The Soros Romania Foundation. Activity Report _ 2013

Transcription

1 The Soros Romania Foundation Activity Report _

2 Contents in Figures The Soros Foundation Romania in Public Policies Community Building Other Projects Implemented with European Funding The Public Centre Training and Consultancy International Funding Management Foundation Budget and Funding Sources The Soros Foundation in the Online Environment in The Soros Foundation Romania Team in

3 IN FIGURES 14 programs or projects running, of which 4 with European funding 2 research studies published Immigrants' Integration Barometer" and A Policy Taking Shape - Regaining Romanian Citizenship" 1 guideline published - Good Practice Guide for Open Educational Resources 3,200 articles in the online media, on average, 8 a day 240 articles in the printed media, on radio and TV 57,049 unique visitors of the site visits of the website 3,800 fans on the Foundation's Facebook page 250,000 US dollars invested in social economy under the SEn project 3

4 2. THE SOROS FOUNDATION ROMANIA IN 2013 The Soros Foundation was established in Romania in 1990 and has been promoting open society values from the very beginning. The organization s preferred areas of activity include: social research and generating expertise to substantiate public policies proposals; advocacy for a responsible and efficient management of the public sector; social inclusion and fighting discrimination; and the building of models for integrated community intervention was a transition year for the Foundation - 23 years after its set-up, the organization started shaping its own way, independently from the Open Society Foundation (OSF) Network, founded by George Soros, at the end of the OSF's mission in Central and Eastern Europe, marked by the countries of this region joining the European Union. Therefore, 2013 was a year of searching for a new identity and new funding sources, as well as a year of redefining the Foundation s values, mission, and activity areas. At the same time, we have continued to run significant projects to strengthen a reputation gained in time: that of an organization underpinning the Romanian civil society edifice (an opinion also confirmed by the Foundation being offered the Dan Manoleli Award for the Development of Civil Society at the Civil Society Gala of 2013). One area on which we continued to focus during 2013 was that of open data. The Foundation s efforts in this respect have helped publish more public interest information in an open format, including a form of the State Budget for Some of the important projects of the public policies department dealt with the social inclusion of the Roma, and so, in 2013, the MERI Romania network was launched and gathered together several times during the year, under the coordination of the Soros Foundation's experts - an informal network of local public authorities concerned about the issues of social inclusion for the Roma minority. A novelty regarding migration was the launching of the second issue of MIPEX - Migration Integration Policy Index, a project aiming to assess the integration of migrants from EU Third Countries from the standpoint of integration policies. Also the topics handled in the reports and studies published by the Soros Foundation, such as regaining Romanian citizenship - A Policy Taking Shape - Regaining Romanian Citizenship - confirmed their topicality also involved a launch under the Arhipera program - the Foundation s integrated community intervention project: SIASPA - Arhipera International School of Participatory Social Architecture was launched; it is aiming at preparing students for real professional life and help them understand the dimension of public interest in architecture. 4

5 "RURES. Rural Space and Social Economy in Romania, a project implemented with European funds, was concluded in 2013, but the Soros Foundation developed a new initiative- SEn- The Social Enterprise - that continues to support social enterprises. November 2013 witnessed a first in the Foundation s external communication - the organization s experts launched a blog on which they publish texts related to the Foundation s areas of activity and the developments of areas of concern, which managed capturing current affairs in 18 texts published in the final two months of the year and attracting a significant number of viewings. 5

6 3. PUBLIC POLICIES Department Director: Ovidiu Voicu, Political Sciences Expert A Plea for Open Data Program Manager: Andra Bucur, Legal Adviser The Program started in December 2011 and is still ongoing. It promotes efficient governance by opening public interest information held by the government and involving citizens in the governance process, in the context of the use of new technologies. For 2013, the main objectives of this Program included: - Continued promotion of the open public data concept in Romania (advocacy and training); - Monitoring of the Romanian Government's actions in opening the data held by public authorities and institutions, and especially the State Budget; - Support for the Online and Design Public Services Department of the Prime Minister s Office, in data inventorying and the implementation of the commitments included in the Open Government Partnerships National Action Plan. In 2013, the most important activities implemented under this Program included: - Organizing debates and meetings with NGOs, representatives of private businesses and of the Government, in order to raise awareness of the benefits and the importance of opening the public sector data. Some of these included: o The debate on Open data and e-governance - January; o "Moving forward. Open data discussions for an Open Romania, an event organized with Geo-Spaţial.org and the support of the British Embassy and the Online and Design Services Department of the Prime Minister s Office at the National Library- June; o The debate Open data and personal data: looking for a necessary compromise - November - Publication of open letters addressed to the Prime Minister, to determine him to publish public interest information in an open format - an example was the effort to get the budget published in an open format orhttp:// as a result, a form of the budget was published in an open format; - Maintaining contact with the secretary of the Open Governance Partnership and other activists and organizations conducting activities in this field, and with the private business environment (American Chamber of Commerce). This helped create the informal Coalition for Open Data. The topic of open data continued to elicit strong interest in the Romanian mass media: 6

