International
Intergenerational Learning - Pen Tiri Historia (2023-2024)
The project’s main aim is to revitalize the endangered Roma language through intergenerational learning, preserving living memory for future generations. Roma youth interview elders to document fading language and stories, safeguarding the Roma cultural heritage. They work on writing in Romani and adapting stories for a wider audience in collaboration with language teachers. Additionally, the project fosters cross-border connections between young Roma from Sweden and Lithuania, promoting linguistic skills, cultural understanding, and societal awareness. The project is funded by NordPlus.
Roma in the Baltics: a photography book of pre-war Roma communities in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia (2023)
The project aims to raise awareness of the Baltic Roma communities’ history, preserve and share archival materials, and enhance academic cooperation in minority studies and cultural heritage. The uniqueness of the topic lies in long-standing misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding the Roma communities in the Baltic region, addressing historiographical negligence, and bringing attention to their significant presence for over 500 years. The Baltic states are home to diverse Roma groups, and the project seeks to shed light on their unique heritage and experiences, emphasizing their integral connection to the Baltic region. The project is funded by the Department of National Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Council for Culture, Vilnius City Municipality.
Proud to be different (2023)
An international project organised in partnership with the Turkish Roma Youth Association ROMGEDER to run a summer camp in Izmir, Turkey. 35 young people took part in discussions about their communities, challenges in their neighbourhoods, their relationship with nature and how to empower Roma youth to make a difference in their own communities. We met with local authorities, visited municipalities, the youth department and a youth centre. The project was funded by the Erasmus+ programme.
Baltic Roma Youth Summer School (2022-2023)
The summer school provides a safe space for Roma youth to explore identities, foster networking among Baltic-Finnish Roma youth, and raise awareness of Roma history, culture, and languages. It aims to enhance Romani language learning, offer diverse workshops for new experiences, and boost self-esteem through historical exploration. The network associated with the initiative addresses educational gaps in Roma history and culture awareness, engages Roma communities and youth in Romani Studies, and supports collaboration among scholars and activists at the Baltic-Finnish level. The project is funded by the Department of National Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.
The:place (2021-2023)
We are part of an international program that aims to promote cooperation between EU and Turkish NGOs, to create an international network of organizations, and to build sustainable relationships between civil society organizations and local authorities. Together with the Turkish organization Izmir Center for the Right to the City, the project will encourage young people to become more involved in exploring the city, creating public spaces that are freely accessible, and gaining confidence in how to represent youth issues in municipal institutions. We will share good practices in Roma integration, and learn about the history and current situation of Roma in Turkey.
„TRUST“ (2020-2022).
It is an international Nordic-Baltic project that aims to develop an innovative methodology focused on adult volunteering of Roma and other members of society, aiming to develop mutual trust and social integration. An important element of the project is learning from the good Nordic practice in the field of Roma integration. Project partners: Roma Community Center (LT), Center for Educational Initiatives (LV), Trajosko Drom (SE). The project is co-funded by Nordplus Adult, the Nordic Council of Ministers. More about the project:
www.trust-nordplus.com
Handbook TRUST created during the project accesibble here: TRUST handbook
„Take a chance – build the trust“ (2019-2022).
It is an international volunteering project that enables young people from all over Europe to get involved in local community activities, to contribute to the empowerment of children and young people from vulnerable families, and to learn about Europe’s cultural diversity. We assign mentors and tutors to all international volunteers and help them learn the Lithuanian language and successfully integrate into the local community. The project is funded by the European Solidarity Corps.
„EmpoweROMent“ (2021).
It is an international training program for youth workers, during which we want to share the experience of working with young Roma, strengthen the competencies of youth workers, introduce innovative informal education methods, and create an international network of non-governmental organizations working with vulnerable groups. We plan to organize training sessions in the autumn of 2021. The project is funded by the Erasmus + program.