1 October, 2021 – 1 March, 2023
Slovenian Roma Route

In October 2021, the Association EPEKA, Soc. Ent., started implementing the Slovenian Roma Route project. Between 2021 and 2023, the project will work on strengthening the competences of members of the Roma community from the Eastern Cohesion Region, who will acquire additional skills related to cultural production and cultural heritage, while at the same time monitoring the cultural diversity of the Roma communities in the region.

Within the project we cooperate with RIS, the Research and Educational Centre Rakičan Manor, RIC Novo mesto, the Roma Academic Club and the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum.

The aim of the operation is to support members of the Roma community in acquiring skills and competences related to culture in order to increase their employment opportunities, motivate them to move closer to the labour market, integrate with the majority population and socially integrate into the wider society. The operation aims to raise awareness of the importance of culture and cultural heritage among the members of the diverse Roma communities living in the Eastern Cohesion Region and to promote their pro-activity in the identified areas.

Key activities: The key activities of the programme consist of five sets of training sessions, which will be delivered both physically and with the support of teleconferences. The activities will involve cooperation with external contractors, experts in the fields that the project aims to address. At least one of the strands will consist of 50 hours of activities, and we aim to involve at least 12 members of the Roma community in each strand.

The target group of the operation is made up of members of the Roma community; we are focusing on diverse sub-groups of Roma and on different Roma communities within the Eastern Cohesion Region.

Short-term impacts: increased skills and competences of members of the Roma community, increased self-esteem and self-confidence of the target group, improved social inclusion of the Roma community, increased awareness of opportunities within the cultural field among the target group.

Long-term results: Improved employment opportunities for the Roma community, increased awareness among the target group of the importance of culture and preservation of cultural heritage, improved cohesion between Roma and the majority population, opportunity to develop a Slovenian Roma Route concept which would have a positive impact on the promotion of the Roma community and the culturally based tourism offer of the Eastern Cohesion Region, increased self-esteem, self-confidence and productivity of members of the Roma community, fostered cooperation of stakeholders working in the field of empowerment of the Roma community in the Cohesion Region.

The Slovenian Roma Route is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union from the European Social Fund.

Link to the page EU Funds.