Roma Mentor Project to Continue - 2008.10.01.

The Open Society Institute (OSI) announced the first Roma Mentor Project, which the BHIM RAO Association has been given the honour to announce from this year on. Nikoletta Glonczi and Norbert Káló are managing this program.

In accordance with the Program, institutions (schools, school study halls) in which a high number of Roma and disadvantaged children are enrolled are eligible to apply. This is a special and unique project in the way that mentors proud of their Gypsy background and capable of credibly setting up joint programs in their respective professional field organise and hold extra-curricular activities for students. Interview with Norbert Káló:   

What in your view makes the Roma Mentor Project successful and popular?

Within the framework of this Program, Roma youths and students have the opportunity of becoming acquainted with processes that are highly important today in terms of motivating Roma children. Children and students have the opportunity to meet young Roma intellectuals that have achieved outstanding results throughout their educational and professional career, as well as through their talent and work. From the perspective of students, key priorities include gaining insight into Roma culture, following examples and increasing their motivation. This initiative will be successful, if students taking part in the program get to know Roma values, which they are capable of learning and representing with the help of their mentors. In the hope that this program will be a success, we hope that the children will enjoy coming along to the workshops. Moreover, we would also like to continually present the results of this program to the media.  

How many applications were submitted and how many were approved?

Out of the 67 proposals submitted, we were able to approve 10 applicant organisations from the funding framework we were provided. The high number of applicants indicates the high demand for this program.

How much funding is awarded to each institution?

The duration of the project is one full academic year and its total cost amounts to 225,000 HUF, which must fully cover program expenditures. Food and drinks need to be provided for students; however, this funding may also be spent on excursions. The Bhim Rao Association pays the remuneration of mentors, which amounts to 20,000 HUF per session.  

Were proposals submitted by organisations that successfully implemented a mentor project earlier prioritised during the assessment procedure?

We set up an assessment committee comprised of 6 members, to which OSI delegated 3 members and our organisation also delegated 3 members. Selection criteria included verifying whether the application package submitted complies with formal requirements; whether it was submitted in time and whether all necessary annexes were attached. 

As regards content-related criteria, we assessed whether the activities planned are realistic and whether it is possible to implement these within the framework of the program. Further criteria included assessing the degree the activity provided by the mentor impacts children and their immediate environment. Each organisation was assessed fairly and applied with the same chances, which is how we selected the 10 best applications out of the 67 proposals submitted. 

In terms of regional distribution, were applications submitted by institutions operating in, for example, the most disadvantaged micro-regions prioritised? 

We naturally also took regional distribution into account, since applications were submitted from every corner of the country; however, regional distribution was not the key consideration during the assessment procedure. 

As far as I know, the Association has set up a Roma Mentor Database, from which institutions may select the right mentor for their children by browsing though the CVs of young Roma graduates and artists. Could you mention some mentors and their activities that demonstrated the success of this program in the first round? 

Naturally, our Association has set up a database; we endeavoured to recruit talented Roma individuals that have achieved outstanding results throughout their educational career, as well as through their talent and professional work. Unfortunately, I do not have a precise overview of the previous Roma Mentor Program, but what I do know is that mentors did everything in their power for children to gain experiences and become more motivated to learn.    

Just a few of the talented young Gypsies whose career and artistic achievements demonstrate and explicitly justify the success of the Roma Mentor Project:

Csaba Báder, Bori Balogh, Tibor Balogh, Zoltán Schull, Péter Boda, Péter Bogdán, Margit Bordács, József Kõvári (Badger), Kata Duka, Emese Erõs, Gusztáv Erõss, Róbert Farkas, Zsolt Farkas, Attila Balogh Hídvégi, Barbara Illés, Timea Junghaus, Kálmán Horváth Káli, Henrik Kállai, Károly Káló, József Keszthelyi, Mrs Kiss Anita Oláh, Antal Kovács, Ferenc Kunhegyesi, Erika Lakatos, Klára Lakatos, Péter Lázár, György Makula, Norbert Mohácsi, Fatima Mohamed, Gábor István Molnár, Anna Orsós, Hajnalka Orsós, László Petrovics, János Ponczok, Sándor Radics, Béla Ponczók, Bertalan Sándor, András Suki, Béla Szakcsi Jnr., István Szilvási, Kriszta Váradi, Zsolt Vári