A seminar on Roma youth participation and intersectional discrimination

at the occasion of the International Roma Day

in cooperation with the Roma and Travellers Team of the Council of Europe

ABOUT THE 2023 SEMINAR

 The seminar “Roma Youth Together” brings together 35 Roma young people and youth workers to discuss and learn about the consequences of intersectional discrimination on notably, Roma girls and women, young people, Roma LGBTI+ people and Roma migrants.

The seminar, Roma Youth Together, will take place at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg from 4 to 6 April. As in previous years, the activity is co-organised with Roma-led youth organisations, including the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC), TernYpe, the European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO) Network and Phiren Amenca.

On 6 April, as part of the seminar, a Flower Casting ceremony will be organised at the European Youth Centre Strasbourg to mark the International Roma Day. The ceremony will gather participants of the seminar, the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the Mayors of the City of Strasbourg and Schiltigheim and choir of the  Musicascola from the Collèges Rouget de l’Isle and Leclerc in Schiltigheim

 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The seminar aims at connecting Roma youth leaders with the Council of Europe European policy processes in view of addressing intersectional discrimination as part of strategies for empowerment and youth participation.

Its specific objectives are:

• to share recent experiences, concerns and conflicts affecting Roma youth with a focus on intersectional discrimination and antigypsyism, its impact on meaningful youth participation and develop a common understanding of the causes and consequences it has on young people;
• to identify strategies and practices for the empowerment of Roma youth, Roma communities and Roma civil society, taking into account the intersectional approach to discrimination;
• to connect participants with the Council of Europe’s work in the field of meaningful Roma youth participation;
• to celebrate International Roma Day with a perspective of Roma young people and with visibility given to their work in the field of combatting intersectional discrimination;
• to reconnect and to strengthen partnerships with European youth organisations and networks working in the field of Roma participation.