MUNICIPALITY OF MENEMENI

POLICIES TOWARDS ROMA SOCIAL INCLUSION

CONTEXT

• The Municipality of Menemeni is situated in the west side of

Thessaloniki City, an area that displays social inequalities in

comparison to the rest of the City and is inhabited by populations

that face the danger of social exclusion due to low educational level,

poverty, unemployment etc. The Municipality has around 20.000

inhabitants, of which almost 15% are ROMA that mainly live in

the district of Agios Nektarios (Saint Nektarios), and co-exist

without any major problems with the general population.

MAIN OBJECTIVE

• Actions not only for the benefit of the sensitive population

group of ROMA, but in favor of the general population and

other vulnerable social groups as well. The Municipality

attempts to formulate an integrated approach by responding to

as many issues as possible and collaborating with local social

partners and other bodies in order to achieve cohesive responses to

the poverty challenge. Some of the activities are still in

operation, whereas others stopped functioning with the ending

of the programs.

SECTORS OF INTERVENTION

• Promotion to employment/Vocational Training

• Education• Health• Social welfare• Housing

• Civic situation

FUNDING SOURCES

• National Funds (i.e. Housing Policy)

• Municipal Funds( i.e. Health, Civic situation)

• European Social Fund ( i.e. Community Initiative Equal, Social Welfare)

PROMOTION TO EMPLOYMENT/ VOCATIONAL TRAINING

Office of Social and Supportive Services

Provision of counseling concerning vocational training,

techniques of job seeking, information about vacancies, etc.

Psychological support

Facilitation in liaison with other units of employment and social

provision (Greek Manpower Organization, Social Welfare Services,

Educational services, Centers of Vocational Training etc)

PROMOTION TO EMPLOYMENT/ VOCATIONAL TRAINING

Community Initiative Equal: ¨ROM- ACTION FOR THE

EQUIVALENT PARTICIPATION IN EMPLOYMENT¨. The Project

was implemented by the Development Partnership “Network for the

encounter of discriminations against ROM¨. The partnership

involved the cooperation of ROMA which was achieved mainly

through their associations and Network ROM, institution of

networking and representation of Greek ROMA. Τhe main problem

this project faced was the integration of ROMA in the labour

market.

EQUAL PRODUCTS

2 one-stop shops in the Municipalities of Menemeni and

Echedoros.

Provision of counseling concerning vocational training,

techniques of job seeking, information about vacancies, etc.

Psychological support

Participation of mediators, derived from the ROMA population

who provided information to the target-group and facilitated the

access of the ROMA to the counselling structures.

EQUAL PRODUCTS

Development of the Electronic Observatory for the ROMA.

Information regarding the target-group, such as:

The products of the Partnership

Sectors which are very important, employment, health, education

etc.

The Observatory is cited in the following address: www.rom.net.gr

EQUAL PRODUCTS

Awareness and Dissemination Activities for the promotion of the

objectives of the project and also the awareness-sensitization of the

dominant population, as well as the public servants.

RESULTS

Around 300 ROMA people have benefit from

provision of counseling by expert consultants

concerning employment and vocational training, of

which almost 30% have been promoted to professional

training seminars, according to their needs and skills.

HEALTH

Medical care is provided by personnel including a pathologist,

a gynecologist, a pediatrician and a nurse. Every year around

900 people visit the unit, 65% of those are ROMA and 3.500

sessions are provided. The main issues to be faced are the

following: respiratory problems, cardiological problems, juvenile

diseases, holding of TEST PAP for ROMA women, prescription

writing.

SOCIAL WELFARE

Development of a Municipal Nursery School. The nursery

provides services to children from 2.5 to 5 years old. Non-ROMA

and ROMA children have the opportunity to coexist, as 30% of the

35 enrolled kids per year, are ROMA.

Development of a Centre for Creative Activities for Children.

The unit addressed children from 6-12 years old, with the main aim

of engaging them in creative activities, drawing, music, handicraft

etc. The unit hosted 30 children per year, all of them were

ROMA.

SOCIAL WELFARE

Help at Home unit at the level of Municipality. The unit’s staff

provides services to old lonely people and handicapped individuals

that cannot attend to their own needs, but also to families with

elderly suffering from long-term illnesses. The program services

65 people and 10 of those belong to the ROMA population. The

reason for the relatively low percentage is the fact that most ROMA

do not meet the requirements of the program, as they live with their

families that take care of them at home.

EDUCATION

Seminars of Greek language for the illiterate ROMA,

who have dropped out of school

Acquisition of the diploma of primary education

2 multi-cultural primary schools for students with

cultural and social particularities, such as the ROMA.

HOUSING

Τhe Municipality carries out a funding program by the Ministry of

Interior, Decentralization and Electronic Governance which

concerns the provision of loans up to 60.000€ per ROMA family,

with the aim of purchase, construction or reconstruction of an

apartment or house in general, that will ameliorate the conditions of

living. From 2002, 448 ROMA have benefit from the program.

CIVIC SITUATION

Βranch of the Center of Civic Service, in the area where the

majority of ROMA live

Issuance of :

Birth/death certificates

Certificates of family status, single state, social security numbers,

permanent residence etc.

Approximately 120 people visit the structure every month, 95%

of them are ROMA.

LOCAL CHURCH’S INVOLVEMENT

Activities in benefit of the general population and other

social groups as the ROMA:

A daily meal is scheduled and offered in favor of the people in

need, among them a significant number of ROMA.

Courses of English Language for children and adults and Greek

Language especially for the ROMA.

Courses of Byzantine music and Theology.

MAIN OBSTACLES

• Lack of funding sources • Special characteristics of the ROMA population: marginalization,

fear and distrust towards the good intentions of the general population and the realization of supportive activities

• Distrust and uneasiness of the general population towards the ROMA, such as employers, institutions etc.

• Difficulty/Reluctance of the ROMA people in adapting to the way of thinking and acting of the general population ( mainly concerning employment and education)

• Parallel existence of multiple factors that contribute to the social exclusion of ROMA, such as family status, great number of dependent members, low school attendance, poverty, unemployment, inappropriate housing etc.

CONCLUSIONS

• In conclusion, the confrontation of the ROMA problems

should be based on an integrated intervention with a

long-term perspective. This is possible when there is – Continuous funding to guarantee the sustainability of

policies. – Change of mentality of the general and the ROMA

population – Activities should be planned and materialized for the benefit

of the basic element of the Roma communities, the family.

CONCLUSIONS

• In essence, working with the family, we can guarantee better

perspective for the ROMA children, the target should be the

amelioration of the future of the ROMA family and especially

the youth. This is a great social problem that we have to approach

from all its dimensions and not separately. The planning and

realization of a complete intervention is required.

Thank you for your attention!