05/07/2022
FSG Participación
Young representatives of Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG) from different regions in Spain have brought proposals affecting Roma youth to the European Commission on the occasion of the European Year of Youth.
On 4 July, FSG concluded the Participation process "European Year of Youth: Roma Youth, present and future of Europe", launched last May and in which more than 250 young Roma from all over Spain participated.
The process has concluded with the presentation of the conclusions at the headquarters of the European Commission in Spain, through a dialogue between Commission key actors and representatives of young Roma men and women from different Spanish regions.
Lucho, Sara and Pepe from Madrid, Cristo and Ana from Badajoz and Luis from Valencia, have expressed to the representatives of the European Commission, that Roma youth, among other issues, is committed to the environment. They have also stated that it is necessary to put an end to the exclusion faced by a large part of Roma youth and that it is important to achieve the sustainable development goals set in the 2030 Agenda. They have also expressed that antigypsyism should be addressed as a barrier faced by Roma youth in order to put an end to inequalities that prevent them from having a better quality of life; inequalities can be found in employment, health, housing and education. Furthermore, they call for more spaces for citizen and intercultural participation so that their opinions and their different realities are taken into account when establishing measures for young people.
On behalf of the European Commission, Irina Vasiliu, Policy Analyst, Manuel Mengot, from the Policy Department, and María Canal, Economic Advisor, were present at the dialogue. They welcomed the proposals with interest and encouraged the participants to continue presenting their opinions in more spaces of active citizenship in order to have an impact.
These activities are organised in the framework of the State Programme for the Promotion of Roma Participation, financed by the State Programmes for Activities of General Interest considered of social interest, corresponding to the Secretary of State for Social Rights. In these participation spaces, Roma youth can raise their voices, contributing to create an increasingly social, fair, participative and intercultural Europe.
Photo gallery