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8 Transparency and Good Governance Program Manager: Andra Bucur, Legal Adviser The Program was launched on January 2011 and continued throughout For 2013, the objectives were as follows: - Promoting the correct enforcement of the law on free access to public interest information in the courts of law; - Promoting transparency in the activities of public institutions, especially those managing natural resource concessions; - Limiting the cases of abusive secrecy or classification of information by the leaders of public institutions, by challenging the abusive use of office and state secrecy. The activities conducted in 2013 under this project included: sending requests for public interest information to public institutions and pursuing strategic litigations with the National Agency for Mineral Resources and the National Salt Company. During the year, the Foundation continued its cases in court, with the appeals now due for hearing. 8

9 A Policy Taking Shape - Regaining Romanian Citizenship Project Manager: Sergiu Panainte, Political Sciences Expert The Project aimed to continue the monitoring of public policies in the area of regaining Romanian citizenship by people from territories lost after the Second World War. The Soros Romania Foundation supports the relevance of citizenship issues even in a united Europe, which is confirmed by the EU institutions, which declared 2013 as the European Year of Citizenship. Citizenship matters were mainly monitored in the light of fundamental rights. Romania recognizes citizenship by birth and the Constitution expressly provides that citizenship cannot be withdrawn. Abusive dispossession of citizenship for a large number of Romanians is a historic injustice that needs to be remedied. Also, in the light of good governance, the Soros Foundation monitored whether the Romanian State succeeded in implementing a measure on which there is a rare political consensus. Not at last, this is a very topical issue in European circles, in the light of the possibility given to new citizens to migrate to other EU Member States. In 2013, the most important objective of the Soros Foundation in regard to citizenship was the publication of a new report showing the situation of Romanian citizenship recovery by ethnics of the Republic of Moldova, by 31st December The following activities were implemented in 2013 for the implementation of this objective: - Analysis of statistical data regarding the number of citizenships granted to ethnics in the Republic of Moldova by 31st December 2012, as obtained from the competent public authorities in Romania (Ministry of Justice, National Authority for Citizenship, Sector 1 Mayor s Office in Bucharest, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romanian Embassy and Consular Offices in the Republic of Moldova, etc.) and in the Republic of Moldova (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration); - A review of the European state legislation on citizenship compared to the Romanian legislation and obtaining statistical data on the number of citizenships granted by EU Member States; - Preparing and publishing a new report based on the updated information, titled Regaining Romanian Citizenship: A Policy Taking Shape? - April Publication of this report was reflected in the mass media. Some of the materials generated included: html

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11 Mayors Making the Most of EU Funds for Roma Inclusion MERI Romania Project Manager: Sergiu Panainte, Political Sciences Expert The Program started in 2012 and is still ongoing in The MERI project aims to create a network of local public authorities concerned with the issues of social inclusion of the Roma minority. The MERI Romania network is an informal network of mayors or representatives of the local public authorities created with support from OSI Budapest, the Making the Most of EU Funds for Roma Program, launched in July At the time of the launch, the network included some 40 communities, large municipalities as well as medium and small ones. The objectives of MERI Romania include: - Building the capacity of public local authorities (PLA) to attract funding for the Roma communities; - Enhancing the influence on political decision regarding PLA priorities/ funding needs in solving the problems facing Roma communities; - Facilitation and promotion of exchanges among municipalities/ localities with regard to best practices for Roma inclusion. The activities conducted in 2013 under the MERI project included: - Launching MERI Romania network - July 2013; - Networking and dissemination of information on MERI Romania among potentially interested local public authorities; - Meetings of the MERI Romania network: o Toflea, Galaţi County - good practices exchange - October; o Bucharest - organizing the network, workshop on housing - November; o Făgăraş, Braşov County - exchange of good practices, presentation of EEA & Norwegian Grants funding lines, discussion on future plans for the MERI network - December. Some of the more important media appearances regarding the MERI Romania Project included:

