Roma Youth Together: Young Roma gather in Strasbourg to mark 8 April [editar]

From 7 to 10 April, a delegation of young Roma from various European countries gathered in Strasbourg as part of the Roma Youth Together seminar, an event designed to strengthen the participation of young Roma in European democratic processes and to highlight their challenges and proposals, organised by the Council of Europe’s Youth Department in conjunction with several European Roma organisations (ERGO Network, TernYpe International Roma Youth Network, Phiren Amenca and ERIAC).

This year, representing Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG), Silvia Jiménez and José Santos, members of the FSG Facilitators’ group, and Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, from FSG Murcia, took part, continuing the work already begun in previous editions to promote the participation of European Roma youth.

The event, held at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg and at the Council of Europe headquarters, provided an opportunity for young people to voice their concerns to key policy-makers, as well as to build community among Roma people from different countries.

The seminar programme included the celebration of International Roma Day, with a river ceremony attended by Marja Ruotanen, Director General of Democracy at the Council of Europe; Georgios Stamatis, General Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Roma and Travellers; and Stelina Dungaj, from the Council of Europe’s Youth Advisory Council.

Workshops were also held on youth participation, identity and pride in belonging to the Roma community, and advocacy with various stakeholders and institutions, alongside sessions focused on learning about the Roma associative movement in Europe, in which the Spanish Youth Institute (INJUVE) also participated. Furthermore, evening social activities were organised, such as storytelling sessions, which strengthened the bonds between participants.

The meeting was also an opportunity to reflect on the issues affecting European citizens and, in particular, young Roma. One of the most significant moments was the visit to the Council of Europe headquarters, where the young people had the opportunity to put forward proposals, to be included in the New European Pact for Democracy, alongside Matja¸ Gruden, the Council of Europe’s Director for Democracy, in areas such as discrimination, education, participation, inclusion and hate speech.

For Silvia Jiménez, ‘the experience has been one of the most significant and transformative of my life. Over these days, we have not only shared knowledge, but also experiences, emotions and a common identity. I take away lessons, inspiration and a network of committed people who, like me, believe in a better future for our community’.

For his part, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, a Promociona teacher at the FSG Murcia headquarters, is grateful to have taken part in this initiative: ‘The aspects relating to education have been addressed with a very clear focus: the need for cooperation between NGOs, schools and families to be truly effective and maximised’.

José Santos states that ‘these initiatives are very necessary for Roma youth. We need to express our opinions and have our demands taken into account. It has been very moving to learn that there are young Roma in every corner of the world fighting for equality for our people’.

At Fundación Secretariado Gitano, we will continue to promote youth participation in this type of European initiative, so that young Spanish Roma can also be part of these enriching forums, both on a personal and collective level.