Since 2010, young Roma and non-Roma have been coming together every year to commemorate the anniversary of 2 August – the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day. This year, the International Roma Youth Network Ternype gathered around 150 young people from across Europe in Krakow and Auschwitz-Birkenau, including one of our Young European Ambassadors (YEA) from Albania, Olta Shehu.

The event named Dikh he na bister (“Look and don’t forget” in Romani) is part of the Roma Genocide remembrance initiative. This aims at raising awareness among young Europeans, civil society and decision-makers about the Roma Genocide, as well as about the challenges of antigypsyism and other forms of racism in Europe today. The event is a space of learning about the past, as well as of reflection about the role of young people in Holocaust remembrance.

It aims to build the capacity of youth activists and youth organisations, and to motivate them to take an active role in promoting remembrance education and beyond at local, national and international levels. This mobilisation greatly contributed to the recognition of 2 August as European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day by the European Parliament in 2015.

The educational event in Krakow also includes other activities spread over five full programme days where Olta and other young people from many countries will have an opportunity to learn about the Holocaust and antigypsyism and human rights today.

The YEA platform is a creative network of young activists from across the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia). DIKH HE NA BISTER was founded by ternYpe International Roma Youth Network and its member and partner organisations in 2010, and is co-organised with the Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma and in cooperation with the Council of Europe, also receiving funding support from the EU.