Zsuzsa Koltai – Terézia Reisz – Mihály Kocsis: Civil organizations in Baranya county in the service of community organization and supporting cultural activities of nationalities

Absztrakt: A Pécsi Tudományegyetem Bölcsészet- és Társadalomtudományi Kar Humán Fejlesztési és Művelődéstudományi Intézetének kutatócsoportja a Nemzeti Művelődési Intézet Közművelődési Tudományos Kutatási Program kutatócsoportok számára című pályázatának támogatásával bonyolította le „Kultúraközvetítés és közösségi élet a Baranya megyei nemzetiségek körében” című kutatását 2021 szeptembere és 2022 augusztusa között. A széleskörű kutatás számos eredménye közül jelen tanulmány a Baranya megyei egyesületek nemzetiségi közösségszervezésben és kultúraközvetítésben betöltött szerepét, valamint tevékenységük jellemzőit tárja fel a cél szerinti leírásukban a nemzetiségi kultúra és/vagy közösségszervezés támogatását meghatározó Baranya megyei egyesületek vezetőivel készített 30 strukturált interjú elemzése alapján.

A rétegzett mintavételen alapuló kutatás feltárja a vizsgált egyesületek tevékenységében, eredményeiben és kihívásaiban a településtípus és nemzetiségi megoszlás alapján fellelhető különbségeket és hasonlóságokat. A szerzők továbbá összefoglalják a nemzetiségi kultúrát és közösségszervezést támogató civil szervezetek működési kereteinek rendszerszintű fejlesztésével kapcsolatosan az interjúalanyok által megfogalmazott javaslatokat, melynek eredményeként a tanulmány átfogó képet ad e fontos kérdéskör helyi, regionális és országos szintű fejlesztési lehetőségeinek mérlegeléséhez.

Abstract: The research group of the Institute for Human Development and Cultural Studies of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Pécs conducted the research entitled "Cultural and Community Life of the Nationalities in Baranya County” with the financial support of the National Institute for Culture’s Academic Grant Program for Public Culture between September 2021 and August 2022.  Among the extensive research results, this study explores the role of Baranya county associations in community organization and cultural life of nationalities, as well as the characteristics of their activities through the analysis of the data of 30 structured interviews conducted with the leaders of Baranya county associations whose objectives include the support of nationality culture and community organization. The research, based on stratified sampling, reveals the similarities and differences in the activities, results and challenges of the examined associations based on settlement type and nationality distribution.

In addition, the authors summarize the interviewees' proposals for the systemic development of the frameworks of civil organizations supporting ethnic culture and community organization, as a result of which the study provides a comprehensive picture for considering the development possibilities of this important area at local, regional and national levels.   

A kutatási folyamatot és a tanulmány elkészítését a Nemzeti Művelődési Intézet Közművelődési Tudományos Kutatási Program kutatócsoportok számára alprogramja támogatta.

Framework and objectives of the research

The research group of the Institute for Human Development and Cultural Studies of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Pécs conducted the research entitled "Cultural and Community Life of the Nationalities in Baranya County” with the financial support of the National Institute for Culture’s Academic Grant Program for Public Culture between September 2021 and August 2022.

The aim of the research group was to conduct a comprehensive investigation regarding the cultural and community life of the nationalities in Baranya County in the light of the activities of nationality self-governments and civil organizations aiming to preserve nationality culture. The research team formulated the following specific research objectives for its year-long investigation:  

• Exploring the current results, challenges and good practices of nationality culture and community organization in Baranya County;
• Examination of the subcultures and community spaces of Baranya County nationalities, as well as the analysis of the cultural specifics appearing in the operation of community spaces and organization of communities;
• Exploring the role of nationality self-governments and civil organizations in promoting nationality cultural life and communities in Baranya county;
• Examining the communication and networking practices of nationality cultural organizations and opinion-forming leaders;
• Revealing the practices related to the collection of funds and the use of funds;
• Examination of the local and regional changes that shape nationality cultural life, as well as the analysis of their causes and processes;
• Exploring the impact of the pandemic on the cultural life and community organization of the nationalities in Baranya County;
• Mapping the methods of activities promoting cultural sensitivity related to nationality culture, as well as exploring adaptable good practices from the activities of nationality self-governments and NGOs, furthermore determining those institutional good practices from the high-quality internationalization activities of the University of Pécs that could be adapted in the cultural activities of nationalities;
• Processing and analysis of the Hungarian and international regulatory documents, strategies and recommendations related to the support of nationality culture and the organization of ethnic communities;
• Formulating proposals related to strengthening and promoting nationality cultural life and community organization based on the research results.

The research fills a gap in several ways, since mainly historical works are available on the nationalities of Baranya County and there is a lack of literature based on empirical research that comparatively examines the current cultural and community activities and processes of the nationalities in Baranya county. In addition, the research explored the provisions, strategies and recommendations at the European, national, county and local levels that define the framework of the cultural and community life, as well as the possibilities for preserving and developing the culture and identity of the nationalities in Baranya County (Dóri, Koller & Koltai, 2022). An important result of the research is that it reveals the needs and suggestions of leaders who play a decisive role in the organization of nationality culture and communities in Baranya county in connection with the possible improvements of the general, system-level factors of legal regulation and financing as well as the local social practice having impact on the organization of their nationality culture and community life.

Among the extensive research results, this study explores the role played by civil organizations in Baranya County in culture and community organization of nationalities, as well as the framework and characteristics of their activities.

Research methods

Between December 2021 and March 2022 the research team explored the cultural and community organizing activities of the nationalities in Baranya County in the framework of structured interviews based on a stratified sampling procedure conducted with 30 nationality self-governments leaders and 30 leaders of civil organizations dealing with culture and community building of nationalities.

In the method of our sample selection, we followed the principles of stratified sample selection, in which we sought to present the spatial formation of ethnic and cultural characteristics. Within this, we made visible the vertical structure of the nationalies’ self-governments. In a horizontal cross-section, the 13 nationality groups of Hungary were used as the basis for the sample selection. Since there are many NGOs operating in Baranya County that do not represent a specific nationality, but whose founding objectives include the support of nationalities’ culture, the sample of civil organizations includes 5 such associations in addition to the 11 Roma, 10 German, 3 Croatian and 1 Serbian associations we involved. The distribution of the sample was based on settlement size (Pécs; country towns; villages with 2000-4999 inhabitants; villages with 1000-1999 inhabitants; villages with 500-999 inhabitants; villages with less than 500 inhabitants).   

The motivations and goals of the establishment of civil organizations dealing with nationality issues

Among the laws preparing the political transition, the II. law of 1989 on the right of associations was among the first to appear, which defined the formation of a community with progressive goals as a fundamental right of freedom for those living in the country. Although the legal background has changed several times since then, this fundamental right has remained unchanged. As a result, the activities of associations can be examined, analyzed and evaluated based on decades of practice, regardless of when and for what purpose they were created, or under what personal and material conditions they operated or operate. Among the associations included in our research, we find some that have been continuously carrying out their originally undertaken activities for more than three decades, and some that were established only a few years ago. (See figure 1). It is clear from the presented figure that after the change of the political system in 1989, the establishment of civil organizations increased, which stopped somewhat from 1996, and then increased again from 2006. 50% of the associations we examined were established in 2006 or later. (Two associations trace their origins back to the first half of the 20th century.).

Figure 1: The foundation period of the associations included in the research, divided by time intervals (%), (N=30)
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)

During the founding period, the examined associations could have been inspired by many social influences to finally formulate their goals with the intention of solving some specific set of tasks. These could be aimed at dealing with a single problem, but they could also be aimed at creating an umbrella organization, for example bringing together cultural groups (choirs, dance ensembles, children's groups, etc.) belonging to a given nationality and coordinating their activities. However, there were many "transitions" in the definition of goals between these two extreme formation models.

