12.07.2011Training for Community Moderators by Centers for Community Development
Within three consecutive days, from 26th to 28th of June 2011 in ‘Lesoparka’ complex near Veliko Turnovo, a training of candidates for Community Moderators from six municipalities in the country, which will establish Centers for Development of the Roma community was conducted. The training was organized within the project ‘Promoting participatory field work at grass-root level in marginalized and traditional Roma Groups’, that is implemented by Center Amalipe (Bulgaria), Liga pro Europa, (Romania) and ARSIS, (Greece). The project is financed by DG Justice of the European Commission within Daphne program.
During those three days through various interactive techniques the candidates for community moderators mastered basic skills in team work, skills for decision making, discussed features of the local Roma groups. The candidates acquainted with the specific characteristics of the work in the Roma community and outlined a common vision for the development of the Centers. Work was focused on overcoming barriers and "melting ice" and work on the detection of individual qualities of each candidate for community work. The focus of the training covered also the nature of field work in the Roma community and how to organize the activities of the centers, so that the community moderator be accepted by the community, to help development of the capacity and resources of the Roma and to become an effective and sustainable model of operation. During the training participants were aware that the moderators work requires great dedication, flexibility and responsibility, to be able to have a good working partnership network around the Centers of Community Development.
Besides thirty candidates for the position "Community moderator" of the municipalities of Novi Pazar, Sozopol, Peshtera, Etropole, Byala Slatina and Pavlikeni, in training participated actively Gancho Iliev ("World Without Borders" - Stara Zagora), Spaska Mihailova (Association "New Road" - Hayredin) and Zhelio Zhelev (Association "Faithful steward" – Burgas). They presented their experience in community work and pledged his support for the establishment of Centers of Community Development.
At the end of the meeting all participants were clear that the Centers for Community Development should open that space in the Community to help its self-organization and development, and overcome the taboos and talk on the problems of early marriages, school dropouts, gender inequality, violence in all its forms. The Community moderators will have the largest role in this happening.