12 Advocacy for a better distribution of EU funds for the Roma communities and Advocacy for an improved Strategy of the Romanian Government to include citizens belonging to the Roma minority Expert: Daniela Tarnovschi, Sociologist Under the MERI Program, advocacy has been regarded as very important for a better distribution of EU funds to Roma communities during , and to improve the Strategy of the Romanian Government to include citizens belonging to the Roma minority over the period. The Soros Foundation Romania has been an active member of the Coalition for Structural Funds, participating in the debates organized, and providing welldocumented suggestions in the finalization process of the Partnership Agreement proposed by Romania for the programming period. The Soros Foundation Romania was part of the Advisory Committee for an improved Strategy of the Romanian Government to include citizens belonging in the Roma minority , participating in debates on the Committee. Outcomes: - The Partnership Agreement proposed by Romania for the programming period took onboard the information and results of research conducted by the Foundation and dedicated to the issues of Roma communities; - Some of the suggestions put forward by the Foundation with regard to the directions of action in distributing EU money to improve the situation of vulnerable Roma communities were taken onboard. In 2013, the Foundation's activity along the two directions was funded via the MERI Program from Making the Most of EU Funds. 12

13 MIPEX -Migrant Integration Policy Index Project Manager: Victoria Cojocariu, Sociologist In November 2013, the Soros Foundation started the second issue of MIPEX under the Project Integration Policies: Who Are the Beneficiaries?", a project co-funded from the European Fund for the Integration of Third Party Nationals led by Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) and the Migration Policy Group (MPG). The project aims to assess the integration of migrants from EU Third Countries in point of integration policies. The main objectives of this project include: - Identification and measurement of integration results, integration policies, and other contextual factors that may influence the efficiency of integration policies; - Description of the actual or potential beneficiaries of the policies in seven keyareas, i.e.: employment, education, political participation, access to citizenship, family reunification, long-term stay and anti-discrimination. - Collection and review of evaluations of integration policy effects. The outcomes of research will include an interactive website, accessible from the MIPEX site, and an e-book containing all the research data: country profiles, analyses and databases. These data will be calculated separately for each individual country and each of the seven integration policy areas and will be launched publicly during an event organized by the Soros Foundation (Open Society Foundation, as of 2014) in January The integration policy evaluation tools were developed during 2013 and in 2014 they will be applied by the members of the research team. 13

14 Migrant Integration Research and Documentation Centre (MIRDC) Program Manager: Victoria Cojocariu, Sociologist The Project Migrant Integration Research and Documentation Centre is being implemented by the Romanian Association for the Promotion of Health in partnership with the Soros Foundation, and funded from the European Fund for the Integration of Third Party Nationals under the general Program Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows (ref: IF/ ) of the European Union, managed in Romania by the Ministry of Internal Affairs General Inspectorate for Migration, as the Contracting Authority. The program was designed to run from 15 August 2012 to 30 June 2013, with an option for extension by 30 June The first stage of the MIRDC project was concluded and the second stage started in The general project objectives include the creation and development of a Migrant Integration Research and Documentation Centre, as a central hub for the exchange of integration information and good practice in Romania, to coordinate research in the field of integration and facilitate partnerships among organizations and experts. In 2013, the project activities included: - Expanding the multi-disciplinary researcher network; - Developing an innovative conceptual framework for the review of migrant integration processes in the Romanian society; - Preparation of a Migrants' Integration Barometer based on the new conceptual approach and new research and development tools launched on 18 June The Migrant Integration Barometer aimed to identify and review the migrant integration practices in Romanian society, by corroborating the opinions of all the relevant actors: migrants, host-society and responsible authorities. The research also aimed to provide a radiography of the integration process of citizens coing from outside the EU in the following areas: employment, medical assistance and social benefits, education, citizenship. In 2013, the project beneficiaries included representatives of the relevant NGOs, researchers involved in the Centre's activities, representatives of the public authorities who cooperated with us, journalists, the public at large and, no least, migrants to Romania. The mass media covered the results of MIRDC extensively throughout 2013: TVR 14

15 Adevărul 1_51c1e735c7b855ff56aa01cc/index.html Curentul Nine O Clock Agerpres.ro Perceptia-romanilor-cu-privire-la-imigranti-una-neutra-cu-accente-pozitive.html Monitorul de Cluj Amosnews.ro Ziar.com Ziarelive.ro Yahoonews.ro imigran%c5%a3i-pove%c5%9ftile-succes-ale html Ziare-pe-net.ro Bizlawyer.ro Finanţiştii.ro Manager.ro 15

