We participated in Roma Week 2026 in Brussels

Roma Week has been taking place annually in Brussels since 2016, around 8 April, the International Roma Day. It is organised by European institutions in cooperation with civil society organisations and brings together actors from politics, EU institutions, civil society and Roma communities. Its aim is to highlight the political and social situation of Roma in Europe, strengthen equality, participation and inclusion at EU level, and raise awareness of antigypsyism as a fundamental human rights issue.

This year, the Amaro Drom team once again took part in Roma Week from 20th to 22nd April and contributed to panels, expert discussions and dialogue formats. The programme focused on topics such as structural antigypsyism, education, remembrance of the genocide against Roma and Sinti, and political strategies at EU level. Through panels, workshops and discussions, concrete demands were formulated and perspectives from the communities were brought to light.

Beyond the formal sessions, informal formats such as evening events and smaller meetings created space for exchange and networking. These moments enabled direct dialogue between Roma youth and political representatives, connecting lived experiences with European policymaking.

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Presentation of our TAAO project

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A key moment for us was participating in a panel where Merdjan Jakupov and Konstantinos Gkantinas presented our project “Together Against Antigypsyism Online” (TAAO). As part of the project, young monitors from several EU countries collected and documented antigypsyist content on social media, which was then analysed by experts. In total, more than 3,000 posts were recorded. Many of them remained online despite containing dehumanising language and stereotypical portrayals.

The findings show how widespread antigypsyism is in the digital space and how insufficiently it has been addressed so far by platforms and policymakers. Roma and Sinti continue to be disproportionately targeted by hate speech, stereotyping and dehumanising narratives.

Online antigypsyism is not an isolated phenomenon. It reinforces existing prejudices, shapes public discourse and has direct consequences for the everyday lives of those affected.

This is why the issue must be addressed at European level. The EU Roma Strategy up to 2030 explicitly highlights the fight against antigypsyism as a key priority. The findings of TAAO contribute important evidence and outline concrete recommendations for more effective policy measures and stronger accountability.

At the same time, the presentation created space to highlight the perspectives of young Roma involved in the project and to bring their experiences into the European debate.

„Vas vastete. Amen sam zurale! – Hand in Hand”

Das war auch 2025 wieder das Motto unseres Bundesjugendtreffens. Etwa 100 junge Roma und nicht-Roma konnten in Berlin an spannenden und kreativen Workshops teilnehmen, die gemeinsame Zeit genießen und ihre Stimme erheben. Wir freuen uns aufs nächste BJT mit euch!

In diesem Video könnt ihr euch die Meinungen der Jugendlichen und Eindrücke vom gesamten Wochenende ansehen.

On 27 March 2026, we hosted our national conference in Oberhausen as part of the EU project “Together Against Antigypsyism Online” (TAAO). Representatives from civil society, politics, and academia came together to discuss the findings of the German country report on online antigypsyism, share experiences from the monitoring process, and develop strategies to combat hate speech online.

The press releases in German and English can be found here.

Antigypsyism Online, Forms and Counterstrategies. Germany 2024-2025
Together Against Antigypsyism Online (TAAO) 
Report on Germany

The project Together Against Antigypsyism Online (TAAO) was carried out by Amaro Drom in cooperation with partner organizations from six European countries from March 2024 to February 2026. Its goal was to identify and analyze antigypsyist online hate speech and to develop strategies together to combat this form of discrimination. Data on online hate speech was collected, awareness-raising activities were implemented, and young people were trained in monitoring and reporting, with the aim of changing narratives about Roma in the digital space and making actions and strategies visible.

The full project report is now available in German and English. It summarizes the results, analyzes the key findings, and shows what has been achieved in the fight against antigypsyist online hate speech.

Employer: Amaro Drom e.V.

Project: Together Against Antigypsyism Online (TAAO), funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme.

Contract duration: November 1, 2025 – April 15, 2026

Allocated workload: 20 working days

Background

Amaro Drom is acting as the lead coordinator for the “Together Against Antigypsyism Online” (TAAO) project, a multi-national initiative aimed at monitoring and combating antigypsyist hate speech across European digital spaces. As the project approaches its final phases, Amaro Drom is seeking a dedicated research expert to lead its comprehensive internal evaluation.

Tasks and responsibilities

The selected expert will be responsible for leading the entire internal evaluation lifecycle, specifically focusing on assessing the project’s structural integrity, administrative efficiency, and pedagogical efficacy. The core responsibilities include:

• Preparing the research methodology: Finalizing the evaluation framework and designing the necessary research instruments (written questionnaires, semi-structured interview protocols, and focus group guides).
• Implementing the methodology: Executing the data collection phase across the consortium. This includes administering questionnaires to project team members, conducting interviews with key management staff, and facilitating focus groups with the youth hate speech monitors.
• Writing the final report: Synthesizing the qualitative and quantitative data into a comprehensive final research analysis that extracts deep organizational learning and actionable recommendations for the consortium.

Timeline and deliverables

• Contract start date: November 1, 2025
• Research implementation: All methodological implementation and data collection (interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires) must be finalized by the end of March 2026.
• Final deliverable: The completed research analysis and evaluation report must be delivered to Amaro Drom no later than April 15, 2026.

