AGM and Conference 2022
Thank you to all our members, 120+ who attended our AGM and Conference on 13th October in Athlone, and made it a very special and memorable event.
There were some lovely photos taken on the day and we welcome you to have a look at them on our Facebook page here. Also feel free to send us any.
Our excellent speaker Sissy Austin and the panel discussion and dialogue on a State Apology for Travellers consisting of Catherine Joyce, Thomas McCann, Helena Power & Trish Nolan, was a real highlight of the day and attracted some media attention in the Irish Times and RTE news.
Two important motions were passed unanimously by members, and will be followed up by ITM members in the coming year:
Motion 1: For all ITM members to support the current International Traveller Day consultation process (PASSED)
Motion 2: That ITM and its members will support participation and community attendance to local and national LGBTQI+ events, and seek to ensure, when possible, community representation in relevant LGBTQI+ spaces and boards. In addition ITM members commit to incorporating these actions into their organisational plans and strategies.
Our Annual Report was also presented at the conference which details all the work we did over 2021, you can read it HERE
We are asking all members who still need to pay their fees, to do so as soon as possible.
|
|
ITM Strategic Plan 2023 - 2027
At our AGM and Conference, the new Strategic Plan for the organisation was officially launched by Senator Eileen Flynn, which includes a renewed vision and mission and a roadmap to guide our work for the coming 5 years. You can read our new plan HERE
|
|
|
International Irish Traveller Day
Traveller Organisations and Travellers from Ireland and the UK have come together to look at the possibility of creating an international Irish Traveller Day of celebration to celebrate the rich heritage, culture and history of Irish Travellers capturing the key roles we have played, remembering and honouring the accomplishments of Irish Travellers throughout history. Also, to unite Irish Travellers internationally as a community in pride on the day through its celebrations.
They are now consulting with the Irish Traveller Community from July 2022 to June 2023 via an online survey which can be found here: https://t.co/R6sY6KUgzE
They are also seeking Traveller Organisations to promote and support the consultation period with Irish Travellers in their areas via consultation focus groups using the survey questions and returning them to the Campaign Steering committee members for review. Results will be reviewed in July 2023 with the majority response being the chosen day as the international Irish Traveller Day , how it will be celebrated, and a symbol/flag to represent us as Irish Travellers going forward.
If you have any questions please contact Rose Marie Maughan at rosemarie@itmtrav.ie
|
|
Message from our outgoing Membership Officer
As my time at ITM comes to an end, I want to thank all the members for their support and collaboration over the years. My time in the role has been extremely rewarding with many highlights. Wishing you all the very best in the ongoing fight for equality and rights realisation for Travellers. Yours in solidarity, Eve
|
|
|
Work on Eviction Ban
The government is introducing an eviction ban from November for private rental and Approved Housing Body tenants, to prevent further rise of homelessness. We have worked with political allies to put forward a proposed amendment that would ensure that Travellers living on unofficial sites are included in the ban. We will keep you updated on its progress. We received legal support from the FLAC Traveller Legal Service in this process. The Bill will be debated in the Dail on Wed Oct 26th, and in the Seanad on Thursday 27th.
ITM and FLAC Traveller legal service have noted an increase in eviction related queries directed in recent months. Please keep us updated on any information on threatened or actual evictions of Travellers happening in your area. Contact emily@itmtrav.ie or jacinta@itmtrav.ie
National Youth Homelessness Strategy
The Government's National Youth Homelessness Strategy will be launched on the 9th of November. ITM contributed significantly to this process and hope for strong inclusions for young Travellers.
- We facilitated consultation with youth membership with the ITM youth team
- Supported the Department to carry out consultation with young Travellers
- Wrote joint submission with Pavee Point and National Traveller Women's Forum
- Attended follow up meeting with Department with other homeless & housing organisations to further push for strong inclusions for young Travellers
- Thank you to everyone who contributed to the process and we hope it will lead to a strong strategy
Racist Commentary by Councillor in Galway on Traveller Accommodation
Galway Traveller Movement's campaign on this continues. Please support their survey and their excellent work on this, available here. Updates on the campaign are available on their social media too. ITM have also written to the Taoiseach on this.
|
|
ITM Membership Training - Accommodation Law
Thanks to funding from The Wheel, we facilitated Accommodation & Homelessness law training last week, delivered by Community Law and Mediation. It was an empowering and informative session and we look forward to running more in the future.
|
|
|
Electricity Credit Scheme
We have written twice to Minister Eamon Ryan on this in recent weeks, asking for clarity on how the next round of the electricity credit scheme will fully include all Travellers, and saying that Travellers who missed out on the first payment should now receive that payment too.