16 Developing Boards and Extending School Consortia, as a Form of Partnership for Education, in Areas of High School Dropout Program Manager: Anca Nedelcu, Educational Policies Expert The project Developing Boards and Extending School Consortia, as a Form of Partnership for Education, in Areas of High School Dropout supports the development of management boards and capacity building in the educational establishments in developing and using school consortia as a powerful tool against dropout. The project started in September 2013 and will conclude in June It is run in partnership by the Soros Romania Foundation and UNICEF. The main activities conducted in 2013 included: - Selection of the schools where management board training will be provided; - Preparation for consultation and debate of the first draft of the guidelines for school management board members. 16

17 Open Educational Resources - OER Program Manager: Ovidiu Voicu, Political Sciences Expert The Project started in March The long-term objective of the project is to adopt a public policy for open educational resources in Romania. In the short run, it aims to introduce OER-related concepts in Romania and facilitate a coalition for open educational resources. The main activities conducted in 2013 included: - Policy documentation and analysis: o Translation and promotion of the UNESCO OER-related guidelines and of other relevant international documents; o Review of the Romanian legal framework and publication of a Policy Brief containing recommendations on the introduction of OER into the Romanian educational system; o Identification of important actors - politicians, public institutions, NGOs, public personalities; o Good practice exchange with Polish organizations; o Identification of basic open educational resources. - Facilitation of a OER coalition in Romania: o Identification of potential members and inviting them to join the coalition - the OER Coalition was launched in October 2013; o Organizing round tables and regular meetings of the Coalition - 6 OERrelated meetings were held from June to December 2013, with members of the OER Coalition, in Bucharest, Braşov, Galaţi and Cluj - Napoca; o Creation of an online OER community Advocacy in support of change: o Establishment of partnerships and communication channels with the relevant decision makers; o Finding allies among the mass media; o Communication of the OER concepts over the online environment - website, Facebook, blogs, etc. 17

18 4. COMMUNITY BUILDING Department Director: Dr. Lorin Niculae, Architect Arhipera_limit architecture Program Coordinator: Dr. Lorin Niculae, Architect The Program started in 2011 and is still ongoing. In 2013, Arhipera had 28 de volunteers, student architects and urban planners of the Architecture and Urbanism University Ion Mincu (UAUIM). In 2013, the courses on participative social architecture theory and methodology were held by Dr. Lorin Niculae. Practical workshops were held under the guidance of 3 architects: Dr. arh. Lorin Niculae Dr. arh. Alexandru Călin and arh. Anca Rusu. Ever since the beginning, in 2011, the objectives of the program were to: - improve the living conditions of extremely poor and socially excluded groups, by improving the quality of the residential building stock and social services; - create a nationally applicable approach and intervention model; - create a participative social architecture school in Romania. Program activities and results in 2013: - The Participative Social Architecture School Arhipera - courses and workshops on the topics of participative social architecture taught by dr. arh. Lorin Niculae during January-June; - Doctoral dissertation Archipera - Participative Social Architecture presented by arh. Lorin Niculae, based on the experience gained under the Arhipera Program of the Soros Foundation - January 2013; - Arhipera Summer School. Belciugatele 2013 courses for UAUIM students held by architecture and anthropology lecturers - 24 future architects attended and built an extension for a 12 poor people property, 3 housing projects were prepared and 6 lectures on social inclusion architecture and community building were held - July In 2013, the Arhipera Summer School received 3rd prize in the Civil Society Gala for its 2012 edition. - Monitoring of community building projects in Săruleşti and Dor Mărunt, Călăraşi County. - Citizen information meetings on housing rights in Craica and Pirita (Baia Mare); - Start of SIASPA - International Participative Social Architecture School Arhipera in November and weekly running of courses - the first 12 students were admitted and are thus receiving practical training for actual professional life and understand the dimensions of public interest architecture; - Start of the community building project in Gârla Mare (Mehedinţi County); - Conferences, lectures and events for the dissemination of program activities in Timişoara, Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, Bucharest; 18

19 - Participation in the meetings of the MRDPA working group for disadvantaged communities; - Organization of a participative social architecture course in the UAUIM; - Advocacy activities for public interest architecture in Romania at the MRDPA, UAUIM, OAR, UIA. Project beneficiaries in 2013 included: - Beneficiary families (new buildings, rehabilitation works, various participation in other Soros Foundation projects) form Dor Mărunt, Săruleşti and Belciugatele, Călăraşi County; - Members of the communities in Craica, Pirita and the CUPROM buildings taking part in the citizen information meetings; - Communities in the villages where intervention was conducted, as indirect beneficiaries of the program; - Architect students with access to education focused on social inclusion under the framework of SIASPA. Some of the more important media coverage included: - (Radio România Cultural, 15 February 2013) - (Radio România Cultural, 8 November Articles published in the magazines Argument, Zeppelin, Urbanismul, Philobiblon and Arhitectura - Arhipera participation in the Architecture Annual - Registration of the community building project in Dor Mărunt on the Live Projects Platform of the Oxford University 19

