Call for Proposals: Challenging and Changing Negative Attitudes toward Roma

25 юли 2011 г.

The Open Society Roma Initiatives announce a call for proposals for projects that aim to challenge and change negative attitudes toward the Roma population in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.

Call for Proposals

Challenging and Changing Negative Attitudes toward Roma

Eligible countries:Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia

Deadline for submission of concept papers: August 10, 2011

The Open Society Roma Initiatives announce a call for proposals for projects that aim to challenge and change negative attitudes toward the Roma population.

Numerous reports, studies and public opinion polls show there are overwhelmingly negative attitudes toward the Roma among the non-Roma populations of Central and Eastern Europe. Survey respondents are often adamant that their attitudes toward Roma are based on the characteristics and behavior of Roma themselves—and not a product of racism and ethnic bias. The reluctance of the majority of non-Roma citizens to interact with Roma is demonstrated by survey responses stating that they would not want to live near Roma; would not want their child to go to school with Roma, and would not support their child marrying a Roma individual.

In societies where racism, xenophobia and open discrimination are seemingly becoming the accepted and celebrated norms—rather than the exceptions—much of the work in changing negative attitudes and behavior starts with building a sense of solidarity and responsibility for promoting change. There is a clear need to look beyond traditional public campaign tools and approaches and to employ a multi-layered approach toward challenging and changing attitudes. Engaging with the public is at the heart of such a complex approach and should serve as a key element and goal of any successful campaign.

The purpose of this call for proposals is to encourage civil society organizations to develop well-targeted projects, campaigns and actions to challenge, and ultimately change, negative attitudes toward Roma.

Projects should include elements that have proven essential to effective communication campaigns:

A precise definition of the target audience
Research to understand how best to connect with and influence the target audience
Translation of larger visions into messages that make a personal connection with the target audience and inspire a response
Messages that are simple, convincing and culturally relevant

Activities to engage the target audience in ways that support the dismantling of negative attitudes and norms
Measurement of the impact of the activities in order to assess effectiveness, correct mistakes and make adjustments to the campaign

Examples of the many techniques that may be used to challenge negative attitudes toward Roma include:

Persuasion through simple messages from leaders, opinion-makers and role models —celebrities, artists, athletes, politicians, etc.
Social marketing,which uses commercial and public-sector marketing approaches to promote social good.
Awareness-raising and distinguishing facts from myths.
Inspiration, using the drama of challenges and the excitement of solutions; campaigns relying on this technique often link the subject to other issues such as health, wealth or jobs, since most people can easily relate to these.

Proposals that include the development and implementation of innovative techniques for engaging target audiences are particularly welcome. Applicants are asked to describe clearly the project's particular non-Roma target audience, campaigning techniques, and the monitoring indicators and tools that will be used to understand the impact of the project.

Who can apply?

This call for proposals is open to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia. It is also open to other organizations in these countries (marketing firms, advertising agencies, media, think tanks, sports associations, etc.), if they apply in partnership with Roma NGOs.

Financial allocation:

The Open Society Roma Initiatives will provide up to 30,000 USD per project.

Each applicant may submit one proposal under this call for proposals.

To Apply:

To apply for this call for proposals, you should first submit a concept paper of up to 2 pages. The concept paper should include the following:

a.Short paragraph about your organization and any partners in the project

b.Description of the target audience of your project (including age, location, gender, socio-economic status and the size of the project's constituency)

c.Brief summary of the main objectives

d.Brief description of the main methods and techniques you propose to use

e.List of the main activities of the project

f.Proposed duration of the project

After submitting the concept paper, applicants may be invited to submit a full proposal. The full application form will be provided to applicants whose concept papers are selected for the next stage of review. Please note that an invitation to submit a full proposal does not mean that your project has been approved for funding.

The Open Society Roma Initiatives will make every effort to review concept papers within four weeks of submission.

Concept papers, in English only, should be sent by e-mail to roma@osi.hu by August 10, 2011.

? Please note that the Decade of Roma Inclusion Secretariat Foundation is not involved in organizing this program and cannot provide assistance to potential applicants. If you have questions or would like to apply, please use the contact information provided above.