Steering
Committees
These
Committees are comprised of one representative from each partner
organisation plus the project coordinator. The functions include
the planning and follow-up of activities, the fostering of new
initiatives adding further dimensions to the project's network
and the task of guaranteeing the quality of the initiatives under
way. They are also in charge of establishing a dialogue and a
pool of knowledge on the phenomenon of drug addiction within their
own country.
Methodology:
These group meet six times during the course of the project to
accomplish different tasks: planning; activity preparation and
follow-up; and evaluation and future project design. These meetings
coincide with transnational activities and meetings whenever possible.
National
Working Groups
These
are groups whose role is to support the project growth in each
of the partner countries to generate a healthy internal dialogue
and to call for the involvement of the social agents to participate
in helping to meet the project objectives. These groups, led by
the national partner organisation are in charge of developing
specific project actions in each country and are responsible for
the establishment of the information and monitoring system of
the health status of Europe's Roma population.
Each
national partner organisation form their respective group according
to the criteria and objectives of this project, that is to say,
participants at the working groups include, mainly, Roma organisations
and drug-related NGOs. It means that, in some cases, participants
at the working groups and at the project activities include other
social entities, professionals from health-and drug-care services
and other institutions (i.e. representatives from the administration).
The involvement of as many social agents as possible is welcome
for the final aim of the project.
Their
main activities include training and exchange sessions. These
sessions are to bring participants together to share experiences
and to do training within a transnational framework, with the
support of short-time experts from other partner countries.
Methodology:
these groups meet periodically during the course of the project
and create their own work agenda that include the above-mentioned
tasks as well as any others responding to specific needs.
Training
actions
Training
is one of the basic tools in the development of this intervention.
It is necessary to create several training areas which should
be addressed to the two basic agents of intervention:
-
Members of Roma organisations and NGOs professionals working
on drug-related issues: they will get a training aimed at making
it easier for them to get some knowledge on the processes of
drugs abuse, on basic prevention concepts and strategies, on
the rudiments for the planning and execution of prevention projects,
etc.
The
training actions have three levels:
1.
Mediation: the incorporation in the intervention with
the Roma community of mediating figures or structures.
The
difficulties in the incorporation and maintenance of Roma
drug dependents in the assistential processes and in the development
of prevention initiatives, might be lessened if the care services
have educators, or other similar figures, who know the Roma
population in depth. Roma associations themselves and the
NGOs working with this population may assume this task, together
with the involvement of the local services and plans on drugs,
in order to include them in their agenda.
The
final aim of this mediation structures is to facilitate the
access for Roma drug victims to mainstream attention centres
and to support the treatment and reinsertion processes.
This
challenge implies a sensitizing work towards the services,
Roma associations and support groups, and the administration.
It also implies an effort in the information and formation
of the mediating figures, and, finally, to devote willingness
and means enough so the incorporation of the mediators may
be something real.
2.
Prevention: The workshops are addressed to Roma and
non-Roma professionals. They provide with a mediation specialist
with the necessary training to take responsibility for the
implementation and development of prevention initiatives.
These initiatives are organised according to the following
work structure:
- -
Free time activities: a space which is open to the proposal,
responsibility and development of leisure type activities
the object of which is to occupy free time in a creative
and healthy manner.
- -
Drug abuse prevention workshops: this activity is structured
around six workshops any one of which may be used independently
of the rest:
- 1.
What is drug abuse? Important information as regards
drug abuse:
- i.
Basic concepts on drugs
ii. Most commonly consumed drugs and their effects
iii. Resources available to get off drugs
iv. Risks associated with the use of drugs
- 2.
Group pressure
3. Self esteem
4. Values and Roma identity: factors which protect us
from the problem of drugs
5. Family based prevention strategies
6. Search for constructive alternatives to drugs
3.
Exchange of experiences (Exchange forums): this activity
takes place within the framework of the national working groups.
The objective of this action is to have a store of information
on organisations and experiences involving any type of intervention
with the Roma population affected by the problems of drug
abuse. It leads to foster mutual knowledge and learn about
the good practices and experiences carried out by organisations
working with drug-related issues. They have the support of
short-term experts who provide experiences from other partner
countries.
These
meetings provide a forum to gain understanding of how intervention
on drug use is carried out in other organisations and in other
countries, to allow the transfer of work methodology and the
sharing of experiences, and to focus on problems from different
perspectives.
-
Professionals of care services for drug dependents: in this
case, the training is addressed to make it easier for them to
get some knowledge on aspects of the Roma culture, on the needs
and possibilities and conditions for the intervention. These
sessions provide an opportunity to close the gap and establish
collaboration between public entities and NGOs on drug-related
issues.
Elaboration
of adapted materials
The
existence of materials (explanatory, educational, training or
supporting the intervention) which are adapted to the Roma population
is an essential condition in order to guarantee the intervention's
efficiency. The informative campaigns on drugs executed so far
have had little or no effect among the Roma population. Sometimes,
because the channels were not the adequate, or because the messages
and the form did not take into account the peculiarities of certain
specific groups of population, as it has been the case with the
Roma.
The
idea is to start a working line aimed at the creation of materials
addressed to:
-
The
final addressees (Roma drug dependents). Basically papers of
an informative nature on drug abuse, HIV/AIDS…
- Mediators and people working with the Roma population: prevention
materials adapted to the Roma population with specific contents
on drug abuse, prevention, etc. They are conceived as support
instruments to those people working with the Roma and who wish
to approach prevention actions within their community.
- Professionals and staff from care services: informative materials
on aspects of the Roma community that may facilitate the knowledge
and the intervention of professionals with the Roma community.
Seminars
Two
international seminars have been held during the course of the
project. Participants from each partner organisation join in order
to reinforce the transnational nature of the project, introduce
elements of quality management and ongoing improvement of the
project efforts.
These
seminars provide an opportunity to give visibility to the project
and promote new initiatives and the design of future joint projects.
Data
collection
The
implementation of a system of information and monitoring of the
situation of the Europe´s Roma population with regard to
drug abuse and associated problems is fostered. The experience
started within the SASTIPEN Network provides the necessary methodology
and instruments to initiate the collection of data in project
partner countries. The system is designed with the objective of
acquiring updated and systematic information that allows for the
design of action plans and programs tailored to the needs of this
group.
The
Steering Committee, based on the materials provided by the "SASTIPEN
Information System" and with the support of experts, reviews
the system of indicators and distribute the materials for the
information system among National Working Groups. Each national
coordinador is responsible for collecting data from partner organisations
(participating at the working groups, at seminars, at the workshops,
etc.) as well as data from public institutions.
