Box 5:

Empowering vulnerable and marginalized communities

A major focus was the active participation and empowerment of vulnerable and marginalized sub-populations, often linked to a particular theme:

Seixal uses arts-based methods to empower older people, promoting positive and active aging:

“(Des) Dramatizar is based on theatre, but its objectives reach far beyond… in that mutual aid is promoted, along with inter-personal skills and assertiveness training… Topics related to the ageing process, emotions and health… are discussed… Studies have demonstrated that the elderly population participating in this project is active… and possesses a better quality of living and a more favourable perception of their health than other seniors.”

Stockholm provided an example of empowerment work with young people:

“LAFA (Stockholm County Aids Prevention) provides a methodology and knowledge base for people working with issues relating to sexuality and personal relationships at schools, youth clubs and youth clinics… LAFA also works directly with target groups by means of special projects, advertising and taking part in exhibitions, festivals and other activities.”

Novocheboksarsk profiled a project concerned to empower disabled people, focusing on sport:

“The Healthy Cities project provides support to any projects aimed at the well-being of the population… In particular, participation of disabled organizations in the project ‘Vozrozhdenie’ (Sport and Tourism), as a means of rehabilitation and integration of the disabled into modern society. In total, the health of 150 disabled people of the town has been improved.”

Vitoria-Gasteiz discussed a project aimed at reducing inequalities through empowering women experiencing violence:

“One of the specific goals is to contribute to reducing gender health inequalities… [We have] strengthened the municipal programme to ‘fight against violence exercised on women’… We offer counselling and training for women victims of gender violence and empowerment workshops to promote women’s own social image analysis.”

Yevpatoria City highlighted their empowerment work with HIV positive people and sex workers:

“In collaboration with VNG international (Netherlands), Yevpatoria municipality carried out the project ‘Municipal Response to HIV/AIDS in Crimea’. Some groups of HIV-infected people were established for self support. Later a similar group was established for persons from the sex business. All the groups act within non-governmental organizations which the local government supports.”