Roma Versitas Albania

Background
Roma Versitas Albania as a program is existing for already two years. Following-up the increased number of Roma students and their need for ownership of joint initiatives, organized and followed-up from one place, following-up the need of space for individual and collective not only development but also response to challenges of Roma in Albania, on April 8, 2016 after a joint initiative with students themselves we submitted a formal registration request. Roma Versitas Albania is a civil society organization registered under the court decision number 5347 dated 30th of May 2016. Founding members are current Roma students, a Roma member in the Municipality council, Alumni students and Roma NGO leaders.

Objectives & Mission: Roma Versitas Albania has three principal programmatic fields: In Education, were RVA’s objective is to increase the Roma students average, capacities, graduation, registered in tertiary education, leadership, advocacy, professionalism, etc.; In Employment, were the RVA’s objective is to do lobbing and advocacy for Roma graduates employment, especially in the public administration that work on Roma issues; in Participation, were RVA’s objective is the increase the number of Roma in decision-making.
Roma Versitas Strategic Objectives:
• To aim to gradually rise up the number of students registered and to have tertiary education graduated Roma students from all state and private universities in Albania;
• To aim to build nucleus of Roma professionals, Intellectuals and Leaders successful in their careers, but also capable to understand and contribute to Roma empowerment on local, national and international level.
• To aim to build group or groups of Roma graduates proud promoters of their identity, and at least half of the graduates to have professional devotion to Roma inclusion in Albania.
• To aim to successfully support (by lobbying and advocacy) the employment of graduated Roma students in Public Administration and Institutions.
Relating to these in general: To gradually increase Roma students registered in tertiary education graduated Roma students from all state and private universities in Albania; To build nucleus of Roma professionals, Roma Intellectuals and Roma Leaders successful in their careers but also capable to understand and contribute to Roma empowerment on local, national and international level; To build group or groups of Roma graduates proud promoters of their identity, and at least half of the graduates to have professional devotion to Roma inclusion in Albania; To successfully support (by lobbying and advocacy) the employment of Roma graduated per year in Public Administration and other Institutions.

Work: Impact of RVA’s work fall in 3 main categories:
a) Education;
b) Employment;
c) Participation.