Local
Strategy for change - s4change (2022-2024)
The project will assess anti-discrimination policies in Lithuania, provide detailed recommendations, and increase teachers’ and young people’s resilience to anti-Semitic, Romophobic, and xenophobic narratives. The activities are implemented in cooperation with the Lithuanian Centre for Human Rights and the Jewish Community of Lithuania. The project is co-funded by the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program.
Miro foro/My city (2023)
The project in Vilnius aims to empower young individuals from the Roma community through creative endeavors, enabling them to advocate for their right to the city and participate actively in community initiatives. By shedding light on the challenges faced by socially excluded youth, the project strives to diminish their marginalization within society. It emphasizes fostering artistic self-expression and engaging these youth in cultural and social activities within the city. The project’s objectives encompass organizing educational events, facilitating the exploration of Vilnius and its culture, creating a documentary film script, and arranging events to showcase project outcomes through a digital campaign. The project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Vilnius City Municipality.
Towards the change (2023)
The project’s goal is to promote non-discrimination and equal opportunities through various means like raising public awareness of key policies, enhancing teacher capacity through workshops, using film festivals to foster positive attitudes, and conducting a social media campaign to reduce stereotypes and inform the public. Additionally, the project aims to empower local Jewish and Roma communities. It is done by strengthening community resilience and activism against discrimination while training educators and social workers to analyze legal frameworks and produce informative content. Project partners: the Lithuanian Centre for Human Rights, the Lithuanian Jewish Community, the Roma Community Centre, the Panevėžys Roma Community, Nepatogus Kinas. The project is funded by the Ministry of Social Security and Labour.
My Rights: Strengthening Quality Human Rights Discourse in Lithuania (2022-2023)
The Lithuanian Center for Human Rights together with its partners is implementing the project “My Rights: Strengthening Quality Human Rights Discourse in Lithuania”.
The aim of the project is to strengthen the quality of human rights discourse in Lithuania by empowering NGOs from different human rights fields to communicate about the issues of the groups they represent and by expanding the largest human rights portal manoteises.lt.
Project objectives:
1. To bring together a network of experts in different fields of human rights, to strengthen the competences of experts on human rights issues, and to strengthen cooperation between organizations;
2. To carry out proactive communication on human rights issues, to raise the profile of experts in the public sphere, and to expand the content of the largest human rights portal manoteises.lt;
3. Increase the financial independence and sustainability of manoteises.lt.
Main activities:
1. Networking sessions of human rights NGO experts
2. Capacity building for human rights experts
3. Preparation and publication of articles
4. Dissemination of articles and raising the profile of experts
5. Study on alternative financial options for the manoteises.lt portal
6. Implementation of a financial tool.
Project partners: The project is part of the Active Citizens Fund, funded by the EEA Financial Mechanism.
Amaro Šukaripen - our beauty (2022)
The idea for the project was conceived during a visit to the partner organization Trajosko Drom in Sweden, where local Roma are active in social and cultural life. The project included workshops on Roma history and the role of women in it, the contemporary situation of Roma girls, the compatibility of tradition and modern life. Traditional Romani dresses with contemporary elements were created, and a fashion show with audio-visual elements was planned at the end of the project at the MO Museum. The event is planned as the closing event of Andrew Mikšys’ exhibition BAXT. The project is funded by the Department of National Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.
"I Can - Empower the Roma Community by Promoting Social Inclusion" (2020-2022)
The main goal of the project is to empower the Roma community by promoting social integration. The aim of this project is not only to enable Roma to become more actively involved in local community activities, but also to promote dialogue between Roma and non-Roma, thus reducing negative attitudes in society. During the project we will coordinate volunteering activities and mentoring. The project is partly funded by the Active Citizens’ Fund.
Archive of Lithuanian Roma Oral History (2021)
During the project, our team, together with international scholars and experts in Romani language and history, collected ethnographic material about the Lithuanian Roma community, memories of the war, nomadic life experiences, life in the Soviet era, and traditional dishes. All the stories were collected in Romani and later translated into Lithuanian. The project also collected unique video material from the National M.K. Čiurlionas Museum, Šiauliai “Aušra” Museum, Lithuanian Special Archive, and the Vrublevskis Library. The project was partly financed by the Department of National Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Council for Culture, Vilnius City Municipality.
We are empowered (2021 - present)
The main objective of this follow-up project is to empower Roma girls and women to participate more actively in public life, in the labor market, in career planning, competence building, and literacy development. The project organizes regular social skills sessions, weekly Lithuanian language courses, computer literacy classes, vocational guidance, and career planning sessions. The project is funded by Vilnius City Municipality.
„ROM HOP” (2020)
The project aimed to unleash the creative potential of children and youth through contemporary dance and music, fostering interest in their identity and active participation in cultural activities. Children participated in rap workshops and street dance classes. The project was partially financed by Vilnius city municipality and the Department of National Minorities.
“We Are Community Superheroes” (2019-2020)
The continuous project is aimed at the employment and empowerment of young Roma and other socially vulnerable young people in Vilnius, especially in Naujininkai and Naujamiestis districts. During the project, various educational, professional, creative, and artistic activities were carried out in order to integrate Roma and other young people experiencing social exclusion into public life and to strengthen their social and professional competencies. The project was partially financed by Vilnius city municipality.
"Draw Me a Path." Illustrated History of Lithuanian Roma ”(2019
Together with illustrator Akvile Magicdust, we created the first comic about the Roma community in Lithuania. It tells the history of the Lithuanian Roma and promotes tolerance for different cultures and customs. The comic was awarded the National Equality and Diversity Award in the field of dialogue between nations. The project was partially funded by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, and the Department of National Minorities.
“100 Years of Independence Through My Lens” (2017)
An artistic photography project, during which it was discussed what it means to be a national minority in Lithuania, how children understand Lithuanianness and citizenship. The project was designed to commemorate the centenary of the restoration of the Lithuanian state. With disposable film cameras, children creatively and uniquely captured the century they live in – their close environment and relationships. The project involved 30 children who captured more than 600 photos of important moments. The project was partially funded by the Lithuanian Culture Council.