Most of the examined associations wanted to change the conditions of some segment of cultural life or to improve the effectiveness of cultural activities. It has happened several times that the initially relatively narrow target designation has continuously expanded during operation and by now the organizations perform comprehensive tasks and have wide range of participants. So, the tasks undertaken at the beginning were continuously "actualized" by "time". Among the associations included in the research sample, a clearly distinguishable group was formed by those that considered the representation of the community, the protection of its interests, and the historical-economic-cultural self-reflection of its social context to be the most important among their goals. Among the mentioned goals, the representation of ethnic communities is a field that is legally regulated in detail. Only ethnic organizations registered at least three years prior to the year of the election could nominate candidates in the elections of the nationalities. This legal "compulsion" may have played a role in the creation of several associations, and in our research, this definition of founding goals also occurred. Some associations based their day-to-day activities on protecting the interests of those they represent and promoting coexistence with members of mainstream society. These organizations considered it important to promote the integration of nationalities into local societies, but at the same time, making their own cultures well known in order to promote cultural sensitivity toward them was also defined as an important task.

Hungarian studies analyzing the financing of ethnic organizations generally agree that the most important sources of income for these associations are provided by state and local government tenders (Morauszki, 2019). Some of the associations participating in the research were created with the declared aim of obtaining support from tender sources. In several cases, such founding processes were also supported by nationality self-governments.

10% of the interviewed association leaders   ̶ mostly those who live in the most depressed regions from a socio-geographic point of view   ̶ reported that their ethnic associations were organized specifically for the purpose of improving social conditions and helping those who live in disadvantaged situations.

The most important data of the leaders of associations dealing with nationality culture and community organization

60% of the interviewees included in the research sample are women. The average age of the respondents was 54.6 years, of which 55.1 years for women and 53.8 years for men. Young people are completely absent from the age groups of association leaders included in the research (the youngest interviewee was 34 years old), while leaders over 70 are represented with a rate of 10%. (see Figure 2). Almost one fifth of the interviewees performed their association leader duties as pensioners. In terms of planning the future of associations, an important result is that the proportion of respondents younger than 50 does not reach one third.  

Figure 2: Age distribution of the interviewed association leaders, (N=30)
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)

More than half of the interviewed association leaders obtained higher education qualification and only two people (7%) had only primary education. (See figure 3). The qualification level of the women in our sample is higher than that of the men: 61% of the women had a graduate degree, the same rate for the men was 41%. 22% of the women obtained some kind of doctorate - half of them a PhD -, in the case of men, the proportion of those with a doctorate was 16%, but these were all associated with law degrees.

The professional training of the interviewees with higher education degree showed a colorful picture: half of the interviewees had some level of teaching qualifications, more than 10% of them finished their studies as lawyers, at the same time, sociologists, economists, linguists, social workers and electrical engineers were also included in our sample. The professional qualifications of the interviewees with secondary education were also diverse (for example, carpenter, ceramicist, mason, electrician, butcher, accountant, etc.). Several of them used their skills in the daily operation of their associations. One-third of the association leaders included in the research had specialized education that could most likely be successfully adapted to the everyday practice of cultural and community organization (e.g. cultural organizer, community development assistant, romologist, social worker, mentor pedagogue, business and lifestyle coach). Our interviewees usually obtained these specialized qualifications as a result of their individual ambitions, their acquisition was less inspired by the competence requirements of the management of the given associations.

Figure 3: The distribution of interviewed association leaders according to educational level (N=30)
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)

In the individual career plans of the association leaders further learning was mostly not included as a priority area. 80% of the respondents did not plan to pursue further studies at all. Some of them had already taken a lot of further education courses, others would rather be happy to share their own knowledge, and finally there were those who, in addition to passing on their knowledge, would also pass on their leadership role in the association. Among association leaders planning studies, the focus was primarily on their personal, long-term goals, for example obtaining the "habilitation" title or continuing foreign language studies in the hope of employment abroad. Two of our interviewees planned further studies in order to perform the tasks related to the leadership of the association more effectively. One of them wants to improve his skills in writing tenders, and the other wants to gain additional knowledge regarding the social sphere.

By examining the narratives of our interviewees, the following typical features could be observed in many of their life paths:

• being brought up in the nationality culture through the family;
• early (childhood) involvement in the activities of ethnic amateur, art-loving or artistic groups;
• later the leadership of these groups;
• the involvement of parents or family members in the interests of ethnic communities;
• conducting studies related to nationality culture;
• undertaking a role in nationality self-governments;
• undertaking the leadership role of the association.

As a result of all this, those involved in the research had particularly extensive experience, the average number of years they have spent as contributors to nationality affairs is 22.6 years, 60% of them have spent more than 20 years in some nationality role. (See figure 4).

Figure 4: The experience background of the interviewed association leaders expressed in years (N=30)
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)

At the time of our research, 57% of the associations included in our sample were led by the founding presidents. This fact points to the relative stability of the associations, especially if we take into account the time that has passed since their foundation. (We mentioned earlier that 50% of the associations were established before 2006, so they can look back on at least 17 years of history today. - See Figure 1). In the case of the founding presidents, it did happen that they handed over their role to someone else for a while, but in the end it returned back to them.

70% of the associations that participated in our study had no paid colleagues or employees at all. In total, there were five cases where the given NGO had the resources to employ staff. At the time of the examination of the associations, two organizations could involve public workers in the implementation of their tasks. The associations involved in the study were usually managed by a three-member board.  

Activities of the examined NGOs

An overview of the programs of the associations representing one particular nationality (German, Roma, Croatian, Serbian) shows that there are some fields of activity that appear in the work of all or several nationality associations included in the research. These are:

a.) programs related to traditional holidays

The examined associations most often offer programs which are in connection with traditional holidays such as Easter, Christmas or Advent. German, Croatian and Roma associations also offer such programs. The leaders of two village Roma associations (Endrőc, Pereked) also highlighted their involvement in celebrating Women's Day and the Santa Claus holiday. Some German village associations organize programs related to Pentecost and May Day.

b.) keeping local ethnic traditions alive

The German and Croatian associations proved to be active in the revival of local ethnic traditions. In Óbánya, the winter tradition of rolling the wheel of fire was revived and restarted by the local German association, but it is worth mentioning the "Fool Carnival" organized by the German association in Mágocs, the range of Martin's day events (e.g. pumpkin roasting, lantern making and parade in Mágocs), the carnival-related donut baking in Máza, as well as the Nagypall donut baking competition. The Croatian associations included in the research are also active in preserving local traditions (e.g. Croatian stiker competition in Felsőszentmárton; indulgence feasts; „Danube washing” in Mohács).

c.) performance of choirs, orchestras and organization of concerts

In the case of German associations, traditional wind instrument music and the accordion are at the center of these initiatives (Görcsönydoboka, Újpetre, Véménd, Pécs). In the activities of the Serbian association included in the research, we encountered the organization of concerts, and in the case of the Croatians, the Christmas concert. One of the Roma cultural associations in Pécs organizes both classical and popular music concerts.

d.) nationality youth camps and meetings

The organization of youth camps also often appears in the activities of the associations involved in the research. While the camps organized by German associations specifically serve to convey Swabian traditions (e.g.: dance camp (Görcsönydoboka) / nationality camp (Újpetre, Véménd), the youth camp of the Croatian association in Pécs provides historical knowledge as part of a trip to Croatia. In the village of Felsőszentmárton, with the cooperation of the local Croatian association the Croatian Self-Government organizes the meeting of Croatian youth. 3 of the Roma associations included in the research organize children's camps, all three are of different kinds. While the association in Komló organizes a general children's camp, the children camp organized by the assosication of the village of Pereked aims to preserve roma traditions, the Roma association in Görcsöny organizes day camp which expands children's knowledge of Gypsy folklore. The Serbian association involved in the research also organizes a children's camp.

e.) book launch events, book publishing

The range of German associations included in the research is particularly active in organizing book launch events, the German assocations of the villages of Máza and Véménd as well as one of the examined German associations in Pécs also organize such programs. The Serbian and one of the Croatian associations involved in the research also organize book launch events. Among the examined civil organizations, a German and a Roma association from Pécs, and the Croatian association from the village of Felsőszenmárton deal with book publishing.

f.) organizing or participating in the organization of nationality balls

Nationality balls are organized by the German association in the village of Máza and the Croatian association in the city of Mohács.

g.) Nationality Day/Evening

Nationality Day/Evening is organized by German (Villány, Nagypall, Újpetre) and Roma associations (Roma Day in Pereked, Komló and Endrőc).

