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Building Connections Through Experience and Excellence | Triangular Project’s Inspiring Visit to Romania

BUCHAREST, Romania – The beginning of June marked an important chapter in the Triangular Project, as partners from Germany, Bulgaria, and Romania came together in Bucharest for a week of learning, collaboration, and cultural exchange.

Hosted by Roma Education Fund Romania, this meeting brought together key actors in the field of Roma inclusion, including representatives from the Roma Entrepreneurship Development Initiative Romania and Roma for Democracy Romania. The week’s agenda included interactive workshops focused on mentoring strategies, school mediation, and legislative initiatives concerning the Romanian national curriculum—particularly regarding the integration of Roma students’ needs.

A special emphasis was placed on the Romani language and the creation of culturally relevant educational resources, underlining the importance of representation and identity in education.

REF Romania offered an in-depth perspective on mentoring programs targeting pupils, students, and educators. These programs blend pedagogical training with Roma cultural elements, fostering both academic success and cultural affirmation. Participants explored practical methods for embedding Roma heritage in school life, through specialized courses, community mentoring, and teacher development programs.

The program also included study visits to symbolic Romanian institutions, including the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, where participants engaged in discussions on Romania’s political landscape and its implications for Roma communities.

A meaningful highlight was the visit to the REF Romania One Stop Shop Centre for Ukrainian Roma refugees. Here, the group facilitated activities promoting diversity, intercultural dialogue, and plurilingual learning.

Celebrating Roma Culture

No cultural exchange is complete without a taste of tradition. Participants took part in a Roma cooking session, preparing and sharing dishes such as sax aj mas (meat with cabbage) and marikli (Roma pie). This experience served as both a cultural immersion and a celebration of community spirit and shared heritage.

Looking Ahead: Shared Resources, Stronger Networks

As a tangible outcome of the Romanian meeting, the Triangular Project partners committed to the development of a series of educational resources—including the children’s book Baris and several titles from the Bare Roma collection. These will be translated into German, Bulgarian, Romani, and English, ensuring accessibility across the Triangular network and beyond.

“We look forward to continuing this dynamic exchange of experiences within our Erasmus project at the next Triangular Project meeting in Bulgaria this August, where we will further share our experience and examples of good practice in order to strengthen our collaboration and partnerships within the network. Congratulations to the young Romanian professionals – Ecaterina Ciupercă, Ionuț Stanciu, Claudia Gheorghe, and Andrei Gâlbea – for their valuable contribution to the design and implementation of the special program for this knowledge visit to Bucharest” — Alexandru Zamfir, project coordinator from Roma Education Fund Romania

The Triangular Project is coordinated by GrünBau (Germany) in partnership with Youth Roma Club Solipinovo (Bulgaria) and Roma Education Fund Romania. Running from September 2024 to August 2025, the project is supported by the Erasmus+ Programme and aims to foster sustainable cooperation between organizations working for the inclusion of Roma youth across Europe.