UNDERSTANDING MATTERS: Culture, Neighborhood, and Participation - 2026

The project “Understanding Matters: Culture, Neighborhood, and Participation” aims to promote a community space for meeting and participation between the Roma people and other culturally diverse neighborhood communities. Through this process, it seeks to strengthen coexistence, foster dialogue and mutual recognition, and highlight Roma culture and its contribution to society. The initiative is based on the conviction that intercultural exchange and citizen participation are key elements in building more inclusive, cohesive neighborhoods that respect diversity.

To this end, the project develops a participatory process that includes various actions such as a diagnosis and mapping of local stakeholders, as well as preparatory workshops and grassroots meetings. These preliminary actions culminate in the organization of an intercultural gathering called “Bridges that Count,” designed as a space for dialogue between the Roma people and other communities in the neighborhood.

As a result, the project will compile the proposals, reflections, and lessons learned during the process into a collaboratively produced Green Paper. This document will serve as a basis for systematizing the experience, evaluating the process in a participatory manner, and laying the groundwork for replicating this model of intercultural dialogue in other community contexts, thereby promoting more active participation by the Roma people and strengthening intercultural coexistence in neighborhoods.

This program is subsidized by the Generalitat Valenciana, under the Ministry of Social Services, Family, and Children.