Rencont'roms nous - Cultural Project
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The project "Rencont'roms nous" is implemented in Toulouse and the Région Midi-Pyrénées in France
Project lead partner/organization and contact person (e-mail, links) project website
A three-partner team is behind the organisation "Rencont'roms nous" : Farida Aouladomar, Martha Roussou and Nathanaël Vignaud.
You can contact the organisation by:
- email : rencontromsnous@gmail.com
- phone :
+ 33 6.49.82.65.01 (Farida, président) ; + 33 7.78.07.62.74 (Martha, Secretary).
+ 33 6.05.31.66.18 (Nathanaël, Treasurer)
- website : www.rencontromsnous.com
Project information – start and end date (if available)
The project Rencont'roms nous was created in 2013 as a student project in the Master 2 Administration des Activités Culturelles (Administrations of Cultural Activities) at the University of Toulouse 1 Capitole.
As part of our master, we had to organize one cultural project during 2013-2014. We chose to create a project for the promotion of Roma Culture in Toulouse .
Since October 2014, the project Rencont'roms nous has been transformed into an official organisation.
We are working with 3 different sites: the Roma settlement of La Flambère, the Settlement of Rupé, the "Integration Village" of Grynfogel.
Summary (goals and purposes of the project)
The situation of Roma people is often mentioned in French media, but with negative comments that lead to the stigmatization of Roma people*. We wanted with this project to contibute to the debate with another prism: the culture.
Furthermore, the European Union has addressed the Roma issue and has integrated this thematic in the 2014-2020 programme. We wanted to contribute to this dynamic by bringing this subject to Toulouse where there are around 1,000 people of Roma origins.
The idea at first was to design a project to promote Roma culture in order:
- to raise public awareness,
- to deconstruct the stereotypes and prejudices,
- to promote encounters between Roma people and the general public,
- and to involve the Roma citizens of Toulouse in the cultural life of the city.
With these aims, we organized 10 different cultural events in the city of Toulouse, France (a concert, a conference, a photo exhibition, a screening debate, the construction of a Roma float for the Toulouse Carnival on April 5th ...)
At the end of our masters degree, we created the Organisation "Rencont'roms nous" in order to keep organizing cultural events but also to develop two new working areas:
- "Rencont'roms nous à l'école" (Rencont'roms nous at school): is a project to sensitize schoolchildren to the Roma culture and fight against discrimination from an early age. These workshops are organized in partnership with Amnesty International Midi-Pyrénées.
- The development of artistic and cultural practices of the Roma population through artistic workshops (circus, puppets, theatre, music, dance ...).
* 2/ 3 of the French population consider Roma people as a "separate group" (a survey made by the CSA in 2011 for the National Consultative Commission of Human Rights in France). Also, 93% of the French population believe that the Roma people "can not integrate well in the French society" according to a BVA survey for Le Parisien / i -Télé / CQFD published Saturday, September 28, 2013.
Results of the project
Our main objectives (the development of social and cultural ties between different cultures and the changing of representations) are quite difficult to quantify. This is a long-term objective.
However, our choice to diversify cultural venues in order to increase the public reached seems to have been achieved. In 2014, we were able to reach different audiences allowing a wider awareness (more than 1,500 persons attended our events).
The increasing number of Roma people wishing to participate in our events is also a sign that the project actually responds to a need.
Furthermore, many volunteers are joining the organisation "Rencont'roms nous". Many of them (inclunding Roma volunteers) are now involved in the organizations of our actions. We developed partnerships with more than 18 differents organisations and institutions
Who will benefit from this project (target group)
This project benefits the "disadvantaged public", meaning people who don't have access to culture due to social difficulties: in our project Roma people. About 300 people from different Roma settlements have been involved in our actions.
Since 2014, there have been more than 1,500 persons (Roma and non-Roma people) who have attended our events.
Sources of funding
We started the project with no funding. We began gathering money to produce the events using the crowd funding website "Kiss Kiss Bank Bank". We were able to gather 2,024 euros in 40 days thanks to 114 individual sponsors.
Since 2014, Rencont'roms nous has received fundings from:
- Public Institutions : The City Hall of Toulouse, The Conseil Général de Haute Garonne, The Région Midi-Pyrénées, The University of Toulouse Capitole, The Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, La Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles (DRAC) de Midi-Pyrénées, Tisséo (Public transport network of Toulouse)
- Organisations: ASET 31, Médecins du Monde, L'Atelier Idéal, Touche 2 style, The Soulgospellers, SolAfrica
- Cultural Institutions: La Maison de l'Occitanie, Ombres Blanches, La Dynamo
- Foundations: Rencont'roms nous has won the price "Coup de pouce" at the "Trophées des Associations" of the Fondation EDF (5,000 euros)
Link
Website: www.rencontromsnous.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rencontromsnous
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rencontromsnous us
Document - materials that incurred in the project
Bilan rencont_roms nous.pdf