Caravan Loan Scheme
National Traveller MABS have also put together a video on the caravan loan scheme which you might want to share. Available here if you have any concerns about the caravan loan scheme in your area, please continue to share them with us. The oversight group for the pilot will be meeting in November and we want to bring as much feedback as possible to this.
Programme Board
- The Programme Board has asked for a submission from the National Traveller Orgs on the proposed National Traveller Accommodation Authority. We are working on a draft of this, which we will send around to members for comment when it is finished.
- The subgroup on the review of eviction procedures met for the first time last week, with the data subgroup due to meet in the coming weeks.
IHREC Funding
We are delighted to say we have received a grant from the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission to work with ITM members to create an online Traveller accommodation rights and policy hub. This will host info videos, summaries of recent reports, accessible info on Travellers' rights in relation to accommodation, info on the Public Sector Duty and how it applies to this work, referral pathways to other organisations, among lots of other useful resources for individuals and organisations involved in accommodation advocacy and activism, all in one place.
|
|
Kickstart Feasibility Study
ITM and its partners, the Irish Network Against Racism (INAR) and the Traveller Justice Initiative (TJI), are conducting a feasibility study to explore the potential for a social enterprise working with the Traveller community, and in particular Travellers who have encountered justice system, into paid trainers of anti-racism training. This project is funded by the Dormant Accounts Fund KickStart 2022, through Pobal. Tanya Lalor is working alongside a Traveller peer researcher and will be reaching to all key stakeholders on this project in the coming months.
|
|
ITM Youth Forum
There are still a few spaces left to be members of our ITM Youth Forum due to seeking gender balance we are hoping young Traveller men aged from 18 to 25yrs who are interested will join our forum. We are hosting a Team Building Day on November 4th in Dublin as decided by Traveller Youth members where we will review the role and values of the ITM Youth Forum signing up to its ethos and values as a group and of course there will be a fun team building activity afterwards. If you are interested or know someone who is please get in touch with our youth team Karen Power at karen@itmtrav.ie or Rose Marie Maughan at rosemarie@itmtrav.ie
NYCI
As ITM are members of NYCI, we nominated the Coordinator of our Traveller Youth Programme Rose Marie Maughan onto the board of NYCI which was successful via an election at their AGM. This is an important development which we hope will enhance Traveller Youth participation throughout the structures and work of mainstream youth work.
|
|
Political Advocacy and Policy
|
|
|
Traveller Policy Implementation Report
The research “Implementation of Traveller Policy: Terrain for Imagination and Challenge”, was carried out by Value Labs on behalf of Pavee Point, and overseen by an advisory group from Irish Traveller Movement & National Traveller Women's Forum. It aims to analyse gaps and challenges in policy implementation and highlights that local coalitions could be drivers for change. The full report can be read online at Pavee Point’s library: shorturl.at/pwNY1
|
|
|
A State Apology to Travellers
At our AGM and Conference, the first ever national assembly of Travellers was convened by ITM to address a State Apology to the community in view of government practices and policies implemented over decades, such as policies which forced Travellers into housing, the separation and removal of Traveller children into care and institutions, the specific institutional abuses against Travellers in Mother and Baby Homes, County Homes, Industrial Schools and Laundries, the establishment of Traveller segregated schools and classes, and the treatment of children in those settings.
Full paper in available HERE and media reports in the Irish Times and RTE news.
Budget 2023
The Irish Traveller Movement welcome a number of positive initiatives announced in Budget 2023, however they won’t go far enough, or address the investment advocated for to implement existing Government policy to support Traveller inclusion, and to improve outcomes, especially in areas of accommodation and housing, and education.
Despite a €2million increase to Traveller accommodation this year, the allocation for the 5 year programme, will be approximately €82 million compared with €127,000 million for the first programme, and resulting from local authority underspending and under delivery. A commitment to resource and establish the Traveller Accommodation Authority was not included and is a cause of concern given it forms part of the work tabled by the Minister of State Peter Burke in 2022/ 23.
It is difficult to understand the rationale for the paltry increase by 5%, amounting to €283,000 for Traveller and Roma initiatives, to the scale of investment needed, and which also does not address the increases in energy, cost of living and knock on effects on staff recruitment and retention, and in view of pay parity inequity in statutory funded organisations.
