ESC: Step in, Step out - Into the settlement, out of your comfort zone

The purpose of Bagázs Közhasznú Egyesület is to live in a society where Roma in extreme poverty can achieve their goals. Our association is currently active in the Roma settlement of Bag village 40 km from Budapest since 2010 and we started our work in 2017 in the 600 people Roma settlement in Dány. Local participant development and support is provided by a continuous dialogue program package that promotes individual responsibility and legal lifestyle. In addition to complex community development, based on the needs of the locals, we also consider it essential to sensitize the majority. Therefore, we involve a large number of volunteers in our programs, who become more inclusive, open-minded citizens, so that our activities affect not only the establishment directly, but also indirectly throughout the country. We are working with local professionals and institution managers to find ways to help them find more effective tools for community development and integration in the community. We want to promote the involvement of the village population; the people of Bag are increasingly open to working together. We are present in the lower elementary school, where we do cognitive development with the children 1-2 times a week and consult with the teachers. We are holding a settlement forum where we are looking for solutions to problems affecting locals, this year we are doing it together with the municipality and the active members of the village. We run a local needs-based adult mentoring program that helps parents make a difference, either by finding a job in the labour market, by expressing themselves better by developing their self-confidence and communication, or by helping them achieve their educational goals finish. Accordingly, the target groups of the Bagázs activity are children and young adults living in the settlement and the village population; and local professionals who are in regular contact with people living in the settlement; and volunteers who want to take more responsibility. About 120 volunteers work weekly at the sites to mentor children and adults, community club leaders, and volunteers who develop skills programs for children. We reach around 200 people at the settlements with our programs on a weekly basis. Our core value is not to donate, but to help local volunteers identify and utilize local, individual resources.