According to the National Strategy for Roma in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Roma are considered to be the most vulnerable ethnic community in the country. Levels of poverty among Roma are far higher relative to other groups, as a consequence of a range of historical and social factors. Roma face continuous social exclusion.

The repercussions of the above have impacted on the educational attainment of Roma and their access to public services, housing and health care. Unemployment among Roma is the highest of any group in the country. Roma make up 2.6% of the total population, but over 70% of this group who are of working age are without work.

The majority of the Roma population is young and shares all the problems of the wider Roma population, but they also face other difficulties associated with their age. At the same time, young Roma lack appropriate representation to enable them to address these challenges at relevant levels, with the relevant institutions.

Roma youth are often not recognised as a specific target group and therefore the impact in terms of policy making is relatively negligible and restricted to local levels.

Регионална Ромска Образовна Младинска Асоцијација – Regional Roma Educational Youth Association (RROMA), has a membership of around 250. Annually it directly involves approximately 150 young people in activities, while indirectly the organisation reaches between 1,000 and 3,000 young Roma in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Local Policy Development

RROMA works to encourage Roma youth participation at local and national levels. It promotes the establishment of independent Roma youth groups; because these groups are local they are better able to define the needs of local young Roma. RROMA works to connect these groups with the local municipality and so begin a process of engagement in local policy making. The idea is that the Roma youth groups, in co-operation with the local authorities, should establish local Roma Youth Action Plans (RYAP). These RYAPs are then presented to the municipal council for adoption. If they are adopted, it is expected that appropriate funding would be made available and that they would be fully implemented by the municipality in co-operation with the Roma youth group.

So far RROMA has signed 12 memorandums for co-operation, establishing RYAPs in 12 municipalities. RROMA is also promoting Roma youth participation in the National Youth Council (NYC) through the establishment of a Roma Youth Council (RYC). The aim of this initiative is to facilitate Roma participation in youth-policy making at a national level. It is hoped that this will aid in the mainstreaming of Roma youth issues nationally, and promote access for Roma youth to existing youth programmes.

National Youth Council

RROMA is working on the development of Roma youth participation with the National Youth Council. This is a voluntary initiative involving a number of Roma organisations. The organisations involved want to establish a Roma Youth Council. The establishment of a Roma Youth Council and its participation in the National Youth Council are part of a strategy to create a structure of participation in mainstream youth-policy making. At the same time it is seen as an opportunity to strengthen partnerships and networking between Roma youth organisations, groups working with young Roma and youth branches of Roma political parties.

The above initiative represents a first in the European context; it provides a representative platform for Roma Youth organisations, and other groups working on Roma youth issues, to work in partnership to improve the situation of Roma youth at the national level. The intention is to mainstream Roma youth issues in youth policies. The National Youth Council is planning to address the lack of adequate youth policies addressing Roma youth concerns, including unemployment, school segregation and the need to support intercultural dialogue between young people.

The whole concept being developed by RROMA has its foundations in the young people at local level. Without the direct and ongoing participation and commitment of these young people the rest of the initiative fails. The participation of the Roma young people in local youth action groups means that they identify their needs. The identified needs, through dialogue, become the “Roma youth issues”. These in turn become the basis for inclusion strategies, which, through co-operation with the local authorities, form the basis of Roma Youth Action Plans (RYAP). The RYAPs can then be developed into local policy proposals. The local youth action groups operate as a platform through which the young people can be engaged throughout the whole process. Ultimately it is the young people who participate in a dialogue with their local authorities. The initiative and the processes involved also lay the ground for young Roma to take responsibility and deal with the consequences of their actions and judgements.

The initiative promotes active citizenship and enables the Roma young people to gain participation competences. These include the ability to identify issues in local contexts, the development of planning skills, enhanced capacities in communication skills, the development of competence in advocacy, and the ability to monitor and evaluate the implementation of local policies.

Achieving the inclusion of Roma youth issues in local policy agendas is already a big step towards participation for the general population of Roma young people. The fact that it is achieved by the young people themselves in co-operation with local authorities is a huge step in participation for Roma young people. The mainstreaming of Roma youth issues into youth policies represents an important move for young Roma. This is also progressive in terms of gaining social recognition for the young people involved.

12 Municipalities

Work continues in 12 municipalities; in each they are establishing local youth action groups composed of young Roma and representatives from the local authorities. Representatives from the local authorities are responsible for improving the co-operation and communication with the young Roma and for providing insights into what the municipality can support.

The local youth action groups are identifying Roma youth issues and concerns at the local level. Their role is to promote inclusivity, avoid segregation of Roma young people, and demonstrate that young Roma experience difficulties because of social discrimination and prejudice. The groups will address the challenges young people face and work with the young Roma to develop views on and responses to these issues. This will act to promote Roma young people as leaders and agents of change.

There are challenges in terms of maintaining the motivation of all partners involved and ensuring that equal contributions to the process are forthcoming. This is made more complex because the priorities and resources of each local youth action group are unique. The initiative has been, and will continue to be, a challenge.

Local youth participation, in the development and establishment of Roma Youth Action Plans at the local level, helps to ensure the participation of Roma young people at the national level.

Though not a direct outcome of the work of RROMA, the initiatives have been a factor in the development of two significant youth policies that are about to be implemented:

• The government will initiate public debate about the position and rights of Roma youth, while adopting legislation to recognise youth work
• The National Agency for Youth and Sport will develop a National Youth Strategy with a Roma youth dimension.