h.) craft activities

3 German associations in the sample offer craft activities in connection with holiday preparations (Mágocs, Nagypall, Óbánya), and one Roma association offers such programs in order to pass on traditional Gypsy crafts.

i.) conferences and lectures

From the sample, one German and one Roma association in Pécs organize conferences related to the history, traditions, identity as well as current research results regarding the given nationality (gypsy research; Malenkij Robot). In addition to the two Pécs organizations, the German association in the village of Máza also organizes local history presentations.

j.) organization of theater performances, theater meetings, theater visits

Among the associations included in the sample, the organization of theater programs is most often encountered in the activities of the German associations. The German association in Mágocs organizes theater performances with invited actors, and one of the traditional programs of the German associations in Villány and Nagypall is the organization of theater visits to other settlements. The theater meeting organized by one of the Roma associations in Pécs created a tradition, and since then nationality theater meetings have also been organized at the national level.

k.) exhibitions

One of the sample's Roma cultural associations in Pécs has been cooperating with the Faculty of Arts of the University of Pécs for 12 years, as part of which the graduate students of the faculty exhibit their works in the Rácz Aladár Community Hall. The exhibitions are organized by the association's staff, and the posters are designed by young people. The association's activities in the field of fine art exhibitions are outstanding. One of the sample's German associations in Pécs also organized high-quality exhibitions on the folk art of the nationalities in the past, and also organized painting exhibitions on several occasions.

l.) hiking tours

Hiking tours are organized by a village Roma (Hoszúhetény) and a village German association (Máza).

m.) nationality language education

The teaching of the nationality language has appeared in the activities of a German and a Roma association in Pécs.

n.) festivals

One of the sample's Roma associations in Pécs organizes a Spring Festival, which is tied either to the end of March, to the day when the association was founded, or to April 8, the International Roma Day. One of the sample's German associations in Pécs organizes the Baranya German Children's Dance Festival, which takes place in a different settlement inhabited by Germans each year. The organization of the dance festival is always carried out in cooperation with the local German self-government of the settlement. The other German association in Pécs started the so-called Accordion Festival to promote the instrument. In the first 3 years, the association organized the event as the main organizer, in the last 2 years it has been co-organizer. The only Croatian association of the sample in Pécs organizes the County Croatian Harvest Festival and the County Croatian Sausage Filling Competition, while the traditional program of the Croatians in Mohács is the Bean Cooking Festival.

The programs organized by German nationality associations are typically bilingual (Mágocs, Óbánya, Villány), but the music is always Swabian. Among the examined associations, the only program which is presented almost exclusively in German is the Nut Festival organized for the 15th time in Máza.

In addition to the more frequently appearing program types, one or two unique but interesting initiatives from the activities of the examined German associations should be highlighted, such as

a.) organization of trips (Nagypall, Máza, Pécs); b.) pig sticking organized and implemented in cooperation with the local government (Nagypall); c.) At Christmas, young people prepare and bring presents to single elderly people (Véménd); d.) so-called Heritage Club organized by one of the examined German associations in Pécs which presents the influence of the Swabians on the culture and public life of Pécs; e) organization of film screenings (German association in Pécs); f.) filmmaking (German Association in Pécs); g.) organizing the performance of dance groups (German Associtation in Pécs)

Mass in the nationality language and the connection to religious life and church programs can be found in the overview of programs organized by German, Croatian and Serbian nationality associations as well. In the case of the German nationality, examples of this are the masses conducted in German from time to time in several settlements or the cooperation with the Catholic Church on Palm Sunday in connection with the Mágocs flower consecration. For the Serbs, these are the Saint Sava Day and the organization of pilgrimages, for Croats the Croatian language masses, the meeting of the Croatian church choirs and organization of pilgrimages. At the time of the recording the interview, the sample's Croatian association in Pécs was planning to release a CD of Croatian church songs in the upcoming year. Among the Roma associations included in the research, the leader of the Roma association in the village of Pereked stated that they organize pilgrimages.

Exclusively nationality language programs are organized by 2 of the 3 Croatian associations in the sample. The cultural and gastronomic festival as well as the meeting of the Croatian church choirs organized by the sample's Croatian association in Pécs are entirely in Croatian, just like the dance house organized by the Croatian association in Mohács. In addition to the programs conducted exclusively in the nationality language, the Croatian associations in the sample also offer bilingual programs (e.g. the „Danube washing” and the Bean Cooking Festival in Mohács), so both Croatian and Hungarian are used during the implementation of the programs. Another specific feature of the Croatian associations (compared to the other NGOs in the sample) is that the preservation and promotion of cross-border relations have the greatest importance in the case of the Croatian associations (Felsőszentmárton, Pécs). In Felsőszentmárton, this is realized by inviting Croatian associations. One of the expressed goals of the gastronomic festival and fishing competitions organized by the sample's Croatian association in Pécs is to develop cross-border partnerships.  

"This year we had a consecration of the cross, where the choir from Zagreb sang, then the Croats across the border organized a performance entitled "Treasures of Croatian folklore", then there was a sausage-stuffing competition, then in the evening there was a cultural program: a choir from Harkány, a tambourine band from Bácska and a dance group from Zagreb performed, which connected the enrichment of faith, spiritual life and culture. This complexity is also important." (Pécs, head of the Croatian association)

Among the 5 associations in the sample, which do not present specific nationalities but state the support of nationality culture among their objectives, two do not organize programs related to nationality culture at all. One of them unites local cultural groups that are not organized in the form of an association, coordinates their performances and helps them collect funds. Another cultural association of this group also does not organize independent programs. Although the third association belonging to this group organized two large-scale programs presenting the nationality culture of Baranya in 2014 and 2015, it didn’t organize any programs related to nationality culture in the last 5 years. Its activities are primarily related to local cultural programs (Cultural Heritage Days, Zsolnay Light Festival) in Pécs, and the situation is the same for the last two associations belonging to this group of the sample (organized programs: carnival, crafts-related children's camp, village day, Advent fair, organization of dance group performances).  

While all German, Croatian and Serbian associations in sample organize their programs almost exclusively around culture, the preservation of traditions and religious life, in the activities of the majority of Roma associations the improvement of social conditions, the collection of donations and the organization of children's catch-up sessions are also of prime importance. Out of the 11 Roma associations included in the research, 4 do not organize cultural programs at all, their activities focus on improving the quality of life of the local or neighboring Roma communities and distributing donations (Baranyajenő, Zádor, Görcsöny, Szigetvár).  

It is feature of the majority of Roma associations that the support of children plays prominent role in their activities. For example: children's camps (Komló, Pereked, Görcsöny); organization of sports events for children; supporting children's catching up, early development of children (Hosszúhetény, Pécs); drawing lessons, dance lessons (Komló); children's program (Hosszúhetény); children's day, Santa's holiday (Endrőc, Pereked); nationality language education (Pécs); Roma Holocaust awareness program for schools (Pécs).

The vast majority of the Roma associations we examined offer their programs exclusively in Hungarian. The association leaders explained the reason for this as the lack of interest and linguistic competence of the Roma youth in the Romani language. The omission of the use of the Romani language in the activities and programs of the associations appeared in villages, regardless of their population. (Endrőc, Hosszúhetény).  

"Unfortunately, we don’t organize programs in Boyash language, because the young people do not understand the language and they are not interested." (Baranya county village, Roma ethnic leader)

"Mostly we speak Hungarian, we only use our Boyash language in the family, we don't speak in Romani at our events." (Baranya county village, Roma ethnic leader)

At the same time, in one village (Pereked) the head of the local Roma association reported that the rate of use of the nationality language in their programs is high. An important objective of one of the sample’s Roma associations in Pécs is the education and promotion of the Roma language among children. The other Roma association in Pécs offers its programs in Hungarian, but they also organize lectures and publish writings in their nationality language. At the time of the interview, the head of the Roma organization in Komló was also planning to start a Romani language course.

Health preservation and prevention (Bodolyabér), drug prevention (Hosszúhetény), legal aid service (Komló) and the organization of community programs not related to holidays (e.g. cooking, garbage collection in Komló) appeared in the scope of activities of the Roma associations.

