At the end of May, the West University of Timisoara (UVT) organized an awareness-raising event among its students, aiming to assess the current level of knowledge and understanding regarding the deep-rooted problems of racism and exclusion faced by Roma throughout their history. The activity took place within the framework of the European project “Probationers' Voices Reviving Memories – PRO-VOCEM", funded by the European Commission through the "Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV)".
As part of this activity, students completed a questionnaire, which captures various aspects of Roma history. The main purpose of this approach was to identify key areas of knowledge, misconceptions and gaps in students' understanding of significant historical events, cultural practices, the contributions of the Roma community to society and the challenges it faces. The data collected will be used to improve subsequent workshops with students within the framework of the "Probationers' Voices Reviving Memories - PRO-VOCEM" project. This initiative aims to promote a more comprehensive understanding of Roma history and cultural diversity, with the objective of overcoming cultural stereotypes based on ethnic origin.
Project PRO-VOCEM, with a total budget of 192.720 euros, financially supported by the European Commission through the "Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV)" is a collaborative project that aims to examine and raise awareness about the roots and complex historical manifestations of racism, discrimination and social exclusion faced by Roma people under the supervision of probation services, especially Roma women.
The West University of Timișoara collaborates in this project with partners with relevant expertise in the field: the National Probation Directorate (Romania), Penal Reform International (Netherlands), General Directorate Execution of Sentences (Bulgaria) and the Solidart Association – Basque Theater (Romania).
For more information about the PRO-VOCEM project and the activities carried out within it, we invite you to access the website https://www.uvt.ro/provocem
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Project coordinator: Prof. Dr. Mihaela Tomiță
mihaela.tomita@e-uvt.ro
