Roma Youth Workers for a Vibrant Civil Society

1. Capacity building Training for Roma Youth workers 

A 5-day Training for 12 Roma youth workers from North Macedonia and Serbia on gender equality, discrimination, antigypsyism, IT tools and focus groups was organized in Veles, North Macedonia.

The training was implemented by certified trainers, in an interactive way with practice tasks for the participants. The aim of the training was to empower the capacities of Roma women and youth workers in Roma women organizations from North Macedonia and Serbia for influencing the Roma youth participation in
democratic processes.

Training topics:
1) Gender equality – what is gender equality and why is important
2) Antidiscrimination – what is discrimination, how to recognize its forms and how we can act against discrimination by using existing tools
3) Antigypsyism – learn together about the concept of antigypsyism, how to recognize its forms, and ways to raise awareness of this phenomenon
4) Digital tools – learning IT tools and the use of digital tools in the everyday work with Roma youth, especially on organizing and implementation raising awareness campaigns.
5) Focus groups – organization and conducting focus groups as tool for data collection and analysis.

2. News Flash Meetings

The participants after the training will have follow-up meetings on regular basis, once or twice in a month, in order to share their views, and challenges, share good practices, useful tools and information regarding the organization of focus groups and collecting data.
The meetings of the participants served as a communication tool between the youth workers which gave continuity since they were able to talk on a monthly basis, and share their opinions, experiences, and challenges throughout the implementation
of the activities. At the same time, this activity is  a networking tool for building trust and cooperation between the youngsters, and as well between the partner organizations. Overall, this activity have an impact on increasing active youth participation.

3. Conducting Focus groups with the local Roma Youth community

Leading focus groups with the local community identification of current problems and recommendations for prevention and resolution of already existing problems in the area of discrimination, antigypsyism and gender equality is the aim of this activity.

The 12 Roma youth workers who took part in the training had the task as a follow up to organize and conduct focus groups with the young Roma population from the local communities from North Macedonia and Serbia. To the group of youth workers was provided mentorship support, i.e one mentor was engaged for each country group of youth workers. The mentors’ task was to lead the Roma youth workers in the process of preparation, organizing and conducting focus groups, as well to monitor closely their work.

The Roma youth workers with the support of their mentors and the project team have conducted 8 focus groups with 51 young Roma people from North Macedonia and Serbia.

• 4 focus groups conducted with participants-young Roma from 7 municipalities in North Macedonia in the territory of City Skopje: Suto Orizari, Gjorce Petrov, Cair, Centar, Kisela voda, Aerodrom, Gazi baba.
• 4 focus groups conducted with young Roma participants in Serbia in 3 cities: Nis, ,Aleksinac, Zitkovac
• Total number of 51 participants – young Roma people aged from 16 to 33  years old,  both male and female, have participated in the focus groups and shared their perceptions regarding the topics.
• 1 created a methodology for conducting focus groups with the local community on the topics of discrimination,
  gender equality, and antigypsyism
• 1 created Мanual for conducting focus groups with the local community.

4. Reporting from collected data of conducted focus groups

The data collected from the conducted focus groups was proceed and used by the partner organizations for creating  national reports. The data of the national reports was the basis of the analysis as well as desktop research of the state’s current legal frameworks and mechanisms on the target topics which was elaborated to one prepared Regional report.  The report give a picture of the level of knowledge, perceptions, the needs and challenges of the youth community. More precisely of the young Roma community regarding what are their perception about  gender equality or inequality, gender stereotypes and harmful patriarchal attitudes, to identify the level of knowledge and recognition of discrimination and its direct or indirect forms, as well as about reporting and dealing with discriminatory behaviors, what are the challenges they face from discrimination and antigypsyism, and what is the level of knowing what antigypsysm is. The report also presents a set of recommendations for improvement of the current state on the topics: Roma youth participation, gender equality, discrimination, and antigypsysm. 

• 2 national reports prepared from conducted focus groups with youth Roma communities from North Macedonia and Serbia
• 1 Regional report prepared relating to analysis of the data collected from the focus groups, ,  as well information about the current overall situation, present mechanisms, law regulations in the region, and defined recommendations for relevant stakeholders with aim improvement of current state.

Read the Report from North Macedonia
REPORT OF THE PERCEPTIONS AND VIEWPOINTS OF YOUNG ROMA AS REGARDS GENDER (IN)EQUALITY, DISCRIMINATION AND ANTIGYPSYISM

5. Raise Awareness Campaign

The youth workers had the opportunity to share the gained knowledge and experience from the training via an Informative and educational video campaign. The data collected from the organized focus groups and the gained experience from the training was also a driven path and motivation for the Roma youth workers in preparation of short videos with informative, educational, raise-awareness and advocate character. The campaign is distributed in Macedonian, Romani , Serbian and English language, and disseminated though various various digital tools, social (online) and traditional media.

The target group of this activity are the youth, the young Roma and the Roma community in general. As well, as relevant stakeholders such as local and national institutions, schools, international organizations, local CSOs, human rights activists, media in the partner countries, in the Balkan region, as well on European level. 

The campaign had impact on increasing the Roma youth’s participation in detecting and raising voice about issues related to gender equality, discrimination and antigypsyism, as well Roma youth participation.

• 1 campaign strategy and plan created
• Roma youth workers mobilized to take specific actions for promotion, advocating and awareness  raising through active participation
• 4 videos produced
• Dissemination and promotion of Campaign via partner organization’s social media channels, websites, groups, and local
  and national mediums.
• 1 Regional raising awareness campaign conducted