The Roma Youth Leadership Program
by Brittany Gardner
Roma leaders, counselors and trainers
T
he Roma are a distinct minority group who fled out of
India to all parts of the world sometime around the 11th
century in order to escape persecution. In the past, the Roma
were known to be nomadic, traveling from place to place
as they pleased. They came to inherit the derogatory label
"gypsy," which is thought to have surfaced because the Roma
people originated in Egypt. They lived in poverty and used
anything that crossed their path to meet their basic needs.
Today, the Roma are a nation-less people although there are
pockets of Roma in every country and their level of integration
remains limited. Extremely marginalized, they remain on the
fringe of the communities in which they live, usually residing
in isolated settlements. Only a small fraction of Roma children
graduate from secondary schools, although under Communist
rule, a number of countries forced all children to attend school,
and provided them with all the required basics: textbooks and
uniforms. Many Roma have faced discrimination and prejudice
from both private groups and national governments. They
typically still live in poverty and strive to keep their roots.
In Macedonia, the Roma date back as far as the 16th
century and make up a significant part of today's population.
They fight against discrimination and persecution daily. Many
Roma resort to begging and use their children as pawns in order
to collect enough money to buy bread for the family. Roma
women are typically pressured by their families into marriage
at a young age. This is one of the most challenging issues
young women struggle with. Early marriage makes continued
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