Fundación Secretariado Gitano

Awards and recognition[editar]

TWO TIMES WINNER OF THE GOLDEN CROSS

• The Golden Cross of the Civil Order of Social Solidarity of the Ministry of Employment and Social Affair, presented by Queen Sofia on the 29^th of January 2002. This was an important award in the history of the FSG which, at the same time, implied the recognition of the Spanish Roma community.
• Five years later, in 2007, the president and founder of the FSG, Pedro Puente, received the same acknowledgement. The Queen Sofia awarded him the Golden Cross of the Civil Order of Social Solidarity, “for his defence of the rights of the Roma people.

PRINCESS OF GIRONA-ENTITY 2015 PRIZE, FOR ITS WORK ON ROMA YOUTH INCLUSION

In 2015, the Fundación Secretariado Gitano received the Princess of Girona Foundation Award (FPdGI) for its work in support of young people, especially in the promotion of entrepreneurship, employability, and labour insertion, education and school success, vocation and talent.

Recognising the quality and services provided to the Roma people

In 2003, the institutional recognition the work of the FSG in promoting the Roma community was explicit in the granting of three awards:

• Imserso Quality Award Infanta Cristina 2003
• Award Young 2003 to social work, Community of Madrid (regional)
• Solidarity Award, Unión FENOSA (identifying, for the 25th anniversary of the Spanish Constitution, 25 organisations that stood out for their social work).

Moreover:

• In 2021, the FSG received the Professionalism and Commitment Award, by Fundación Diagrama, "for its exemplary work in the social and labour inclusion of Roma people, facilitating their access to rights, services, goods and social resources on equal terms with the rest of the population. For defending cultural diversity based on respect, tolerance and non-discrimination, working actively for the active and fair development and equal opportunities of this population".
• In 2020, the FSG´s survey "the impact of covid19 on Roma population" was mentioned by Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) as "promising practice to help fine-tune policy responses to the pandemic".
• In 2015, FSG received the IX José Lorca Prize for the Promotion and Defense of the Rights of Children of the Principality of Asturias and the Quality of Social Services Prize awarded by the Government of Navarre and the Tomás and Lydia Recari García Foundation.
• In 2011, the FSG and its president, Pedro Puente, received the Enrique Maya Award "for their service to the Roma people", granted by the Region of Madrid jointly with the Roma NGOs of the region.
• FSG´s president, Pedro Puente work was also recognised in 2008 by the Association "Home of Hope" of León, which awarded him the prize "Roma 2008" for his work in favour of the Roma community.

Award-winning awareness-raising campaigns

Seven of our awareness-raising campaigns have also won several prizes:

• Starting from Zero, the campaign launched in 2017 to raise awareness about the inequalities and discriminatory practices the Roma community faces, won two Bronze awards at the El Sol Festival held in Bilbao in 2018, specifically in the category of "Digital and Mobile. Best use of social and digital platforms " and "Marketing in social networks, communication in social networks, best use of social networks".
• The awareness raising campaign "The Most Painful Tattoo", was awarded 1 Silver Sun and 2 Bronze Suns at the Ibero-American festival of advertising communication "El Sol" (2017). The campaign also won the Bronze Award at the Commercial Communication Efficiency Awards 2017 in the category "Through Earned Media" and was one of the finalists of the FIAP Awards 2017, in the category Innovation, category Innovation in Social Networks.
• #Leonor Drops out school was the winner in the category "Best Campaign in Social Networks" at the 7th edition of the Corresponsables Awards (2016). It has also received two Bronzes in the X Edition of the Inspirational Festival of the IAB Spain (2016) in the categories of Better campaign in social networks and Better use of a social network.
• In 2013, the campaign Roma with studies, Roma with a future got the best evaluation of the jury at the 2nd Edition of the ActivaRSE Awards, a corporate social responsibility initiative of the OstosSola Consultancy Firm.
• The Get to know them before judging themcampaign that the FSG developed within the Multiregional Operational Programme Fight Against Discrimination was highlighted as a “Case of Good Practice” by the European Social Fund in the mid-term evaluation of multiregional activities in 2005.
• The Employment makes us equal campaign spot won the award for the Best Cinema and Television Spot at the International Festival of Social Advertising (Publifestival), which is part of the prestigious Cinema Festival of Malaga in 2009.
• The When I Grow Up I Want to Be campaign launched by the FSG in 2009 was selected as "Good Practice" of Spain in the European Year Fight Against Poverty and Social Exclusion.

International recognition of the Acceder programme

Since its launch in 2000, the Acceder programme has been awarded numerous prizes and special mentions. Some of the most relevant awards are listed below:

• In December 2022 FSG's Learning by Doing programme received the 1st prize of the Europan Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Civil Society Prize 2022 in the category "Empowering Young People".

• Our project #EmpleandoDigital (#EmployingDigital) winner of the 2019 Vocational Education and Training (VET) Excellence Awards

• Identified as an example of Good practice in facilitating access to employment for Roma people. "ILO Resource Guide: Promoting Decent Work Opportunities for Roma Youth in Central and Eastern Europe". International Labour Organization, Decent Work Technical Support Team and Country Office for Central and Eastern Europe (2016). 

