Impressions from Plovdiv 2019 European Capital of Culture
What values and principles are guiding your work? Right from the beginning of the project, we have focused our work and efforts on helping the most deprived children. Our team of anthropologists working in the neighbourhood for the last 3 years has chosen a location to conduct our exercises so that we can reach as many children as possible who do not attend school and live in extreme poverty. Working on the street, in the immediate vicinity of the houses where children live, allows us to give equal opportunity to everyone to be involved in the educational process - from young children aged 2-3 to young people aged 16-19. At the same time, our presence directly in the neighbourhood allows parents to get acquainted with our activities and actively engage in the process. The family is one of the most important institutions among the Roma and its participation in the education of children is crucial for their success. Another basic principle in our work so far is the respect and recognition of the individuality and uniqueness of each person. We know that our work in Stolipinovo is to teach children skills that will help their personal development and social integration, but at the same time we are also learning from the local community. Encouraging intercultural values and diversity makes our program extremely lively, flexible and consistent with everyday life in the neighbourhood. What excites you most about your work for Plovdiv 2019? The positive atmosphere is the thing that excites me most about my work for Plovdiv 2019. Their team consists of young, smiling and enthusiastic people who, despite the bureaucracy, managed to work and realize the rich program of the European Capital of Culture. It is always a pleasure for me to communicate with them and to share my project experiences. The Foundation also has a very well-developed network of contacts and helps to connect people and organizations with common goals and ideas. What specific challenges and opportunities does the local context offer? Stolipinovo is a quarter in the eastern part of Plovdiv, on the south bank of the Maritsa River. It is the largest Roma district in Bulgaria with nearly 40,000 people Christians and Muslims. We can say that Stolipinovo is a town in the city, where the inhabitants of the rest of Plovdiv rarely walk. The widespread view is that the neighbourhood is dangerous and the law is not respected, and the information disseminated in recent years by the media focuses mainly on rubbish and emigration. For a year and a half, my colleagues and I are in the neighbourhood
101