Development Model MIR

P1780031Many organisations work on sectoral issues – education, health, employment or housing. Our belief is that the only possible way forward is a comprehensive, integrated approach which addresses both individual and community development.

There are two periods in life which are key to the formation of personality – early childhood (ages 0-5) and adolescence (ages 12-17), when the child is socialized as an adult.

The Model for Integrated Development (MIR) addresses these two critical periods in personal development and simultaneously gives a solution to two main problems – education and employment. The program for children and parents ensures successful integration in education, while the development of social skills among teenagers improves their participation in the labour market.

MIR is the first model which has been created as a result of many years of professional work in the community. It offers a set of integrated services which can solve the problem of Roma integration within just 15 years. In contrast to traditional social policy that focuses on people with serious problems, our services work preventively, i.e. long before the problems become hard to reverse. MIR acts complementary to the Roma integration measures currently implemented by state institutions (compulsory education, all-day school, qualification courses, etc.), making them truly effective.

“The model’s success has been reflected in research studies and publications, which confirm the validity of the approach. This means that it can be successfully applied in isolated communities worldwide.”

MIR services target the key areas of development and comply with professional standards and state educational requirements:

  • Educational support to children aged 4-5 and development of the parenting skills of their parents;
  • Training of pregnant women and parents of children aged 0-3 to increase their parental capacity;
  • Training of youths aged 12-18 to develop their life and social skills;
  • Career guidance for youths aged 12-18 old and basic entrepreneurship training;
  • Community mobilisation for supportive social environment through peer leadership training, fieldwork by outreach workers from the Roma community and campaigning.

These services target not only the individual, as social work conventionally dictates. On the contrary, they also use the small group format, which leads to much more effective results when it comes to positively changing the values, mindsets and social norms of the community.