This week I had the opportunity to participate in a conference on Roma Entrepreneurship, which aimed at exchanging best practices in promoting entrepreneurship in Roma Communities to support labour market integration and fight social exclusion. Many interesting and encouraging examples of best practices have been presented and the variety of speakers allowed for a very diverse insight.
However, what struck me most at the conference was the discussion with the audience that developed after the last panel. Several members of Roma communities were present at the conference and got very engaged in the debate. In the end the point that mattered to them, was not the question of whether entrepreneurship was a good opportunity for Roma or not, but rather a feeling that no one really listened to what they as a community or as individuals wanted.
This discussion reminded me how important it is to remain humble in our everyday work whether we are working in the Eurodiaconia team, in political institutions or in one of our member organisations working on the ground. ‘Diakonia’ in Greek means service and in all these different positions we aim to serve the common good and more particularly the most vulnerable in our societies. But we cannot serve, if we are not able to listen to people and give them what they need to be empowered.
I am always very impressed to see the work our members are doing on the ground and how in all different fields they make big efforts to empower the vulnerable be they young or old, poor or ill, nationals or foreigners. Here in Brussels, we sometimes feel far away from those we are serving. Therefore, it is so important for us to have close contact with our members and use opportunities to do study visits, which give us a chance to listen to those we are serving.
Have a nice weekend,
Anne-Sophie