Isaac Blake and Lisa Smith to represent UK at Roma Youth Conference in Bratislava, October 2016

Through the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups (NFGLG) Isaac Blake RCAC (Romani Cultural Arts Company) has been chosen to represent NFGLG for the UK at the October 2016 Roma Youth Conference in Bratislava.

It is a requirement that a young person should also attend this meeting and Lisa Smith from ACERT (Advisory Council for Education for Romany and other Travellers) will also be attending

The invitation on behalf of the EU Slovak Presidency and the European Commission is significant and is credit to the exceptional work that NFGLG, RCAC and ACERT lead on daily in order to improve the life chances of some of the most vulnerable young people.

The event will bring together around 200 participants, representing relevant national authorities from the EU Member States, enlargement countries, international organisations, EU and national-level NGO networks, Roma and non Roma youth and media. The event will commence with workshops which will focus on discussions on the themes related to Roma Youth leadership and participation, Roma Youth personal empowerment and Access to social rights. On 11 October, there will be a political debate where decision makers from both the Member States and the European Commission will be present.

Siobhan Spencer MBE (Coordinator NFGLG) said

“We are delighted that both Isaac and Lisa can attend this meeting. They are both committed members of the Gypsy community.  It is important that we all work together for the improvements of life chances for our young people and The National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Group will look further to develop sound networks for future work. We look forward to hearing from both Isaac and Lisa on their return “and continuing partnership work with both ACERT and RCAC.