Between 20 and 22th of July, over 40 participants took part in the fourth training of the Leadership Training Program “Modern Theories, Policies, and Practices in Child Development In Ages 0–3” under We Care Project for improving maternal and child health in the Roma community. The participants were introduced to the process of creating public policies aimed at maternal and child health in the Roma community. The trainings were hands-on and designed to support organizations in their understanding of the importance of advocacy based on real-time data. The organizations had the opportunity to exchange ideas on how to better execute the advocacy initiatives they will be working on from October 2019.
The three-day event continued with a module from the “Embracing Diversity” training program. The training program project is implemented by the TSA, and the training program itself was created by the International Step By Step Association, a leading organization worldwide in early childhood development and building competent early childhood systems. This part of our joint training was intended to support experts in their work with diverse communities and people and heighten their sensitivity to issues related to identity, culture, and how stereotypes and prejudice are formed. The topics and exercises focused exclusively on taking an active personal stance for diversity and a change towards a more tolerant society.
The training was very dynamic and emotional, based entirely on specific examples, games and funny videos and short films which made the participants reflect on things that are often taken for granted. Topics such as where stereotypes and prejudice come from and the needs of minority and vulnerable populations engendered a lively discussion among the participants. The Romani Early Years Network (REYN), coordinated by TSA, was also presented during the event.
We Care project is intended to expand participating organizations’ expertise in the field of advocacy for accessible and effective early childhood development services in the Roma community.