Carla Santiago, 49 years old, Madrid, Spanish
Carla Santiago and the Artemis Federation Network, a real example in the struggle to improve the living conditions of the Roma population
THE STORY OF CARLA SANTIAGO AND HER WORK AT THE ARTEMIS FEDERATION NETWORK
Being President of the Federación Red Artemisa (in English, Artemis Federation Network) today, Carla has always known that it is not convenient to tell others that one is Roma, if one does not want to see doors closed in life. It is better to give them time to get to know more about oneself before telling them anything about one’s identity. Since she was a child, she was discriminated against on grounds of being Roma. Her experience in life in general, as well as with other children, made her understand very early how necessary it is to combat stereotypes. She has had to overcome many barriers in life, without renouncing her Roma identity. The secret? Moderation and treating others well, always speaking to them with gentleness and affection.
All that she has achieved in life has been thanks to the support of her family, especially her parents. She started studying psychology at University and went on to the world of associationism after years of training in the administrative and mediation sector, specifically in the Romi Association and in the Fundación Secretariado Gitano (Spain). She has also worked for the Association Barró and, currently, keeps collaborating as a social mediator in the Association El fanal. She has been shown to have an entrepreneurial spirit. She even opened a clothing store in Madrid.
At the same time, she is an example in the struggle to improve the living conditions of the Roma population, an historically discriminated group at risk of social exclusion. For this reason, we wanted to include her story among many others from Florida Universitaria and under the European Project PAL for the fight against discrimination and antigypsyism in the area of education and employment. These are being compiled for the necessary rupture of stereotypes that pose barriers to the empowerment of this social group.
As already mentioned, she is the president of the Artemis Federation Network, an organization that pursues the development of the Roma community through working in mediation with Roma women, a federation aimed at promoting —through a coordinated, collaborative action and networking— social education, effective implementation of human rights and community development, to the benefit of minorities at risk of social exclusion. Everything developed from a gender perspective.
As reported on the Artemis Federation Network website, its goal is «to facilitate the active inclusion of groups at risk of social exclusion, as well as to promote equal opportunities for men and women». The services provided by this federation, with the participation of partner organizations, include education, training, social intervention, social and cultural mediation, all aimed at people at risk of social exclusion, especially the Roma community.
Among the projects carried out by this federation are the Artemis Project, which runs from 2006 to 2011, and the Aracné Project, still underway today. Both are based on Roma social mediation, and start with the inclusion of Roma mediators as a link between the members of the Roma community and other cultures. Its objectives are to reduce school truancy and school dropout among Roma children and youngsters, to fight against gender patterns that hinder equity, to boost and encourage healthy lifestyles, to act in the environment for the benefit of social development, as well as to support this group in the improvement of labour insertion.
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