• The Ad Hoc Committee of Experts on Roma Issues (CAHROM) of the Council of Europe mentioned Acceder as a positive example of socio-economic empowerment and underlined that it should be replicated in Finland: Thematic Report on Roma women empowerment and gender dimension of Roma inclusion policies/strategies (2014)
• Chosen as Good Practice in the EC´s report "Roma Stories from around the EU" that accompanied the European that accompanied the Commission´s Communication Steps Forward in Implementing National Roma Integration Strategies and the Proposal for a Council of Recommendation on effective Roma integration measures in the Member States. European Commission (2013). 
• In October 2012, the Council of Europe recognized the Acceder Programme, together with the educational support programme Promociona, as examples of "good practices" in working with the Roma population, "not only for the high quality of its contents, but also for its capacity to give visibility and to influence national policies". The CoE included both programmes in a new database that gathers European projects considered as good practices for their "innovative" character and their ability to achieve a "long-term impact" (2012).
• Identified as an example of Good practice within the Spanish Operational Programme Fight Against Discrimination (ESF). National Action Plan on Social inclusion 2012 – 2020.
• Acknowledged as a "good practice" to improve Roma access to the labour market by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Thomas Hammarberg: “Human Rights of Roma and Travellers in Europe”  (2011).
• Identified as a successful and innovative insertion programme in the report "The European Social Fund and Roma" commissioned by the European Commission (2010).
• "CAM Integra Award" for projects that improve the quality of life and social integration of particularly vulnerable groups. Caja del Mediterráneo (Private Bank) (2009).
• Highlighted as a model of good practice with a recommendation to transfer it to Central and Eastern Europe and Report of the High Level Advisory Group of Experts on the Social Integration of Ethnic Minorities and their Full Participation in the Labour Market (2007).
• Highlighted as example of good practice in the report "The social situation of the Roma and their improved Access to the labour market in the EU" (study was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) (2008).
• Identified as Good Practice in the Spanish National Action Plan on Social inclusion together with the other operators of the Operational Programme Fight Against Discrimination (ESF) (2006 - 2008).  
• Classified as GOOD practice in the Dubai International Award for Best Practices to improve living conditions, organised by the United Nations - UN HABITAT (2006).
• Example of Good Practice for promoting access to work for the most vulnerable groups. European Council of Ministers of Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers (2004)
• Selected as BEST practice by the Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment. UN HABITAT. United Nations (2004).
• Identified as the most successful programme in Spain of insertion plans in the Background Report "The European Social Fund and Roma" commissioned by the European Commission (2003)
• Model of Good Practice. Spanish National Action Plan for Employment (PNAE) (2001). http://sid.usal.es/idocs/F8/8.4.1-3247/8.4.1-3247.pdf

THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME PROMOCIONA WINNER OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION AWARDS

The Promociona programme, that Fundación Secretariado Gitano has been running since 2009 and which provides educational counselling and support to young Roma and their families, received the 2016 National Education Award in the category of Entities for Educational Promotion. National Awards for projects on the permanence or integration into the education system of students without basic qualifications.

This important award is granted by the Secretary of State for Education, Vocational Training and Universities of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.

In 2022, the Promociona received the “Rompe el círculo” (Break the Cycle) awards of the High Commissioner against Child Poverty in the category of Best Social Initiative.

 

Other recognitions:

• Identified as a Good practice for the report "Improving Roma inclusion through Civil society initiatives". European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) (2015).
• Selected as "Cohesion Policy Success Stories among the ESF projects" in the European Commission´s information factsheet on Cohesion Policy in Spain in the programming period of the Structural Funds 2014-2020.
• Quality Award of the social services Department of the Government of Navarra, Spain, 2014. 
• Selected as Good Practice among "Roma Stories from around the EU" accompanying the European Commission's 2013 "Communication Steps Forward in Implementing National Roma Integration Strategies"and the Proposal for a Council of Recommendation on effective Roma integration measures in the Member States. European Commission, 2013.
• Selected as Good Practice in social inclusion by the European Commission at the presentation of its Social Investment Package, together with the rest of operators of the "Multi-regional operational programme to combat discrimination" (2013).  
• Good educational practices to combat early school leaving and school failure's Award. SM Foundation, Spain, 2013. http://www.fundacion-sm.com/ver_noticia.aspx?id=15880
• Chosen an example of Good practice in working with the Roma community, by the AD HOC Committee of Experts on Roma Issues of the Council of Europe, 2012.  Thematic report on school drop-out/absenteeism of Roma children  
• Assessed as "Promising" at the UN-Habitat Awards, (2012).
• The awareness-raising campaign  When I Grow Up I Want to Be was chosen as an example of Good Practice by the European Commission and the Spanish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and was used as a model of action to combat social exclusion at the Closing Conference of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. 

