Young Roma men and women from across Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered in Sarajevo for this three-day event called “Voice of Young Roma – Change Begins with Us!”
The event was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Roma Integration Program – Phase III, Caritas Switzerland, and the Center for Integrative Inclusion of Roma from Bijeljina.
The first day was dedicated to speeches by representatives of institutions and international organizations supporting the capacity building of young Roma, as well as interactive team activities and a presentation on Roma history, culture, and the fight against antigypsyism, delivered by a representative of the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC). An important document from the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina – the Guidelines for Combating Antigypsyism – was also presented.
On the second day, young Roma shared their experiences of discrimination and participation in social processes, together with experts and activists from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. An interactive exercise on different starting positions highlighted the inequalities faced by young Roma in education, employment, and access to rights. A key activity of the second day was consultations on the draft of the new Action Plan for Roma Social Inclusion in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the period 2026–2030.
The third and final day marked Roma Resistance Day and featured presentations of concrete youth initiatives along with a visit to the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The closing messages of the event emphasized that young Roma have the strength, knowledge, and energy to bring about change in their communities, but they need support and assistance from institutions and international partners in these efforts.
