AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO SOCIAL INCLUSION
THE SOCIAL INCLUSION DEBATE:
International conference
STRATEGIES AND DILEMMAS
1-2 MARCH | 2017 CLUJ-NAPOCA GRAND HOTEL NAPOCA Romania Cluj
Pata-Cluj
W W W. PATA C L U J . R O
USEFUL INFORMATION Conference venue: Grand Hotel Napoca 1, Octavian Goga street Phone. +40-264-580 715 www.hotelnapoca.ro
Contact person: Eva Incze Project assistant +40-786-375 805 Further information: www.patacluj.ro Pata-Cluj
The Social Inclusion Debate: strategies and dilemmas is a conference organized by Intercommunity Development Association Cluj Metropolitan Area in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Cluj, AltArt Foundation and Community Association of Roma from Coastei. The conference is part of the Pata-Cluj project. The Pata-Cluj project, fully named Social interventions for the desegregation and social inclusion of vulnerable groups in Cluj Metropolitan Area, including the disadvantaged Roma is financed through the Norway Grants, within the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 20092014, “Poverty Alleviation” program (RO25), with 4,095,864 EUR. The content of this material does not necessarily reflect the official position of Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009-2014. For official information on EEA and Norway Grants please access www.eeagrants.org.
Imprint Editor: Dora Mircea-Radu Graphic design: Luminița Dejeu Printed at S.C. No Gate Production S.R.L. Cluj-Napoca March 2017
Welcome Note Dear guests, We would like to welcome each of you to the international conference entitled The Social inclusion debate: strategies and dilemmas! We put the social inclusion debate in the context of structural violence, where we aim to balance power relations in favour of marginalized communities. During the conference, we will be examining a range of mechanisms and strategies aimed at putting an emphasis on respecting the rights of marginalized or oppressed people. These mechanisms and strategies attempt to support communities in expressing their aspirations and in taking action on their behalf in order to be in control of their circumstances and achieve their own goals. We are also concerned about how citizens – especially those living in poverty – make their voices heard and how institutional responsiveness and accountability can be ensured. The conference aims to be a safe place where controversies can be manifested and the different disciplines and approaches can meet. We start the conference from the practice side, offering space for the presentation of different methods and methodologies applied in social inclusion of vulnerable
groups. Evidently, policy and research should be in close relationship with practice, but the language used and experiences behind the language often create more misunderstandings than clarifications. Therefore, cross-fertilization of research, policy and practice should be facilitated more consciously. In this respect, the contributions of the invited experts from different fields and disciplines and our encounter will mirror the difficulties we face on daily basis in our efforts to create viable and authentic partnerships. We hope this conference will be a useful and insightful exercise of getting closer to each other’s truths. The event includes working groups during which professional experiences will be presented and participants will be able to take part in discussions. During the simultaneous sessions, the invited experts will present syntheses of their research, as well as their implemented projects. Each session will be followed by a dialogue between the speakers and the audience. We would like to thank each of you for attending and for bringing your expertise to this event. The Pata-Cluj Team 3
CONFERENCE PROGRAM TUESDAY, 28 FEBRUARY Arrival of participants
WEDNESDAY, 1 MARCH 9 am - 10 am Registration of participants 10 am - 11:30 am
welcome and opening remarks • Emil BOC, Mayor of Cluj-Napoca • Gheorghe VUȘCAN, Prefect of Cluj County • Alin TIȘE, President of the Cluj County Council • Ionelia Claudia Grosu, President of the Romanian National Agency for Roma • Herman BASKåR, Deputy Head Of Mission at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway in Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova • Eduard PETRESCU, Representative of UNICEF in Romania • Kálmán MIZSEI, Former President of the Board “Making the most of EU Funds for Roma” and former Assistant Secretary General of the UN • Elena Iordănescu, Ministry of Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds, Department for European Policies and Social Cohesion • Aurel MOCAN, Executive Director of the Directorate for Social and Medical Assistance of Cluj-Napoca 11:30 – 12 Coffee break 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Plenary session Methods and approaches in working with vulnerable communities • Eva Fahlström-Borg (SE), IAGP, Chair of Trauma and Disaster Intervention: Social transformation 4
