Local Development for disadvantaged communities from Bihor County

We, Kécenlét Association, in partnership with the Municipality of Marghita – as Project Promoter -, Caritas Eparhial Oradea Association , Skyhøyt Live Scene have jointly initiated the integrated project entitled Local Development for disadvantaged communities from Bihor County. Through this project we aim at helping communities be more united, more developed and happier.

The project was offered a grant of € 816918 provided by Norway through Norwegian Grants under the Local Development Program. The objective of the project is increasing the use of social services for disadvantaged groups from 2 socio-economically impaired communities in Bihor county (RO), while increasing the level of satisfaction of these groups regarding the services’ quality, in order to improve their quality of life on the long-term.

Where?

This public-private partnership represents an unprecedented approach in the designated area and is adapted to the needs and benefit of the local population of Cheț village and Finiș Commune from the North-Western part of Romania.

How and for whom?

The project relies on providing integrated services based on the restorative practices model, as follows:

• afterschool services for 150 children, with the involvement of their families (115 parents / grandparents)
• employment services for 140 young people aged between 15 and 24, including NEETs, unemployed and inactive people
• social services for 80 elderly people from Cheț
• socio-medical services for all project participants.

And we’ll do this by training our teams to work with communities using the restorative practices model.

Implementation period

30 months, starting with September the 1^st, 2021.

Progress

The following project activities took place:

• most procurement were carried out by partners
• beneficiaries (children, young people, parents, the elderly) were contacted and enrolled in the project target group:
  • • afterschool services have been provided in Cheț (86 children, 56 parents/grandparents) and Ioaniș (88 children, 61 parents/grandparents)
    • socio-medical services have been provided to the target group (276 children and adults from Cheț, 243 children and adults from Finiș)
    • home care, hot meals and activities necessary for the elderly have been provided in Cheţ for 84 old people
    • activities with beneficiaries for accessing the labor market have taken place (50 young people from Cheț, and 94 from Finiș)
• repair works at the afterschool center St. Martin in Ioannis and equipping it with furniture
• the sociological study for the evaluation of beneficiary satisfaction regarding social services carries on in both localities
• project teams took part in the restorative practice training. This new intervention model was learned and successfully applied in working with vulnerable groups in Cheț / Marghita and Finiș. Opening of resource centers in restorative practices – in both Cheț and Ioaniș community members and all those interested can benefit from the help of community facilitators in applying restorative practices. Workshops were held on topics of interest to the target groups using restorative practices.
• communication activities have been carried out: project launch conference, publication of press release, preparation of promotional materials, launch of project Facebook page, project website, end of project conference
• the scientific conference with international participation, entitled ”Application of restorative practices in communities – Experiences in the formal and non-formal education system” and “Restorative practices – an exercise to increase resilience in communities, dedicated to people interested in the topic and those trained in restorative practices” – November 24-25, 2023 – Oradea – details
• organisation of activities with the Norwegian partner:
  • exchange of experiences in Norway 23-25 Aug. 2022
  • transfer of good practices: 20 May 2022; 12-16 Sept. 2022
  • exchange of experiences in Norway 6-10 Sept. 2023
• 4 experience exchanges between Romanian partners
• 1 social skills development course
• Elaboration of a good practice guide in the application of restorative practices
• Elaboration of a publication including monographic aspects of the Cheț Village and of the local recipe cook book from Cheț, in order to strengthen the local identity.

Procurement

News

Our team promotes restorative practices at Oradea’s universities

Between 17-22 May 2024, we participated in two events to disseminate restorative practices organized at the University of Oradea and Emanuel University of Oradea. On May 22, at the University of Oradea, we presented methods of conflict prevention and conflict management, appreciating the invitation of Prof. Habil. Dr. Claudia Bacter. On May 17, at Emanuel University of Oradea, we discussed the application of these practices with specialists and students, enjoying their active participation.

Resource centers in restorative practices

In both Cheț and Ioaniș, community members and all those interested can benefit from the help of community facilitators in the application of restorative practices. The role of these people is vital in the community to identify problems, issues of concern and organize workshops to prevent conflicts, discriminatory situations, etc. and to contribute to long-term community development. In Ioannis the Resource Center for Restorative Practices operates in the newly renovated and furnished building of St. Martin’s Afterschool Center and in Cheț at the Cuibul Day Center.

