Please see below ITM weekly update 24th February 2010.
 
1. Affiliation to the ITM
2.  Advance notice of dates for ITM AGM 2010
3. ITM Upcoming dates- including ITM Regional Network Meetings, Working Groups
4. ITM newsletter- call for submissions!
5. From the Roma Virtual Network: response from Traveller activists in England on proposals by the Conservative Party in England:
6. Call for Support: Midlands Regional Youth Project & Better Ireland Awards
7. National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project strategic planning event 23rd March
8. Irish Youth Foundation Grants
9. ENAR to coordinate European Week against Racism in Ireland
10. Amnesty International Activism Training: Designing a Campaign Strategy!
12.  Use the ITM Email update to get your message across!


1. Affiliation to the ITM and notice of ITM AGM 2010

Please find attached the affiliation form to join the ITM for 2010. As an ITM member you will receive weekly updates, newsletters, access to the website as well as participation in ITM working groups, regional networks and the annual general meeting. If you have any queries on membership, please contact the Membership Worker in your area:

North-West Region
Galway, Mayo, Leitrim, Longford, Rosommon, Sligo, Donegal, Westmeath
Rose Marie Maughan  rosenorthwestitm@gmail.com

Southern Region
Cork, Kerry, Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary
Brigid Quilligan brigidquilligan@gmail.com

South East Region
Wicklow, Carlow, Kilkenny, Kildare, Offaly
Margaret O’Leary loughmartin@gmail.com

Laois, South Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford
Thomas Erbsloh itmmembership@gmail.com

East/ North East Region
Dublin, Meath, Louth, Cavan, Monaghan
Damien Walshe dwalsheitm@gmail.com

2.  Advance notice of dates for ITM AGM 2010

The Irish Traveller Movement AGM & Conference will take place on 16th and 17th of June in Dublin (venue to be confirmed). As it is the 20th Anniversary of the Movement we will be looking to generate discussion on possible themes, workshops and format for the 2 days. Membership workers will be in touch in relation to this in the Regional Networks, but if you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us. But keep those dates in your diary! Relevant forms for registering, nominating members to the Central Group and for resolutions to the AGM will be sent out in due course.

3. ITM Upcoming dates for your Diary!

Please Note the following dates for your Diary:

The ITM Accommodation Working Group - 10th March - venue to be confirmed for Dublin
ITM Accommodation Working Group - 28th April – (most likely to be a site visit)
ITM Accommodation Working Group - 9th June - venue to be confirmed for Dublin
For more details on the above, please contact Collette Spears or Biddy Connors on itmaccommodation@gmail.com or 01-6796577

ITM Eastern Regional Network 2nd of March in the offices of the Southside Traveller Action Group (STAG) at 2pm
For more details on the above, please contact Damien Walshe on 087 2858485 or email dwalsheitm@gmail.com  for information

ITM Northwest Regional Network 25th of March in the Northside CDP at 11am-1pm.
For more details on the above, please contact Rose Marie Maughan on 0876239792 or email rosenorthwestitm@gmail.com  for information

ITM Education Working Group Meeting 2nd March, Laois Traveller Action Group
The next Education Working Group Meeting will be held on the 2nd of March @ 11am in Laois Travellers Action Project. As well as the regular business part to the meeting, Siobhan Cummiskey from the Law Centre will be doing a workshop on the Right to Education & Access to Education under the Equality Legislation & their will also be an input from the National Parents Association. All welcome. Contact Paula Madden Education worker @ educationitm@gmail.com or 0872410258 for further information

ITM Youth Working Group 11th March Sligo (Venue TBC)
The next Youth Working Group Meeting  will take place on the 11th of March from 11am to 2pm in Sligo (venue TBC). For further information and or to confirm attendence contact Paula Madden at itmyouth@gmail.com or 0872410258.