Association leaders' assessment of their NGOs

We examined how the association leaders evaluated the effectiveness of the local and regional activities of their associations from several perspectives and with several methods. We also explored what priorities they set in their work, and what are the criteria by which they evaluate their activities. Finally, using a five-point Likert scale, we asked the association leaders to self-assess. The association leaders involved in the research approached the success factors of their work from a wide range of perspectives. By reviewing the arguments, reasons and aspects mentioned during the interviews, we can state that the interviewees evaluate their activities with self-reflective approach and leadership attitude, which focuses on preserving and ensuring cultural and community identity.

Among the evaluation aspects defined by the interviewees, in addition to the strategic goal, the operative tasks, target groups of the cultural activity, as well as creating of "generational connections with children, adults and the elderly" appear. The assessment aspects of the associations' work also focused on the conditions of the activity. Defining the basic infrastructure for ethnic community work as a key evaluation aspect is not evident among the nationality organizations. Because neither the associations nor the majority of nationality self-governments have own real estate. Their places of operation are either rented properties or they use the cultural and other community spaces of local governments free of charge on a courtesy basis.

One of the basic conditions for the effective activity of associations is the use of consistent methods of communication. Creating successful relationships is based on choosing the right form of personal contact and communication tool. In many respects, association work in the field of ethnic culture is based on community building methods. Association work based on personal relationships was valued by the interviewees. The pandemic has greatly reduced personal relationships. During the period of forced distancing caused by covid19, the association work was stable if they could continue to use their already proven communication methods and tools.

On the other hand, the new communication methods brought organizational relationships that had not yet been tried, as well as the creation of new network connections. Electronic connections ensured the technical possibility of this forced innovation. The associations used electronic communication tools even before covid19. However, the forced distancing made the associations to reconsider, think over and articulate the priorities of their community work and community building methods. At the same time, several association leaders emphasized the priority of interpersonal relations.

„Those who still enthusiastically and actively participate in the civil sphere, even as volunteers, are getting old. Generations active in the labor market have no time, they are busy with work, family and the computer. It is also not good that everything has already been transferred to IT. Because in the past, anyone who closed the door at work went home and took care of his family. Now they go home, take out the computer, the family members are sitting next to each other, and everyone is pressing gadgets.” (head of German cultural association, Pécs)

Leaders of associations active in the field of nationality culture adapt their community methods and programs to the associations' membership and the needs of other target groups in their settlement. Knowledge of the local society, responding to cultural needs, and choosing the appropriate local contact method have fundamental importance in the community work. This model perceives the association as a service-providing organization and strengthens the consumer attitude among association members. There are only few self-development associations where the leader only animates the association's activities and the members create their own programs and community activities through continuous learning, cooperation and implementing creative ideas. Among the associations, there is no administrative motivation similar to the funding system of nationality self-governments, which would encourage organizational collaboration.   Civilian collaboration is mostly based on mutual benefits between organizations. These relations are based on mutual aid, during which material or symbolic cultural values are exchanged. The relationship is also characterized by the fact that collaboration and its conditions are rarely recorded in a formal contract or in a written document. Building inter-settlement or regional relations is not common for the examined associations. However, the most effective associations operate as members of extensive regional, national and cross-border professional networks. The involvement of young people in the everyday life of the association and the generational change face serious obstacles in the vast majority of the examined civil organizations.

The activities of associations were evaluated by their leaders on a 5-point Likert scale. 27.5% of the association leaders find it difficult, 10% very difficult to deal with problems related to their work, and they believe that operational problems significantly affect the effectiveness of the NGO they lead. At the same time, 34% of the interviewees (by selecting the values of the Likert scale between 1-2) indicated that the problems related to the operation of the associations are minor, so they do not significantly affect the effectiveness of their work. The majority of NGO leaders plan only to the extent of the available resources, which requires serious planning and careful preparation.  

By examining the tendering activities of the associations included in the research, we can see that while almost the same proportion of village and city NGO leaders stated that they had good or excellent application opportunities and high level of tendering success, village NGO leaders reported much more often that their application opportunities were limited, as well as the fact that their tendering efficiency is at a low level compared to their colleagues managing associations in towns. (See figure 5)  

Figure 5: Assessment of the tendering opportunities and effectiveness of their associations by NGO leaders, according to type of settlement; Summary of the Likert scale 1-5 evaluation, (%), (N=30)
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)

 

If we examine the assessment of NGO leaders regarding their tendering opportunities and effectiveness based on nationalities, we can discover a significant difference. While 66% of the leaders of all NGOs included in the research and 100% of the heads of the German associations reported good or excellent tendering opportunities, this rate among the leaders of Roma associations was only 27.3%. The result is very similar if we examine the NGO leaders’ assessments regarding the success of their tendering applications. While 63.3% of the leaders of all NGOs and 90% of the leaders of the German associations reported good or excellent tendering effectiveness, this rate among the leaders of the Roma associations was again only 27.3%.

The difference in the assessment is even more significant if we examine the nationality of the NGO leaders reporting on limited tendering opportunities and low application success. While no one among the leaders of the German associations included in the study said that their association's tendering opportunities are limited, 16.7% of all NGO leaders interviewed in the research and 45.4% of the Roma association leaders thought so. The above-mentioned results are obviously partially related to the fact that while none of the leaders of the German associations reported unsuccessful or low-level tendering effectiveness, 13.3% of all NGO leaders interviewed in the research, and 27.5% of the Roma association leaders said so. (See figure 6).

 

Figure 6: Assessment of the tendering opportunities and effectiveness of their associations by NGO leaders according to their nationality, Summary of the Likert scale 1-5 evaluation, (%), (N=30)
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)

 

The fact that the head of the Baranya County Regional Office of the German Nationality Self-Government of Hungary (who is also the vice-president of the Baranya County German Nationality Self-Government) operates a high-quality and active information e-mail network, may play a major role in the particularly positive assessment of the German association leaders regarding tendering opportunities. This information network includes around 600 recipients from 100 settlements, from the representatives of German nationality self-governments through the leaders of ethnic associations to local residents who play a role in the cultural life of the German nationality. This information network, in addition to sharing various news concerning the German nationality and their events, provides German association leaders with continuous and detailed information about tendering opportunities. In addition, we also find an example of a major urban German association (Magyarországi Németek Pécs-Baranyai Nemzetiségi Köre, Pécs) running a so-called village assistance program, the purpose of which, among other things, is to continuously inform their village colleagues about the current tendering opportunities and programs.

We also examined how efficient the association's relationship is with other organizations, and how networking is evaluated by the leaders. On the one hand, we examined how they evaluate the composition and extent of their professional network, and on the other hand, we also measured how they evaluate its effectiveness. By examining the composition and extent of the professional network of association leaders on a scale of 1-5, we found that one third of the interviewees indicated that the composition of their professional network was sufficient or moderate. However, another 66,7% of the association leaders have good or excellent professional relationships. Regarding the effectiveness of their professional network the association leaders gave a slightly less favorable evaluation. 40% of the interviewees rated the effectiveness of their professional network as sufficient or moderate. They are the ones who, in a certain sense, are more isolated in the smaller settlements of Baranya. 60% of the association leaders considered that they use effectively their extensive collaboration opportunities. This can provide an advantage in fundraising (e.g. information about calls for tenders) or in receiving valuable news about performance opportunities for art groups. (See figure 7)

Figure 7: Assessment of the NGOs by their leaders, Summary of the Likert scale 1-5 assessments (%), (N=30)
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)

 

 

Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that association leaders working in villages and smaller towns have fewer connections and a less layered networks than of those who lead NGOs in Pécs, the county seat of Baranya. While 43,75% of heads of village associations and 50% of the leaders of civil organizations in smaller towns assessed the diversity of the composition of their professional network as sufficient or moderate, none of the interviewes in Pécs reported such difficulty.

