GOOD NEWS, GOOD NEIGHBORS PROJECT
Good neighbors balance between order and chaos. Good relations are therefore, a process. All stakeholders can win. Cooperation with a range of partners from public and private life understand that innovation forms the basis for shared development in the modern world. Inhabitants of the cities are the key source of city development. The Good Neighbors Project aims to build an environment enabling positive change to take place for healthy community relations through creativity and innovation to enable economic and social growth. Participation in community life is a key challenge too. This pilot hopes to tap in the high level of frustration currently present in many Roma neighborhoods to encourage people not only to meet but get actively involved.
Cultural diversity creates a rich and varied world, which increases the range of choices and nurtures human capacities and values. These are the pillars of sustainable development of communities and nations. Building off of three already proven successful programs – Roma Helping Roma (Roma Mentoring) and the Crime Prevention Assistant Program, Hate Crime/Violence Monitoring in Usti Region, the Good Neighbors Project aims to go to the root of addressing poor community relations, xenophobia, social prejudice and crime.
Through a series of guided but open Round Table discussions and a shared community service project by participants we hope to help the majority and minority citizens make a love connection in their town and have a better, friendlier relationship with each other. The effort also aims to improve community relations among citizens, city authorities and media providers by sharing knowledge, sharing ideas and working side-by-side to improve their neighborhood. We are looking for solutions to long-term challenges facing cities. The Good Neighbors project will have two concurrent activities ongoing – one for adults and one for youth (age 8-16). The aim is to generate the best ideas on how to improve the quality of life and document it in a specific area, within a city, or in a city as a whole.
We know already the Roma mentoring program is successful in reducing repeat crimes because it is culturally sensitive and mentors were able to establish trust. We know also, that the Police Assistant Program was also successful for the same reasons but with an extra bonus. The Police Assistant Program was able to go one step further in establishing trust in the community not only among Roma with Roma, but Police with Roma and Roma with the majority population. Good Neighbors wants to build on those successes and apply this model in a more comprehensive way.
The Good Neighbors Project aims to include new parties in the formulation of a solution for better community relations. Government authorities have been largely missing from the conversations and efforts to improve community relations where they have been explosive. The media has also contributed to the problem with biased and unfair reporting. Good Neighbors will bring together, perhaps for the first time, all of these parties in a long-term and concentrated effort to improve relations, understand each other better and participate in a shared community service activity – a Mural Project – that will be a visible example of cooperation and shared interest in community relations.
Good Neighbors Project participants will meet a minimum of eight times over the course of one year. They will participate in a series of four 90-minute guided Round Table discussions with the goal of better mutual understanding and shared interests. We will use the proprietary Cultural Compass training model for these Round Tables. Cultural Compass training begins with the premise that people from diverse cultural, economic or ethnic groups are actually more alike than different and then begins to build bridges to close the cultural gap. Participants will not only have an opportunity to interact with each other through the discussions, but also decide together about location, design and execution of a city beautification project – painting of a public mural, and work side-by-side to realize the Mural for two full days.
Project Goals:
Decrease number of Hate Crime Incidents
Crime Prevention – both general criminality and Hate Crimes especially
Reduce Xenophobia
Improve Community Relations
Improve Relations among Local Government Authorities, Media, Police Force, Majority & Minority Population
Cross-cultural and Sensitivity Training Delivery
City Beautification Project Realized collectively by project participants
Improved Media Reporting and Public Opinion regarding Roma
Project Term:
12 Months: January – December 2013
Project Partners:
The Cultural Compass Institute
K Svetu
Rubikon Centrum (former SPJ)
PMS
City Police Decin, Prague
City Government Authority Representatives
Elementary School – Decin, Prague
Romea, o.s.
TV Metropol
In Justice
Project Location:
Decin & Prague, Czech Republic
GOOD NEIGHBORS PROJECT TIMELINE
Jan/Apr. 2013 Project Coordinator begins work to select participants, Select & Book meeting places for Adult Discussion Groups AND Selection and Scheduling of participant schools
May 2013 Youth Round Table #1, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting Adult Round Table #1, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting
Youth Round Table #2, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting Adult Round Table #2, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting
Youth Round Table #3, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting Adult Round Table #3, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting
Jun/Sept 2013 Adult Community Project Realization,
Youth Community Project Realization,
Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting
JUL/AUG
2013 Film Processing ++
SEP 2013 Public Event
OCT 2013 Youth Round Table #4, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting
Adult Round Table #4, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting
NOV/DEC 2013 Final Processing and Reporting
Good neighbors balance between order and chaos. Good relations are therefore, a process. All stakeholders can win. Cooperation with a range of partners from public and private life understand that innovation forms the basis for shared development in the modern world. Inhabitants of the cities are the key source of city development. The Good Neighbors Project aims to build an environment enabling positive change to take place for healthy community relations through creativity and innovation to enable economic and social growth. Participation in community life is a key challenge too. This pilot hopes to tap in the high level of frustration currently present in many Roma neighborhoods to encourage people not only to meet but get actively involved.