Supporting Travellers in College (STIC) Saturday 27th Feb
The next STIC meeting for Travellers in Third Level will be held on Saturday 27th Feb @ 12 noon (venue TBC). All Travellers attending further and higher education welcome. Contact Paula at sticitm@gmail.com or 0872410258

4. ITM newsletter- call for submissions!
The ITM Spring 2010 newsletter will be produced shortly. If you or your organisation would like to use the ITM newsletter to highlight achievements or local issues, contact Damien Walshe on 01-6796577 or dwalsheitm@gmail.com        
Deadline for accepting information is February 26th. 

5. From the Roma Virtual Network: response from Traveller activists in England on proposals by the Conservative Party in England

 http://www.erionet.org/site/index.html

Four leading campaigners on Gypsies and Travellers respond to the recently published Tory policy on Traveller accommodation.

On 12 February 2010 the Conservatives launched their new policies on Gypsy and Traveller accommodation: 'Conservatives pledge to tackle trespass' (http://conservativehome.blogs.com/localgovernment/2010/02/conservatives-pledge-to-tackle-trespass.html ). It seeks to:

1. Create a new criminal offence of intentional trespass, as already in place in the Republic Of Ireland

Response - A law on these lines has caused extreme hardship to homeless Traveller families in Ireland, leading to overcrowding as Travellers 'double up' on authorised sites, and has accentuated poor access to services. At present the courts in the UK can weigh the welfare needs of Travellers and the needs of landowners and the safety of a site's location and decide where appropriate on temporary periods of toleration. This is also in a context where central and local government over the years have failed to ensure adequate site provision despite the Government and NGOs accepting that the problem of unauthorised encampments stems from the lack of sites. It is this failure which explains the continuation of unauthorised encampments. Moreover local authorities have the means to identify temporary alternative locations for encampments.

2. Curtail the ability to apply for retrospective planning permission

Response - This pledge is vague but the government was advised by the Task Force led by Sir Brian Briscoe that it would be difficult to criminalise unauthorised developments, as so many members of the settled community build extensions and additions without immediate planning permission.[1] If councils implement the new reforms introduced by the Government in ODPM Circular 01/2006 then, once they identify land for site development, it will become harder for unauthorised developments to succeed in the planning process as Gypsies and Travellers will not be able to argue there is a shortage of sites in a particular area.

3. Scrap John Prescott's unfair Whitehall planning rules, which are compelling councils to build traveller camps in the Green Belt and compulsory purchase people's land to find sites

Response - This is misleading. There is no requirement that Councils build Gypsy and Traveller camps in the Green Belt or elsewhere. Rather they are required to identify land which would be suitable for such sites, just as they are required to identify land suitable to meet other needs like, conventional housing, industry etc. Councils do have the option to use compulsory purchase of land for housing development as well as for Gypsy and Traveller sites, but the Government has no power to make them do so in either case. There is no evidence of compulsory purchase of private land being used for these purposes. But in some local authority areas most of the undeveloped land is Green Belt, so it can be difficult to identify any alternative land.

Where Gypsies or Travellers are granted permanent or temporary permission in the Green Belt it is because of extreme health and educational needs for family members and because of lack of site provision elsewhere.

4. Give tougher 'stop notice' enforcement powers to councils with authorised sites, and support central funding for councils to build authorised sites - rather than it falling to local taxpayer

Response - Temporary stop notices already exist. On 31 March 2005, the Joint Committee of the House of Commons and the House of Lords on Human Rights published a report on the UN Convention on Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Amongst other things, it criticised the temporary stop notices power in the 2004 Act and was concerned about human rights implications.

A central government grant already exists for site construction which minimises costs to local taxpayers but increased resources for this grant would be welcome.

5. Replace the Human Rights Act (HRA) with a British Bill of Rights to prevent 'human rights' lawyers sidestepping the planning system and demanding special treatment.

Response - There is absolutely no evidence that the HRA has led to the 'sidestepping' of the planning system. Human rights are just one aspect of the considerations of a local planning authority or a planning inspector and are rarely if ever going to be determinative. Membership of the European Union means that the UK must subscribe to the European Convention on Human Rights, so we would have to leave the EU for this to happen.

Other Comments

6. The Conservatives have not consulted Gypsies and Travellers or established experts about their new proposals - this goes against the established principles of consultation regarding ethnic minorities - so much for the Conservatives claim 'fair play for all'.

