The Slovak Republic is generally characterised as a state with a relatively high representation of the Roma ethnic group. This is particularly characteristic of the eastern part of Slovakia. If this ethnic group is also characterised by a certain kind of culture, then the words of Pope Benedict XVI written in the encyclical "Caritas in veritate" also apply to it: "Cultures are merely approached and understood as if they were in principle equivalent and interchangeable with one another. This fosters the spread of relativism, which does not promote genuine cultural dialogue. On the social level, cultural relativism causes cultural groups to draw closer and live together, or to live side by side but separately, without authentic dialogue and thus without true integration" end of quote.
One of the options for addressing the issue of marginalised Roma communities available in Slovakia, which strives to encompass a comprehensive solution, is the establishment and operation of community centres. There are currently approximately one hundred of these throughout Slovakia. They carry out their activities for the benefit of society as a whole.
The community centre, as an institutional facility, primarily provides primary programmes responding to current pressing problems and needs of the local community. In the Slovak Republic, the first community centres officially began to emerge in 2003 within the project "Support for the Establishment of Community Centres in the Slovak Republic" as a tool for addressing the integration of local Roma communities. They received financial support from European Union funds through the Phare programme. The aim of this project was to establish 10 community centres in selected localities, which were to serve as assistance in the integration of predominantly segregated or separated local Roma communities. Its duration was several months. Since that time, no more significant, comprehensive, or long-term support from the state has been offered to existing or newly emerging community centres.
At present, the operation of community centres is ensured by third-sector, non-profit organisations, including church organisations. To a lesser extent, community centres are also operated by some local self-governments that genuinely have a real interest in making progress towards the integration of the minority population. In many cases, this is not so.
The aim and mission of the community centres that carry out their commendable work in Slovakia is to provide comprehensive service to the individual, the family, as well as the entire local community that, for various reasons, lacks the means for self-help, social mobility, acquiring social skills, or self-fulfilment. In addition to the main goal and mission, each community centre also has other specific objectives according to the current needs and local problems of the residents. These include, for example, supporting meaningful leisure time, presenting one's own culture, customs, and traditions, assistance in entering the labour market, prevention of undesirable pathological phenomena in these communities, and support during education; all services and support provided by community centres to citizens should lead to their integration and self-sufficiency.
The primary target group of community centres consists mainly of socially excluded population groups, individuals as well as entire families. They have limited access to institutional assistance or employment. The secondary target group includes all other residents of the municipality or town where the community centre operates. In addition to these two target groups, the community centre defines further specific target groups according to age, to whom the centre's activities are directed:
- preschool children (3-6 years);
- children during compulsory school attendance (7-16 years);
- youth and young adults (16-21 years);
- adults and families;
- seniors.
The programmes and range of mobilisation activities in each community centre are implemented based on the needs and, above all, the interest of the community residents themselves. Community centres provide local residents with services such as social counselling, field health assistance, low-threshold programmes for children and youth, upbringing and education, employment support, community work and rehabilitation, professional and special counselling, as well as personal hygiene facilities.
The provision of these services requires adequate material and technical equipment. The form and quality in which the services are offered depend significantly on this. The spatial, material, and personnel capacities of a community centre should take into account the size of the local community and the number and depth of the problems it faces. However, it is understandable that with large communities and with community centres being operated by the third sector, it is not possible to build a facility that provides a comprehensive scope of activities. Therefore, it is necessary to build cooperation with other institutions in the municipality or town, or in the location where such a facility operates. It is essential that activation activities for children and youth, for example in the areas of sport or culture, be carried out in cooperation with and using the spaces and facilities of schools, cultural centres, or educational centres. It is very welcome if the community centre itself is located close to the community for which it is to carry out its activities, that is, close to the dwellings of marginalised Roma communities.
Every operation of such a facility also requires sufficient financial resources to support the quality of the services provided. Currently, funding opportunities are very limited. Community centres struggle with a lack of resources and the inability to secure their operation. If a suitable method of financing and support for community centres from the state is not found, the operators of individual centres will be forced to cease the existence of their facilities, and activities supporting the activation of individuals in marginalised communities will be suspended, which is likely to worsen the already negative relations between minority and majority throughout Slovakia.
The Archdiocesan Charity Košice, as a church organisation, has been operating 2 community centres in eastern Slovakia for several years – in Lipany and in Stropkov. Both have proven their worth for the local self-government and the towns themselves.