 

EUROMA NETWORK

The European Network for Roma Inclusion under ESI Funds (EURoma Network) was launched in 2007 by the Spanish Government (Spanish ESF Managing Authority) in cooperation with Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) and builds on the successful experience of Spain using Structural Funds for Roma inclusion (in particular, the Operational Programme "Fight against Discrimination"). This Network of transnational cooperation aims to contribute to the promotion of social inclusion, equal opportunities and fight against discrimination of the Roma community through the improvement of the use of ESI Funds for Roma inclusion.

During its years of work, the work of EURoma has been acknowledged and mentioned in several documents of the European Institutions, National Authorities and other relevant actors.

• (2014) European Commission Communication "Report on the implementation of the EU Framework for National Roma Integration" (COM/2014/0209). A mention to EURoma is included in the section 5 ‘Conclusions: the way forward’. In order to make sure that the path towards Roma inclusion opened up by the EU Framework and the Council Recommendation is consequently followed further, the Commission will among other measures: ‘Promote the use of available EU funds (...) including through the EURoma network, made up of representatives of twelve Member States with the aim to promote the use of Structural Funds to enhance the effectiveness of policies targeting the Roma and to promote their social inclusion.
• (2014) Partnership Agreement of the Czech Republic A reference is made to the recommendation of the EURoma Network to focus on the Roma community following an explicit but not exclusive approach. Footnote 82. E.g. according to EURoma (European Network on Social Inclusion and Roma under the Structural Funds), this approach proved to be one of the best ways to integrate the Roma, which among other things allows the formulation of clear objectives, adequate forms of implementation as well as specific forms of monitoring and evaluation. The explicit, rather than exclusive approach is also emphasized by the EU initiative "For Diversity Against Discrimination" as one of the 10 Common Basic Principles on Roma Inclusion).
  
• (2014) Toolkit "Programming the Structural Funds for Roma Inclusion" of the Open Society Foundations (OSF) Making the Most of EU Funds for Roma (MtM) programme. This toolkit refers to the Network and its publications. It also stresses the complementarity of this toolkit with the EURoma Network Tackling Roma Needs in the 2014-2020 Structural Funds Programming Period
  
• (2012) European Commission publication "Working together for Roma inclusion. The EU Framework explained"  EURoma is mentioned in the section "Creating synergies between local and regional authorities". In particular it refers to the cooperation between the Network and the Committee of the Regions to develop a guide for local decision makers. The Committee of the Regions. The CoR has published two opinions on the issue of Roma inclusion. In addition, it is working with the EU-Roma Network, a group of 12 EU Member States that cooperate on Roma issues, on a guide for local decision makers on how to develop programmes for Roma inclusion using the EU Structural Funds, which is due to be published in autumn 2011.
• (2012) Italian National Strategy for the Inclusion of Roma, Sinti and Caminanti Communities. The Strategy makes reference to EURoma and to the involvement of Italy in the Network.
• (2012) Article "Learning from the EURoma Network", European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) Journal. This article is included in the 2011 Roma Rights Journal of the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) "Funding Roma Rights: Challenges and Prospects". It shares the point of view and the experience of the EURoma Network on the use of European funds to promote the rights of the Roma population.
• (2011) European Parliament Resolution on the EU strategy on Roma inclusion (2010/2276(INI)). The European Parliament ‘alls on the Member States to implement the horizontal priority Marginalised Communities within the framework of the EU Structural Funds and to participate in the EU-Roma network working on the good implementation of structural funds for Roma social inclusion. It also "urges the Member States to make use of the EU Roma network in order to encourage an exchange of best practices".
• (2011) Council Conclusions on an EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020. The Council invites the European Commission and the Member States, in close cooperation and in accordance with their respective competences: 36. To enhance cooperation between relevant stakeholders in order to facilitate the exchange of best practices and mutual learning regarding evidence-based policies and successful methods, including by extending and improving existing networks and initiatives such as the EU Roma Network.
• (2010) Integrated European Platform for Roma Inclusion Road Map. "The EURoma network and its partners (Managing Authorities of Structural Funds and specialised agencies responsible for policies aimed at Roma inclusion and development)" are mentioned as "adequate outlets" to disseminate the products "in order to achieve a multiplier effect".
• (2010) European Commission publication "The European Social Fund and Roma" The publication describes the EURoma Network and points out to its creation as an answer to the need expressed by the national Managing Authorities and the European institutions in the 2000-2006 programming period for a better coordination of the Structural Funds activities for the Roma.
• (2010) European Commission Communication "The social and economic integration of the Roma in Europe" (COM (2010) 0133 final). It makes reference to EURoma as a forum of exchange for Member States and encourages them to take part in the Network.
• (2009) Vademecum: 10 Common Basic Principles on Roma inclusion "Benefit from feedback and expert information from the EURoma network on the use of the Structural Funds for the Roma" is proposed as one of the ways to achieve in practice Principle n° 7 regarding the "Use of European Union instruments".