• Vidia Negrea (HU), Regional coordinator, International Institute for Restorative Practices Europe: Restoring the citizenship of the most vulnerable groups • Pata-Cluj Team (RO), Intercommunity Development Association Cluj Metropolitan Area (RO): The Pata-Cluj project - Taking stock of results Moderator: Eva Fahlström-Borg, IAGP, Chair of Trauma and Disaster Intervention 1:30 – 2:30 Lunch break 2:30 pm – 4 pm
Simultaneous working groups • WORKING GROUP 1: Restorative practices in child protection Robert VAN PAGÉE (NL), Center for Family Group Conferences and Restorative Practices • WORKING GROUP 2: Restorative practices for increasing school inclusiveness Vidia NEGREA (HU), International Institute for Restorative Practices • WORKING GROUP 3: Basics in sustainable partnerships Hilde GÖTT (DE), Lutheran Youth and Welfare Organisation & PAFE • WORKING GROUP 4: Cultural approaches in social inclusion and working with youth Mija BERGMAN (SE), Municipality of Huddinge & APAI Emese (RO), AltArt Foundation • WORKING GROUP 5: Inclusive community development Alexandru BOGUȘ, Vlad MUREȘAN, Alexandru Petru FEKETE (RO) - community facilitators of the Pata-Cluj project and of the Community Association of Roma from Coastei
CONFERENCE PROGRAM 4:00 – 4:30 pm Coffee break 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Plenary session • Reporting from the working groups • Robert van Pagée (NL), Center for Family Group Conferences and Restorative Practices: Restoring citizenship through community facilitation
Session followed by discussions 6 pm Dinner 8 pm Theater performance (see accompanying flyer)
THURSDAY, 2 MARCH
9 am – 11:30 am
Plenary session Gathering and analyzing evidence to support policy making • István HORVÁTH (RO), President of the Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities: Results of the SOCIOROMAP project • Cristina RAȚ (RO), Babeș–Bolyai University, Department of Sociology and Social Work: Involving residents of marginalized settlements with a majority of Roma inhabitants in quantitative sociological research: experiences from urban and rural inquiries in Romania • András NUN (HU), Autonomia Foundation: Participatory strategy development • Nóra TELLER (HU), Metropolitan Research Institute: Evaluation of complex interventions for Roma inclusion • Andrey IVANOV, Head of Sector Roma and Migrant Integration, EU Agency for
Fundamental Rights: Monitoring Roma interventions from fundamental rights perspective • Gabriella TONK, Alexandru BOGUȘ (RO), Intercommunity Development Association Cluj Metropolitan Area: Developing a participatory housing process: Developing a participatory housing process Moderator: Kálmán MIZSEI, Former president of the Board “Making the most of EU Funds for Roma” and former Assistant Secretary General of the UN 11:30 am – 12:00 pm Coffee break 12 pm – 2 pm
Simultaneous sessions Session 1. Social Housing Policy • Alexandru MUREȘAN, Leontina LINGURAR, Enikő VINCZE, Desire Foundation (RO): Justice for Roma through the enforcement of housing rights: the Căși sociale ACUM!/Social housing NOW! campaign from Cluj • Sheena KELLER, Research Officer, EU Agency for Fundamental Rights: Local Engagement for Roma Inclusion project – results and reflections • Katalin KOVÁCS (HU), Municipality of Pécs: The social housing policy of the municipality of Pécs • Štěpán RIPKA (CZ), Platform for social housing and University of Ostrava: Housing First in the Czech Republic: the Brno case • László MORAVCSIK (HU), Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta: Community development in social houses • Horea Jurcan (RO), Habitat for Humanity Cluj: Social housing in the 5 Pata-Cluj project
CONFERENCE PROGRAM Session followed by discussions
rights and duties of the contracting parties. Workshop for the Pata Rât community members held by Emőke FEKETE (RO), legal expert
Session 2. Mainstreaming children’s rights in social inclusion
2 pm – 3 pm Lunch break
Moderator: Andrey Ivanov, Head of Sector Roma and Migrant Integration, EU Agency for Fundamental Rights
• Claudia LIXANDRU, Marian DARAGIU (RO), Roma Education Fund: Ready Set Go! – increasing early childhood development outcomes for Roma children • Judit BERKI (HU), Roma self-government of Nógrád County: The role of Roma organizations in the social inclusion of marginalized Roma communities • Florin BOTONOGU (RO), Policy Center for Roma and Minorities: The Ferentari case • Maria ROTH (RO), Babeș–Bolyai University, Department of Sociology and Social Work: Participatory action and empowerment of Roma children as pathways to social change • Imola ANTAL (RO), Babeș–Bolyai University, Department of Sociology and Social Work: The response of the child protection system to child abuse and neglect in marginalized Roma communities • Norbert IUONAȘ (RO), National Centre for Roma Culture – Romano Kher: Raising awareness and antidiscrimination advocacy Moderator: Maria ROTH, Babeș–Bolyai University, Department of Sociology and Social Work
