I have been volunteering with The Drom Kotar Mestipen Romani Women’s Association (DKM) since 2010 and am now on the board of directors. The DKM is located in Barcelona, Spain and is a non-profit organisation created in 1999 by Roma and non-Roma women with different characteristics and backgrounds. It is a national organisation, carrying its activities out mainly at a regional level. It was created to overcome the triple exclusion suffered by Roma women: for being women (gender discrimination) belonging to an ethnic minority group (ethnic exclusion) that have been deprived of adequate access to the education (academic filter). It works with the promotion of social, political and economic opportunities for the Roma women, Roma identity and Roma adult education. The DKM organised the 1st International Congress of Romaní Women: The Other Women, was held in Barcelona Caixa Forum on October 8th, 9th and 10th, 2010. The Congress was a space led by Romaní women aiming to share and discuss what successful actions and proposals are being carried out in the fields of education, work and feminism in order to fight against social inequalities.
EUROPEAN COORDINATED PROJECTS
ROM-ACT. Widening Roma women’s access to non-formal and informal learning validation systems. (2013-2014)The ROM-ACT Project is aimed at widening access to non-formal and informal learning validation systems among Roma women in Europe in order to strengthen their educational, social, and labour inclusion.
ROM-UP. The inclusion of Roma through quality successful educational experiences. (2012-2013) The objective was the inclusion of the Roma community with educative successful actuations. This project is financed for the program of Lifelong Learning of the European Commission and participation of 8 entities of different European countries.
EDUCA-ROM. Inclusive teaching material for adults: the Roma. (2005-2007) The objective of promotion of inclusive education for adults in Europe, in 4 different countries and 5 organizations.
EUROPEAN PROJECTS AS PARTNERS
EDU-ROM. Promoting the access of Roma to LLP, VET and employment through family education in primary schools. (2013-2015) The Project’s main aim is to promote the acquisition of key competences in Roma community to widen access to LLP and VET in order to improve their social and labor inclusion. Accessing this education through a near approach (their children’s school), we can achieve real change, getting Roma to access adult education.
BARABAL. Gender mainstreaming in Roma Education.
(2013-2015) The main aim of the project is the improvement of the access and stay of Roma girls and women in social exclusion into Lifelong learning, through the transversal implementation of gender mainstreaming in policies, programs and working methodologies aimed at the improvement of education of Roma Communities in social exclusion.
MS4ROW. A mentoring system for Roma teenage girls and women on their vocational and educational path. (2013-2015) The aim is to develop a mentoring system for Roma women and teenage girls on their vocational and educational path in order to encourage the integration of Roma girls in lifelong learning and to develop their skills and competences for the active participation into the labor market.
DAPHNE. STEP FORWARD. Empowering young people and women from local Roma Communities. (2013-2015) The overall goal is to empower Roma youth and women to protect themselves from violence via fostering raised sensitivity about violence and developing comprehensive mechanisms for supporting them within the community, creating protective environment and fostering development and modernization of Roma communities at grass-root level.
OED. Outreach Empowerment Diversity. (2011-2014)The main aim of the network is to tackle the need for outreach to marginalised groups, especially migrants and ethnic minorities, for the development of more diversity in adult education, and especially the inclusion of learners’ voices, and for the empowerment of its learners to become active European citizens.
RESEARCH PROJECTS IN WHICH WE HAVE COLLABORATED
Include-ED. Strategies for inclusion and social cohesion in Europe from education. 2006-2011. INTEGRATED PROJECT Priority 7 of Sixth Framework Programme. (2006- 2011)
Mestipen Romi: Roma Women and associationism in Spain. Challenges and contributions. 2004-2006. National Plan I+D+I. Interministerial Commissions of Science and Technology. Department of Labor and Welfare/ Institute of Women.
Workaló. The Creation of New Occupational Patterns for Cultural Minorities: The Gypsy Case. RTD. FP5. DG XII. Improving the Socio-economic Knowledge Base. (2001-2004).
Callí Butipen: Roma women and labor market. National Plan I+D+I. Interministerial Commissions of Science and Technology. Department of Labor and Welfare/ Institute of Women. (2003-2004).
Brudila Callí: Roma women against exclusion. Absenteeism overcome and school failure of Roma teenage women and girls. National Plan I+D+I. Interministerial Commissions of Science and Technology. Department of Labor and Welfare/ Institute of Women. (2000-2003).