Roma Political School

Roma Political School

The Roma Political School is a structured capacity-building programme aimed at strengthening political participation, civic engagement, leadership skills, and policy understanding among Roma and non-Roma youth in Albania.

Project Description

The Roma Political School is designed as an intensive training programme combining academic learning, practical exercises, and civic engagement tools.

Methodology

  • Individual and group mentoring
  • Development of impact-oriented strategies
  • Electoral campaign simulation
  • Case study simulations
  • Academic presentations (theory and practice)
  • Debate simulations
  • Communication and public speaking training
  • Field study visits
  • Dedicated mentors for each working group

Participants & Outreach

The programme received 24 applications from 11 municipalities. Participants came from diverse educational and professional backgrounds, including vocational education, BA and MA studies, and community work.

  • 2 participants worked as community mediators (Rrogozhina and Roskovec)
  • Gender balance: 13 women and 11 men
  • Main locations: Tirana (7), Pogradec (3), Elbasan (3), Korça (2)

Training Structure

The programme included 6 modules delivered across 27 sessions and a total of 50 training hours.

  • Over 21 thematic topics covered
  • 16 national and international lecturers and practitioners
  • Combination of academic, interactive, and experiential learning methods

Core Training Modules

1. Political Systems & Elections

Political systems, electoral processes, campaigns, and participation of Roma in political life.

2. Roma Political Movement

Identity, history, emancipation, civil society, and minority rights.

3. Leadership & Civic Engagement

Leadership skills, advocacy, mobilisation, women’s empowerment, and artivism.

4. Rule of Law & Democratic Systems

Governance, constitutional principles, justice systems, and EU integration context.

5. Anti-Roma Racism & Media

Hate speech, media representation, digital activism, and cultural narratives.

6. Public Policy & Governance

Policy cycle, participation, good governance, and advocacy tools.

Key Speakers & Contributors

The programme engaged Roma and non-Roma academics, activists, journalists, policy experts, and international practitioners.

Results & Achievements

  • 21 participants certified (or in final certification stage)
  • 6 modules delivered with practical and theoretical components
  • 5 working groups created for applied assignments
  • Policy brief produced on Roma political representation
  • Study visits and field-based learning implemented
  • High engagement across all sessions and topics

Practical Assignments

  • Electoral campaign simulation
  • Social housing policy proposal
  • Intersectional discrimination analysis
  • Hate speech media analysis
  • CSO development and strategy work

Evaluation

Participants provided continuous feedback after each session. Evaluations were generally positive, ranging from good to excellent, with requests for deeper focus on:

  • Roma history and genocide (Samudaripen)
  • Electoral systems
  • Community organising
  • Policy cycle and governance