In relation to the effectiveness of the professional network of associations, the same result was obtained in the case of the village association, since 43.75% of the interviewees rated the effectiveness of their professional network as sufficient or moderate. The situation is the same for associations in smaller towns, where 50% of the respondents assessed the effectiveness of their professional network as sufficient or moderate. At the same time, it is interesting that based on the research results, the diversity of the professional network does not necessarily lead to its effectiveness, since 25% of our interviewees in Pécs stated that the effectiveness of their professional network is only moderate. Nevertheless, it is worth to mention, that while 12.5% of the leaders of village associations and 33.3% of the interviewees working in smaller towns evaluated the effectiveness of their professional networks as only sufficient, none of the leaders of the civil organizations in Pécs indicated such low value in relation to this issue. (see figure 8)

  

Figure 8: Effectiveness of the professional network of association leaders by type of settlement, Likert scale assessment (N=30)
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)  

The majority of association leaders are satisfied with their leadership position, with the exception of one interviewee working in Pécs. One third of the association leaders feel good, and 43.3% of them feel excellent in their leadership position.  

The positive assessment of the level of comfort of the association leaders coincides with their assessment of the effectiveness of the association's work. 86.7% of the interviewees gave a good or excellent rating to the overall assessment of the performance of the NGO they lead. No one chose either insufficient or sufficient assessment. 

Assessment of the local ethnic cultural life and community organization

According to the association leaders the preservation of ethnic identity is not clearly successful (3.7 average). Less than a quarter of them (24.1%) rated the effectiveness of preserving the ethnic identity in their own settlement as excellent, 41.4% as good, and almost a third (31%) as only moderate.  This issue is definitely worth examining according to settlement size and nationalities. While half of the interviewees from smaller towns reported that the success rate of preserving ethnic identity is only moderate, 75% of the interviewees from Pécs and 66.6% of the leaders of the village associations rated the effectiveness of preserving their nationalities’ identity in their own settlement as good or excellent. 

Based on a detailed analysis of the data, it is clear that while the difference between the Roma and German nationalities is smaller in terms of the medium effectiveness of preserving the ethnic identity, 30% of the German association leaders and only 10% of the Roma association leaders reported excellent effectiveness. (See figure 9). It is also worth mentioning that from all of the examined associations only the head of a Roma association in a small village marked the lowest value (sufficient, 2 points) in relation to the effectiveness of preserving ethnic identity.

 

Figure 9: Effectiveness of preserving the Roma and German ethnic identity in the given settlement based on the assessment of the leaders of the NGOs representing the given nationality, Summary of Likert scale rating 1-5, %
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)

 

While 13.8% of all surveyed NGO leaders rated the success of keeping the nationality language alive in the given settlement as sufficient or moderate, 41.4% of them rated it as good, and 31% as excellent. At the same time, this issue should also be subjected to a deeper analysis, as we can discover interesting results if we examine it by settlement size and nationalities. While only 21,4% of the leaders of the urban NGOs believed that the effectiveness of the preservation of the nationality language was only sufficient or moderate, 33,3% of the leaders of the village associations gave these two lower assessments. (See figure 10). The range of high-quality nationality schools established in the cities certainly plays a major role in this result.

 

Figure 10: Effectiveness of the preservation of the nationality language in the given settlement based on the assessment of the interviewees by settlement type, Likert scale rating 1- 5, (N=29)
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)

 

 

Regarding this issue, it is worth reviewing the differences in the evaluations given by the leaders of the Roma and German NGOs. While 90% of the leaders of German NGOs rated the effectiveness of the preservation of the German nationality language in the given settlement as good or excellent, only 40% of the leaders of Roma NGOs said so, while another 40% of them rated it as sufficient. (Leaders of German NGOs didn’t rate this issue so low at all). (See figure 11)

  

Figure 11: Effectiveness of preserving the Romani and German nationality language in the given settlement based on the assessment of the leaders of the NGOs representing the given nationality, Summary of Likert scale rating 1-5, %
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)

  

We can discover an even more significant difference in the assessment of the leaders of the Roma and German NGOs regarding the presentation of their own traditions and culture in their settlements. While 60% of the leaders of the German associations, only 30% of the leaders of the Roma associations rated the presentation of their own traditions and culture in the settlement as excellent.  (see figure 12). It is a thought-provoking result that half of the Roma association leaders believe that the presentation of their own traditions and culture in their settlement is only moderately successful. This is particularly problematic in light of the fact that only 24.1% of the entire sample felt this way. 

  

Figure 12: Effectiveness of the presentation of Roma and German traditions and culture in the given settlement based on the assessment of the leaders of the NGOs representing the given nationality, Summary of Likert scale rating 1-5, %
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)

  

Based on the type of settlement, we cannot discover a particularly significant difference in relation to keeping ethnic traditions and culture alive in the settlement. While 57% of the leaders of urban NGOs rated the presentation of ethnic traditions and culture in the given settlement as excellent, 53% of the leaders of village associations felt the same way.

According to our interviewees, the organization of ethnic communities is slightly more successful in villages than in cities. While 69% of village association leaders rated the effectiveness of local ethnic community organization as good or excellent, this rate was 57% among city association leaders. In connection with the effectiveness of ethnic community organization, it is also worth examining the differences in the evaluations of Roma and German association leaders. While 60% of the Roma NGO leaders assessed the effectiveness of the local Roma community organization as moderate or sufficient, 70% of the German association leaders assessed the effectiveness of the local community organization of their own nationality as good or excellent. (see figure 13)

Figure 13: Effectiveness of local community organization of Roma and German nationalities based on the assessment of the leaders of the NGOs representing the given nationality, Summary of Likert scale rating 1-5, %
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)  

 

Proposals for the systemic development of NGO activity

The everyday practice of association work constantly brings to the surface the problems that can become obstacles to effectiveness, efficiency or even functionality. In order to analyze some elements of these problems more thoroughly, we asked the leaders of the associations included in the research to determine the general, system-level factors of legal regulation, financing as well as the local social practice that negatively influence or hinder their work and to give their proposals on the possible corrections too.

  

36% of the interviewees did not identify a system-level problem, 7% of them diverted the conversation in connection with the question, and another 7% believed that everything is fine at the moment, so there is no need to change the framework. 50% of the interviewees made specific suggestions, several of them reflected on all three fields.

  

Some of the proposals related to the legal regulation of the work of associations were of a „technical” nature. For example: proposals regarding the simplification of the statistical forms and their "filler-friendly" conversion; suggestions for reviewing the bureaucratic system and adapting it to everyday practice. This issue includes the set of procedures developed for the judicial procedure for maintaining the validity of the association's basic documents, renewing their content and monitoring changes, which can also become a barrier to "up-to-dateness" with the mandatory use of the state electronic portal. This proposal was inspired by cases that could not be solved even by the officially involved lawyers - and have remained unsolved ever since - so several interviewees proposed the simplification of the administration system. Some of the associations cannot meet these administrative challenges with their own human resources.

  

Figure 14: The number of proposals made by the interviewees in order to correct the systemic difficulties by problem area (N=30)
(Source: PTE BTK HFMI Research Team, own database, 2022)

 

In order to ensure accurate planning, continuous work, building and maintaining strong communities and efficient use of resources several interviewees suggested that the final deadline for the evaluation of tenders for the upcoming year's funding should be December 15.  The system could thus eliminate several operational anomalies, for example, it would not be necessary to "wait for a miracle", suspend activities for months, "overprice" tenders, and adjust the association's activities to the call for tenders.

In the field of legal regulations, a specific proposal was to supplement the nationality law with a so-called conflict of interest regulation, such as, for example, that family members should not be allowed to be representatives of the same nationality self-government or leaders of two interdependent organizations at the same time.

Regarding the financing of associations, 40% of the interviewees formulated specific proposals. A third of them defined the unpredictability of the tendering system as a problem, mentioning that this also applies to the dates of announcements, the content and acceptance criteria, the duration of decisions, the disbursed tender amount and the conditions of disbursement. Therefore, they advised to adapt the tendering system to some kind of "schedule", which could provide information regarding the so-called critical dates and the frameworks of the association's activities. These suggestions are also strengthened by the proposal, which would simplify the entire tendering system and save external tender writing costs, referring to the lack of competent, full-time tender writing specialists in NGOs.  

