Eclipse Foundation
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International trade
Digital Advocacy, Events Communication
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Supporting HERO to champion the empowerment of Roma communities.
Across Europe, Roma communities have long been marginalized and continue to face social exclusion. One of the most pressing challenges facing Europe’s Roma communities is the struggle to secure adequate housing.
As part of an anti-racism action plan, EU institutions have launched HERO: Housing and Empowerment for Roma, a pilot project funded by the European Parliament and implemented by the European Commission and the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB). HERO applies an innovative social investment model to counter the socioeconomic exclusion of Roma communities in Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania.
We set off to change the dominant social narrative surrounding Roma communities to promote inclusion and the work of the HERO project.
NEGATIVE NARRATIVE.
The common narrative in HERO’s three target countries depicts the Roma as an othered group. They are perceived as nomads by choice, a threat to social order, and a burden to public institutions and society. This negative narrative is offensive, inaccurate, and has no place in contemporary European societies.
NEW NARRATIVE:
Joining forces with CEB and other strategic partners, our team launched a campaign to change the perceptions of the Roma communities and amplify the role of the HERO project. We are building positive stories to challenge anti-Roma bias and ultimately contribute to a long-term narrative shift that Roma people are an asset to European societies.
We created a tailored communications strategy pinpointing the right target audiences on EU, national, and local levels and the diverse communication channels needed to spread HERO’s key messages.
The core campaign message of “Investment, Innovation, and Inclusion” emphasizes how HERO can achieve its goals through cultivating support for Roma empowerment — investing in innovative housing solutions to promote Roma inclusion.
We further highlight how the outcome of the HERO solution — ending the cycle of social exclusion — benefits not only Roma communities but society as a whole.
The HERO branding we created as well as the ongoing communications campaign promote positive narratives about Roma communities.
Our work with HERO is a long-term partnership across a series of successful events, leveraging the brand identity of bright colors and positive messaging to draw relevant stakeholders’ attention to HERO’s efforts and outcomes.
In Romania, we’ve already succeeded in engaging significant stakeholder groups and received substantial media coverage. The HERO campaign netted an estimated 472,000 views across 11 Romanian news publications, including leading financial news website Capital and Orange Romania, which serves 36% of the country’s mobile phone users.
The ongoing presence of HERO in Romanian media has set the stage and continues to build valuable momentum for future events in Slovakia and Bulgaria.
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