On Saturday, 8th of October, project coordinator Drom Kotar Mestipen organized their XXII Roma Women Students Gathering, in the University of Girona.
Around 230 Roma women attended from all parts of Catalonia, and representatives of the project partners and participants were able to attend the RWSG as well!
As always, this is an incredible step towards the transformation of the educational systems and the inclusion of grassroots Roma voices in the University!
AID has published the first video relevant to Roma women talking about Education in the framework of the RTransform project. This is one of many audio-visual materials that will be created to collect Roma women’s voices at the Roma Women Student Gatherings around Europe, which will include interventions and interviews with participants and experts.
Central European University Budapest (CEU) – Hungary
The meeting was held in Budapest at CEU, the Central European University where 26 women participated.
The Central European University is one of the best universities in Hungary and offers great opportunities for students.
Most Roma girls don’t even know about this opportunity and don’t have the skills and education needed to enter. We managed to invite some friends who told the girls all the necessary information about this university. The girls had the chance to visit the building and meet some of the students studying there. Accommodation was also arranged for them in the dormitory of this university.
We tried to invite and address women with few opportunity to express their views on public issues. They chose a very important topic and it was very important that they were heard and that their message was passed . Our topic was the impact of the war in Ukraine and its consequences on our daily lives and access to services.
We celebrated the meeting by listening to each other, exchanging information, making suggestions and an evening of informal discussion and a dinner at a very nice place in Budapest where everyone could eat whatever they wanted.
The activity, which was attended by about 60 Roma women from different parts of Catalonia, had as its central theme Family Education.
Roma Women Student Gatherings are a pioneering activity organized by the Romani Association of Women Drom Kotar Mestipen, the first of which was held in 2000. Drom Kotar Mestipen is the first Roma women’s organization that existed in Catalonia.
If last October 2021 the 20th edition of the Gathering was held at the Rovira i Virgili University, in Tarragona, this Spring edition took place for the first time in the area of Terres de l’Ebre and Montsià, in the Catalan region of Tarragona. You can see more in the following video.
The main conference of the Gathering was delivered by Professor Carme García Yeste, Professor of the Department of Pedagogy at the University Rovira i Virgili, and director of the Consolidated Group recognized by the Catalan government, Methodology of Educational Research with Social Impact (MEDIS).
After the inaugural conference, the role model table was held, with the testimonies of Roma Women from different backgrounds. From vocational training students to undergraduate students, to women who are studying for their university access exams.
It should also be mentioned that during the Trobada, a childcare service was in operation. This space, run by members of the organization team and volunteers, was designed so that the little ones could enjoy themselves by doing different activities while their mothers took part in the Trobada.
The event was opened by Ms. Cesca Domènech i Ruera, Director General of Civic and Community Action of the Government of Catalonia; Mr. Adam Tomàs i Roiget, Mayor of Amposta; and Dr. Rosa Maria Kostic Cisneros, President of the Romani Association of Women Drom Kotar Mestipen.
In February 2022, Rosa Cisneros and Kauser Husain from Coventry University delivered an RTransform Workshop for the Widening and Participation team at Coventry University.
The session allowed for the RTransform team to present the project, discuss Successful Educational Actions, point to positive role models within the community, and highlight possible next steps. The session was titled: RTRransform: Improving Education for Gypsy, Roma, Travellers in the UK’s Higher Education System.
Rosa Cisneros (Coventry University) and Terezia Rostas (CYFP) delivered the RTranform Workshop on April 26th, 2022. The two met with the University of Sheffield staff and Faithstar team to support the education and teacher’s manual being developed that aims to discuss education and diversify sex education materials. Evie Muir from Sheffield University is tasked to create resources for teachers around Sex and Relationships, informed by parents of faith and culture. The research team reached out to Cisneros and Rostas to learn more about the RTransform project and the workshops.
In late April the online workshop was delivered to members of the research and teaching team and in Mid-May, the group will reunite to carry out an in-person workshop with grassroots Roma women from Sheffield, UK, where the National Coordination Committee including Lucia Mohamad will be present.
On the 10th of February, 2022 the RTransform UK team, which included Rosa Cisneros from Coventry University and Terezia Rostas from CYFP, helped develop the educational strand of their work. The workshop allowed the duo to meet and teach the Theatre Deli staff and to present the RTransform project and our work. The session opened up questions about engaging young Roma girls in their educational activities and highlighted how education is important to young people and the community. The workshop not only engaged the directors, key teachers, and facilitators of the educational side of Theatre Deli but also included the trustees and finance and marketing staff.
Drom Kotar Mestipen releases the video of the XX Roma Women Student Gathering of Catalonia, which took place last 23rd of October in the Catalan city of Tarragona. The activity, organized by the Romani Association of Women Drom Kotar Mestipen and hosted by the University Rovira and Virgili, gathered around 200 Roma women with the purpose of discussing education-related issues. The video shows some of the more important parts of the Gathering, such as the role model table, the main conference, or the working groups. DKM wants to thank all those who made this inspiring video possible.
On 4 December 2021, the 1st Hungarian Roma Women’s Gathering took place in Pécsvárad, aiming to give women a safe space to talk about the burdens they face in their everyday lives.
20 women and their children participated in the meeting. With their active engagement, we were able to close a dynamic and fruitful meeting. Important issues were discussed , solutions sought and recommendations made for : – The impact of online learning, – Conscious family planning, educational opportunities for children removed from families – Housing subsidy critical systems . These topics play an active role in their daily lives and are closely interlinked, so we provide a platform for experts on these topics to talk and try to find some solution to communicate to policy makers.
Roma Women transforming the educational systems around Europe through their social and political Mobilization This Gathering was held Saturday, Nov 27th, 2021 (Sheffield Hallam University). The EU-funded RTransform project is about transferring the DKM’s Gatherings to 5 different countries. The UK is part of this network and the Sheffield-based organization Care for Young People’s Future is a key player tasked with organizing three Gatherings in the UK. Saturday, Nov 27th from 10.30-5.00 the first UK Roma Women’s Gathering took place. The event welcomed many role models from the community and also local grassroots Roma women and girls to talk about the importance of education, identity and culture.
Credit: Reel Master Productions, 2021
The films are located on the CYFP YouTube Channel. You can watch the short trailer and the longer film online. Various talks will also be featured online later this year. Watch this space for more exciting items from our UK partners.
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