Toolkit on Working with Testimonies

The Dikh He Na Bister Roma Genocide Remembrance Initiative presents new educational methods in Holocaust education based on testimonies of Holocaust survivors with our “Toolkit of the Dikh He Na Bister Educational Program”.

It offers ready-made session outlines for a one-day and a two-day activity to increase the knowledge about the Roma Genocide and the history of the Holocaust as well as promote youth participation and combat contemporary antigypsyism. The sessions are based on never-before-published testimonies from different countries and non-formal education methods and activities developed and tested at Dikh He Na Bister.

This toolkit has been created for Dikh He Na Bister participants to support their activism after the event and we also recommend the toolkit to anyone who wants to know more about the Dikh He Na Bister educational programme. We hope that you will be able to rely on the collected materials and become ambassadors of Dikh He Na Bister, multipliers of the knowledge gained during the event.

We feel that this toolkit is necessary at this time. Far-right movements are gaining strength in Europe and the rights of (young) Roma are being violated on a daily basis. Structural racism and antigypsyism are part of the daily lives of Roma communities. With our youth activity we aim to advance remembrance, recognition, and education about the Genocide of Sinti and Roma and build a community of dedicated young people around Europe. Therefore, the visit and active participation of Roma Holocaust survivors is an important part of Dikh He Na Bister. We remember the lost lives of those murdered because they were born Roma, but we also remember the resistance and heroism of Roma during the Holocaust. We remember the survivors who were with us during the years of each Dikh He Na Bister, and we pass on their words to the next generations who did not have the opportunity to meet them.  

We trust that our participants and everyone committed to our cause will use their power to spread the message and knowledge of the past and to empower Roma and non-Roma youth to fight for their rights.

Working with Testimonies – Toolkit of the Dikh He Na Bister’s Educational Program for Facilitators and Participants. The views expressed in this manual do not necessarily reflect the official position of ternYpe – International Roma Youth Network.


Copyrights: ternYpe – Roma Youth Network, 2023


Contributors: Anna Carballo, Tetiana Storozhko, Georgina Laboda
Editors: Busra Akdogan-Pamfil, Marius Lüdicke
Layout designer: Ioana Spataru
Photography: Brett Olah, Oliver Mako
Illustrations: Paula Mittrowann


This document was produced by ternYpe – International Roma Youth Network with the financial support of the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Council of Europe.

All correspondence concerning this document should be addressed to ternYpe – International Roma Youth Network via email: ternype@romayouth.com

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