Required qualifications

• Demonstrated, hands-on experience working directly with Roma NGOs and civil society organizations.
• Proven expertise in designing research methodologies, conducting qualitative/quantitative evaluations, and analyzing complex project data.
• Excellent communication and report-writing skills.

Application procedure

Interested candidates who meet the required profile should submit to the email international@amarodrom.de their application containing the following documents:

1. An updated Curriculum Vitae (CV).
2. An application letter outlining your relevant experience, particularly your work with Roma NGOs, and your approach to this evaluation.

Application deadline: October 25, 2025

For more informations you can sent us an email to the same email address international@amarodrom.de

Roma Remembrance Week – english

Roma Remembrance and Solidarity is an annual seminar organised by Amaro Drom and Amaro Foro, bringing together youth workers and young people from across Europe to engage with Roma history, the genocide known as the Porajmos, and practices of memory and remembrance.

This year’s seminar took place in Berlin from 9 to 15 December and brought together 35 participants from nine countries: France, Bulgaria, Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Italy, Hungary and Germany.

Over the course of one week, participants worked together in workshops, exchanging perspectives and reflecting on both the historical and present-day consequences of antigypsyism. The programme combined active, non-formal learning methods with spaces for discussion, learning and collective reflection.

This year, we cooperated with KogA, a partner organisation from the „Kooperationsverbund gegen Antiziganismus“ (Cooperation Network against Antigypsyism). KogA brings long-standing experience, particularly in the field of remembrance work and memorial education. Throughout the seminar, KogA supported the participants in engaging with cultures of remembrance and prepared them methodologically for the memorial site visit.

Participants spent a full day at the Ravensbrück Memorial, taking part in a guided educational tour. They walked the grounds of the former concentration camp and engaged with its history, with a particular focus on the persecution of Roma and Sinti in Ravensbrück. Special attention was given to Roma survivors such as Ceija Stojka and Wanda Fischer, as well as to forms of resistance by Roma and Sinti prisoners within the camp.

The seminar concluded with a youth-led commemoration at the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe Murdered under National Socialism, which was conceptualised and organised by the participants themselves.

This year’s remembrance seminar again brought young people together and strenghened intercultural and international exchange. At the same time, it placed the history of Roma and Sinti and the remembrance of the Porajmos at the centre of its work, addressing a dimension of Second World War remembrance that continues to receive far too little attention.

Roma Remembrance Week – deutsch

„Roma Remembrance and Solidarity“ ist ein jährlich stattfindendes Seminar von Amaro Drom und Amaro Foro, das Jugendleiter:innen und junge Menschen aus ganz Europa zusammenbringt, um sich mit der Geschichte der Roma, dem Völkermord, der Porajmos genannt wird, sowie mit Fragen von Erinnerung und Gedenken auseinanderzusetzen.

Das diesjährige Seminar fand vom 9. bis 15. Dezember in Berlin statt und brachte 35 Teilnehmende aus neun Ländern zusammen: Frankreich, Bulgarien, Rumänien, Nordmazedonien, Serbien, der Türkei, Italien, Ungarn und Deutschland.

Über eine Woche hinweg arbeiteten die Teilnehmenden in Workshops zusammen, tauschten Perspektiven aus und reflektierten sowohl die historischen als auch die gegenwärtigen Folgen von Antiziganismus. Das Programm verband aktive Lernmethoden mit Räumen für Diskussion, gemeinsames Lernen und kollektive Reflexion.

In diesem Jahr kooperierten wir mit KogA, einer Partnerorganisation aus dem Kooperationsverbund gegen Antiziganismus. KogA verfügt über langjährige Erfahrung insbesondere im Bereich der Erinnerungs- und Gedenkstättenarbeit. Während des Seminars unterstützte KogA die Teilnehmenden dabei, sich mit Erinnerungskulturen auseinanderzusetzen und bereitete sie methodisch auf den Besuch der Gedenkstätte vor.

Die Teilnehmenden verbrachten einen ganzen Tag in der Gedenkstätte Ravensbrück und nahmen dort an einer Führung teil. Sie bewegten sich über das Gelände des ehemaligen Konzentrationslagers und setzten sich mit dessen Geschichte auseinander, mit einem besonderen Fokus auf der Verfolgung von Roma und Sinti in Ravensbrück. Besonderes Augenmerk lag auf Roma-Überlebenden wie Ceija Stojka und Wanda Fischer sowie auf Formen des Widerstands von Roma und Sinti innerhalb des Lagers.

Den Abschluss des Seminars bildete eine selbstorganisierte Gedenkveranstaltung am Denkmal für die im Nationalsozialismus ermordeten Roma und Sinti Europas, die von den Teilnehmenden selbst konzipiert und organisiert wurde.

Das diesjährige Seminar brachte erneut junge Menschen zusammen und stärkte den interkulturellen und internationalen Austausch. Zugleich rückte es die Geschichte von Roma und Sinti sowie die Erinnerung an den Porajmos in den Mittelpunkt seiner Arbeit – einen Teil der Erinnerung an die Verbrechen des Nationalsozialismus, der bis heute zu wenig Beachtung findet.