Purpose:
The Ciga Giro - E8G Project project (Escolhas Program) fights against the social segregation of the Roma ethnic minority, seeking to create new opportunities for the development and social integration of children, young people, and families. It covers the areas of education, health, empowerment, citizenship, ICT skills, and integration into the labour market.
Process:
Through the Division of Social Promotion, the municipality combats discrimination and promotes gender equality as one of its main objectives. This project has the support of several partners, namely the Community Center of Prado Parish and the Portuguese Red Cross (Braga delegation), which is the managing entity. It is implemented within two schools, addressing gender issues and women's empowerment while also working with men to understand and promote women’s rights.
A Consortium was created with the various partners to monitor, streamline and control the implementation of the "Ciga Giro - E8G" project, under the terms and conditions defined in the Consortium Agreement and in the Escolhas Program Regulations. A technical team consisting of a coordinator, a Roma mediator, and a social sciences officer was set up.
Activities:
- In partnership with the schools, the consortium created programs for the development of social and behavioural skills.
- The project promotes a weekly meeting with Roma women, entitled "Voice: your weapon" which focuses on building women’s self-esteem and dismantling prejudices.
- Work has been done also with Roma men to raise their awareness on gender equality issues and foster greater involvement in the education of children.
- Employment measures and inclusion in the labour market.
- The project also carried out activities to promote the reduction of stereotypes (territory, ethnicity, gender, gender, sexual orientation, etc.) through the “GIRO Open Door” and “Turn off the Prejudice - Faz+” initiatives.
- Other activities of the project included IT skills training and sessions promoting healthy lifestyle habits, including cooking habits.
Impact:
Thanks to the Ciga Giro – E8G project, young Roma people have attended vocational training in local companies and this experience contributed to dissipating resistances and prejudices regarding the labour market.
The project improved the school path of Roma children and young people by providing them with the needed skills to improve their performance in school.
It has also increased the interest of the Roma Communities in searching for new working experiences and projecting themselves into new professions, which translated into the development of social and behavioural skills.
As a result of the project, some participants were integrated into the labour market and now have steady jobs.
Key reference documents: https://www.facebook.com/ProjectoCigaGiro.E8G
