How does the younger generation of Rom community express itself? Is there actual integration? Giving voice, space and opportunity to youngsters-adults of Rom community, creating actual bonds within the community they live in. Our approach: exchanging roles. They become teachers in arts, culture, techniques, environment. They teach their peers or other groups. The whole community benefits from their experience, listens to their point of view, exchanges techniques, learns how to be creative.

Messolonghi, small city in West of Greece. The whole region of West Greece will be affected.

Our challenge is to integrate Rom youth because of various events of violence and criminal behavior. Financial crisis, huge unemployment rate, brain drain, aged population, lack of democratic participatory methods in our region lead to polarization against younger generation of Rom community. Rom community is to be blamed for every malfunction (garbage, robberies, public space destruction).Younger Rom generation lacks basic civic education & employment opportunities. They gather in groups-gangs. Some of them become criminals at a young age. BUT there are some great examples of efforts to integrate and great artistic talents. We want to help them stand out. Rom community is 10% of the population. They are citizens who vote and determine political results, but their opinion is disregarded.

Main target group is the younger generation of the city of Messolonghi. Both the younger generation of Rom community and the general youngsters of the city of Messolonghi. How does the older generation pass the baton of tradition? Is there actual cooperation with the Rom community? Our aim is to bring together youngsters and young adults to share their idea, passion, talents of the local tradition and share knowledge. Through discussions, workshops and common goals, all opinion will be raised and people with no voice will find a place to speak and express.

The project will be separated in three parts. a) Learn-exchange, b) Practice-built, c) Spread- speak up. There will be workshops and gatherings about basic civic education behaviors. The workshops will be held with innovative ways (forum theater, mimics, role play, watch videos, discussions, bring role models from each societal groups). Second phase: the opportunity to create musical instruments by local materials and workshops to learn how to build them. Teachers will be the experienced ones from the Rom community, teaching both their youngsters and other citizens of Messolonghi. At third phase, the instruments will be used by members of Association Ai-simios and Rom community members to perform in traditional events and radio broadcasting. Radio will be the bonding mean of communication.

Connection and shared experience for the same purpose can create new networks and more ideas for implementation.Preservation of the local art and tradition of unique urban event. New instruments, locals who learned the technique, younger generation who got the integration of the Rom community, working ethics, maybe new working positions. These activities will bring people together under new models of cooperation that have not been tested or used before and this can be helpful to make conclusions as the actions around local culture take place often and bring together the community.

Our idea gives voice to a disregarded societal group. It offers the opportunity to participate and exchange their abilities in special techniques, music, art, environment. Supporting their roots and giving them confidence that through them they can offer added value to the society they live in. We aim at a first level of civic conscience and active participation. By learning how to create the traditional instruments that tend to disappear, by preserving art and music and creating new through social interaction and common activities, special bonds will be created to the whole community for sustaining and passing on their local tradition. Engaging the society in a common goal will bring them together to work, build and learn work ethics and find ways to cooperate.

The concept of experimentation in social context can bring into life new forms of cooperation. Being myself benefited by the collective knowledge of different groups in the past years, it would be an opportunity to see in practice the effect of joined forces in the same place and time. How these personalities can affect the community? How can their expertise benefit the working habits of a group? Which method can they experiment? What will be the benefit of this experience? My motivation derives from my aspiration of a strong and healthy community. A community with solid bonds, open perspectives can face all challenges in the future with no fear.

Materials - workshops: 9.000 eur (leather & wood for musical instruments and special tools for teaching at the workshops)
Office expenses: 1.500 eur
Personnel: 22.000 eur (trainers, teachers, instructors)
Public relations: 3.000 (printed material, conclusions, posters, adverts)
Travel & accommodation: 1.500 (role models)
Equipment (recordings-broadcasting): 4.000

Sponsor of broadcasting and recording activities will be our partner Association "Friends of Radio". (2000 eur)

Methods of integration, tools to use with different societal groups, the process of passing the knowledge among generations, community bonding activities