Gypsy spirit winners already have their hearts.
PRESS RELEASE
Bratislava 26 May 2011 - Monday, 23rd May the third Gypsy Spirit awards ceremony was held at the the P. O. Hviezdoslav Theatre in Bratislava, winners walked away with six red hearts from the announced categories. The winners from among the nominees were selected by the Panel of judges headed by Michael Kocáb and the Panel for Activity of the Year headed by Lejla Abbasová.
This year the competition featured 104 non-governmental organisations, companies, individuals and journalists. The preparatory - organisation committee assessed the individual applications and selected 19 shortlist candidates - three nominations in each Gypsy Spirit award category and immediately nominated four journalists for the special jury award (Gypsy Spirit media). The panel of judges and the Activity of the Year panel subsequently decided the winners, who walked away with the heart-shaped awards as a symbol of their human approach and effective work with the Roma community.
The award for the implementation of a specific project aimed at promoting and developing the Roma minority in the NGO category was received by the Láčho Drom civic association that has been in operation for more than ten years under the leadership of Vladimir Sendrei in Kokava nad Rimavicou. The panel awarded the prize to Sendrei for his project titled “Mobilise communities to improve the quality of life and support employment”. Through this project, more than 30 unemployed Roma from villages in the Poltár district found employment.
For the systematic implementation of projects aimed at social assistance and support of the Roma community by companies the panel commended the companies activities of U.S. Steel Košice.
U.S. Steel Kosice is a company that permanently and sustainably employs dozens of staff from within segregated Roma settlements
This is the second time U.S. Steel has gained such an award in the history of Gypsy Spirit.
In the category of extra-curricular educational activities for Roma children and youth, the panel was most interested in the Slum theatre –lead by Irma Horváthováof the ETP Community Centre in Moldava nad Bodvou. This theatre for young Roma from Roma settlements surpasses several disparate limits and prejudices. Although considered an ‘amateur’ theatre, the theatre performers who put on plays without any experience with "real" theatre, carry a strong emotional charge and a message as equally understandable and prosperous to minorities as the majority.
The Personality of the Year award was received by Anna Ferkaninová. The panel also awarded the mayor of Nižný Komárnik for long-term work contributing to improving the Roma’s position in society. In more than a decade, the mayor has managed to implement the introduction of electricity and drinking water to the original slums, the subsequent destruction of settlements and the construction of municipal housing to a lower standard with its own sewage treatment plant, the construction of a bridge, access roads to new buildings and the planting of greenery and landscaping in front of the newly constructed houses.
The activity of the Year panel agreed that the activity of the year which contributed to saving lives or improving the quality of life of the individual was deserved by Jarmila Vaňová of the Roma Media Center Košice. When shooting reports in the Roma settlement in the village Bidovce, she managed to literally get the mayor and the local Roma to agree in front of the camera in terms of the provision of materials and securing the work that was needed for the introduction of water for approximately 150 people in the settlement.
The work of journalists was also addressed by the panel this year - for a journalist / reporter for pointing out positive characteristics of the population of Roma communities. The award was received by Janette Maziniová the original publicist, who in her blog openly, directly and honestly discloses personal "messages" relating to complex problems and dealing with Roma issues.
According to Michael Kocáb, Chairman of the panel and one of the initiators of Gypsy Spirit in the Czech Republic a significant shift compared to previous years had been recorded at the third annual Gypsy Spirit awards. "They have always been beautiful, but now Slovak Television is involved, it was in the theatre with beautiful scenery, a balanced panel selection and beautiful music"Kocáb summed up the project that is developing very well. "I can only wish that it catches on in other countries to help spread the concept - at least in the surrounding countries," said the activist in the field of human rights and the current Vice-President of the Czech Helsinki Committee.
The Gypsy Spirit awards this year would not have taken place without the support of the enunciators, sponsors, partners, media partners, without the initiative of the nominees and nominated, performers and also the judges. Great thanks goes out to all of them.
Partners: The Slovak Ministry of Culture, European Commission, ETP SlovenskoIPEC, Tatra Leasing, Uniqua, Prvá Stavebná Sporiteľňa, SĽUK
Media partners: RTVS, Radio Expres, The TREND Weekly, Romano nevo ľil, MECEM – the Roma media centre, the Slovak Syndicate of Journalists, Gipsy.sk Internet radio , Gypsy Television.
Special thanks go to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Human Rights and National Minorities, Minorities and the European Commission for supporting the project.
The 2011 Gypsy Spirit Awards will be broadcast on STV2 on 04/06/2011 at 20.00 and on 05/06/2011 at 15:40 pm.
The Gypsy Spirit project
The long-term goals of the Gypsy Spirit project are to contribute towards a more positive picture of the Roma community in Slovakia as well as improvements in living conditions for the Roma population. The awarding and presentation of positive examples can serve as motivation for others to engage in projects that will bring comprehensive, effective and lasting solution to the problems of the Roma community. The Gypsy Spirit Awards are intended to support and inform about projects and activities that deliver real, measurable results, and so are the Roma people and real help, thus representing real help for the Roma community.
The enunciators of the 3rd annual Gypsy Spirit Awards are: The Association for Culture, Education and Communication (ACEC), Slovak government plenipotentiary for the Roma community, Slovenské Elektrárne - a member of the Enel group, Slovak Radio and Television (RTVS), the National Centre for Equal Opportunities and the Slovak Roma Women’s Association.
More information can be found on: www.gypsyspirit.eu
The Association for Culture, education and Communication (ACEC) is a non governmental organisation, the aims of which are to create understanding, support international cultural exchanges, deepen education and create space for the further continuation of mutual communication. As a part of its educational activities, ACEC focuses on the preparation and implementation of educational programs and communication strategies for socially challenged groups (education training and tutorial programs and projects focused on the Roma minority in Slovakia). ACEC actively operates in the field and has been carrying out it's activities in Roma settlements themselves since 2002 and is currently implementing two projects for the Roma community in some 40 settlements in eastern and central Slovakia
Slovenské elektrárne is the largest electricity producer in Slovakia. Slovenské elektrárne, a.s. is the largest power generator in Slovakia. After completing the privatization phase in April 2006 Enel S.p.A. became the main shareholder of the company with a 66% stake. The remaining 34% is owned by the Slovak National Property Fund, with its shareholders rights executed by the Ministry of the Economy of the Slovak Republic. In 2010 the company had delivered to the power grid more than 21 TWh of electricity by year-end and had a total of 5419 employees. Slovak power plants are partners of major philanthropic institutions. Activities in the area of Corporate social Responsibility (CSR) are implemented in the long-term energy program for the country and broken down into individual walks of life. Energy for sport, Energy for Culture, Energy for Education, Energy for Nature and Energy for Life define the sphere of activities - energy, which the company is supporting in 2011 with the development of social responsibility in Slovakia. The Gypsy Spirit project is one of the main projects under Energy for life More information at: www.seas.sk
More information:
Michal Kubo, Táto e-mailová adresa je chránená pred spambotmi. Ak ju chcete vidieť, je potrebné aby ste mali zapnutý JavaScript. , 0902 749 221
The Association for Culture, Education and Communication, www.gypsyspirit.eu.
Iveta Duchoňová, Táto e-mailová adresa je chránená pred spambotmi. Ak ju chcete vidieť, je potrebné aby ste mali zapnutý JavaScript. , 02/5729 5673
Slovak Government Delegate for the Roma community