As part of the Roma Integration III Joint Programme by the Council of Europe and the European Union, a public class on Roma history and culture was held on April 4, 2024, at the Roma Cultural Centre in Pirot, Serbia. This event was organized in celebration of International Roma Day, in cooperation with the ROMACTED II EU/CoE Joint Programme, the City of Pirot and Ternipe organization.
In addition, a second public class on Roma history and culture took place on April 24, 2024, at the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) in Belgrade, Serbia. This class was attended by young Roma participants engaged in employment programs run by the CSO Centre for Youth Integration in Belgrade.
The primary aim of these events was to highlight how educational programs can be enriched with content related to Roma history and culture, thereby fostering better understanding and promoting social cohesion among students in primary education.
These initiatives are connected to broader efforts by the Council of Europe’s Roma and Travellers Division (RTD), the Roma Education Fund (REF), and ERIAC. They seek to incorporate Roma history and culture into educational curricula and textbooks, in line with the Council of Europe’s Recommendation CM/Rec(2020)2 of the Committee of Ministers to member States, which advocates for the inclusion of Roma and/or Travellers' history in school curricula and teaching materials.
The Joint Programme Integration of Roma III is co-financed by the European Union and the Council of Europe and is implemented by the Council of Europe’s Roma and Travellers Division. The project is based on the Council of Europe’s human rights approach, focusing on participation and inclusion, equality and non-discrimination, accountability, transparency, and access to information.
