Roma Rights Summer School 2024: Call for Applications
15 February 2024
The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) is pleased to accept applications for the highly acclaimed Roma Rights Summer School. The Summer School will be organised this year in Athens, Greece from the 1st – 10th July 2024.
We are introducing a unique feature to this year's Summer School through an extended format, encompassing activities both before and after the on-site sessions. This expansion will be facilitated through an online learning environment, allowing the ERRC to organize a series of modular sessions. Selected participants will be required to engage with these sessions at their own pace, completing various tasks and assessments. These activities are designed not only as a means of demonstrating their active participation and commitment but also as essential preparation for the in-person sessions. Additionally, similar post-school assignments will be necessary for participants to fulfil their requirements for graduation.
This program has been organised especially for young activists and students of Romani, Sinti, and Traveller origin from all European countries.1
The Summer School will offer an introduction to a human rights approach, providing the basic skills for students to become human rights activists. The Summer School also serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas, innovation, and expertise for participants who are at an early stage in their careers.
Starting with a grounding in historical persecution, including the Holocaust, and linking Europe’s history of antigypsyism with modern rights violations, the Summer School curriculum focusses on a rights based approach to activism. It offers participants a chance to immerse themselves into the theory and practice of human rights, minority rights, and non-discrimination, to gain practical skills, and benefit from the knowledge and experience of committed human rights experts. This intensive programme includes a variety of social activities which will allow participants to network with each other and the experts, ensuring the programme is instructive and enjoyable.
The main goal of the Summer School is to engage and develop a new generation of Romani human rights activists to use international, regional, and domestic human rights instruments and mechanisms to advance the rights of Roma, and to combat racism and discrimination from grassroots to governmental levels.
Many alumni of the ERRC Roma Rights Summer School have gone on to become experts in their field, researchers, and professional activists working to improve the situation of Romani people across Europe. Supporting young activists to defend the rights of their communities is one of the most important jobs we do at the ERRC. We are thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity once again and are proud to support the development of a new generation of dedicated human rights professionals.
Requirements for applicants:
- Applicants must have a sufficient command of English to enable them to participate actively in the Summer School, as the working language will be English.
- As training aiming to provide opportunities for Romani, Sinti, and Traveller activists, applicants must belong to one of the ethnic groups listed at the bottom of this call.
Desirable:
- Applicants are preferably students of law, public administration, social sciences, or degree-holders in one of these fields. We also invite applications from activists who have not completed or are not currently in formal higher education but have several years of relevant work experience.
- Particular importance is given to the participation of Romani women, as well as people who identify as LGBTIQ+ or people belonging to other groups who are at risk of intersectional discrimination.
Deadline for applications: March 15 2024, 23:59 CET
Interested applicants should submit the following to summerschool@errc.org.
- A letter of interest explaining their motivation for applying (no more than one page).
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- A description of a human rights issue that the participant is aware of and would like to challenge (no more than two paragraphs).
Due to the expected high number of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We aim to contact selected applicants within 15 days of the application deadline. If you have not been contacted by us in this time, you should consider your application to be unsuccessful.
The online modules of the school are scheduled to commence on 8th April 2024, leading up to the graduation ceremony in September 2024. The ERRC is committed to fostering the development of its most distinguished graduates by offering opportunities for internships, fellowships, or externships. This initiative underscores our dedication to nurturing future leaders in the field and providing pathways for professional growth and impactful engagement in human rights advocacy.
Please note that the email address summerschool@errc.org is unmonitored, therefore any emails sent to this address will not be answered.
The costs for participants’ travel, accommodation, and meals will be entirely covered by the ERRC.
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