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SP4:Slovakia-Roma

Scouting for ethnic minority communities, Slovakia

The Roma community, often referred to as ‘gypsies’, is seen as a problem in most European countries, due in part to their nomadic nature and exoctic culture. In eastern and central Europe the Roma community is the region’s most marginalized and vulnerable minority. The community is spread across most of this region and the Roma population in Slovakia is around half a million, from a total population of five and a half million people.

Poverty is widespread within the Roma community and many live in ghettos on the edge of urban centers in unhealthy housing. There are high levels of unemployment, partly due to the low level
of skills within the community. The children are most affected. As many as half of Roma children do not complete primary school and Roma children often end up working on the streets to support their families. This results in the community becoming more and more marginalized from the rest of society in Slovakia.

Scouting didn't exist in the Roma community before year 2000. The small independent Club of Right Roma boys and girls was founded in that year but to have a bigger impact in their community
and become part of the world-wide family of Scouting it had to become part of Slovensky Skauting.

FOR FULL STORY,

SP4romascouts_e.pdf 147.36 kB