20 The A.CT. - Art. Community. Transformation Program Program Manager: Bianca Floarea, Cultural Manager A.C.T. was designed as an art program with an educational and social dimension and started in Its purpose was to contribute to social revitalization of disadvantaged communities through cultural-artistic mediation, based on the belief that art is a catalyst for social change, playing a significant part in community and open society building and development. The Project was run in two rural communities in Călăraşi County, Dor Mărunt and Săruleşti, where the Foundation had already been active with other programs: "RURES. Rural Space and Social Economy in Romania Arhipera, Pas cu P.A.S. and Rural Rhapsody, as part of the A.C.T. Program. The project was implemented in partnership with the middle schools of the two localities and the Children in Need Foundation - through the Dropout Prevention Centre in Săruleşti. The main project objective, targeting the middle school pupils of Dor Mărunt and Săruleşti, was to stimulate the children s participation, active involvement, through art, into the life of the disadvantaged community, in outlining their own development vision. The activities conducted in 2013 included: - Running a workshop on story writing about the community / storytelling: projecting the children s vision of their own communities - how they see them, what their problems are, what they do not have, how they would like them to develop, at the same time giving them the possibility to create a micro-narrative, a concrete product (reading show) that could be presented to adults, as a sort of local level advocacy. Based on the workshops, 2 shows of the children s stories about the communities were produced (one in Dor Mărunt and one in Săruleşti). - Presentation of the shows produced in the theater-forum workshop (as a social intervention cultural tool, about how teenagers see and solve a problem in their community, about violence within a family, bullying at school, lack of recreation facilities in the village - lack of developed parks) on the second edition of the Forum Theatre Festival organized by the A.R.T. Fusion Association in Bucharest from 28 to 30 June (presentations by the 2 groups of children in Dor Mărunt and Săruleşti). - Presenting the documentary showing the children activities organized under the A.C.T. project produced in 2012 at the Public Centre of the Soros Foundation and holding an informal debate on cultural intervention projects and their impact on disadvantaged communities - February. 20

21 Rural Rhapsody Project Coordinator: Vladimir Ştefănescu, Violinist The Rural Rhapsody project of the Community Building Department, designed as part of the A.C.T. - Art. Community. Transformation Program started in 2012 and ended in June It was run in partnership with the Remember Enescu Foundation. The project aimed to bring classical music closer to the vulnerable communities in Romania by organizing concerts and musical education workshops in three villages: Dor Mărunt (Călăraşi), Dumbrava (Prahova) and Luciu (Buzău). The General Objective of the program was to create a socio-economic and educational framework in the communities where people in various kinds of need might have access to public and private information and services to the same extent and under the same conditions as the rest of the community. The most important activities conducted under this project in 2013 included: - Organizing the third (and last) fundraising concert in Bucharest, hosted by the Romanian Order of Architects (the funds were used to transport instruments and artists to and from the villages included in the project); - Organizing six musical educational workshops for the children of the three villages included in the project. Pupils were given information on composers biographies, the evolution of classical music, musical instruments, with the opportunity to talk to artists their own age and find out how they could cultivate similar hobbies. - Organizing three classical music concerts in the three villages covered by the project. The concerts were held by volunteers of the "Remember Enescu Foundation. The spaces used for the concerts were made available by the schools in the three villages or the local mayor s offices. 21

22 Pas cu P.A.S. (Step by S.T.E.P.) Program Manager: Radu Cata, Social Worker The Social Assistance Program (Pas cu P.A.S.) of the Community Building Department aimed to implement activities in response to existing social problems in poor communities, and to try and prevent some social problems that might arise in the short and medium term. The Program started in 2012 and ended in The General Objective of the program was to create a socio-economic and educational framework in the communities where people in various kinds of need might have access to public and private information and services to the same extent and under the same conditions as the rest of the community. In 2013, the program activities were conducted in Belciugatele Commune, Călăraşi County and mainly focused on establishing contacts with the main local social players and cooperating with them in identifying the main existing social problems in the newly selected community. The poorest 4 families in the village were identified and included in the social assistance program, and the building program; they benefited from schooling advice for their children, family and group counseling with community members. Literacy training activities were conducted with parents and children, information sessions on citizens' obligations and rights, civic spirit training and educational sessions were run; material support was provided for the poor families and assistance in preparing the building permit application forms. Outcomes: - Identification of at least 4 resource persons in the community; - List of main social problems in the communities; - Identification of the 4 families included in the program; - Preparing four building permit application files; - 4 information sessions completed; - More than 20 counseling and literacy sessions with beneficiaries in the community; - Obtaining two rounds of donations from natural persons, consisting of clothing and footwear for the children of the 4 families included in the program. The program beneficiaries are especially people at risk of social exclusion because of their extreme poverty, as follows: - The families that benefited from housing development (under the Arhipera program); - The children with poor results at school and at risk of dropping out; - Persons on the social aid lists of the community. 22

