School children throughout Europe are behind a new project initiated by the Roma and Travellers’ Team of the Council of Europe aimed at combatting negative stereotypes and prejudices against the Roma.
In cooperation with the Children’s Rights Division, the Roma and Travellers Team reached out to children to develop child-friendly material through a child consultation process, as part of the Dosta! Campaign “Enough! Go beyond prejudice – meet the Roma”, which aims to raise awareness of prejudices and stereotypes and break them down, bringing non-Roma and Roma closer.
The Dosta! Campaign is a response to the need to combat anti-Gypsyism, a distinct form of racism, deeply rooted in negative and biased beliefs, prejudices, misconceptions and discriminatory attitudes towards Roma, despite the fact that Roma have lived in Europe since the 13th century.
Under the assumption that the roots of adult forms of exclusion can be documented in childhood, schools and education play a vital and critical role in reversing these trends by creating a harmonious learning environment rich in opportunities for exploring and cherishing cultural diversity, understanding tolerance, promoting solidarity, and fostering mutual respect as a means of avoiding stereotyping, prejudice and racism particularly in today’s changing multicultural societies.
Teaching and learning materials developed by children for children form part of this DOSTA! campaign initiative to assist children in learning how to confront stereotypes and disprove prejudices from an early age.
This video, aimed mainly at children, deals with some common misconceptions concerning the Roma, through the scenario of a teacher addressing a class of pupils with a series of questions.
The video can be used as awareness campaign material for the 8th April, International Roma Day and for teaching purposes regarding stereotyping.
For more information: https://www.coe.int/en/web/roma-and-travellers/dosta-campaign
