Training-Course about Education on the Roma Holocaust, Resistance and Remembrance

The training-course aims to build the capacity of Roma and non-Roma educators and youth leaders, as well as their youth organizations in their work on remembrance, Holocaust and human rights education in order to challenge stereotypes, anti-Gypsyism and racism. The project gives special attention to the theme of Romani Resistance during World War II, as well as on the educational work with oral history and testimonies of survivors. It strives to enable young Roma activist and scholars to collect and/or analyse testimonies in order to produce knowledge about acts of resistance performed by Roma during the Holocaust and in its aftermath.

The project builds on the experience of the Roma Genocide Remembrance Initiative of the past years, as well as on the expertise of the Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma, which built the first exhibition on the Roma Holocaust in Heidelberg and in the Auschwitz-Museum, as well as which developed various educational tools in this context. The resistance of Roma during the Holocaust is the theme of a two year project of the Tom Lantos Institute, ternYpe and La Voix des Rroms which aims to develop a common narrative and concept of Roma resistance through research, training and discussions.

Venue: Heppenheim/Heidelberg (Germany)
Dates: 16 – 22 March 2016 (including travel days)

Applications through the online application form are welcome until 10 February 2016.

Outline of the Training-Course (pdf download)

For more information please see the call with the programme of the training attached or contact Anna Daróczi at a.daroczi@tomlantosinstitute.hu

The Roma Genocide Remembrance Initiative is an initiative of ternYpe International Roma Youth Network; the conference in Heidelberg/Heppenheim is coordinated by ternYpe, Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma, Tom Lantos Institute, Nevo Parudimos and Haus am Maiberg. 

The project is supported by the Europe for Citizens program, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, and the German Ministry of Youth and Family affairs (BMFSFJ) within its program “Live Democracy – Active against right-wing extremism, violence and group-focused enmity” and the Stiftung Erinnerung Verantwortung Zukunft (EVZ).

Aims

This international training-course aims at the capacity-building of Roma and non-Roma educators and youth leaders, as well as their youth organizations in their work on remembrance, Holocaust and human rights education and on the resistance of the Roma in order to challenge stereotypes, anti-Gypsyism and racism.

 Aims and objectives

1. Raise the awareness of Roma and non-Roma educators regarding the remembrance of the Roma Holocaust; Introducing the importance of remembrance and the role it can play in building a positive identity;
2. Strengthen and develop the skills of the educators in remembrance, Holocaust and human rights education to apply non-formal educational tools and methods in their work with young people;
3. Raise awareness on the Romani resistance during World War II; familiarising young Roma with the concepts of resistance
4. Training Roma youth on analysing existing testimonies – how to extract data about different forms of resistance of Roma from already recorded interviews; Training Roma youth on conducting interviews with survivors, witnesses and their descendants; Engaging them in collecting testimonies and analysing existing ones in the next phase of the project “Roma and Resistance during the Holocaust and in its aftermath - Research, Education, Remembrance”; training in the educational work with oral history and testimonies of survivors;
5. Reflect and develop educational approaches to lead Roma youth groups to Auschwitz and other concentration camps and memorial sites;
6. Exchange practices, strategies and educational methods and tools of Holocaust and remembrance education regarding the Roma genocide;
7. Develop and plan educational activities for 2016-2017, strengthen the partnership of organizations.

Logistics
The main conference venue and the accommodation is organized in the “Haus am Maiberg” – a good standard centre for civic education in Heppenheim. https://www.haus-am-maiberg.de/

Costs

There is no participation fee. The organizers cover the costs for accommodation, board and any program-related costs. Travel costs are reimbursed during the seminar or afterwards by bank transfer based on a fully presented travel reimbursement claim (flight bookings, boarding tickets, invoices, bus/train tickets), based on the cheapest means and up to a certain amount (Western Europe max. 150 Euro, Eastern Europe 200 €; for questions contact the organizers). Do not book any tickets until you received a confirmation email after the selection, and instructions on logistics.