In relation to financing, the interviewees also raised the often-observable discrepancy between the goals of the nationality associations and the content of the tenders thus they suggested to announce more colorful and thematic tenders. A richer selection of tenders should go hand in hand with an increase in funds. The need to increase the tender funds is proven by the relatively large proportion of associations that do not receive such financial support.   

10% of association leaders raised the need for an additional financing system, emphasizing its importance, especially in the case of long-standing and effective associations. The need for this additional support was formulated by the interviewees based on their experiences and they gave them different names as follows: 

- "basic funding": to be determined based on the size and activity of the existing association;
- "quota system": if "x" number of nationalities live in a settlement, "y" amount could be applied per person, then the amount of support could be estimated in advance;
- "normative support": if an association has been operating for "x" years, reaches "y" people annually, it should receive some kind of basic financial support.

 

All three proposals considered this additional financial support to be necessary and feasible in addition to the current tendering system, so they did not propose the change of the financing model.

30% of the association leaders included in our study formulated their specific proposals for reducing or solving the economic, demographic and value system problems of the local societies. Within this, a third of the respondents looked for possible solutions for villages that are depopulating, aging, and unable to offer upward prospects for young people who are about to start a family. They believed that increasing the population retention power of settlements, helping young people's settlement aspirations and ensuring the "critical mass" of children should be strongly supported. As a consequence of this, villages could run kindergartens and schools (or one of the nearby settlements) and organizing cultural programs on the basis of educational institutions would be much easier. Among the proposals, it was mentioned that the main aspect is that there should be educational institutions in these settlements, even if they are not exclusively ethnic, since they could still provide nationality education to the relevant groups/classes. In this context, it was suggested that associations should cooperate more closely with nationality self- governments.  

A third of the association leaders who gave specific answers regarding the problems of the local society formulated their proposals in relation to the Roma organizations and the current tasks of the Roma as well as ensuring equal opportunities and supporting the disadvantaged. The only effective solution to reduce prejudices against Gypsies would be to build an inclusive society and to make inclusive education and cultural life common. In this process, in addition to the priority state and local government care, Roma organizations should support the development of self-help, self-building and self-reflective communities, as well as the strengthening of the self-awareness of Roma children and young people.

  

The most important task of the examined associations is to preserve and pass on their own culture, and to ensure the opportunity for children and young people to join the ethnic community. The interviewed association leaders considered the organization of activities involving different age groups to be fundamentally important, but at the same time they also emphasized the lack of programs and methodological guidelines to support this process. In this regard, the interviewees considered it important to strengthen ethnic identity and to strengthen the positive attitude of non-nationality citizens regarding inclusion.

   

Conclusion

The research revealed the characteristics, results and challenges of associations working in the field of nationality culture and community organization, as well as the fields of their activities. In addition, the study summarized the proposals of the association leaders regarding the development possibilities of the legal, financial and social frameworks of NGOs.

One of the most significant challenges for the examined associations is the aging of their membership which particularly affects the German associations. While a third of all NGO leaders included in the research, 60% of the leaders of the German associations reported that the most significant problem affecting the association is the absence of young people and the aging of the membership. 3 out of the 10 interviewed German association leaders reported that the biggest problem at the moment is the lack of young, agile people to whom they could hand over the leadership. Although they love their work as association leaders, due to their age (all three are over 60) they would like to hand over the leadership, but there is currently no one in their environment that they can count on in this regard.  

The majority of NGO leaders plan the activities of their associations only to the extent of the available resources. If we examine the assessment of NGO leaders regarding their tendering opportunities and effectiveness by nationalities, we can discover a significant difference. The leaders of the Roma associations rated both the extent of the application opportunities and the tendering effectiveness of their NGOs much lower than the heads of the other associations included in the research.

Building inter-settlement or regional relations is not common for the examined associations The relationship is also characterized by the fact that collaboration and its conditions are rarely recorded in a formal contract or in a written document.   

Based on the research results, in smaller settlements, such as villages and smaller towns, the professional networks of civil organizations are narrower and less layered than that of the associations in Pécs. 

With the exception of the Roma associations, the activities of all other associations in the sample are almost exclusively linked to keeping ethnic culture and traditions alive. In the case of the majority of Roma associations, in addition to or instead of the cultural mission, the focus of the activity is the improvement of social conditions and the provision of assistance, such as health care and prevention, drug prevention or legal aid services.

While 2 of the 3 Croatian associations in the sample organize programs exclusively in the nationality language in addition to their bilingual programs, the programs of the German NGOs are bilingual, and the cultural and community programs of the Roma associations are characterized by the use of the Hungarian language. According to the reports of the leaders of the Roma associations, the reason for abandoning the nationality language is the lack of interest and competence of the Roma youth in their own nationality language.

Based on the results of the research, the German nationality associations organize the largest number and widest range of cultural and community organizing programs among the ethnic NGOs in Baranya County. According to our interviewees, the preservation of ethnic identity is more effective in villages and Pécs than in smaller cities, and the organization of ethnic communities is slightly more successful in villages than in cities, regardless of settlement size. Based on the results of the research, it can be concluded that keeping nationality culture and traditions alive among the Roma communities is much less effective than in the case of the other nationalities included in the sample.

The proposals made by the interviewees related to the possible development of the system-level framework of the association's work focused on the legal background, financing system and local social issues. Based on their extensive experience in the practice of NGO work, the interviewees formulated specific proposals regarding the possibilities of adapting state tenders to the needs of associations, expanding tender resources, and reducing administration-related challenges. In addition to the recommendations of the association leaders regarding financing and administration, it would also be worthwhile to consider their suggestions regarding legal and local social issues at the relevant decision-making level. 

 

  

Reference: 

• Dóri, Éva- Koller, Inez- Koltai, Zsuzsa (2022): A Baranya megyei nemzetiségek kultúraközvetítő és közösségszervezői tevékenységét meghatározó rendelkezések, stratégiák és ajánlások. In: Kulturális Szemle, 2022 (1). Elérhető: https://www.kulturalisszemle.hu/22-szam/nemzetkozi-kitekintes/dori-eva-koller-inez-koltai-zsuzsa-baranya-megyei-nemzetisegek-kulturakozvetito-es-kozossegszervezoi-tevekenyseget-meghatarozo-rendelkezesek-strategiak-es-ajanlasok
• Morauszki, András (2019): Nemzetiségi szervezetek pályázati támogatása Magyarországon. In: Regio. 27. évfolyam, 1. szám, 292-324 p.

   

Annex No. 1: Interview questions for the leaders of NGOs dealing with ethnic culture and community organization in Baranya County, PTE BTK HFMI Research group, "Cultural and Community Life of the Nationalities in Baranya County” research, National Institute for Culture’s Academic Grant Program for Public Culture 2021-2022

Name of the interviewee:

Name of the NGO: 

Address, e-mail, phone number of the NGO:

Website of the NGO:   

Settlement name:

Current population of the settlement:   

Date of the interview:

Duration of the interview:   

Way of recording the interview (in person/ live online/ telephone):

In the case of a live online interview, the online communication platform used:   

The way of reaching the interviewee, background of the contact search:

The interview was conducted by:     

1. Ethnic composition of the settlement - What nationalities live in the settlement? About what proportion?

2. Number and name of the nationality self-governments in the settlement:

3. The total number of non-nationality NGOs that you know:

4. How many ethnic NGOs do you know from your own settlement? Which nationality do they belong to?

5. Could you list some of these nationality NGOs by name?

6. The number and name(s) of sister settlements…………………………,

number of years of relationship:…………

7. Who founded the association? What was the motivation for founding the association?

8. Please introduce the main stages of your life as association leader, your work and yourself.

a.) workplace, job title

b.) qualifications

c.) age

d.) professional background

e.) Do you live locally?

f.) How did you become the leader of the NGO, what kind of life situation did you come to the leadership position from?

g.) What events, activities, personal influences shaped your nationality leadership commitments and activities?

h.) What - and how many years - experience do you have in nationality community leadership?

i.) What kind of work schedule do you work in as the head of the NGO?

j.) How does your current community leadership work appear in your career plan? What personal plans do you have in the field of nationality culture and community organization? For the sake of your career, are you planning a specialized study, and if so, what kind of training would you take?

