Code of Ethics, Békéscsaba

The birth of the 1perspective programme has legal, economic, and organisational motives alike. Although the legal systems of European countries stipulate the principle of equal treatment of citizens, and European societies assume that individuals within society have equal opportunities to social participation, reality is different. Living with a disability, or being a women, coloured, old, or a child in Europe is virtually synonymous with being vulnerable.

In 2007, the Hungarian State announced a call for proposals on NGO’s and the Implementation of the Act on Anti-Discrimination. The main aims of the programme included the promotion of social inclusion of individuals and social groups that are threatened by the possibility of economic, social or political exclusion.

The Constitution and Human Rights

1perspective took it as its premise that child and youth institutions, i.e. local government, education, healthcare, law enforcement, and labour market institutions do, in fact, by way of their everyday operations, prevent members of a social group – e.g. the Roma – from exercising their rights. It is the programme's premise that compliance with the existing and constantly changing and thickening laws is practically impossible, and the excessive volume of everyday work and daily administration prevents real communication between the employees working in their own institutions and also between the specific institutions themselves.

It was a premise that people ought not to be punished and threatened, but be involved in decision-making, enabling them to work out the frameworks of their everyday work and to express whatever it is that is giving them trouble. And also to express what it is they find valuable, worthy to preserve in their own work, or in the life and traditions of their town.

>>> more

The realm of organisations

The immature institutional culture and organisational problems are clearly evident behind negative discrimination. The 1perspective programme drew attention to this aspect and placed it in the focal point of the concerned parties: what are the critical areas of your everyday work? How do you see the daily operation of your organisation?

>>> more

Social investment

Education is a social investment. This is also what programme participants think about the elimination of exclusion. This is an investment that will yield profits after one generation, what is more – similarly to sponsorship or advertising – the value of returns is almost impossible to measure.

>>> more

One perspective will not suffice: programme philosophy

It is such an obvious starting point for the programme that discrimination based on ethnic background cannot be tolerated or accepted that no further words need be said to demonstrate it.

For many however, the logical chain behind 1perspective is not so obvious and may even seem heretical. Hence we claim that no "Roma issue" exists; whatever public dialogue may still define as such boils down to no more than the complexities and problems of Hungarian society or the local community.

>>> more