23 5. OTHER PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED WITH EUROPEAN FUNDING RURES. Rural Space and Social Economy in Romania A project co-financed from the European Social Fund through the Human Resource Sectorial Operational Program Invest in People! The project implementation period was July June Contract No. POSDRU/84/6.1/S/55122 Project Manager: Dr. Lorin Niculae, Architect The general program objective is to develop organizations and enterprises that are specific to social economy in the rural environment, supporting disadvantaged persons together with the decision makers and service providers for such social categories, to get actively involved in improving the living standards of disadvantaged groups and to develop the communities to which they belong. The project is multi-regional and includes rural communities in the counties of Prahova, Călăraşi, Buzău, Brăila, Alba, Braşov, Botoşani and Suceava, which were identified as having a small enterprise development delay compared to other development regions of the country. The project was implemented by the Soros Foundation Romania in partnership with the Pestalozzi and the Civitas Foundations. Detailed information about the project can be found on Project results in 2013 included: - 25 social enterprises legally established; - 8 county and one national events organized for the dissemination of the project results in Alba Iulia, Braşov, Suceava, Botoşani, Buzău, Călăraşi, Ploieşti, Brăila and Bucharest. Media coverage in 2013: Digi 24 Braşov _96837 Mega TV Brăila Antena 1 Călăraşi 23

24 România Liberă html Dilema Veche Şansa Buzoiană Adevărul Brăila 1_519e2104c7b855ff561cbc75/index.html Alba24.ro Informaţia de Alba Ziarul Unirea Niuzer.ro Ziarelive.ro Europe Direct Botoşani 24

25 CONFRONT- Combating new forms of Roma child trafficking: a participative approach The project is funded by the European Commission (DG Home Affairs - HOME/2012/ISEC/AG/THB/ ) under the Prevention of and Fight against Crime (ISEC) Program. Its implementation period is August July Project Manager: Iulian Stoian, Public Policy Expert The objective of this project is to develop a response mechanism for the protection and reintegration of children victims of people trafficking, by actively involving the Roma communities and local service providers who provide assistance to victims of people trafficking. It will reveal the implications on public policies for the development of anti human-trafficking intervention, based on community level participation in the countries of origin with a Roma minority. The findings of the research to be conducted under the project will help support children victims of human trafficking in the countries of origin and destination, by sensitizing the relevant institutions and organizations in regard to new forms of human trafficking and improving their coordination. The project was launched in Romania in September The project will also include consultations with the main stakeholder institutions and organizations involved in preventing human trafficking, such as the National Agency Against Human Trafficking (NAAHT) and a number of local actors in the NGO sector providing specific public services to the victims of human trafficking. Apart from its research component, the project also includes a Roma community awareness raising component. To date, 30 Roma students and recent graduates in Romania have been trained through a training program organized by the Soros Foundation with experts from NAAHT, in organizing local debates, in the Roma communities of origin of the participants in the training course. A group of 6 people was selected out of these trainees, to be involved in the field research organized under the project during May-June The CONFRONT project is being implemented by a consortium of non-governmental or academic organizations in Austria (Ludwig Bolzmann Association Institute of Human Rights/BIM), Bulgaria (Center for the Study of Democracy), Greece (Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy), Italy (Censis Foundation), Slovakia (People in Need), Hungary (Center for Policy Studies of the Central European University) and Romania (Open Society Foundation). 25

