Slide 1
Chapter 10Roma Project: A case-study of development
communication sponsored by the Open Society Institute
Overview of Social Change ModelsToday the goal is to achieve
sustainable development that includes environmental and gender
concerns along with critical cultural concernsSustainable
development communication uses mostly non-linear models based on
intrapersonal, interpersonal, and group communication (that often
includes organizational communication) together with consideration
of local culture specificsCommunities are encouraged to exercise
their right to discuss and include their own view on development of
the objectives, imperatives, and methods2Modernization
ModelTop-down communication is based on secular mass media with the
official oppression of local religion or cultureDevelopment
projects are initiated and mostly executed by international
organizations and national governmentsThe modernization model and
ideas are rooted in the colonization periodThis mainstream
development paradigm, prominent from the 1940s through the 1970s,
is oriented around progress measurement via material, economic, and
technological indicators
3Critical/Alternative ModelEconomic indicators clearly showed
that this top-down, linear, Western model neither reduced Third
World poverty nor promoted sustainable developmentInterdisciplinary
scholars from various fields of sociology, political economy, and
communication, introduced critical theories on development such as
the decentralization models, Marxist theories, cultural
imperialism, and subaltern theories It was the work of Paolo Freire
that caused a direct shift in the understanding of development
communication4Empowerment ModelIn communication studies, more
researchers viewed culture and communications as one, as modes of
representation or meaningPower started to be viewed
dialecticallyProtest and social movement became part of the idea of
network societiesThe role of new development communicators is to
cautiously build trust while acquiring local knowledge and spurring
the involvement of local peopleFreires empowerment paradigm is
based on a different educational approachSince power is both
created and exercised, institutions are needed that facilitate the
paradigm of empowerment. Such an institution is The Open Society
Institute
5Open Society Institute (OSI)Open Society Initiative for
Southern Africa (OSISA) and the Open Society Initiative for West
Africa (OSIWA), are governed by regional boards of directors and
staffs and provide grants in 27 African countriesThe OSIWA and
OSISA foundations seek to locate visions of open societies in their
respective regions which serve to combat negative perceptions about
AfricaOSI offers a great variety of grants, fellowships, and
scholarship for development purposes such as: grants for enhancing
coalitions of womens rights and HIV/AIDS organizations in select
African countries6Theoretical Background of the Open SocietyThe
idea of the open society is partly rooted in the works of the
philosopher Berson, who wondered how the governments role could be
enhanced within the capitalist systemThrough the past 17 years, the
Soros foundations have grown considerably and gained international
attentionWorking with marginalized communities is among the main
goals of OSI They are active in five sectors of social life such as
freedom and democracy, human rights, education, public health and
access to care, or transparency and access to
information7Development Communication in the Roma Initiatives
On-line PresentationDevelopment communication discourse perpetuates
the interest of agency, and is thus power-loadedThe Roma Initiative
counted on three major types of activities: 1) Part of the strategy
of investing directly in Roma, OSI offered support for Romani
rights NGOs to combat discrimination and build alliances,
particularly around the international Romani-led movement to
desegregate schools; 2) OSIs fellowships and its programs for
women, children, and youth, in the fields of public health, media,
justice, and education; 3) Pursuing fast and flexible grant making
with a focus on the younger generation of activists and students;
and 4) Ensuring direct participation of Roma in project
implementation, design, and evaluation8Roma Inclusion Projects
& Development Communication ModelsAll five sectors of social
life that OSI defined in its Mission Statement were represented
through the various projects of the Roma InitiativeParticipation is
a basic element in the Empowerment model. Advocacy for community
issues formed part of the Roma InitiativeThe Roma Participation
Program (RPP) aimed the civic and political participation of Roma
people while promoting equality of Romani ethnicitiesOSI projects
and practices address womens issues from the root of gender
discrimination. Gender and power relations have elements of
critical and the empowerment development paradigm9The Future of the
Roma InitiativeAfter several years of grassroots efforts, the OSIs
Roma projects resulted in a new Pan-European program, the Decade of
Roma Inclusion (DRI) to run from 2005 to 2015The DRI is an action
framework, supported by OSI and the World BankDesigned to monitor
the improvement of the socio-economic status of the Roma people
across the region, the program is endorsed by the prime ministers
of eight countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary,
Macedonia, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, and Slovakia), and supported
by the European Commission, the Council of Europe Development Bank,
and the United Nations Development Program10Chapter 10
ConclusionsThe research presented in chapter 10 was based on three
different paradigms and introduced the major principles of the
OSIDevelopment projects can be performed across nations, even those
that involves power relations among ethnicity/race, gender and
classDevelopment occurs with the participation of organizations and
individualsThis case study of the OSI on Roma development indicated
that different development communication paradigms, including the
empowerment model, should be present in sustainable development
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