The specific detail of the 5% earmarked is for Traveller education and employment, is vital, but also dents confidence in Government’s intention to its own commitments to deliver across the new planned for National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy, and what’s absent in this and previous budget, is a whole of government approach. This is evidenced in the last Strategy which was not coherently economically estimated or budgeted across its 149 actions.
In the area of Education, the fundamental measures to bring Traveller pupils into equivalence with other learners are also not evident, and a Traveller Education Strategy called for since 2006 to be resourced with dedicated staff, has not been included.
In 2020/2021, just 33 Traveller students started undergraduate degrees, however, there is a Plan to increase participation levels to 150 via a three-year pilot of €450,000 per year, announced in August 2022, by Minister Harris. But without vital attention to the retention of Travellers in post primary, early school leaving continues, the gateway to third level. Other welcome mainstream alleviation measures announced in education will benefit Traveller families and pupils, such as access to free school books at primary schools from 2023, and the once-off reduction of €1,000 for eligible students in the2022-2023.
The Programme for Government commitment to a Traveller employment action plan has not been forthcoming, and the portion as referenced of the 5% increase of €283,000 to be shared with education supports, will not fix the 83% unemployment in the community.
In the area of Traveller Health the first investment by the State towards Traveller mental health was significant, where Travellers are now included in a €7 million package to expand community and residential addiction services, and to improve access to healthcare services, also for people who are homeless and refugees. Further clarity on those measures and allocations is needed, such as whether ring fenced and distinct actions for Travellers are promised, including measures to address suicide in the community, rather than a reliance on inclusion within mainstream services, which has not remedied crisis points to now. For further contact jacinta@itmtrav.ie
Civil Legal Aid Review
The Civil legal Aid review is well underway and we anticipate a public consultation being announced in November 2022 and would encourage local & Traveller organisations & civil society to participate within the process when announced to enhance access to justice for Travellers.
|
|
Council of Europe
ITM met with the country advisor on Ireland of the Office of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, for an update and exchange on current findings and priorities with respect to the situation of Traveller and Roma here, on Oct 26th.
|
|
|
Yellow Flag Awards
The final touches are being added to the Yellow Flag Awards Ceremony 2022. All of our schools have now been formally invited and planning is almost complete. We look forward to celebrating with our schools on November 10th.
Submissions
The Yellow Flag Programme has recently made a submission to the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in their examination of mental health supports in schools. In their submission, The Yellow Flag Programme recommended:
Teacher Training and Development including relevant staff in Tertiary Education.
1. Incorporate anti-racist and intercultural education in primary, secondary and tertiary level education, in (ITE) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
2. In line with targets in the Higher Education National Access Plan, track wellbeing at university level, and progression to graduation, and not just on admission, to consciously assess and eliminate obstacles and remedy future uptake of teachers of ethnic minority status.
Student Engagement and Peer Supports.
1. Mandate all schools to adopt and implement an anti-racism policy as a preventative and reactive measures
2. Embed core components of the Yellow Flag Programme in all schools and ring fence within National Education policy and resource the Programme as a key partner in amplifying the voices of minoritised groups and the building of intercultural understanding, as per DCU Anti-Bullying Centre research recommendation.
Our schools
All of our 2022 schools have now been on boarded onto the programme. Our schools are currently meeting with their Diversity Committeee's and carrying out their Intercultural Review with pupils, parents/guardians and teachers.
Yellow Flag are celebrating Black History Month 2022, we're encouraging our students to share what they're up to in our schools, and how they're celebrating (see pictures attached from Mercy College). Keep an eye on our socials to see all the amazing school projects being undertaken.
|
|
|
St Mary's College, Naas and their Diversity Committee have baked a very special cake, symbolising their commitment to the values and ethos of Yellow Flag in their school.
|
|
|
Babylon Radio online piece
We contributed to a piece on Babylon Radio, which aims to support people who are new to life in Ireland. You can check it out here: https://babylonradio.com/q-a-who-are-irelands-travellers/
|
|
- National Traveller Health Action Plan Launch - Monday 28th November, Department of Health
- International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination - 10th December
Internet Safety Training - Thursday, November 17th at 10.30 on Zoom
Cyber Schools in partnership with Traveller Visibility Group Cork has kindly offered to deliver a training for parents and guardians on helping their children stay safe on the internet. If you have any concerns or questions about your child's internet usage, would like to learn more about how social media apps work and how to use them safely, then this is the training for you. The link to register is here
|
|
Traveller Education Project Officer
County Kildare Leader Partnership
More information HERE
Closing date: Friday 4th November, 5pm
|
|
|
|
|