      

9. Please introduce the activities of ethnic community/cultural institutions and organizations in your settlement. What kind of ethnic cultural and community activities were organized in the settlement in the last 5 years? Please also reveal the programs of your own organization.

a.) Types of programs, grouped list (proportion of permanent and temporary programs). Please also indicate which of these programs are presented in nationality language.   

b.) The methods, occasions and regularity of exploring community needs. Trends of changes in residential needs.

c.) The process of program planning, the prioritized aspects of the planning - with a list of the declared values, the range of organizations, colleagues/community members involved, the approval process   

d.) What are the examination criteria for the effectiveness of your activity? Key ranking of the success of community activity/life.

e.) What kind of community activities appear due to the sister settlement relationship? (regularity, number of activities, expected collaborations, type of activities)   

f.) Please explain whether there is a larger number of residents from other countries who have settled in your settlement in the last 3 decades? (e.g.: Dutch; Finns; Germans, etc.) If so, approx. how many such residents live in the settlement? What programs and initiatives are associated with them?  

   

10. Please describe the participants of the ethnic community and cultural life in the settlement! 

a.) Typical groups of users of ethnic community spaces, their cultural, ethnic, professional, educational, social, age, gender and residence composition.   

b.) Distribution of visitors of the permanent and temporary/occasional programs (own nationality/other nationality/non-nationality visitors)

c.) The ratio of those who are active in the community life of the nationality and those who stay away from it; the reasons of absence; trends and reasons of the changes in the rates; initiatives aimed to involve those who are left out; community development methods.   

d.) Describe the personal ties of sister settlement relations and the target groups of common activities.

   

11. Please describe the target groups of the NGO you lead.

12. Please describe the organizational framework of the NGO you lead.

a.) The number and composition (gender, age, education) of your colleagues.

b.) In relation to your work, how much can you rely on the competences of your colleagues? What competences are missing? How could they be complemented?

c.) Can you count on volunteers? Which social groups are the most active in volunteering?

   

13. Please describe the infrastructural and equipment conditions of the local ethnic culture and community organization.

a.) List and description of the infrastructure available for the ethnic community(ies); its effect on the working conditions; advantages, disadvantages, financial obligations of its maintenance; characteristics of use.

b.) How many municipal and ethnic community buildings are available? When were they built and for what purpose? To what extent do they meet today's needs?

c.) How would you characterize the facilities? In which areas are there optimal supplies and biggest shortages? Which devices are particularly important, and how can they be acquired or replaced?

d.) Evaluate the quality of your association’s infrastructural, equipment and operating conditions, as well as compare its capabilities with the possibilities of other nationalities in the settlement/region and other civil organizations of your own nationality.

e.) In terms of infrastructural and equipment provision, in which area would specific improvements be necessary?

   

14. Please describe the financial and management background of the NGO you lead.

a.) What sources does your annual budget come from, and what additional sources can you count on - for example, donations, sponsorships, tenders?

b.) Do you have a fundraising obligation? Do you have tendering experience? How often do you submit tenders? Who prepares the applications?

c.) In what form are external organizations and the sister settlements involved in the collection and use of funds?

d.) Is the association operating with increasing or decreasing resources compared to 2015? What factors influenced the economic/fundraising trends you mentioned? What do you expect in the near future?

e.) How can the balance of planned programs and resources be estimated? Is there a lack of resources? If so, to what extent?

f.) How should the financial support system be corrected in order to ensure safe and high-quality operation?

15. Cooperation and networking. Please explain to what extent, how, with what frequency and efficiency your NGO cooperates with other organizations/institutions. To what extent and form does the association participate in networking activities?

a.) The scope of its relationships: the nature, content, frequency, and expected results of existing relationships with national/regional/local groups/umbrella organizations and/or other professional organizations.

b.) Contact with the local government and the mayor (occasion, forum)

c.) Relationship with the local nationality self-government and its leader

d.) Relationship with the community's cultural institutions

e.) Connection with the museums/collections of the settlement

f.) Relationship and communication with other ethnic civil organizations of the settlement

g.) Relationship and communication with non-nationality civil organizations of the settlement

h.) Relationship with the public education /vocational training /art education institutions of the settlement/region.

i.) Relationship with the National Institute of Culture

j.) Relationship with the Pécs Cultural Center

k.) Contact with the regional civil referents of the County Civil Information Center

l.) Relationship with the organizations, leaders and other networks of the sister settlement

m.) Do you receive professional support and advice from state / professional organizations? If so, from whom and in what form?

   

16. Does your association have programs specifically for improving cultural sensitivity? If so, what are they? What is the target group? What methods are used? What were the most successful programs/initiatives in this field?

17. What changes, challenges, results and innovations did the pandemic bring to the operation of the NGO you lead?

18. Please describe the communication of the NGO you lead. 

a.) Forms and ranking of the communication methods and channels used (posters, invitations, personal information, electronic/printed newsletters, etc.), distinguished target groups, availability, effectiveness

b.) Contact with national, regional and local mass communication institutions (radio, TV, etc.)

c.) Frequency and method of using social media. What social media platforms do you use? In what way? (only sharing information vs. conducting community programs and initiatives online); Who manages the NGO's profile on social media platforms?; How often is it updated? How many followers does the NGO have on different social media platforms?

d.) Does the NGO have its own website? Who manages it? For what purposes is the website used? How often is it updated? How many views does it have?

e) Channels and methods of communication with local governments/ other ethnic organizations of the settlement/ local education institutions/ local cultural institutions/ local museums/ local civil organizations/ professional organizations.

g.) Typical difficulties and critical situations of communication

h.) Where do you get current news about the life of your own nationality?

   

19. Please list and describe the operational problems of your NGO.

a.) Number, extent and ranking of the everyday operational problems; trends; possibilities and conditions for solving problems; examples of successful and unsuccessful interventions

b.) Local and systemic factors of operational problems.

   

20. Please describe the development plans of the NGO you lead.

a.) Goals, prospects, financial and personal conditions of the ideas related to the development; documents created so far; the circle of those who formulated the development plans.

b.) The range of participants in the development work; Were you personally involved in the development process?

c.) The method of implementing the development; its risks and the expected results in the operation of the organization.

   

21. Adaptation of good practices

21.A.) According to what criteria would you define the so-called "good practice" in the field of ethnic culture and community organization? (What makes a good practice a good practice?)

21.B) If there is an area in the operation of the NGO you lead that you could recommend to others as a "good practice", please describe it according to the following aspects:

a.) networking, cooperation

b.) contact with the community

c.) programs, applied community organization methods

d.) methods and channels of communication

e.) management, fundraising

f.) organizational culture

g.) activities promoting the cultural sensitivity of the non-nationality / other nationality population

h.) other

21.C) What are the most important novelties of the NGO you lead? Which of these do you value as innovation related to community building, renewal or programs? How many such new developments can you report? When were these introduced? Please describe the 3 most important innovations from the operation of the NGO you lead.

1.

2.

3.

21.D.) Do you know any good practices that could be adapted from the operation of other organizations/institutions dealing with ethnic culture and community organization in Hungary? If so, please mention a specific example and area of implementation.

a.) networking, cooperation

b.) contact with the community

c.) programs, applied community organization methods

d.) methods and channels of communication

e.) management, fundraising

f.) organizational culture

g.) activities promoting the cultural sensitivity of the non-nationality / other nationality population

h.) other

21.E.) Do you know any foreign or sister settlement organization/institution dealing with culture and community organization that implement good practices which could be adapted in Hungary? If so, please mention a specific example and the area of implementation.

a.) networking, cooperation

b.) contact with the community

c.) programs, applied community organization methods

d.) methods and channels of communication

e.) management, fundraising

f.) organizational culture

g.) activities promoting the cultural sensitivity of the non-nationality / other nationality population

h.) other

21.F.) Do you know good practices that could be adapted from the operation of non-nationality organizations/institutions dealing with culture and community organization? If so, please mention a specific example and the area of implementation.

a.) networking, cooperation

b.) contact with the community

c.) programs, applied community organization methods

d.) methods and channels of communication

e.) management, fundraising

f.) organizational culture

g.) activities promoting the cultural sensitivity of the non-nationality / other nationality population

h.) other

21. G.) What problem could the above-mentioned good practices solve in the NGO you lead? Have you already applied any of these in the operation of your own organization? If yes: What and when?