Session followed by discussions Session 3. The rental contract for social housing units. Legal framework. The 6
3 pm – 4 pm
Plenary session
Conclusions and wrap-up 6 pm Roland Váczi photo exhibition opening (see accompanying flyer) 7 pm Theater performance (see accompanying flyer)
VENUES The scientific program of the conference will take place at Grand Hotel Napoca – 1, Octavian Goga Street. Lunch and dinner will be served in the restaurant of Grand Hotel Napoca. The theater performance on the 1st of March (see accompanying flyer) will be hosted by Reactor, space for creation and experiment – 4, Petőfi Sándor Street. The theater performance on the 2nd of March (see accompanying flyer) will take place at the Paintbrush Factory - 59-61, Henri Barbusse Street. The exhibition of Roland Váczi about the Mobile Unit in Pata Rât (see accompanying flyer) is also hosted by the Paintbrush Factory - 59-61, Henri Barbusse Street. Last minute changes of the program may occur due to causes beyond the control of the organizers.
ABOUT THE PATA-CLUJ PROJECT The Pata Rât area is one of the most intricate cases of social marginalization in Romania. According to a research report (Raţ C. et all, Participatory Assessment of the Social Situation in the Pata Rât and Cantonului Areas, 2012, United Nations Development Programme Romania, www.undp.ro), around 1.500 people (approximately 300 families) live in Pata Rât, in four communities near the landfill of Cluj-Napoca. The polluted environment in which these communities live, the spatial isolation, the lack of housing security, the inaccessibility of public education and of job opportunities, the precariousness of the dwellings (overcrowding, lack of toilet or kitchen, in most cases the lack of basic utilities like electricity and sewage system) are only some of the deeply troublesome aspects related to living in Pata Rât. The Social interventions for desegregation and social inclusion of vulnerable groups in Cluj Metropolitan Area, including the disadvantaged Roma project, shortly named Pata-Cluj is considered to be a flagship project for the Municipality of Cluj-Napoca. The project started a comprehensive, multi-sectorial intervention in order to prepare the desegregation, social and spatial inclusion of the families living at present in Pata Rât into the majority population. Surpassing the limits of the existing practices, the Pata-Cluj project succeeded in bringing important contributions in terms of methodologies in the areas of case management and integrated social housing. These contributions can constitute the starting point for further interventions carried out by public authorities. Thus, the project has directly targeted 167 families through coordinated multidisciplinary intervention, focusing on children’s rights.
Within this framework, 278 ID cards were issued; birth certificates, belated birth registration and birth certification duplicates were issued for 89 persons; 55 files for different types of social benefits were prepared; 130 people benefitted from medical consultations in 6 months; 164 families benefitted from legal support, out of which 52 representations in court were made; full support for schooling for 20 children from the garbage dump (transport, clothing, hygiene, social, emotional and cognitive development) was offered; Second Chance educational program for 30 children and 9 adults (3 groups) was provided; 65 persons have found a job through the job mediation service of the project. Moreover, at the end of the project, using the Pata-Cluj social housing methodology, social apartments will be provided for 35 families. The methodology developed by the Pata-Cluj project team adopts the perspective of rights, with special emphasis on children’s rights, and a systemic approach which takes into account various levels of intervention. The system includes the accession criteria of the apartments and the instruments for assessing the needs and resources of the families applying for an apartment within the Pata-Cluj project. The intervention plan is completed on the basis of this assessment. According to this methodology, granting a social apartment is in fact part of an intervention plan which has to also include other measures in basic areas like health, education and employment. The intervention plan focuses on the child, and is centered on the family. Thus, assessment is based on the perspective of the rights of children, meaning that it analyzes the resources and needs of the family in the context of raising and caring for children. 7
Cluj Metropolitan Area Intercommunity Development Association 2 Unirii Square, Cluj-Napoca www.patacluj.ro Pata-Cluj