The Open Society Roma Initiatives Office supports the emergence of highly educated Roma who are competent, confident, proud, and able to take on leadership roles in public affairs in order to improve the situation of the Roma communities in Europe. In pursuit of this goal, we invite proposals for projects that provide opportunities for re-imagining ethnic, social, and political identities among Roma between the ages of 20 and 35.
Since 2011, the Roma Initiatives Office has been developing a concept called Barvalipe—meaning “richness” or “pride” in the Romani language. Barvalipe is about supporting the most talented and promising individuals among educated young Roma, those who represent the best hope for Roma communities to thrive in these challenging times. Barvalipe combines three critical elements: strengthening pride in belonging to Roma communities, building the confidence and courage to push for change, and creating a sense of community among those young Roma who have the potential to become leaders in public life.
Applicants should not only consider organizing summer schools or summer camps. They may propose any format that is suitable for their project’s objectives and circumstances—for example, the particular target group, the geographic spread of participants, and the availability of lecturers, trainers, facilitators, and others.
Eligibility Criteria
Lead applicants should be Roma NGOs registered in Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, or Turkey.
The Roma Initiatives Office defines a Roma NGO as an organization in which at least 50 percent of the membership (in the case of associations), the governance body, and the senior management openly declare their Roma ethnic origin.
Organizations should have the necessary understanding, expertise, and experience to conduct projects related to this call. They should also have a history of undertaking programs that align with the objectives of Barvalipe.
Purpose and Priorities
All Barvalipe projects are expected to contribute to:
Pride in Roma Identity: Projects should encourage greater self-knowledge and a stronger sense of self-worth among participants, as well as respect for the achievements of Roma and the rich diversity within and among Roma communities.
Leadership Confidence: Proposals should describe how the project would support participants in adopting new leadership cultures, developing new leadership structures, and practicing leadership.
“Structures of Belonging”: Projects should address fragmentation among Roma advocates, organizations, and communities. Projects should help develop a sense of responsibility for the collective prosperity.
Guidelines
Concept papers must be submitted online through the Open Society Grantee Portal using the template provided.
Please read the full application guidelines before preparing your concept paper.
Help with submitting a concept paper and managing your profile is available throughout the Portal. If you encounter problems during the application process, please contact us at roma@opensocietyfoundations.org.
The deadline for submitting concept papers is midnight Central European time on July 24, 2014.
