ternYpe participates in the Roma Youth Conference
ternYpe participates with 10 people, representing all member organizations, in the Roma Youth Conference, which started on the 26th of September in Strasbourg and is hosted by the Council of Europe. The conference brings together 50 representatives and youth leaders of Roma youth organizations and young Roma between 18 and 30 years in order to discuss needs and challenges of Roma youth and youth organizations, to exchange experience in youth work and to develop guidelines for a Roma Youth Action Plan of the Council of Europe and beyond for 2012-2013.
ternYpe considers the conference as a great potential to draw attention of politicians, institutions and society to the needs and challenges, but also to the activism of young Roma and non-Roma around Europe to challenge stereotypes and racism and to make Europe an equal place for Roma. Over half of the Roma population is young people and children. As young people we are not just the future, but we are here already and want to make a change today.
ternYpe believes that this conference should not be another lost opportunity! This conference should make a change and have a great impact on the activism, mobilization and empowerment of Roma youth! ternYpe expects a concrete, realistic, but ambitious Roma Youth Action Plan based on the participation of youth and youth organizations and a better coordination between international stakeholders such as the Council of Europe Youth Directorate, Open Society Institute and the European Commission. ternYpe also expects that the conference will create a REAL space for young people to discuss and to put forward their own priorities. Moreover, youth participation should be secured during the conference, but also in the follow-up to accompany the Roma Youth Action Plan. So follow-up online in the upcoming days what happens in Strasbourg on www.ternype.eu.
