Role Model Stories

Miguel Roldan Espinosa is a firefighter of the City of Seville since October 2013. He studied Physical Activities and Sport Sciences, and once in the Fire Service he did not hesitate to imbue his colleagues with his knowledge in working in waters with current. He is involved since his entry into the Service in all activities related to the Rescue at Altitude and belongs to the team of underwater activities as a professional diver, a qualification that I have no doubt is available for a greater quality service to the public. He has collaborated with different NGOs in several projects such as the work developed in Lesbos in March 2016 where he helped every day to avoid drowning and to reach the shore with refugees coming out of Turkish waters. In June 2017 he participated again in another mission in the Mediterranean, specifically in Libya, where he helped many refugees who were lost in these waters looking for another world from a boat for 20 days. In May 2018 he participated again in the formation of a Fire Brigade in Guinea.

Zoe Gudović is a feminist, lesbian, art activist, cultural manager, producer and organizer, living in Serbia. Since 1995, she has been involved in the area of research and work activities related to informal and engaged theatre forms. Gudović has also organized various street performances as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence campaigns. In her practice, she combines art and activism in order to change the existing consciousness and social relations. She has been described as a theatre educator, a performer, a Drag King Transformer and a ‘toilet’ artist and regularly creates work with a range of groups and collectives. In addition to work with the Reconstruction Women’s Fund, Gudović is engaged in the research and practice of non-formal and engaged theatre forms. She has been a member of the feminist group Women at Work since 1998. She is also the co-founder of Act Women, a feminist theatre group started in 2003, and the activist group Queer Belgrade.

Edin Osmic, better known by his stage name Edo Maajka, is a Bosnian rapper, record producer and songwriter. His popularity brought his group Disciplinska Komisija to the mainstream. Osmić has named several artists that have influenced him, including Rambo Amadeus, TBF, Safet Isović, Miladin Šobić, Azra, Zabranjeno Pušenje, Disciplina Kičme, Atomsko Sklonište, Majke, Rupa u Zidu among others. His rapping technique is described as having a perfect flow, and also his varied subject matter, connecting with his audience, carrying a concept over a series of albums and earned him praise for his ability to write brilliant lyrics. His lyrics have also been described as a variation in connecting emotionally to the listener.

Eileen Ní Fhloinn (Flynn) is an independent Irish politician. Eileen and her twin sister Sally were born and raised in Labre park in Ballyfermot, Dublin, one of Ireland’s oldest Traveller accommodation sites. In 2008 Eileen and her twin became the first members of the Labre Park community to reach third level education. Ní Fhloinn studied at Trinity College Dublin as part of an access course for young people who had experienced disadvantage, before attending Ballyfermot College of Further Education and later earning a degree at Maynooth University, a BA in Community Development. Following the completion of her education, Ní Fhloinn had been an activist and community worker for a decade, working with groups such as the Irish Traveller Movement, the National Traveller Women’s Forum and Ballyfermot Traveller Action Programme. She also campaigned on issues such as housing, marriage equality, abortion rights and anti-racism. Recently in June 2020, she became a senator upon being nominated by the Taoiseach, and in doing so became the first-ever Traveller to be a member the Oireachtas. Ní Fhloinn stated her objectives in the Seanad will be ‘mental health services, unemployment among Travellers, opportunities for minority groups and getting hate-crime legislation enacted’. Ní Fhloinn is a committed and dedicated activist with a strong social and political vision and she is standing up for the rights of all communities including ethnic minorities, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and Travellers.

George Lazaridis graduated from the 1st General High School of Kalamata and then studied at ST.Y.A. (School of Aviation Technical Non-Commissioned Officers). In January 1993, while in his sophomore year, he was involved in a wheelchair accident. In 2004 he was part of the Paralympic Games in Athens, participating in Wheelchair Tennis. He regularly visits schools and sports clubs with the aim of teaching children about disability, the difficulties of everyday life, to get close to students, to talk, to play, to think. He is the founding member and president of the "DIFFERENT" DP for the disabled, based in Kalamata, with the aim of attracting, encouraging and encouraging people with disabilities to leave home and engage in sports, paralympic sports, olympic ideals and values. In 2019 he was elected municipal councilor in the Municipality of Kalamata.