February 8-9. 2020. Paris, France
The Networking meeting in France took place in Paris between February 8 and 9. 2020, and brought together over 20 young people and activists. The meeting started with a welcome dinner and was continued the next morning with games to get to know each other. The meeting had two main focus, one was to introduce initiatives and projects such as the Roma Youth Voices or the EcolePourTous. As part of the presentation of the Roma Youth Voices project, the concept of the national Roma youth platforms was highlighted and a concept of a joint May 16 – Romani Resistance campaign was shared.
Throughout the workshops, Pierre Chopinaud, who worked a lot on Romani Resistance and the main concept and idea of resistance comes from his national NGO, La Voix des Rroms, had and input about May 16- Romani Resistance day and shared the history from where does it coming from and expressed that even the historical facts of the day are questioned, civil society all around Europe use May 16 as a symbolic day for resistance in our presence.
Participants were invited to work in small groups and to develop an initiative which can be done all together or by smaller groups to celebrate May 16 – Romani Resistance day in France. Participants agreed they will organize a public event in Paris, involving Raymond Gureme, Holocaust survivor, to raise public awareness about the situation of Roma and Travellers in France but also to make visible they show their courage in the past and in the present as well.
The meeting was part of the Roma Youth Voices Project, funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme of the DG Justice, European Commission.
