IRS 2009 - "Stand up against discrimination"

IRS 2009 was held in Sofia in Bulgaria.  The theme was "Stand up against discrimination", and 21 young people from 14 different countries attended the event.  The aim was to increase the awareness of the participants on discrimination based on cultural or ethnic grounds.  It provided a platform for them to share their experiences of discrimination, and provoked discussion as to what tools they can use to deal with discrimination when they witness it.

A number of guest speakers attended the seminar, which included Daniela Mihaylova from the Roma NGO Romani Baht to talk about how discrimination affects the Roma people.  Two guest speaker from the Bulgaria Helsinki Committee, Programme Director Desislava Simeonova and Legal Consultant Georgi Voinov, also spoke with the participants on how to spot institutional discrimination and how to work against it.

The seminar used a range of methods to engage with participants, and was felt to be a huge success.