THARA FACTSHEET Facts and Information about the Volkshilfe Österreich labour market initiative “THARA e Romengo than” for Roma and Sinti in Vienna, Austria. THARA e Romengo than (2014-2015) www.volkshilfe.at/thara https://www.facebook.com/roma.thara An overview of programs offered: Workshops for women/girls seeking employment after maternity leave, years of child-raising or first time employment for younger women. The two workshops, one in spring and one scheduled for autumn, comprise six workshop days within a period of three months. The trainers are bilingual and as Thara team members accompany the workshops, the dialogue between participants and Thara is intensive. Aside from input and work groups dealing with issues such as competence assessment, career and job orientation, presentation skills, and finding and applying for work, the participants have the opportunity to profit from individual counselling based on what they have learned in the workshops. Many of the participants of the first workshop, which is due to finish at the end of June, need support in writing CVs and applications as well as language training and basic computer skills. Participants so far have applauded the idea of having time for themselves and receiving guidance and support in making important decisions for their futures.
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“Lehrlingscafés” (a Lehrling is an apprentice) In these informal settings, young people leaving mandatory schooling are informed about various paths towards vocational training, apprenticeships or further schooling. The first “Lehrlingscafé” (3. June 2014) was well received and many young people came to the event. Further follow-up activities will be geared towards the attendees’ interests and may include excursions to companies or a career information office. The main objective is to help the youths make the right decision for their further lives by providing them with the information and guidance they need. Participants may also make appointments for individual counselling. The second “Lehrlingscafé” is planned for the autumn. Mario Grnja of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce speaks to the youths attending the first Lehrlingscafé.
Thara Biznis Club This group of entrepreneurs and business people meet regularly and exchange information or engage speakers on topics such as tax and legal issues, financial aid, business planning, advertising and other relevant topics. The picture was taken at the Business Club Breakfast on 7 March 2014 to which only women were invited due to International Women’s Day.
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THARA Biznis website www.thara-biznis.at This website, which was initiated in 2011, is still in use although THARA’s recent Facebook presence (since 2013) www.facebook.com/roma.thara seems set to become even more popular. The idea was to create a website for the Roma communities in Vienna which includes a “Yellow Pages” section, relevant information on work-related issues (often in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian,) information for entrepreneurs and business people and postings of up-coming events and links to other websites of interest. A popular feature of Thara’s Facebook page is the new group which features employment opportunities. Facebook is also used to advertise and report about activities. In this screenshot, pictures of the latest womens’ workshop are seen.
Individual job, career and education counselling Clients’ needs and goals are extremely varied and range from help writing a CV and an application, to support finding jobs (often online.) In some cases, overcoming hurdles which prevent them from finding work have to be tackled. Also, the ability of Thara team members to contact other institutions with which clients may have problems is helpful. Clients also appreciate the fact that the counselling sessions are lengthier and more intensive than elsewhere. In many cases, language skills pose the greatest problem for clients. Counselling is offered in German, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Romanes and English. Awareness-raising workshops for multipliers This workshop which has been developed over a period of several years and has been given for a large number of participants includes information about Roma history, language and culture(s), traditional family structures and the situation of Roma in Europe today. The structure and content of the workshop has been adapted to accommodate the interests and questions of the participants. The trainers are THARA team members. The fact that Romnja themselves are trainers is considered to be the most important positive aspect of these workshops. 3
Thara “Infotainment” Events Infotainment events are an example of how Thara is constantly working to reach out to its clientele: these events combine important information (mostly relating to employment topics) and social gatherings. Guest speakers are professionals and often bilingual. After their input session, the audience can ask them questions and exchange contact data. Often, members of the audience make appointments to see the speakers at a later date. After the input session, there is often a concert or some other form of cultural offering put on by members of Roma associations with which Thara works together closely.
