The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) organizes an annual Roma Rights Summer School which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, from 25 July – 4 August 2010.

The 10-day Summer School is intended for young Romani activists, students, and Roma/Human rights activists from all European countries. The Summer School will offer both an introduction to human rights as well as an excellent forum for the exchange of ideas, innovation and expertise for participants who are at an early stage of their careers.

The Summer School provides participants a unique chance to immerse themselves into the theory and practice of human rights, minority rights and non-discrimination, and to benefit from the knowledge and experience of committed human rights experts. This intensive programme includes a variety of social activities that allow participants to network with each other and the experts, ensuring the programme is instructive and enjoyable.

The main goal of the school is to develop the capacity of a new generation of Romani human rights activists to use international, regional and domestic human rights instruments and mechanisms to advance the rights of Roma, both domestically and internationally, and to combat discrimination from grassroots to governmental levels.

Objectives of the Summer School:

• Analyse issues and situations affecting Roma in their respective countries based on internationally accepted human rights values and principles;
• Develop knowledge to use domestic mechanisms (such as national legislation) and international human rights instruments (i.e., United Nations Treaties, European Treaties, and other Council of Europe and European Union legal and political mechanisms) to protect and promote the rights of Roma;
• Strengthen skills in monitoring and reporting human rights violations as well as advocacy;
• Increase capacity to apply learning within organisations and societies/communities; and
• Explore and facilitate opportunities for networking and developing partnerships with NGOs and government officials to further advance the cause of Roma rights throughout Europe.
  

For further information, please visit the ERRC website.