Cultural diversity creates a rich and varied world, which increases the range of choices and nurtures human capacities and values. These are the pillars of sustainable development of communities and nations. Building off of three already proven successful programs – Roma Helping Roma (Roma Mentoring) and the Crime Prevention Assistant Program, Hate Crime/Violence Monitoring in Usti Region, the Good Neighbors Project aims to go to the root of addressing poor community relations, xenophobia, social prejudice and crime.
Through a series of guided but open Round Table discussions and a shared community service project by participants we hope to help the majority and minority citizens make a love connection in their town and have a better, friendlier relationship with each other. The effort also aims to improve community relations among citizens, city authorities and media providers by sharing knowledge, sharing ideas and working side-by-side to improve their neighborhood. We are looking for solutions to long-term challenges facing cities. The Good Neighbors project will have two concurrent activities ongoing – one for adults and one for youth (age 8-16). The aim is to generate the best ideas on how to improve the quality of life and document it in a specific area, within a city, or in a city as a whole.
We know already the Roma mentoring program is successful in reducing repeat crimes because it is culturally sensitive and mentors were able to establish trust. We know also, that the Police Assistant Program was also successful for the same reasons but with an extra bonus. The Police Assistant Program was able to go one step further in establishing trust in the community not only among Roma with Roma, but Police with Roma and Roma with the majority population. Good Neighbors wants to build on those successes and apply this model in a more comprehensive way.
The Good Neighbors Project aims to include new parties in the formulation of a solution for better community relations. Government authorities have been largely missing from the conversations and efforts to improve community relations where they have been explosive. The media has also contributed to the problem with biased and unfair reporting. Good Neighbors will bring together, perhaps for the first time, all of these parties in a long-term and concentrated effort to improve relations, understand each other better and participate in a shared community service activity – a Mural Project – that will be a visible example of cooperation and shared interest in community relations.
Good Neighbors Project participants will meet a minimum of eight times over the course of one year. They will participate in a series of four 90-minute guided Round Table discussions with the goal of better mutual understanding and shared interests. We will use the proprietary Cultural Compass training model for these Round Tables. Cultural Compass training begins with the premise that people from diverse cultural, economic or ethnic groups are actually more alike than different and then begins to build bridges to close the cultural gap. Participants will not only have an opportunity to interact with each other through the discussions, but also decide together about location, design and execution of a city beautification project – painting of a public mural, and work side-by-side to realize the Mural for two full days.
Project Goals:
Decrease number of Hate Crime Incidents
Crime Prevention – both general criminality and Hate Crimes especially
Reduce Xenophobia
Improve Community Relations
Improve Relations among Local Government Authorities, Media, Police Force, Majority & Minority Population
Cross-cultural and Sensitivity Training Delivery
City Beautification Project Realized collectively by project participants
Improved Media Reporting and Public Opinion regarding Roma
Project Term:
12 Months: January – December 2013
Project Partners:
The Cultural Compass Institute
K Svetu
Rubikon Centrum (former SPJ)
PMS
City Police Decin, Prague
City Government Authority Representatives
Elementary School – Decin, Prague
Romea, o.s.
TV Metropol
In Justice
Project Location:
Decin & Prague, Czech Republic
GOOD NEIGHBORS PROJECT TIMELINE
Jan/Apr. 2013 Project Coordinator begins work to select participants, Select & Book meeting places for Adult Discussion Groups AND Selection and Scheduling of participant schools
May 2013 Youth Round Table #1, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting Adult Round Table #1, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting
Youth Round Table #2, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting Adult Round Table #2, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting
Youth Round Table #3, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting Adult Round Table #3, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting
Jun/Sept 2013 Adult Community Project Realization,
Youth Community Project Realization,
Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting
JUL/AUG
2013 Film Processing ++
SEP 2013 Public Event
OCT 2013 Youth Round Table #4, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting
Adult Round Table #4, Processing of film footage, PR + Soc. Media Proj.Reporting
NOV/DEC 2013 Final Processing and Reporting
