Mission
Period of activity 2013-2015
altceva.org was a platform dedicated to raising awareness of the situation Romanian Roma that temporarily migrated to Vienna and because of no other possibility of work, they beg. We also tried to create alternative ways of making a better living for them and their families back in Romania.
What we did
Street work and social art
We meet different Romanian Romas on a regular basis. They have chosen to live in a city where working opportunities do not exist for them. They do not have the chance to build up a life in Romania often due to socio-economic reasons. In Vienna, they literally beg for an opportunity to live. We want to get to know their world which is also part of ours, in order to find a better alternative together with them and other actors interested in taking part. Because only together we can build something which lasts longer.
Together with some photographers, we portrayed various Romanian Romas, while at their “working “places on the streets of Vienna. By using Social art, our “models“ had the chance to make their voices heard. By producing social art together with Austrian artists we want to give a special insight into the living conditions and the background stories of those people who beg on Viennese streets every day.
Visit to Roma villages in Romania
We went also in Romania, in the villages of the target group to learn more about the situation they find themselves in. We interacted with their families, other members of the community, local authorities, local NGO’s, to find out more about the influencing factors of this type of migration. We took into consideration their ideas on what can be done in Romania and Europe in order to give them a real alternative to making a living.
Photo Exhibition
With all of these inputs, we organized a photo exhibition in collaboration with a photographer. The exhibition was part of The Month of Photography Vienna. The photos were accompanied by the people’s own stories, their views on their situation, and their perspectives.
Discussion Panel
A discussion panel also took place on the opening day of the exhibition where academics, media, NGOs, the target group, and the public joined to discuss this topic.
The exhibition and the discussion panel gave visitors the chance to understand the situation of Romanian Roma that beg, a group of people who are often not listened to.
Student Action
altceva.org also aimed to organize a student action. A group of five students planned to go in Romania to the villages of the target group to interact with the community in order to find what are the real problems the community is facing and together with the community to come up with some solution.