26 6. THE PUBLIC CENTRE Activities conducted at the Public Centre in 2013 Public Centre Coordinators Claudia Iordache, International Relations Specialist and Adrian Abrudan, Political Sciences Expert The Public Centre of the Soros Foundation Romania was designed as an open space for people wishing to interact directly with the Foundation's experts on the topics the latter are involved in, find out details about the projects run by the organization and participate in activities proposed by the Foundation to civically active people. Moreover, the Public Centre makes available to its guests a space for work and study as well as computers, Internet access, books and databases that may be used free of charge within this space. During 2013, the Public Centre hosted various either one-off activities (such as the Foundation Film Evenings, or Open Evenings, etc.), or activities, which were part of mini-projects, run over longer periods of time, during which more than 200 participants visited the space. This space is also used for the weekly meetings of the Arhipera group, and the SIASPA courses in Activities conducted by the Public Centre in 2013 included: School of Activism for Citizenship Project Coordinators: Claudia Iordache, International Relations Specialist and Adrian Abrudan, Political Sciences Expert The Project ran from April to June 2013 The third edition of the School of Activism aimed to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to the citizenship topic. The courses aimed to acquaint the participants with the topic of citizenship, a topic that is very rarely debated and understood in Romania. Creating a group of activists able to use the adequate language and master the basic concepts in regard to the research tools for this concept were two of the most important objectives of the dedicated Citizenship edition of the School. The School of Activism for Citizenship included 8 modules, of which 6 theoretical and 2 practical modules. The Courses were held by experts of the Soros Foundation and had the following structure: 1. Obtaining citizenship Sergiu Panaite 2. Citizenship from a legal perspective Andra Bucur 26

27 3. European citizenship and diversity (cultural, ethnic) Iulian Stoian 4. Citizenship and migration Victoria Nedelciuc 5. Citizenship and public participation Iulian Stoian and Andra Bucur 6. Citizenship and demographic imbalances Victoria Nedelciuc 7. Interactive session - presentations by the participants 8. Interactive session - presentations by the participants The School of Activism for Citizenship was atended by 15 participants. Creative Friday Project Coordinators: Claudia Iordache, International Relations Specialist and Liana Rusu, Communication Director Creative Friday is a project of the Soros Foundation that consisted of 6 workshops aiming to capitalize on the creative side of traditional workshops. Creative Friday was a balanced, non-formal, concentrated and energizing mix of information and inspiration. The topics of the workshops organized by the Foundation included: - Innovation - Creative fundraising - Creative writing - Creative business management - Creative leadership - Creative recycling Creative Friday ran over a period of 2 months and the trainers were experts in their areas: Mirel Bănică, Delia Marcu, Georgiana Ilie, Dragoş Pîslaru, Ciprian Stănescu, Alina Blaga The 6 workshops were attended by 35 participants. 27

28 7. TRAINING AND CONSULTANCY The "NEXUS Project: testing the viability of the concept by prospective research Project Manager: Daniela Giurcă The project is primarily a prospective research one and has been phased in since June 2012, being still ongoing. The NEXUS concept, developed under recent research on migrants1 performed by the Foundation was appreciated by the majority of institutions, organizations and investors as very interesting and promising, with significant potential for economic and social development in the migrants countries of origin. However, the potential investments are unavoidably conditional on demonstrating the viability of the concept and its testing in at least one pilot area. Project objectives for 2013: - to demonstrate and document the viability of the NEXUS concept; - to develop its own, innovative business concept. Activities conducted: - documentation on: o recent publications and studies on the migration topic o identification of websites providing, in different ways, support or information to migrants from various countries (primarily those addressed to Romanian migrants); o exploring the funding possibilities and options from other sources, of potential studies, especially European funds, and finding partners for the development of projects; - identification of the best software on the market that might underpin and support future research; - preparing an online questionnaire "RoE-migrant Open Network (development, testing, launching on website and promotion): - identification of the main portals for promoting the questionnaire complemented by exploiting the acquaintance network - migrants from Romania - especially of the project team. - processing the results during June-December 2013; - training and testing the InFlow application for future use (based on the results obtained after processing the online questionnaires and later for a further online questionnaire on the development of desirable services for NEXUS). 1 Maximizing the impact of migration on development, 2011 prepared by the SOROS Foundation in partnership with IASCI Vienna 28

29 Future steps include the completion of the report; participation in the NEXUS Moldova project; development and testing of the NEXUS - Romania site - based on the Romanian and Moldovan experience; and the identification of alternative funding. Wining in the selection of projects under the topical European Commission program "Thematic Program of cooperation with third countries in the areas of Migration and Asylum Reference: EuropeAid/131088/C/ACT/Multi" and partnership with IASCI Vienna for this project to test the NEXUS concept in Moldova provided Euro funding for research under the NEXUS project in

