Final Conference on the "Key to Inclusion" Project

02. Mar 2021.

Final conference of the project "Strengthening the capacity of the local and Roma community in the city of Šabac for inclusive process - LET'S GET INVOLVED (Key to Inclusion)", which was realized in the period 04.Sept.2019 - 03.March 2021 by the City of Šabac in partnership with the College for Social Work from Belgrade and the Ecumenical Humanitarian Organization from Novi Sad, was held on Friday, February 26, 2021 in the Center for Professional Development Šabac.

The project was financed by the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities - SKGO, through the program of the European Union’s support to Roma Inclusion - Empowering Local Communities for Roma Inclusion.

The aim of the conference was to present the results achieved by the implementation of this project and to exchange experiences and inclusive practices in working with the Roma community in the City of Šabac. The conference was attended by representatives of various institutions of the City of Šabac, the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities - SKGO, as well as representatives of civil society organizations, volunteers, beneficiaries and members of the project team.

The activities carried out within the project are important for intersectoral and interdepartmental cooperation that was established at the level of this project, related to Roma inclusion and will be a significant resource for the development of the future Action Plan for Roma in the City of Šabac.

The main results of the project presented at the conference are:

1. The created Network for Roma Integration (MIR) with 22 representatives of various institutions and civil society organizations that work directly and indirectly with Roma - as a sustainable local mechanism for eliminating discrimination, exclusion and inequality of the members of the Roma population.

2. The raised level of knowledge among the representatives of local media and raised the level of awareness of members of the local community of the City of Šabac about the authentic cultural values of the Roma population by organizing:

a. Trainings on social mechanisms of creating and maintaining prejudice, and a constructive approach to social differences and the importance of interculturality for representatives of civil society institutions and organizations,

b. The intercultural festival "Dancing through a fairy tale", with the aim of promoting Roma culture and Roma cultural identity, but also the cultural heritage of other national communities living in the territory of the City of Šabac.

c. A literary competition for primary school age children on the topic "Different, yet the same" and

d. Campaigns and productions of TV spots on inclusion and the importance of involving the Roma community in the life of the local community in Šabac

I    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqc4aoZwij4&t=7s

II   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9K2O1wBz4I&t=100s

III  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdiC_n2uRlg&t=38s

3. Implementation of various educational modules for the construction of a volunteer structure that actively provides support to the Roma community within the Mobile Kindergarten and Mobile School in the City of Šabac.