Compas Charity’s official launch of the RomaPlaceAge Project in Peterborough
The Compas Charity officially launched the RomaPlaceAge Project in Peterborough. On July 13, 2024, the Gladstone Park Community Centre hosted about 320 guests. The atmosphere was a jubilant one with food, games, live music, and a talent show.
The event kicked off with the performance of the Romanian singer Marius Calin who set the tone for the rest of the afternoon with all guests in an uplifted mood. After this warmup performance Petr Torak, the President of Compas Charity, officially launched the event and introduced the RomaPlaceAge Project. The research lead of the Project, Sasho Marinov, shared key project details with the audience including its visions, aims, methods, and ultimately what it seeks to achieve. To ensure that was all well-understood by all people present, there were translations into Czech and Romanian.
A special emphasis was placed on the importance of the Roma people and their community, and the fact that we believe they are the real experts, and thus the main contributors to the RomaPlaceAge Project. Much was made of the importance of their involvement in the project, at any stage or capacity they feel comfortable with. The emphasis of the RomaPlaceAge project will be on contributing experiences, views, and visions for the future in terms of how we can address health and wellbeing inequalities for Roma populations. There was a strong emphasis in the event on the importance of community in addressing health and wellbeing challenges, and how we can develop positive intergenerational outcomes through place-based interventions.
The event then proceeded with a Roma talent show. Six extremely talented contenders, between the ages of 4 and 22, managed to get almost all people present in the community hall on their feet cheering, dancing and appreciating these unique talents. Indeed, the 5-member jury struggled and deliberated for a while in deciding who would take first prize, even though all contenders deserved the top places equally. It was agreed that all of them are exceptional talents and deserve to be celebrated and appreciated. The event then carried on with the musical performance of the Czech singer Michal Bending.
Also present at the launch event were some of the Project’s co-investigators including Prof. Margaret Greenfields, from Anglia Ruskin University, Leon Puska, from the Community Renewal Trust, Rom Romeha, and Dr Rosa Cisneros, from Coventry University.
On the whole, the launch event of the RomaPlaceAge Project in Peterborough was a real success as it managed to combine introducing the project with joy, entertainment for each and every guest, and an electric energy.