30 8. INTERNATIONAL FUNDING MANAGEMENT Making the Most of EU Funds for Roma, Romania 2013 Program Manager: Iulian Stoian, Public Policy Expert Open Society Foundations (OSF) launched the Making the Most of EU Funds for Roma (MtM) initiative in 2007 as an instrument of promoting the objectives of the Roma Inclusion Decade, by using EU financial resources. With project development, institutional strengthening and advocacy assistance, the MtM program is looking for solutions to problems such as: the poor visibility of the problems facing the Roma population in implementing the EU cohesion policies, at the national and local levels; disadvantage in point of access to resources and expertise and bureaucratic funding procedures that obstruct access to development opportunities for the most vulnerable. In 2013, consultancy was provided to organizations previously funded by the MtM, to allow local organizations in Romania to implement grant financed projects from the European Social Fund successfully, focusing on Roma inclusion by provision of financial aid and technical assistance to the organizations implementing the project. 30

31 SEn - The Social Enterprise - Initiative in Support of Social Enterprises for Roma Inclusion" The Program is supported by Open Society Foundations through the Making the Most of European Union Funds for Roma program. Program Manager: Gabriel Petrescu, Executive Director "The Social Enterprise" Project SEn provides financial assistance to social enterprises involving Roma ethnics in their activities and created with the help of the European Social Fund (ESF). The financial aid provided is of maximum 12,500 US$ per social enterprise and aims to cover the necessary investment costs for enterprise sustainability, which the beneficiaries cannot cover from their own resources. Apart from grants, social enterprises benefit from advisory services in social entrepreneurship and business management provided by the Soros Foundation experts. The enterprises comply with the social economy principles in the sense that any surplus generated in their activity is reinvested in the community, to its benefit, in the form of educational, social or cultural programs, donations or services provided free of charge to vulnerable groups. The competition for the maximum grants of 12,500 US$ per organization was organized in July. Funding granted in 2013 included: Social Enterprise Funding (US dollars) County Area Association for integrating and aiding vulnerable groups in Făgăraş, Braşov County 12, Braşov constructions - paving blocks Organisation for special needs children and adults "Trebuie", Feteşti Branch 12, Ialomiţa dressmaking Eurom Social Construct Association 12, Dolj constructions Social Economy Development Association Cislău 12, Buzău pastry baking pastry/cake Cămara Săruleşti Association baking, 12, Călăraşi vegetables Agroser Gura-Sutii Association 12, Dâmboviţa greenhouse Thell Association 12, Braşov hairdresser Tulnicul Scărişoara Association 12, Alba crafts '' Fraternitatea Luciu' Association 12, Buzău pastry baking 31

32 Rosia Montana Verde 12, Alba tourism Sustainable Rural Development Association Dor Mărunt 12, Călăraşi dressmaking Social Enterprise Association Podenii Noi 12, Prahova wood processing Impact Association Truşeşti 12, Botoşani bakery Speranţa Association Tudora 12, Botoşani beekeeping Solidarity Association Albeşti 12, Botoşani greenhouse Prodor 2012 Association Dorneşti 12, Suceava greenhouse ADPROD Administration and wood Production Association 12, Călăraşi processing RURES Association Varbilău 12, Prahova constructions Maxineni Commune Development Association 12, Brăila Golden Violin Association Association for Integrating and Aiding Vulnerable Groups 12, Suceava agricultural services wood processing 12, Vaslui dressmaking Betel-Rom Association Vereşti iron 12, Suceava processing Community Development Association Râmnicelu 12, Brăila greenhouse TOTAL 287,

33 9. FOUNDATION BUDGET AND FUNDING SOURCES PROGRAM (including administrative expenses) Budget (US dollars) Arhipera 105,000 A.C.T. - Art.Community.Transformation. 40,000 Participation of civil society in programming future EU funding ( ) 20,000 Rural Rhapsody 15,000 The Public Centre 20,000 Communication/ Rebranding 10,000 Monitoring and Advocacy for an improved Strategy of the Romanian Government to include Romanian citizens belonging in the Roma minority ,000 Mayors Making the Most of EU Funds for Roma Inclusion MERI Romania 60,000 Making the Most of EU Funds for Roma, Romania ,000 NEXUS 85,000 P.A.S. cu Pas (STEP by Step) 35,000 Transparency and Good Governance 15,000 Project preparation 1,600,000 The Social Enterprise (SEn) 250,000 Open Educational Resources 82,000 OSF Funds (sub-total) 2,747,000 RURES. Rural Space and Social Economy in Romania 580,000 Migrant Integration Research and Documentation Centre 32,000 CONFRONT 10,000 NEXUS MOLDOVA 10,000 EU Funds (sub-total) 632,000 Strengthening School Boards (with UNICEF) 25,000 TOTAL 3,404,000 33