define us while I was a teacher in
orphanages I will ask this question to
myself really often one day I was with
the kids trying to teach them letters
and one of them did something I used to
bring them crayons and my pencil case
had this really small – FM keychain and
he took it I was really disappointed but
I did not fight him because he was a kid
kids both do this stays I just tried to
explain him that he should have asked
and I would have given him the keyring
and from that day he asked for
everything
can I drink water man can I do that
remove the toilet and yes I do consider
this moment one of the most important
achievements I have ever had first of
all I think you’re doing one thing one
simple thing seven eight ten money give
an opportunity to a kid far far away or
even a kid from your own country
it would give you so much satisfaction
or maybe just join a community center
into one activity per month you won’t be
new everybody does something for the
first time I was doing this and it
created me and it represents me more
than my family name or my nationality
did you actually know that this one has
around 800 NGOs in that friends hazard
of 1 million you have so many choices
out there what we know about integration
is that we don’t give it so many so much
importance we see that the chore it’s
like your mom cooks for you she’s tired
she doesn’t ask you to do the dishes but
you still do them one of the biggest and
most
advantage community minority community
in Romania other money people the face
everyday problems such as social
exclusion health problems unemployment
and yes during the communism we used to
have different techniques to help them
out
first of all they had to have a job
because communism second of all what you
should know is the fact that men had to
join the army and they will interact
with people on the daily basis but after
the fall of the regime everything fell
apart the country was rebuilding and
reinventing itself so the integration of
Roma people wasn’t a priority anymore
but the thing is now even if the
government has still had some policies
the community still remains isolated and
if the European still tries to develop
new and new policies there is still we
as citizens can do so many things if
nobody wants to hire you you have
affirmative support what choices do you
have they will be criticized around
Europe for their attendance see to go
into integral activities but if you have
three kids and no food what can you do
let’s take for example my family I have
two parents one brother I could say we
love each other pretty much a lot we try
to support each other but what about all
my children they are skipping school to
provide from the further families in the
really young they have responsibilities
such as helping their smaller siblings
or a
staying with them and they usually copy
the behaviors around them such as asking
for cigarettes even if they’re 10 and
you would ask yourself what kind of a
horrible parent would do that well it’s
actually a result of a vicious cycle
parents will educate their kids the same
way they were indicated and you should
know that hope is really important in
this context what if we try to motivate
our own dreams what if we try to show
them that people from their community
have succeeded through education don’t
you think that they will then go of
their bad habits by seeing a different
way of living nowadays to integration we
see this really complicated process of
integrating many ethnic groups of course
by giving them right we’re giving them
access to citizenship but also letting
them keep their diversity and also
promoted but for example in Romania we
have different streams to integrate
their own drawn community such as
educational one or employment ones or
even housing ones but so how there are
so some steps that we miss and there is
a reason why education is considered the
main killer of the society it helps
creating equality and it fights against
inequality the first time when I
interacted with all my kids one was when
I went and joined this NGO that
basically had teaching programs in
orphanages and social apartments in
Bucharest
at first when I got there I was really
motivated you know I was trying to teach
in history in civilizations but they
didn’t know how to read even if they
were ten or sixteen that might be worse
for you but it is normality for them of
course I had to let go teaching she
three and I try to dish the basics with
no important figures or even inspiring
figures in their lives I had took it as
my responsibility to motivate them they
only smart you know building walls
around them to protect themselves from
other people leaving them but as time
passed they were showing more and more
interest in learning and alphabet in
maths in fun either why did I just
thought is the right thing to do it just
felt natural it was like an instant and
that was a really important moment for
me because I really started to
appreciate the fact that I was given so
many opportunities from my parents from
my teachers from my mentors what I’ve
met these children I just had to see
yourself I just had to change the way we
could live in this context it is
important for you to know that they’re
around 120 million youth who lack
literacy skills and around 800 million
adults who do so but what we should do
is with that we should insist on hope
because he’s lost hope they’ve lost hope
in their community they’ve lost hope in
themselves and they were stuck in the
government officials one day I was
taking a break with one of them Mariana
and we were coloring outside and I just
thought it is just the perfect moment
for a serious talk so I go and ask Maria
what you want to become when you grow
older and he says well I wouldn’t be a
football player or a policeman I agree
I’m choosing this moment so I keep at
you do know these are really different
jobs but he adds oh yeah you know but
football player means I can beat a chief
of the team but policeman looks pretty
cool I could be a hero I am still so
confused so I asked him to explain to me
why is
to be a hero and then she says well
that’s what others do don’t they don’t
he just help people and they’re like wow
he’s these 12 years old kids know it
know it why are we even so blind I can
observe lack of hate discrimination and
stereotypes in our society especially
due to the interest of the media’s it’s
in stores in turf schools it in movies
it’s on every street corner on
Billboard’s and we offer which all
acknowledge the class year was full of
tragedy because of hatred but it is
easier to hate than to understand
because it doesn’t take any effort what
I can tell you is that you cannot hate
somebody that you understand and by
reaching rejecting minority such as
Roman people you’re just taking a step
back this extremely this experience
offered me a definitive goal inspired
ones around me helped Thomas weren’t as
lucky as I was and participate actively
in the community inspiring help and
participate may sound like really strong
first for you but it doesn’t take a lot
all you need to do is just look around
you look next to you are you judging the
others without knowing their motives
their stories what if you just stopped
doing that from this moment just promise
me just try to stop for one moment doing
that because what you can actually do is
start your own legacy what if your
legacy becomes what you did for the
others and not for yourself I think this
is maybe the thing that we finds me in
the most important way I have found my
taking Librium by helping others and I
would suggest you to just try and see
how it goes
finally it doesn’t have to be huge it’s
the small things that create a bigger
picture and just try to do me this small
thing try it see what happens this it’s
what people in the light is on entity
with you go the flow [Applause]