“Integrated Roma are Invisible” - Discussion in New Bulgarian University 06.04.2015 ZdravenMediator.net
On 2 April 2015
Health mediators and Roma students in medical specialties took part in a seminar, organised in New Bulgarian
University, Sofia, by Department Political Sciences, Department Health and
Social Work and Department Cognitive Science and Psychology jointly with Ethnic
Minorities Health Problems Foundation and the National Network of Health Mediators.
Prof. Ivayo
Tournev, Chairman of Ethnic Minorities Health Problems Foundation, presented the development of Health-mediation
programme in Bulgaria. Prof. Tournev pointed out that the main factors for
improvement of the Programme are the strong motivation, stubbornness and
desire for change ofhis associates, colleagues and Health mediators over the past 15 years.
Assoc. Prof. Anna
Krasteva - leading the seminar - underlined the importance of daily attempts to
overcome the increasing speech of hate. In response to her appeal young Roma
students in medicine and Нealth mediators shared their experiences on the road from
the neighborhood to the university, the municipality and health institutions.
Miroslav Angelov,
who is living in Roma neighbourhood Hristo Botev in Sofia said that he had
never dividedpeople and soon he will becomea doctor for both - Roma and ethnic Bulgarians.
For Diana
Chobanova, a graduate student in the Master's Program in Political Management
and Public Policy at the NBU, the meeting with Health mediators years ago inspired her to develop a Diploma Thesis devoted to
their experience.
The Health-mediation model in Bulgaria is
well-known and valued at European level as well. During the two-years project Roma
MATRIX, 18 European organisations shared experiance, information and good
practices that contributed to integration of Roma in 10 EU countries. Tsveta
Petkova, project manager, presented project results and the campaign video “WE
ARE NOT AN EXCEPTION”. In the public space analysis of the problems related
to the integration of Roma is superficial, so it is difficult to understand its
importance. The main objective of the campaign “WE ARE NOT AN EXCEPTION” is
to show successful young Roma, to focus the attention to the positive examples
among Roma communities.
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