Romoji: New Chapters

Roma communities in Slovakia face persistent marginalisation rooted in a structural problem that is rarely addressed directly: the near-total absence of positive Roma narratives in mainstream culture. Stereotypical portrayals in media and public discourse reinforce a self-sustaining cycle — they deepen prejudice among the majority population while simultaneously undermining the self-image and aspirations of young Roma people themselves. Existing tools for Roma inclusion tend to focus on social services or formal education, leaving the cultural and identity dimension largely unaddressed.

The project builds on Romoji, a narrative mobile game developed in 2025 in partnership with the Hungarian Roma community organisation Etanoda, which uses it as an empowerment tool. Due to budget limitations, the game was left incomplete: character storylines end at age 14, and the game lacks a Roma female protagonist — a gap explicitly requested by dozens of Roma female players. These limitations leave the game's core empowerment potential only partially fulfilled.

The project will develop and release 6 new chapters of the Romoji mobile game, extending the storylines of existing and new characters into adulthood and introducing a Roma female protagonist. The chapters will portray realistic situations Roma youth face in adult life — discrimination in the labour market, access to education, housing, identity — and model concrete pathways through these challenges.

All chapters will be developed through a participatory process involving Roma youth from Zebra clubs (project partner), cultural consultation with Etanoda, and expert review from the Institute for Social Communication Research at the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV). The game will be translated into Romani upon completion and released on iOS and Android.

Alongside game development, the project will deliver a workshop programme (35 workshops, 500+ participants) using the game as an educational tool in schools and community settings across Slovakia, supported by a facilitator's handbook for teachers and social workers. A multi-channel launch campaign will target both Roma and non-Roma youth with the goal of reaching 500,000 people and achieving 15,000 new downloads.

The project targets three interconnected beneficiary groups.

For Roma youth and young adults, the game provides narrative role models, tools for processing identity and discrimination, and visible cultural representation — outcomes measured through in-app surveys tracking self-reported empowerment after gameplay.

For Roma women and girls specifically, the introduction of a female Roma protagonist addresses a directly expressed need from the existing player community.

For non-Roma youth and the broader public, the game and campaign create structured encounters with Roma perspectives, designed to shift attitudes — measured through pre/post questionnaires in workshops, with a target of 70% of participants showing a positive change in attitudes toward the Roma community.

At the systemic level, the facilitator's handbook and the game's permanent availability on Gamifactory.sk (3,000+ registered teachers) create a long-term resource for educators working on inclusion and diversity.

The project's impact data — attitude change measurements and empowerment metrics — will be published and actively shared with relevant policy actors, including the Ministry of Education, contributing to evidence-based policy discussion on effective tools for Roma inclusion in Slovak schools.