Bratislava Community Center Embraces All

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, 3 April 2006 - Tall, communist-era apartment buildings are a common enough sight in Bratislava, Slovakia. At this particular cluster of buildings in the city’s Kopčany district, where half of the inhabitants are Roma and many families have four or more children, kids play and adults chatter.  But an unusual scene lies inside one block of flats: a community center that bustles with activity, full of children engaged in both learning and fun after school.

The Kopčany community center is coordinated by Odyseus, a Bratislava non-governmental organization with a long history of reaching out to marginalized populations. Although Odyseus works mainly with drug users and commercial sex workers, its staff saw a need to reach out to children as well, to help them stay on a straight path.  

Unlike comparable community centers elsewhere, this one is designed to be “low-threshold,” meaning as few restrictions as possible are placed on attendees. There are no fees for attendance, but the children must obey a few basic rules that restrict drug and alcohol use, and forbid violence and damage to property.

Petra Hranova, a young psychologist, designs activities that keep the children entertained but also provides a structured environment to ensure that older students can finish their homework. Without the community center, which is partially funded by the World Bank’s Small Grants Program, the children would likely loiter outside, lacking the opportunity or discipline to do much else.

As the only full-time staff member, Petra accomplishes what she can with the 11 volunteers who work with her. Using the diverse strengths of the volunteers, they involve the children in painting, English classes, cooking, and even horseback-riding lessons.

Petra plays foosball in the community center, which is decorated by the children.

A psychologist visits once a week in case the children want to talk and share their feelings, and the staff is trying to build rapport with the children so that they feel comfortable discussing family, teen, or general life issues.

Fundraising poses a continuing challenge, as it does for most Roma NGOs; not only because of the lack of money, but also because of the demands fundraising places on staff time. One potential source of funds is the European Union, but Petra will have to join forces with a resistant Kopčany district government in order to benefit from their coffers.

“Finding funding for Roma children is difficult, as many donors prefer to support other groups, such as handicapped youth,” laments Katarína Jirešová, Odyseus’ director. “However, the need is clearly there.”

It is difficult to define success in this line of work, but Petra is optimistic that the Community Center has made a difference. She does her best to maintain strong contacts with all participating children, even those who do not come to the Center regularly, as well as their parents, who are at times resistant to outsiders’ involvement. Watching two young girls interact with Petra and witnessing the obvious respect they have for her shows that if nothing else, she is providing a sorely-needed role model for the Roma children of Kopčany.