The leadership vacuum in the Albanian Roma community has long been a core challenge to creating sustainable change. The lack of access to political, social, and economic institutions is a key factor in the isolation of the Roma minority, which has led to a feeling of hopelessness and inferiority in the community—a sense that there’s no way for Roma to engage in successful collective action.

Roma Versitas set out to fill that leadership vacuum by cultivating future community leaders among today’s students. Roma Versitas Albania thus set out on a search for young people with the qualities of future leaders. The selection process was intense, and in the end only ten young people qualified for the Barvalipe program. Of those ten, five completed the program (although three joined along the way).

The Barvalipe School had three main goals for these Roma youth:

1. Build a sense of collective purpose and power.
2. Build leadership confidence and abilities.
3. Provide them with a community of support to help them sustain their development as leaders.

The students in the Barvalipe program received incredible access to a wide range of opportunities, spending months holistically developing their leadership skills. They studied the history of the Roma people to cultivate pride and confidence. They learned of the processes and potential of collective action through government, grassroots organizing, and non-governmental organizations. Finally, through a series of media appearances, debate and speech trainings and practicums, and peer development sessions, they built a foundation of practical skills from which to continue their development as leaders.

The young men and women who completed this program emerged with knowledge of the framework and possibilities of institutional influence and reform in Albania. Just as important, they gained confidence in their individual abilities and identity as Roma, as well as a group of peers to support them as they continue on the path of leadership.