RomaPlaceAge Launch in Govanhill, Glasgow
by Aleksandar Marinov
The RomaPlaceAge Project held its kick-off event in Govanhill, Glasgow, hosted by the Community Renewal Trust Rom Romeha. The event took place on June 12, 2024 at the Yellow Door Church in Govanhill. More than 60 members of the community attended the lively event which was complemented by homemade food and live music provided by the 8-member Romani band Ando Glaso. The event was an excellent way to network, build relations and trust, and launch the RomaPlaceAge project in Govanhill, Glasgow, exploring the challenges and opportunities for supporting the health and wellbeing of the Roma community in mid to later life.
The launch event was wholly organised and designed by project partners Leon Puska and Ann Hyde from Rom Romeha. Also in attendance was Professor Ryan Woolrych of Heriot-Watt University, the project lead, who took the opportunity to highlight what the project is about, how it relates to the community, why it is important for to the Roma and why should they be involved. There was also short welcome and introduction by the research associate of the project, Sasho Marinov (Heriot-Watt University), who noted what a pleasure it is to be a part of the project and how much he is looking forward to working with the Romani community in Glasgow.
There were several key takeaways from the event. The audience heard the personal accounts of a number of members of the Roma community from Govanhill, talking about their journeys coming to Scotland, settling down, as well as the challenges and opportunities they have been facing since their arrival. One of the common themes in their narratives was about the ongoing challenges they all face –finding a better future for themselves and for their families; mastering a foreign language and finding a suitable job that would provide for their families in a new country. Yet, for these Roma, Scotland seems to have provided much more, compared to their home countries (Slovakia, Czechia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria) with many fleeing direct racism and persecution, to access educational opportunities that would provide for future generations. However, there are challenges living in the UK, with many experiencing barriers to accessing health and wellbeing services, including language issues, which prevent many from being able to access the supports they need.
The event was translated into English, Slovak, Romanian, and Romanes, and despite of any differences existing between the groups, there was one element that united all – the all shared feeling of ‘Romanipe’ – that feeling of belonging to the wider Romani community, regardless of differences, that unwritten code of conduct, respect, understanding, and unity – that is expressed verbally by the Romani language, but also through the shared value of love for family and music, to name a few.