22. Please describe what system-level proposals you have regarding the development of nationality culture and community organization.

a.) the need for changes in legal, administrative and organizational frameworks   

b.) financing

c.) connection and network issues

d.) local social, economic, demographic, democratic problems, thoughts related to the characteristics and changes of ethnic identity

e.) the issue of cultural sensitivity

   

23. What is the difficulty or problem of your civil organization /nationality community life or culture that you are currently dealing with?

24. Who do you think would be able to provide additional information about the settlement's ethnic culture and community organization for the research? 

Name, contact information

   

25. Please evaluate the relationship of the NGO you lead with the self-government of your own nationality with points from 1 to 5. 

1- they don't collaborate; 5- smooth collaboration 

1

2

3

4

5

26. Please evaluate the relationship between the NGO you lead and the local government with points from 1 to 5.    

1- they don't collaborate; 5- smooth collaboration

1

2

3

4

5

   

27. Please evaluate the relationship between the NGO you lead and the community's cultural institutions, with points from 1 to 5. 

1- they don't collaborate; 5- smooth collaboration

1

2

3

4

5

      

28. Please evaluate the relationship between the NGO you lead and the museums/local collections of the settlement(s), with points from 1-5.

1- they don't collaborate; 5- smooth collaboration

1

2

3

4

5

   

29. Please evaluate the relationship between the NGO you lead and local (nationality or non-nationality) educational institutions with points from 1 to 5.  

1- they don't collaborate; 5- smooth collaboration

1

2

3

4

5

    

30. Please evaluate the relationship between the NGO you lead and other local NGOs of your own nationality with points from 1 to 5. 

1- they don't collaborate; 5- smooth collaboration

1

2

3

4

5

   

31. Please evaluate the relationship between the NGO you lead and the local NGOs of other nationalities with points from 1 to 5. 

1- they don't collaborate; 5- smooth collaboration

1

2

3

4

5

  

32. Please evaluate the relationship between the NGO you lead and the local, non-nationality NGOs involved in cultural life and community organization with points from 1 to 5.

1- they don't collaborate; 5- smooth collaboration

1

2

3

4

5

   

33. Please evaluate the level of professional collaboration between the NGO you lead and the National Institute of Culture. 

1- they don't collaborate; 5- smooth collaboration

1

2

3

4

5

   

34. Please evaluate the level of professional collaboration between the NGO you lead and the Pécs Cultural Center. 

1- they don't collaborate; 5- smooth collaboration

1

2

3

4

5

   

35. Please rate to what extent the strengthening of cultural sensitivity appears in the activities of the NGO you lead?

1- it does not appear; 5- it is particularly important

1

2

3

4

5

   

36. Please evaluate the effectiveness of strengthening ethnic identity in the settlement with points from 1 to 5. 

1- poor; 5 – excellent

1

2

3

4

5

   

37. Please evaluate the effectiveness of preserving the nationality language in the settlement with points from 1 to 5.  

1- poor; 5 – excellent

1

2

3

4

5

  

38. Please evaluate the effectiveness of keeping ethnic traditions and culture alive in the settlement with points from 1 to 5.  

1- poor; 5 – excellent

1

2

3

4

5

   

39. Please rate the community organization of the nationality in the settlement with points from 1 to 5. 

1- passive; 5- very active   

1

2

3

4

5

   

40. Please evaluate the operating conditions of the NGO you lead with points from 1 to 5. 

1- worst conditions; 5-excellent conditions   

1

2

3

4

5

   

41. Please evaluate the organizational framework of the NGO you lead with points from 1 to 5 in terms of optimal functioning. 

1- worst conditions; 5- excellent conditions   

1

2

3

4

5

42. Please evaluate the professional cooperation of the staff, helpers, and members of the NGO you lead with points from 1 to 5.    

1- poor; 5- excellent

1

2

3

4

5

  

43. Please rate the features, condition, and quality of the infrastructure of the NGO you lead with points from 1 to 5. 

1- poor; 5- excellent 

1

2

3

4

5

   

44. Please rate the quality of the equipments of the NGO you lead with points from 1 to 5. 

1- poor; 5- excellent

1

2

3

4

5

   

45. Please evaluate the existing financial resources of the NGO you lead with points from 1 to 5. 

1- worst; 5- excellent

1

2

3

4

5

   

46. Please evaluate the tendering opportunities of the NGO you lead with points from 1 to 5. G

1- worst; 5- excellent

1

2

3

4

5

   

47. Please evaluate the tendering effectiveness of the NGO you lead with points from 1 to 5. 

1- worst; 5- excellent

1

2

3

4

5

   

48. Please evaluate the programs of the NGO you lead with points from 1 to 5 according to the level of participation of the local population. 

1- poor; 5- excellent

1

2

3

4

5

   

49. Please evaluate the communication of the NGO you lead with points from 1 to 5 in terms of effectiveness. 

1- unsuccessful; 5- always successful

1

2

3

4

5

   

50. Please rate the composition and extent of your professional network on a scale of 1-5. 

1- I don’t have professional network; 5- very extensive

1

2

3

4

5

     

51. Please rate the effectiveness and efficiency of your professional network on a scale of 1-5. 

1- ineffective; 5- very effective

1

2

3

4

5

  

52. Please rate to what extent operational problems affect the efficiency of the NGO you lead? 

1- „not influenced"; 5- "definitely determined"

1

2

3

4

5

   

53. Please rate your sense of comfort in your current position in the NGO. 

1- I don’t enjoy it at all; 5- I enjoy it

1

2

3

4

5

   

54. Overall, how do you evaluate the effectiveness of the activities of the NGO you lead?

1-unsuccessful; 5- successful

1

2

3

4

5

   

Annex No. 2: Sample - Civil organizations dealing with ethnic culture and community organization in Baranya County, PTE BTK HFMI Research group, "Cultural and Community Life of the Nationalities in Baranya County” research, National Institute for Culture’s Academic Grant Program for Public Culture 2021-2022 

1. Baranya Kulturális Egyesület, Pécs
2. Baranyai Horvátok Egyesülete, Pécs
3. Baranyai Német Táncegyesület, Pécs
4. Bodolyabéri Romákért Egyesület, Bodolyabér
5. Cigány Kulturális és Közművelődési Egyesület, Pécs
6. Európai Romák Érdekvédelmi Egyesület, Szigetvár
7. Élen a Romákért Egyesület, Pereked
8. Fogd a Kezem Roma Egyesület, Görcsöny
9. Harkányi Kulturális és Művészeti Egyesület, Harkány
10. Hidas Néptánc és Hagyományőrző Egyesület, Hidas
11. Hosszúhetényi Hajnal Roma Érdekvédelmi Egyesület, Hosszúhetény
12. Kethaniphe Roma Összefogás Egyesület, Pécs
13. Komlói Fekete Láng Egyesület, Komló
14. Magyarországi Németek Pécs-Baranyai Nemzetiségi Köre, Pécs
15. Majsi Kulturális Egyesület, Majs
16. MARTINCE Kulturális Egyesület Felsőszentmárton
17. Mágocsi Német Nemzetiségi Egyesület, Mágocs
18. Mázai Német Nemzetiségi Egyesület, Máza   
19. Mohácsi Sokacok Olvasóköre, Mohács
20. Nagypalli Magyar-Német Barátság Klub, Nagypall   
21. Német Olvasókör, Óbánya
22. Pécs-Baranyai Szerb Egyesület, Pécs
23. Romákat Segítő Egyesület, Zádor   
24. Schomberger Dorfmusikanten Német Nemzetiségi Fúvószenekar Egyesület, Görcsönydoboka
25. Tegyünk a Romákért Egyesület, Baranyajenő   
26. TOTAL ART Nemzetközi Művészeti Egyesület, Pécs
27. Tudatos Roma Fiatalok Egyesület, Abaliget   
28. Újpetrei Német Nemzetiségi Hagyományőrző Egyesület, Újpetre
29. "Véméndért" Egyesület, Véménd
30. Villányi Német Nemzetiségi Kulturális Egyesület, Villány