally different concept that what we usually celebrate in Romania. May Day is the Immigrant’s Day and will be celebrated by marching on the main important boulevards of the city and organizing the members of the immigrant communities to participate.

Together with Kovács Tímea Éva , we’ll be peace keepers during the march on the 1st of May! We are looking forward to it!

simona barbu

Simona & Timea

Miroslav Ragac, Slovakia

Very successful day today! Our S.A.G.E group (Survivor Advocacy Group Empowered) met with several members of the Illinois House of Representatives in Springfield and they got their support and commitment to vote for SB 1872!!! Well done girls!!!

Miroslav Ragac

Miroslav Ragac, Slovakia

Profile of the first delegation visiting U.S. -19 fellows from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia

The first delegation with a total of 19 fellows from Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia visit the U.S. from April 1 – May 11, 2013 to participate in group seminars, round-table discussions, site visits, and will have interactions with United States leaders. A tailored 3-week internship with mentoring, multicultural events, and participation in volunteer activities as well as in the Professional Fellows Congress in Washington, D.C. will be also included in the 6-week professional fellows program.

Participants will prepare a 6-9 month individual and group Action Plan for follow on activities. They have various opportunities to experience the American family life and the diversity in the U.S. through staying with American host families during their internship in Little Rock (Arkansas), Chicago (Illinois), Boston (Massachusetts), St. Louis (Missouri), Manchester (New Hampshire), Raleigh (North Carolina), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Charlottesville (Virginia), Seattle (Washington).

A second European delegation is expected in the U.S. from September 30 – November 9, 2013.

The Out-Bound component will include at least two American mentors’ teams to travel to Europe (between June 2013 and March 2014) for up to 21 days to provide joint workshops with the alumni and on-site consultation and fieldwork, and conduct wider outreach programs.

U.S. and foreign participants will be involved in alumni activities through an alumni social network in each country. We will also establish an online network for continued learning. This program is a collaboration between GLC and its overseas partners: CEGA in Bulgaria, Civil College Foundation in Hungary, CeRe in Romania and Center for Community Organizing in Slovakia as well as the European Community Organizing Network (ECON) and many U.S. partner organizations involved in the joint program and the tailored internship, and follow up mentoring activities.

Building Grassroots Democracy in Minority Communities is a project of Great Lakes Consortium – through WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc. – as Contract Agent and Manager – granted for a two-way exchange between September 2012 and August 2014 from the U.S.
Department of State.

Testimonies

Testimony from the 1st EU Delegation traveled to U.S.A
[issuu viewmode=presentation layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Fcolor%2Flayout.xml backgroundcolor=61A900 showflipbtn=true documentid=130227121318-5164dc0dae914675990e9b077b0a89e6 docname=2012_1stintbound_delegation_testimonials_post username=gregstanoev loadinginfotext=1st%20In%20Bound%20Delegation showhtmllink=true tag=community width=420 height=544 unit=px]

Testimony from the 1st U.S. Mentors traveled to Europe

Testimony from the 2nd EU Delegation traveled to U.S.A.

Testimony from the 2nd U.S. Mentors traveled to Europe

Testimony from the 3rd U.S. Mentors traveled to Europe

3rd US Mentors Visit

Testimonies of the 3rd U.S. Mentor visit in Europe

3rd US Mentors VisitBetween January 25  – February 15, 2013 the delegation of 8 U.S. Mentors (U.S. organizations: Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH), Step by Step (SS), Charles Stewart Mott Foundation (CSMT), Harriet Tubman Center (HTC), Maine People’s Alliance (MPA), Lakeview Action Coalition (LAC), One Village Council (OVC), and Poverty Initiative) gathered in Budapest to participate in 3-week trip in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia in smaller groups.

They spent time interacting with local leaders and alumni friends, learning about the political, economic and cultural environment in each country, and participated in workshops, round table discussions and presentations, consulting, etc. They all contributed to the great success of this exchange program.

Check what they are saying: