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IV Roma Students Gathering of Catalonia

The 4th Meeting of Roma Students in Catalonia for the RTransform Project took place on 10 June 2023 at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), located in Bellaterra, Barcelona. The meeting was attended by 77 Roma women from the municipalities of Amposta and Tortosa (Tarragona), Salt, Font de la Pólvora, Figueres, (Girona), Gavá, Badalona (Barcelona), and from different neighbourhoods of Barcelona, such as La Mina, Bon Pastor and San Cosme.

The inaugural table was hosted by the rector of the Autonomous University, Javier Lafuente, and the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, Margarita Freixas. In the company of members of the Drom Kotar Mestipen Assembly.

The conference was given by Silvia Molina, Professor of the Department of Pedagogy at the University of Rovira i Virgili who was the speaker on the topic: Special educational needs in the Roma community: barriers to inclusion and learning. Actions to overcome them. Topic previously chosen by the Roma women.

Teacher’s Union discuss Role models in Schools

Rosa Cisneros, Coventry University, March 14th 2023

The National Union of Teachers was a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It was a member of the Trades Union Congress. NASUWT, the Teachers’ Union, provides unrivalled protection, benefits and support for teachers, from professional advice and legal support to High Street discounts and free training. By ‘putting teachers first’, the NASUWT works to enhance the status of the teaching profession to deliver real improvements to teachers’ working lives, seeking to ensure they are recognised and rewarded as highly skilled professionals with working conditions that enable them to focus on their core role of teaching.

The NASUWT have access to national advice lines and offer trainings and sessions to their members. The NASUWT asked members of the GTRSB school and HE Pledges to deliver a session. Rosa Cisneros from the RTransform Project presented the resources and the importance of having role models in the schools. The workshop included presenting various GTRSB Pledge films and also answered specific questions on how to improve educational success for GTR pupils in the UK. The participants ranged from head teachers of schools, to teachers, teaching assistants, and other staff. Cisneros provided evidence of the benefits of implementing successful educational actions and invited guests to peruse the website and all of the open access materials.

The Future is in your hands! 

Rosa Cisneros, Coventry University (UK) Feb 18, 2023 

Romano Lav, a community-based organisation and registered charity working in Govanhill, Glasgow with the local migrant Roma communities. Romano Lav comes from the Romanes language, meaning ‘Roma Voice’. 
  
The organisation is steered and shaped by the voices of the Roma communities they work with; and in particular the voices of Roma youth. The staff and sessional workers work together to support and empower the local communities, with Roma youth-led decisions at the heart of everything they do. The Roma young people are the leaders of the organization, and work within their communities through street work to achieve a number of outcomes, such as identifying real-time needs and concerns that the communities may have. This grassroots approach to their work is also present in how they organise their events and activities. All their decisions are made horizontally and work through an ethos of equality and mutual respect and shared responsibility. 

For the last year and half Rosa Cisneros has known the organisation and was involved with the first iteration of the Community Catalyst programme. Rosa travelled up to Glasgow, Scotland to meet and work with Roma young people from the vibrant Govanhill area. The session presented the RTransform project and our ethos and values. Health inequalities were discussed and the manner that voices can be amplified through education. There were a total of 12 young people from the age of 15-22 years of age. We discussed the RTransform Gatherings and the importance of bringing together policy and grassroots voices. Specifically, we looked at real-life,  evidenced-based examples of health inequalities and problem-solved how we would react in those situations. The young community catalysts were engaged and super excited to know more about the project and to contribute to the thinking happening. The participants discussed the various ways they have and lose control within health environments and offered powerful insight into what could be done. Personal stories were shared and deep listening took place. The young Roma leaders acknowledged that education is key to defending human rights.  

Students are speaking your language!

Rosa Cisneros (Coventry University, UK) Jan 30th, 2023

FirVale School (Sheffield, UK) was the host of the second UK Roma Women’s Gathering. The school has a mix of different ethnicities and the school celebrates success, hard work and achievement, and take pride in what they do. They instil should confidence in their pupils and show respect for the school’s environment and their communities. They take an interest in learning about what the multiple families have in common and believe we should all be kind to one another and treat others as you want to be treated. FirVale school prides itself in being a safe space for Roma young people and gives them loads of opportunities.

Recently, the schools started the Language Leaders programme where pupils are given opportunities to tap into their multi-lingual backgrounds and are encouraged to bring the language and the cultural surrounding, into the classroom.

Students from all year groups applied for a Language Leader post and the successful applicants were awarded their badge in an assembly with external visitor Rosa Cisneros from Coventry University. Cisneros discussed her own non-linear career path and also the importance that languages has played for educational success for Roma pupils within the RTransform project. Cisneros actively encouraged the young people to embrace their languages as these could be future career paths. The Language Leaders will be supporting staff and students in the FirVale school community.

The role of the National Coordination Committee in the terms of RTransform project by Municipality of Ampelokipi Menemeni.

Στο πλαίσιο του διακρατικού έργου με τίτλο: «Roma Women transforming the educational systems around Europe through their social and political mobilizations – (Romnia Transform – RTRANSFORM : Οι γυναίκες Ρομά μετατρέπουν τα εκπαιδευτικά συστήματα σε όλη την Ευρώπη μέσω της κοινωνικής και πολιτικής κινητοποίησής τους)», του ευρωπαϊκού προγράμματος Erasmus+, που συγχρηματοδοτείται από την Ε.Ε. (https://rtransform.eu/), ο δήμος Αμπελοκήπων – Μενεμένης αποτελεί εταίρο ενός πολυδύναμου συνεργατικού σχήματος, όπου συμμετέχουν φορείς από την Ισπανία, την Ουγγαρία, την Αγγλία και τη Βουλγαρία. Κύριος στόχος του έργου είναι η ενδυνάμωση και η ενίσχυση της συμμετοχής γυναικών Ρομά στην εκπαίδευση ως βασική προϋπόθεση της κοινωνικής ένταξης μέσω της εφαρμογής της καλής πρακτικής των Συναντήσεων που προάγει τις φωνές των γυναικών από το τοπικό επίπεδο προς τα κέντρα λήψης αποφάσεων και χάραξης πολιτικών.

Συγκεκριμένα, το έργο στηρίζεται στην πρακτική των εκπαιδευτικών Συγκεντρώσεων Γυναικών Ρομά (Roma Women Students Gatherings / RWSG), που αποδεδειγμένα έχει φέρει θετικά αποτελέσματα κατά την πολυετή εφαρμογή του στην Ισπανία. Ειδικότερα, πρόκειται για μια πρακτική που εφαρμόζεται τα τελευταία είκοσι χρόνια από τον οργανισμό Romani Association of Women Drom Kotar Mestipen, ο οποίος αποτελείται από γυναίκες Ρομά με έδρα τη Βαρκελώνη της Ισπανίας.

Αξιοσημείωτο είναι το γεγονός ότι γυναίκες ανεξαρτήτως ηλικίας και εκπαιδευτικού υποβάθρου συμμετέχουν ενεργά σε όλα τα στάδια σχεδιασμού και διεξαγωγής των συγκεντρώσεων με σκοπό τη διασφάλιση της ουσιαστικής συμπερίληψής τους. Στην προσπάθεια δημιουργίας πεδίου έκφρασης των πραγματικών αναγκών και προβληματισμών των γυναικών σχετικά με την πρόσβαση στην εκπαίδευση αλλά και της δημιουργίας διαύλων επικοινωνίας με τον ευρύτερο κοινωνικό χώρο, η ενεργή συμμετοχή των γυναικών αποτελεί κλειδί, καθώς η φωνή τους είναι αυτή που μπορεί να φέρει την αλλαγή και τον μετασχηματισμό στο κοινωνικό αλλά και το εκπαιδευτικό σύστημα.

Δεδομένου του πρωταγωνιστικού ρόλου των γυναικών, η μεθοδολογία του Έργου προβλέπει εξ αρχής ως αναγκαίο όρο τη δημιουργία Εθνικών Επιτροπών Συντονισμού (National Coordination Committee / NCC) αποτελούμενων από γυναίκες Ρομά. Χαρακτηριστικά των εν λόγω επιτροπών είναι η διαγενεακότητα αλλά και η ποικιλομορφία, αφού σε αυτές συμμετέχουν γυναίκες από τις τσιγγάνικες κοινότητες με ποικίλα κοινωνικά προφίλ που εκφράζουν διαφορετικές εμπειρίες και προοπτικές, αλληλοεπιδρώντας θετικά στην ενίσχυση και τη συμμετοχή κι άλλων γυναικών από όποιον χώρο κι αν προέρχονται, ακαδημαϊκό ή μη. Ειδικότερα, η συντονιστική επιτροπή ως κεντρικός πυρήνας και κινητήριος μοχλός των Συναντήσεων επιλέγει κάθε φορά τα θέματα προς ανάπτυξη και συζήτηση, συμμετέχει σε όλες τις φάσεις της διοργάνωσης καθώς και στις διαδικασίες διάδοσής της.

Όπως αναφέρεται και στον Οδηγό διεξαγωγής των Συναντήσεων, ο οποίος δημιουργήθηκε για τις ανάγκες του Έργου, οι γυναίκες “είναι αυτές που οδηγούν την όλη διαδικασία προετοιμασίας από την πρώτη λεπτομέρεια μέχρι και την τελευταία”, ενώ ο ρόλος των οργανώσεων παραμένει επικουρικός.

Έτσι, οι γυναίκες γίνονται κύριοι φορείς (πομποί) και αποδέκτες των θετικών επιδράσεων των Συναντήσεων. Μεταξύ αυτών αναφέρονται η ενθάρρυνση των κοριτσιών να παραμείνουν και να συνεχίσουν στη δευτεροβάθμια εκπαίδευση και έπειτα και στο πανεπιστήμιο, καθώς και η προώθηση της κατάρτισης ενηλίκων γυναικών Ρομά. Ακόμη, η κινητοποίηση των γυναικών, η βελτίωση των εκπαιδευτικών προσδοκιών, η κατάρριψη στερεοτύπων που φέρουν οι ίδιες για τη θέση τους στην κοινωνία, καθώς και η διεκδίκηση του δικαιώματος στην εκπαίδευση είναι σημαντικό να αναφερθούν ως θετικές επιδράσεις. Τέ

λος, η άρση των πολλαπλών διακρίσεων που αντιμετωπίζουν οι γυναίκες Ρομά και η καταπολέμηση των παγιωμένων στερεοτύπων που παρουσιάζουν γυναίκες και άνδρες από τις τσιγγάνικες κοινότητες να απέχουν από την εκπαίδευση αποκλειστικά κατ’ επιλογή βρίσκονται στο επίκεντρο των Συναντήσεων, ενώ ταυτόχρονα συναντούν στον αντίποδα τις πραγματικές φωνές των σύγχρονων γυναικών Ρομά που προτείνουν λύσεις στο πολύπλευρο πρόβλημα του εκπαιδευτικού αποκλεισμού, λύσεις τελικά που είναι απαραίτητο να ληφθούν υπόψη στη χάραξη πολιτικών για την κοινωνική ένταξη και στη διασφάλιση ενός δημοκρατικού κοινωνικού διαλόγου.

RTransform News Item

Author: Rosa Cisneros

Rosa Cisneros from Coventry University was invited to the Advisory Council for the Education of Romany and other Travellers 2023 Conference. The conference was held at the Liverpool John Moores University in Liverpool, UK on Friday Feb 3rd 2023. The theme of this year’s conference was Storytelling, Education and Wellbeing. There were several strands to the day with an official Welcome by Baroness Whitaker (ACERT Patron) and Patricia Joliffe of Liverpool John Moores University. The day also included the The development of the GRTSB Pledge – by Sherrie Smith, Ruby Smith and Emma Nuttall.

There were several Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community members sharing their important work. The conference, seeks to address Storytelling, Education and Community from the perspectives of schools and communities. We heard from individuals  how the GRTSB Pledge is being implemented in Schools and Higher Education and the role of the communities in providing culturally appropriate resources for curriculum.  

The conference also discussed  how to extend its reach and impact, looking at the role of activists and governments and the importance in brokering that relationship.  The panels discussed how discrimination and exclusion can damage mental health, and Sheldon Chadwick, Candace Thomas, Sally Carr, and Violet Cannon Smith discussed their work with Showmen and other Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities to recognise the issues and promote well-being. 

Image Credit: Travelllers Times 2023 

Finally, Cisneros ended the day discussing her work with local grassroots communities and presented RTransform and the project’s resources, values and methodological approach to working with political units, as well schools and grassroots community voices.   

Full programme can be accessed here: LINK 

Roma Women Students Gathering, in the Second Chance School in Thessaloniki, Greece

On Friday, 27th of January, Alternative Innovative Development organized their second Roma Women Students Gathering, in the Second Chance School Ampelokipi Menemeni in Thessaloniki.

Around 60 Roma women attended from all parts of Greece, 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 Second Chance Schools!

You can see the highlights video for more information and the report about the conclusions

Second Roma Women  Gathering in Hungary
Took Place in July 15-16 2022 
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.

On Saturday 28th May, the XXI Roma Women Student Gathering of Catalonia took place in the city of Amposta

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.