For more pictures and details on the activities during the sustainability period of the project, follow us on the project website, on the Communities United in Bihor facebook page and on the Youtube channel.

The results obtained from the implementation of the project PN402 – Local Development for Disadvantaged Communities in Bihor County (Communities United in Bihor) bring us many satisfactions.

The Municipality of Marghita and NGOs work together for the development of vulnerable communities

In addition to the innovative public-private partnership between the Municipality of Marghita and the 3 NGOs – Kécenlét Association, Caritas Eparhial Oradea Association and Skyhøyt Live Scene from Norway, without which we would not have been able to implement the project effectively, we created links between two communities – Cheț village and Finiș commune in Bihor.

Integrated social services for vulnerable communities

We have developed integrated social services for 519 members of the two vulnerable rural communities: 86 children from Chet and 88 from Finis now benefit from afterschool services, while 56 parents or grandparents from Chet and 61 from Finis have access to parenting education services. In addition, 50 people in Chet and 94 in Finis, including young people under 25, young people not in education or training, unemployed and inactive people, have been integrated into employment programs. In addition, social services are provided in Cheț for 84 elderly people (day center, home care and meals on wheels). All 519 project participants benefit from quality socio-medical services. In addition to them, we provided socio-medical services to other members of their families – 20 in each locality.

The project has also carried out repair works to the building of the St. Martin’s Afterschool Centre in Ioanis, transforming all the spaces of the building into places adapted to the needs of the beneficiaries.

We provide additional help in overcoming the vulnerability of the beneficiaries of services in Cheț through clothes cleaning services, for which we purchased a washing/drying machine. And in order to strengthen the local identity, The Cheț Village Monograph and the Cheț Local Recipe Book represent our efforts to preserve and promote the cultural heritage and local traditions of Cheț village, bringing together community members in a common effort to celebrate our identity and history.

Increased satisfaction among beneficiaries

With the completion of the project, project beneficiaries from the communities of Chet and Finis expressed an increased level of satisfaction with the integrated services provided. This demonstrates the positive impact of the project on people’s lives and the team’s commitment to ensuring sustainable and inclusive development in Bihor County. The PN402 project is an outstanding example of collaboration between local authorities, NGOs and international partners, highlighting that through joint efforts significant change can be brought about in vulnerable communities.

Training and exchange of experience

Project teams were trained in the restorative approach and developed key social skills, while benefiting from the transfer of best practices from Norwegian experts. Four exchanges of experience between Romanian partners and two in Norway contributed to enriching knowledge and improving practices applied in disadvantaged communities.

Restorative practices, proven to be an effective model in these socio-economically disadvantaged communities, underpin the two resource centres in Chet and Ioanis. A strengthened network has been developed through face-to-face meetings and the successful organisation of two international conferences on restorative practices, attended by experts from Romania, Hungary and Belgium.

An innovative approach to community development – Restorative practices

Training in restorative practices has been a significant step in the evolution of our teams and in transforming our approach to relationships and conflict resolution, from management to beneficiary relations. It is true that the process has not always been easy, but we have learned that patience and dedication of sufficient time are essential to achieving lasting and meaningful results in our community.

The successful organisation of two international conferences in restorative practice is a milestone in our journey and a testament to our commitment to promoting and implementing this approach in our community and beyond. We were pleased to have a large turnout at the conferences, which demonstrates an increased interest in restorative practices and their potential impact in our communities. The positive feedback we received from participants confirmed the importance and relevance of the topic, and the acute need to make changes at the community level, both at the micro level, in contexts such as school classrooms, and at the macro level, at the local and community level.

The Good Practice Guide is a valuable source of information and resources for all those interested in adopting this approach to managing conflict and improving relationships in various community contexts is available to all interested parties and can be downloaded here. We encourage you to explore the content and contribute your own experiences and knowledge of the restorative approach. We invite you to contact us and collaborate to promote and implement this valuable approach where we each do our work.

Details