Two innovative initiatives are making strides in supporting vulnerable communities. From empowering the Roma community with resources on gambling harm to offering a safe digital space for women affected by gambling, these projects foster meaningful change.

On Saturday Romano Lav launched an exhibition with a powerful fashion show this international Women’s Day, to celebrate Roma women, their contributions to family, work and their cultural traditions.

Aliana Michalewicz si sadne so svojou mamou Sonia, aby sa dozvedela viac o ich fascinujúcom, slávnom rodinnom príbehu zakorenenom v hudbe a tanci, ako to priviedli z Poľska do Glasgowa a ich nádeja do budúcnosti. 

In this issue of Roma News and Views, Aliana Michalewicz sits down with her mum Sonia to learn more about their fascinating, famous family history rooted in music and dance, how they brought this from Poland to Glasgow, and their hopes for the future.

Last week, CineRoma 2.0 brought powerful narratives to the forefront as the UK’s only Roma Film Festival returned for its second year. Curated by young Roma from Govanhill, this year’s selection delved into themes of self-perception, identity, and resistance.

Young Roma activists co-curate a transformative Festival of Social Action at Scotland's first Roma Culture Centre, showcasing powerful stories and fostering community connections to inspire change. Including a screening of the film ‘(We Are Roma): This is our Home’ which explored the experiences, struggles, and aspirations of Roma youth in Glasgow through the lens of Lena Popikova, a young Roma woman and aspiring filmmaker who grew up in the city. 

The 10th iteration of Glasgow International commenced on June 7th and continues through Sunday, June 23rd, 2024. As customary, the festival unfolds across the city, encompassing Glasgow's Southside. Resident and photographer Laura reflects on her experience exploring three lively exhibitions at Tramway, Queen’s Park Glasshouse and Celine on Victoria Road.

In this month of Roma News and Views, Rahela writes about the importance of language preservation and how Romanes, the language spoken by Roma people is being learned by people from Roma and non-Roma backgrounds.

In this month of Roma News and Views, Rahela writes about the importance of language preservation and how Romanes, the language spoken by Roma people is being learned by people from Roma and non-Roma backgrounds.

Local groups like The Survivor Arts Community and The Cathkin Blazes have been running projects geared towards survivors, with the aim of providing a safe space to socialise, create and play.

In our regular feature ‘My Life Before Govanhill’ we find out from the diverse community of Govanhill what they got up to before settling around Victoria Road. In this edition, we meet Răzvan Kim.

Benjamin Kritikos, exploring why there’s such a pressing need for local solutions powered by the people most affected by them, spoke with people from Community Renewal Trust Rom Romeha (‘For Roma, By Roma’), to find out how they are tackling health inequalities and improving the quality of life for the neighbourhoods Roma community.

Free period products have been part of Scotland’s legislation since 2021 through The Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act. Since then, the country has been recognised as a world pioneer in tackling period poverty. Greater Govanhill reporters spoke with community members and organisations to understand more about how this legislation works in practice.

Slovenský Róm Tomáš a jeho mama Vera si vo svojom dvore vytvorili záhradku, kde pestujú ovocie, zeleninu a kvety. Tomáš má poruchu zraku, kvôli čomu sú jeho oči mimoriadne citlivé na svetlo – to mu však neprekáža v záhradkárčení. Zamierili sme tam, aby sme sa dozvedeli viac…

Slovak Roma Tomas and his mum Vera have created a garden in their backcourts where they grow fruits, vegetables and flowers. Tomas has a vision impairment which makes his eyes extremely sensitive to light – however this does not stop him gardening. We headed to his garden to find out more…

In the final part of our gambling harms series, we hear from the Roma community about share how gambling harms affect their community and some of the solutions they have come up with so they can still enjoy social element of cards. In Romanes lanaguage

In the final part of our gambling harms series, we hear from the Roma community about share how gambling harms affect their community and some of the solutions they have come up with so they can still enjoy social element of cards. In English

Discursurile lui Sammy și Natalia de la Ziua Internațională a Romilor. Au participat la cursul „Community Catalyst” al lui Romano Lav – un grup de 12 tineri romi care au urmat un curs de 8 săptămâni pentru a afla totul despre drepturile lor și cum să lupte pentru ei.

Projevy Sammyho a Natalie z Mezinárodního dne Romů. Zúčastnili se kurzu v Romano Lav’s   ‘Community Catalyst’ – skupina 12 mladých Romů, kteří absolvovali 8 tydenní kurz, v němž se dozvěděli vše o svých právech a o tom, jak za ně bojovat.

On International Roma Day last year, Sammy and Natalia gave speeches to the crowd. Both took part in Romano Lav’s ‘Community Catalysts’ course, in which a  group of 12 Roma young people spent 8 weeks learning about their rights and how to fight for them.