The project is two year initiative financed by European Commission within PROGRESS Program. It is implemented since October 2011 in Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia by Center Amalipe (lead applicant), Liga pro Europa – Romania and National Roma Centrum – Macedonia (partners).

The project intends to develop, test, and evaluate socially innovative approach for combating the social exclusion of young people in rural communities in Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia with specific attention to young people from marginalized Roma communities. It is based on the fact that social exclusion is deeper in rural areas and among marginalized ethnic minorities (such as Roma) as well as that young people constitute vulnerable to social exclusion group. The project assumes that the reasons for social exclusion relate not only to poverty and lack of democratic traditions but also to the absence of social structures within the local communities.

Community based services are strong way to support establishing community social structures and to foster social inclusion in this way. That is why the project promotes developing Community Support Centers and other innovative forms of community based services in marginalized rural Roma communities.

Within the project 4 Community Support Centers in Bulgaria, 1 in Romania and 1 in Macedonia will be established and methodologically supported, their effect will be measured and evaluated, the experience will be summarized and proposed for wider scare application.

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