Regional Roma Educational Youth Association-RROMA

RROMA is a youth-led organizaton that works on empowerment and mobilization of young Roma through creative methods and campaigning in order for them to become active citizens and positive role models in their communities. RROMA works on the personal development of young Roma through non-formal education, also on the advocacy of young Roma to remain enrolled in the process of education. RROMA is active in the North-eastern region of the Republic of Macedonia. Until this point in time, RROMA has conducted activities on strengthening the capacity of its members through seminars, workshops, debates etc. Themes such as: minorities rights, human rights, lobby and advocacy, leadership, team building, campaigning, creative methods, Roma culture etc. are very common topics for RROMA. In the past, the organization became the first Roma NGO to be appointed of the MK National Agency as a National point for promoting the Youth in Action programme among Roma youngsters in Macedonia. As well, the organization received the MTV Staying Alive Award in 2010 for its creative action to raise awareness among youngsters regarding HIV/AIDS, thus making it the first Roma and macedonian organization in the world to receive such award. As an organization, RROMA always works with new methods to foster the intercultural dialogue between European countries, between Roma and non-Roma. We promote the diversity of languages, cultures, identities and forms of artistic expressions as strength. Using art as action and tool, we managed to promote our philosophy of intercultural dialogue, anti-racism and the inclusion of minorities to a broad public by organizing flashmobs in Kratovo and Skopje, as part of youth exchanges. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTFm-Vyhus4; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJWzGTTHlOk). Also as an organization RROMA organized a couple of comic workshops, creating comics made by the participants (http://issuu.com/rroma/docs/roman/1; http://zastitise.blogspot.com/2014/05/comic-workshop-.html; http://zastitise.blogspot.com/2011/04/comic-drawing-in-kratovo.html ) We strongly support the process of learning and creating something in a group of young people by giving them the space to express themselves. We are using a lot of different methods to empower young people's creativity, such as group-building activities, getting to know each other, methods of intercultural learning; tool theatre: used to exchange the vision of the future in Europe; market of skills (giving and taking): youngsters teaching each other based on their own skills and interests. For RROMA it is important to have active citizens and positive roles models among the younger generation, as well the voice of young people to be heard.