Thara “Community Work” One of the pillars of Thara’s success has been the fact that some of the original Thara team dating back to 2005-06 are still working in the project. This has given the team members the opportunity to build up a reputation of reliability and trustworthiness of Thara in the Roma communities over time. The fact that the team is made up of Romnja and non-Romnja also contributes to its success. “Community work” is a concept which was developed by Thara and consists mainly of various activities which connect Thara to the target group. This can include communication, either personal or through media, participation in events at which many Roma gather, social and informal contacts but also cultivating contacts to the various communities from which Thara draws its clientele. The basic idea driving the concept of “Community work” is that projects need to be seen to be a part of the lives of the target group it is working for.
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THARA: General and background information What Is THARA? THARA is an initiative of Volkshilfe Österreich, an Austrian NGO. THARA’s main goal is to promote and facilitate the integration of Roma and Sinti into the Austrian labour market. Since 2005, there have been several THARA projects with a focus on labour market integration. THARA has been active continuously since 2005. (See history) Aside from counselling and advisory services, THARA has also realized a range of measures such as intensive workshops for job-seekers and information events for its clientele. Thara has engaged in “Community Work” (a networking and outreach program) and has been active in informing mainstream, majority society players about the current situation of Roma, their history and culture(s). These workshops have been instrumental in combating prejudice and discrimination. THARA has always been and still is a bi-cultural initiative, with Roma and non-Roma team members working together to achieve the projects’ goals. An important factor in the success of THARA to date has been this intensive and extremely productive intercultural work. Who can take part in THARA’s programs? All of THARA’s offers are open and free of charge for Roma and Sinti living in Austria, regardless of their origin, religious or national background and regardless of which Romany group they belong to. In the last nine years, a total of over 1,300 participants have taken part in a wide range of educational, advisory and informative activities. What are THARA’s goals? Roma and Sinti are Europe’s largest minority and have been discriminated, persecuted and marginalized for centuries. It is against this backdrop that Volkshilfe Österreich took on the responsibility for THARA and it has continuously worked to promote the understanding that Roma and Sinti are an integral component of European society. THARA’s main aim is to promote and facilitate the integration of Roma and Sinti into the labour market and to make a stand against the discrimination and persecution of Roma and Sinti in Europe. What are THARA’s most significant achievements? The THARA projects have realized programs which are unique in Austria and innovative even within Europe in that they take the ethnic and cultural diversity of the participants into consideration while at the same time promoting and facilitating their career-orientation and entry into the labour market. In this sense, THARA’s approach is unique and innovative as its bi-cultural team members work together intensively to seek an ever deeper understanding of the needs and goals of its clientele while at the same time connecting with labour market experts and other policy makers. It is this role as a “connecting” bridge between stakeholders which has contributed to THARA’s reputation as a reliable, innovative and effective initiative both in majority society and among the various Romany communities. 5
How is THARA financed? The Volkshilfe Österreich project is financed by the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection. In the current project, THARA e Romengo than, the “Lehrlingscafés” are also financed by “Vielfalter”, an initiative of Western Union in cooperation with the Intercultural Centre and supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education and Women's Affairs.
THARA history –a brief overview 2013
Thara Roma Biznis Focus on entrepreneurship and Thara “Biznis” Prize
2012
Thara Novi Vidici Online-Business and Employment Website www.thara-biznis.at Start of “Infotainment” events
2011
Thara Romani Butji Start of entrepreneurship and awareness-raising workshops Publication: Roma in the Working World
2010
Thara Beratung & Dialog International conference “Romani Butji – Success Stories and Perspectives of Roma and Sinti in the European Labour Market”
2007 - 2010
Thara Amarotrajo & Thara Roma in Transition Focus on job-orientation courses for youths
2005 - 2007
Equal nEw_C_baselines / Initiative Thara House Career-counselling, computer courses and networking in Roma communities in Vienna, Trans-national conference with partners
Contact information: Verena Fabris, project manager verena.fabris@volkshilfe.at Tel.: +43-676-83 402 220 6