Espoo for all: Roma youth club – there is power in the community

In accordance with the Espoo Story, the City of Espoo conducts partnerships with residents’ associations. A club for Roma youth meets once a week at the Leppävaara Youth Centre.

The club started out due to parents’ concern for their children. Espoon romaniyhdistys helped out with this, and the Espoo Youth Services provided the opportunity to use the Leppävaara Youth Centre. The COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the opportunities for young people to engage in hobbies and get together in safe places. Hanging around shopping centres and lack of activities have increased.

Throughout the centuries, the strength of Roma culture has been the community spirit that we still believe in today. The community has taken care of children, young people, the elderly and all its members in many different situations over the centuries.

With this power that we draw from our roots, we want to take care of children and young people. At the club, the adults are there for the young people. The five volunteers in charge of the club find the club empowering: it feels good to be together and contribute for the benefit of young people. At the club, we play board games and ping-pong and organise tournaments according to the wishes of the participants. While engaging in various activities, we want to meet the young people and hear about their daily life, studies, plans and challenges. At the club, there is always something to eat, which the instructors bring with them to be shared.

The club’s instructors want to convey to young people the traditional values of the culture, which are based on caring and respect for others. We also want to maintain the Romani language, and this happens naturally while doing things and being together.

We will celebrate the International Roma Day on 8 April 2022 at the club with delicacies and music.

Paula Åkerlund

The author is a member of the Equality Committee and the chairman of the Espoo Roma Association

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