Youth Media Project
In May 2007 Roma Support Group started a partnership project with Goldsmiths College and thirteen youth media organisations. The project's purpose is to enable young Roma to publish short videos on an on-line publishing network (www.converge.org.uk) and it will be a unique opportunity for young Roma to express their ideas, talk about their culture and challenges they are facing in the UK. In this way, they are empowered to speak about their identity themselves whilst learning about IT and media. They are also able to exchange their work with other young people from diverse backgrounds - watch videos here
‘Be Roma or Die Tryin’
Since November ’05 till February’06, The Roma Support Group has run a media project for Roma children and young people from East London. As a result of this project a short documentary has been produced in collaboration with Hi8us, the community media company. The project has enabled children to take part in all stages of film production from planning, script writing, researching, acting, narrating, music production and film editing. It is a journey through their heritage and across London examining Britain’s attitudes towards Roma while celebrating the new life that the Roma refugee children and youth are making for themselves in the UK.
The launch of the film, Be Roma or Die Tryin’, took place in the Genesis Cinema in East London and has also been screened during the 1st International Roma Film Festival in London. Both shows attracted approx. 300 people and were followed by a Panel Discussion involving the public and the makers of the film. They created an opportunity for young Roma to talk about their lives and issues that they face as Roma refugees in multicultural and multiracial London.
As a follow up to our first media project "Be Roma or Die Tryin", RSG organised a film workshop at the Hub, Cunning Town. During this workshop, a group of ten young Roma created three one-minute films, which were shown at the OneminutesJr website thereby entering international competition of young people's short film. To view the films, please visit www.theoneminutesJr.org. The workshops were funded by CIF (Comminity Initiatives Fund) and Newham Council.
If you would like to buy the DVD and discussion pack please look at the website: www.beromadvd.net