The Roma Community Centre in Stropkov was established in 2001 as a result of volunteer work initiated by a local religious sister. Together with volunteers, this sister perceived the needs of the marginalised Roma community and their interest in help with resolving their own adverse social and spiritual situation. Throughout its existence, the community centre has struggled and continues to struggle with financial problems that hinder its smooth and trouble-free operation. It has undergone various changes, particularly in terms of its location. Today it is situated close to the localities of its target group, which has a positive impact on the active use of its service offerings.
The community centre collaborates intensively with several institutions in the town: the self-government office, the office of labour, social affairs and family, the town leadership and its individual departments, schools and school facilities, the leisure centre, civic associations of various focuses, the parish office, and local businesses.
The organisational structure of the facility has also gradually taken shape. The centre places emphasis on quality personnel, because decision-making and leading activities in many areas of assistance to the target group are demanding, and this work also requires an empathetic approach from the employee. In addition to a stable professional staff, the centre also uses the work of volunteers, whose contribution is enormously valuable. The volunteer group always includes residents of the local community themselves, thus they participate in their own and communal activation.
The activities of the community centre are divided into several areas of operation. Specialised social counselling is provided by a qualified social worker, primarily to the adult population, in matters of household management, employment counselling, and resolving crisis life situations. The social worker's activities also focus on the prevention of socio-pathological phenomena, especially among children and youth. For children and youth, regular leisure-time clubs with various focuses are organised – sport, culture, art, and education. Through these activities, children are able to actively present their achievements to the public. In addition to these, one-off activities reflecting the events of the calendar and church year are also prepared. The morning part of the community centre's daily work is reserved for preschool children. They gather together in a club room that, with its equipment and aids, resembles a preschool facility, where under the guidance of staff they acquire the knowledge and skills needed to prepare for the school environment. Afterwards, volunteers attend to school-age children, helping them with supplementary schooling. Young people are drawn into the preparation of many projects that they implement together with the facility's staff and volunteers. The community centre is forced by financial reasons to respond to calls from various donors; however, through these projects, young people gain a broad-spectrum view of events in society and learn in practice how to influence and lead their own lives.
For the adult unemployed population, various lectures, seminars, and courses are organised in cooperation with other associations, which, besides knowledge, offer them the opportunity to spend their leisure time actively. In cooperation with the food bank, the centre assists clients by providing food and clothing to help them overcome their adverse life situation.
The work of community centre staff is very demanding in terms of time and patience, because noticeable results on the part of the minority and positive evaluation of the centre workers' activities by the lay public are minimal, and frustration and burnout syndrome can occur very quickly and easily. From the majority's cursory perspective, we have achieved little through our activities; the marginalised population group continues to be perceived in all its negative aspects. However, when evaluating a specific client – a person from the target group – it is possible to see how much we have helped to bring about change, prompted reflection, activated, helped find a new direction in life, resolved a seemingly unsolvable problem, and guided towards integration into society. All of this can only be achieved by entering into an authentic dialogue that respects and encourages the inner consciousness of a specific identity. The result of this effort towards dialogue is difficult to measure. Every such individual is then an encouragement, a challenge, and a result.
Ing. Cyril Korpesio Director of the Archdiocesan Charity Košice References:
Asociácia komunitných centier: Atlas komunitných centier. Tlačiareň Kubík 2007. Encyclical: Caritas in veritate, Pope Benedict XVI. HUBAČ, D.: Rómske komunitné centrum v Stropkove. Stropkov: interný zdroj zariadenia 2008. LEHOCZKÁ, L. – HABURAJOVÁ –ILAVSKÁ, L.: Komunitné sociálne služby v kontexte kultúrnej identity obyvateľov rómskych osád. Nitra: Vydavateľstvo Michala Vaška, Prešov 2006. HAŽÍROVÁ, J.: Podpora založenia komunitných centier Phare. In: http://phare.osf.sk/dokumenty.html. Asociácia komunitných centier: Čo robíme a poskytujeme. In: http://www.akc.sk (8.11.2008). Projekt podpora komunitných centier oficiálne ukončený. In: http://www.rnl.sk/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1902 Návrhy štandardov komunitných centier.
Odborný časopis Sociální služby - 2/2012
Odborný měsíčník Sociální služby je nejrozšířenějším periodikem v oblasti sociálních služeb v České republice. Jeho vydavatelem je Asociace poskytovatelů sociálních služeb České republiky (APSS ČR), největší profesní organizace sdružující poskytovatele všech typů a druhů sociálních služeb v ČR. Její členskou základnu v současnosti tvoří více než 720 organizací, což znamená přes 1600 registrovaných služeb.
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