7. The Conservative statement declares: 'Where, therefore, councils have made appropriate provision for authorised sites in their area, which reflect local need and historic demand, we will provide them with stronger enforcement powers to tackle unauthorised development and illegal trespass. In addition, we will introduce a new criminal offence of intentional trespass'.

Existing Government policies are aimed at adequate site provision and indicate that there can be strong enforcement once adequate provision is in place. It is difficult to see how the Conservatives will assess when adequate provision has been attained or what adequate provision is if they scrap the regional and local targets.

Present policies already reward local authorities that identify areas suitable for site development in their development plans by making it harder for unauthorised planning applications to succeed on the grounds that there is a local shortage of sites

The Conservatives say site provision must be based on local need and historic demand. In London the Mayor Boris Johnson is seeking to reduce London's identified pitch requirements by claiming that there is not enough land and by dismissing the needs of housed Gypsies and Travellers who have been forced into housing by the shortage of sites and who have a legitimate need to live on sites. The London Mayor's position is not acceptable in London or elsewhere and it is hoped that it will not creep into Conservative policy.

If the Conservatives intend to scrap the edifice built over many years by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act and the Housing Act, they will have to spell out the amending legislation in detail, and at that point they would have to consult Travellers, local authorities, the EHRC etc. This process, and the introduction of the resulting legislation, would take many years, and in the meanwhile local authorities are bound to drag their feet even more than they do already in identifying sites under the present legislation, making the shortage of sites and the prevalence of unauthorised encampments even worse than it is already.

The Conservatives need to:

* state how they would complete the amendment of the Mobile Homes Act (MHA) on local authority security of tenure, to comply with the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in Connors v UK (May 2004);

* acknowledge that a shortage of sites is not only inconveniencing the settled community but causing acute hardship for Gypsies and Travellers;

* apologise for the abolition in 1994 of the duty to provide sites under the 1968 Act, causing the present acute shortage of sites and over 15 years of extreme hardship for many families;

* resist the Party's electioneering antics at the last election, egged on by its tabloid allies, playing the race card by stirring up anti-Gypsy and Traveller prejudice;

* go back to square one and rethink their approach, starting by talking to the people it concerns - Gypsies and Travellers.

Lord Avebury, Professor Thomas Acton, Andrew Ryder (Researcher) and Marc Willers (Barrister)

----
FOOTNOTE

[1] The Road Ahead: Final Report of the Independent Task Group on Site Provision and Enforcement for Gypsies and Travellers. 2007, see: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/Taskgroupreport

The Institute of Race Relations is precluded from expressing a corporate view: any opinions expressed are therefore those of the authors.
__._,_.___
 
6. Call for Support: Midlands Regional Youth Project & Better Ireland Awards

Maureen Ward's Youth Project Needs YOUR HELP!!!!!  The project that Maureen Ward (vice-chair of the ITM) works for Midlands Regional Youth Service (Athlone) has been shortlisted for the AIB Better Ireland Grant.
 
This is decided by voting on line and by text. They would be grateful for your vote,
 
To vote by TEXT: Text Athlone A to 51303

or visit the website
http://www.aibgroup.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1165916888815&pagename=CSRPortal/csr_main&c=CSRParent_P

Choose county Westmeath and branch Athlone and then click on Midlands Regional Youth Service Athlone.

They are going to use this money to better the drop in youth service being ran in Church Street, Athlone.
 
7. National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project strategic planning event 23rd March

Crosscare National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project which is now in its third year would like to invite you to participate in a strategic planning event titled,

What would you like to be celebrating in three years time?

The purpose of the event is to examine work which has been done to date in partnership with stakeholders in relation to Traveller Suicide awareness.  It is vital to examine opportunities which exist for stakeholders to get involved in working with Travellers around the issue of Mental Health and Suicide Awareness.

We would like to invite a representative from your organization to participate in this event which will take place on:

Tuesday the 23rd of March 2010
in Clonliffe College
from 11am until 3pm.


