Partner Information Form
Roma Onlus
Roma, Italy · NGO / Association
1. Organisation
2. Contact person
Contact details are not published. Network members see them with their access link; everyone else can write to the organisation through its profile page.
3. Profile
Romà Onlus is an Italian non-profit founded in 2008 by Roma and Sinti community leaders together with educators, mediators, and cultural professionals — making it an organisation rooted within the communities it serves. Based in Rome and operating at local, national, and European level, it works to promote the social inclusion, education, and cultural empowerment of Roma, Sinti, and other groups at risk of exclusion through participatory youth work, intercultural mediation, mentoring, and pathways to employment and higher education. Romà Onlus actively counters antigypsyism, hate speech, and institutional discrimination while also preserving and celebrating Romani language, history, and cultural heritage. Project partners gain access to over 15 years of experience in European project management (CERV, Erasmus+, EACEA), non-formal education, intercultural dialogue, and community-based youth work — delivered by a team with direct lived experience of the issues at hand.
4. Fields of expertise
International networking · Inclusion · Human rights · Employment · Environmental protection · Culture · Civic involvement and participation · Sexual education · Health · Mental health · Holocaust education · Lobby and advocacy · Migration · Housing · Community development · Civil society development · Fighting discrimination · Youth education · Adult education · Voluntary work · Sustainable development · Policy
5. Target groups
6. Programme experience
Which projects go into the PDF?
18 of 18 selected — only these are printed.
6. Projects delivered
Erasmus+ Youth
- RiR – Rooted in Remembrance2026–2027Partner · Youth workers mobilities7-country training project transferring Dikh He Na Bister remembrance-education methodologies into community-based youth work, involving 37 youth workers from Belgium, Italy, Romania, Hungary, Spain, Poland and Germany.
- Porrajmos – Dik I Na Bistar2016–2017Partner · Youth mobilitiesSeminars for Roma and non-Roma youth on Roma genocide and antigypsyism in Italy, Germany and Romania; youth delegation to Holocaust Memorial Day at Auschwitz.
- Roma Genocide – European Youth Remember2010–2014Coordinatornnual remembrance and educational initiative growing from 70 to ~1,000 participants across four editions (2 August, International Roma Holocaust Memorial Day).
- Youth in Action programme2009–2014CoordinatorMultiple projects creating mixed Roma/non-Roma youth groups through training courses, international exchanges, and democratic participation.
CERV
- MHE-Roma – Memoria Storica Europea Romanì2023–2025PartnerPromoting awareness of the forgotten Roma genocide (Samudaripen) through remembrance education and a multilingual theatre production.
Other programme
- Life Long Learning – Grundtvig Partnerships2012–2014CoordinatorTwo strategic partnerships for training adult-education operators working with vulnerable communities.
- Roma Genocide Remembrance Initiative - EU EACEA / European Commisssion2013–2015CoordinatorEU-funded project delivering seminars and public events across Europe to strengthen historical awareness of the Roma genocide among young people.
- Training on Antigypsyism and Online Hate Speech - Council of Europe2017–2018CoordinatorCouncil of Europe – Roma Youth Action Plan · Implementing partner · Outreach, candidate mobilisation, and organisation of a Council of Europe training for young Roma and non-Roma on antigypsyism and hate speech.
- Dosta Campaign2010–2011CoordinatorCouncil of Europe / UNAR · National awareness events against prejudice and stereotypes toward Roma and Sinti.
- ROMED2013–2014CoordinatorTraining-of-trainers pathway leading to Council of Europe-recognised trainer status in cultural mediation for Roma communities.
- Roma Empowerment and Democratic Participation2013–2014PartnerERGO Network · EU-supported actions to strengthen Roma youth leadership and civic participation.
- Inclusive Volleyball – Sports, Health and Community2025–2026CoordinatorRegione Lazio – "Giovani Idee" · Lead organisation (with ASD Tor Lupara Volley) · Inclusive volleyball programme for 50 girls (10–30 years) in Fonte Nuova, combining sport, soft-skills labs, peer mentoring, intercultural workshops, and digital storytelling to promote social inclusion and girls' empowerment.
- Romano Hape2016–2026Coordinatorwith Ministry of Labour · Youth entrepreneurship pathway resulting in Romano Hape srls, a social enterprise led by 7 Roma and migrant young people offering ethnic street food and catering.
- Scholarship for Young Roma2014–2026CoordinatorFondazione Migrantes. Scholarship and mentoring support for Roma students toward secondary-school completion and university graduation.
- Dik Asun Taj Na Bistar – Youth in Action for April 8th2026–2027Coordinatorouth labs in schools, a 10-episode web series in Romanès and Italian, a social media campaign against antigypsyism, a remembrance exhibition, and a theatre performance for International Roma Day — all co-designed and delivered with Roma and non-Roma youth in Rome's VII Municipio.
- Cultural Mediation with fondazione Migrantes2020–2026CoordinatorSchool-based anti-racism and intercultural laboratories in Rome's municipal schools.
- Progetto Salute2020–2021CoordinatorINMP / UNAR · Promoting equitable healthcare access for Roma, Sinti, and Caminanti in the Rome metropolitan area.
- Svelta…@…Mente2018–2020CoordinatorMunicipio VII Roma Capitale · Holocaust remembrance initiative for LGBT and RSC communities; permanent installation designed in collaboration with visual artist Valeria Catania.
8. Background and experience
Please briefly present your organisation.
Romà Onlus is an Italian non-profit (APS) founded in 2008 by Roma and Sinti community leaders together with educators, cultural mediators, and audiovisual professionals. Based near Rome and active at local, national, and European level, it promotes the social inclusion, education, and cultural empowerment of Roma, Sinti, and other groups at risk of exclusion through participatory youth work, intercultural mediation, mentoring, and pathways to employment and higher education. A founding member of TernYpe International Roma Youth Network and Phiren Amenca, Romà Onlus brings over 15 years of experience in European project management (Erasmus+, CERV, EACEA) and a unique perspective as an organisation rooted within the communities it serves.
9. Activities and experience
What are the activities and experience of your organisation in the areas it works in?
Romà Onlus works across five interconnected areas. In non-formal education and youth work, it delivers school workshops, intercultural and anti-racism laboratories, mentoring to prevent dropout, and support for access to higher education. In anti-discrimination and advocacy, it runs awareness campaigns, civic education, and monitoring actions targeting antigypsyism, hate speech, and institutional discrimination, including contributions to CEDAW shadow reporting and Council of Europe training programmes. In remembrance education, it has coordinated and participated in EU-funded projects on Roma genocide memory (Samudaripen), growing annual commemorations from 70 to over 1,000 participants. In cultural heritage and arts, it promotes Romani language, gastronomy, music, theatre, and audiovisual storytelling as tools of emancipation and community self-representation. In employment and entrepreneurship, it has developed vocational training, job-orientation services, and a Roma-led social enterprise (Romano Hape). The organisation works through participatory methods, involving young Roma, Sinti, and migrants as active co-designers of all activities.