Project duration:

January 5^th – December 22nd, 2014

Partnering organisations:

• European Information Centre,  Veliko Tarnovo /applicant organisation/;
• Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance “Amalipe“ /partner/;
• Youth Leadership Academy GLOW /partner/;
• Association Chitalishta /partner/;
• Association of the Mayors from Veliko Tarnovo District /partner/.

Aims:

• Increasing youth Roma participation in the electoral process at the European Parliament Elections /25 May, 2014/ by raising awareness on the EU Parliamentarians’ functions, rights and duties of the MEPs;
• Improving citizens’ trust in the EU Institutions by providing information on how they work and the ways that people can intervene in the process of European policies creation.

Objectives:

• Raising awareness on the importance of voting in the Elections and the role of the everyday decisions made at the European Parliament as a provocation for a more active involvement of the Roma population in Veliko Tarnovo district in the Elections;
• Forming an active group of youth Roma leaders who will implement peer-to-peer trainings in the Roma communities and will act as a long term factor for change;
• Provoking reaction from the European policy makers on local and international level by providing information from the citizens on topics that concern them.

Activities:

1. Three-day leadership seminar for empowering Roma voters through the peer-to-peer education method /February, 2014/
2. Eight community meetings  – European “sedyanka” – presenting information about how the EU works, rights and obligations of the Members of the EP, European support for the Roma communities, education and social inclusion
3. Four social campaigns, providing forum for discussions, debates, mobile stands for expressing the citizens’ recommendations for Europe.
4. Regional youth forum “My youth recommendations to Europe”

This project is implemented with the financial support of the “Open society” Foundation, Roma initiatives programme, Budapest and is in the framework of priority area “Empowering Roma voters in European elections 2014”