Lunch will be provided

The format for the day will include presentations from Traveller projects who have engaged with the project and a round table discussion with focused questions.  Your support will be gratefully appreciated, and will help the project to develop a clear direction for future work.

Please confirm your attendance along with any dietary requirements to
Petra Daly by emailing pdaly@crosscare.ie or by phoning 0861729168 before the 15th of March.

8. Irish Youth Foundation Grants

The Irish Youth Foundation is inviting applications for grants of up to €2,000, and not less than €500, from local and community based voluntary groups working directly with vulnerable or marginalised children and young people to help them stay in school.  An application form is attached.

IMPORTANT: only groups with an annual income of less than €20,000 should apply for an IYF 2010 small grant and only applications which address the ‘stay in school’ theme will be considered.

 Irish Youth Foundation ‘small’ grants are a flexible and immediate response to the needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities who are experiencing difficulties going to or staying in school. Proposals which demonstrate high impact for the target group will receive particular attention. Grants will not be awarded for fees or travel.

Completed application forms must be received by the Irish Youth Foundation by 4.00pm Friday 12th  March 2010.  Only emailed and posted applications will be considered. Late applications and/or faxed applications will not be accepted under any circumstances. Successful applicants will be notified in late March.
 
Sabina Cotter
Irish Youth Foundation
35 Exchequer Street
Dublin 2
Phone: 01-6719009
www.iyf.ie

9. ENAR to coordinate European Week against Racism in Ireland

European Network Against Racism (ENAR) Ireland is supporting the co-ordination of European Week Against Racism in Ireland .
During the European Week Against Racism, thousands of people actively engage in activities to promote and celebrate equal rights and the diversity of Europe.  The Week centres around 21 March which was declared International Day for the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination by the United Nations as a response to the murder of 69 anti-apartheid demonstrators in Sharpeville, South Africa in 1960. 

If you are holding an event around this time to mark this occasion, please contact Catherine, ENAR Ireland at EnarIreland@gmail.com by 19th February.  
ENAR Ireland shall prepare a calendar of events.  We will be in touch again over the coming weeks with details of the various events taking place.  
Kind regards,
Catherine
ENAR Ireland is a network of anti-racist organisations in Ireland and is the Irish co-ordination of European Network Against Racism, an EU-wide network of 600 NGOs.  For further details, contact us on EnarIreland@gmail.com or check us out on Facebook.  

10. Amnesty International Activism Training: Designing a Campaign Strategy!

This is the first of a series of three activism training days aimed at building the skills of activists. This training will guide activists and would-be activists through the process of developing an issue-specific campaign strategy that incorporates both the human rights based approach and the community development ethos.
The training is intended for Amnesty activists, community activists, NGO workers and people interested in becoming involved in working for social change. No experience required, all levels welcome.
The aims are to:

Provide practical campaigning tools and training to activists
Stimulate and encourage dynamic and challenging discussions on campaigning

Location
The training will take place from 9am-4pm on Saturday 27th February in Pearse Street Library, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2.
Pearse Street Library is wheel chair accessible. If sign language interpretation is required please notify Amnesty as soon as possible. Every effort will be made to provide sign language interpreters but will be based on their availability.
Registration forms can be found at: http://www.amnesty.ie/amnesty/upload/images/amnesty_ie/campaigns/ApplicationFormTC.doc
Places are limited so please register early. Registration in advance is required. There will be no registration on the day.

Cost:
- € 15 non-Amnesty members
- € 10 Amnesty members and students
- € 6 concession
Teas/ Coffees and lunch will be provided. There are a number of registration fee waivers available on a case by case basis. Please contact Kieran Clifford on kclifford@amnesty.ie with queries.
Further trainings in the series in 2010 will include a module on lobbying and another specific to applying human rights law to your campaign.

12.  Use the ITM Email update to get your message across!

All ITM members who wish to circulate positions available and upcoming events etc can simply send information to be circulated to the membership. Emails will be sent on Wednesday/ Thursday of every week. Please send details by the Wednesday mornings at the latest to Damien Walshe at dwalsheitm@gmail.com