gitanas

Federación de Asociaciones Gitanas de Cataluña (FAGIC), Spain

www.fagic.org

Contact: Pedro Aguilera Cortés:  p.aguilera@fagic.org

FAGiC is a non-profit organisation founded in 1991 and brings together 96 local Roma associations from all over Catalonia, making it the most representative Roma organisation in Catalonia. FAGiC was created with the aim of defending and promoting the rights of the Roma within the Catalan society and to react and denounce any form of xenophobia or discrimination towards Roma population. Its main purpose is to improve actions aimed at the Roma, gather information about their aspirations and concerns, and establish a communication channel between the Roma and the rest of the Catalan society. In addition to the founded goal, FAGiC has other objectives divided into different areas such as Social, Youth, Woman, Culture, Education and Political and Communication with a local, regional, national and European dimension.

Our main Youth area goals are:

  • Encourage volunteerism among young Roma. Since 2011 FAGiC is accredited as a sending, host and co-ordinating organisation in the European Voluntary Service.
  • Promote informal education through voluntarism and capacity building sessions in order to create a strong young Roma generation.
  • Promote social and labor inclusion of young Roma through socio-labor /job placement projects. In the last 3 years, FAGiC has improved its socio labor/job placement project for Roma youth.
  • Currently, FAGiC undertakes the following activities: IT courses; face to face interviews for labor advice; self esteem courses; job search activities; improving job interview skills activities. FAGiC undertakes special activities to young Roma women to improve their conditions within the community and the mainstream society; training on courier sevices; training courses on beauty and nails, etc…
  • Encourage initiatives, debates and exchange of experiences in the youth field.
  • Promote the participation of young Roma in youth activities and projects.

Encourage the participation of Roma youngsters in social, cultural and political life and issues that concern them.

FAGiC has organised a youth exchange in Barcelona in 2015 “Putren Le Jakha”. 48 Roma youngsters from 6 countries came together in Barcelona to fight against Antigypsyism.

Our main Education area goals are:

  • Achieve equal opportunities, inclusion, social cohesion and educational success of Roma students.
  • Promotion the participation of the Roma families in the school activities to help improving the relation between Roma families and the school.
  • Promotion of Roma culture at schools through workshops
  • School reinforcement for Roma children
  • Develop education projects through football and other sports.

FAGiC has a staff team of 52 persons who 14 of them are “structured staff” (located at FAGiC Head Office). Nearly the 90% of FAGiC’ staff is Roma (mostly Roma women). Almost all of them are working in the local Roma federated associations doing activities with children and youth. The young Roma working in FAGiC head office are in charge of specific programmes such as the legal advice programme, the social care programme and the youth programme.

FAGiC is member of (among others):

  • Municipal Council of the Roma of Barcelona City Council (link to Barcelona City Council)
  • Advice Council of the Integrated Plan for the Roma in Catalonia (link to Government of Catalonia)
  • State/Spanish Council of the Roma (link to the Government of Spain)
  • Barcelona Antirumours Network (link to the Barcelona City Council)
  • Internal group of Roma in the Parliament of Catalonia
  • CAC – Consell Audivisual de Catalunya – Audiovisual Council of Catalonia
  • CAB – Consell d’Associacions de Barcelona – Associations Council of Barcelona
  • FARE Network – Football Against Racism in Europe
  • Phiren Amenca