Irish Traveller Movement Update of 1 November 2011
1. Organise an event for Traveller Pride Week 5 to 9 December 2011
2. The Trailer of Bridget Dinnigan – The all Traveller Cast Play
3. Claiming our Future: AN ECONOMY FOR SOCIETY A NATIONAL DISCUSSION
4. Nominate for The Diverse Ireland Awards 2011
5. The National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project
6. The Spectacle of Defiance and Hope EVENT planned for 3 December in Dublin
7. STARTING A BUSINESS in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown?
8. Traveller Wagon Wheel Theatre
9. CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: The Irish Review of Community Economic Development Law and Policy
10. VACANCIES
11. ITM Important Dates for your diary
12. Use the ITM E-zine update to get your message across
1. Organise an event for Traveller Pride Week 5 to 9 December 2011
Traveller Pride Week will run from the 5th to the 9th of December. This has been an important feature of the calendar for many years and highlights the positive contribution Travellers make to Irish society. It is also an opportunity to focus on issues that affect Travellers lives.
Why not organise an event this year? There are many things that your organisation could do from small actions to larger events, for example:
• Organise a cross community coffee morning
• Launch a key report or highlight an existing initiative
• Organise a sporting event or sports challenge
• Host a cultural awareness event
• Display photographs past and present
Be as creative as you like but let us know what you are doing so we can highlight it on our calendar of events.
Contact ITM on 01 6796577 or email itmtrav@indigo.ie
2. The Trailer of Bridget Dinnigan – The all Traveller cast play
The much acclaimed play by the all Traveller cast, “The Trailer of Bridget Dinnigan” is returning for one week only during Traveller Pride Week (5 to 9 December) at the Axis theatre Ballymun from 5 to the 9 December.
The ITM, in association with the Blanchardstown Travellers Development Group, invite you to attend this must see play.
A bus will be made available for large groups outside of Dublin to attend the play inclusive of ticket price for €15 per person, return.
Why not make this part of your Traveller Pride Week calendar or your Christmas night out and come and see a fantastic play?
For more information and to reserve your seat please contact
Chantelle at the ITM office on 01 679 6577.
Book early to avoid disappointment, show starts at 8pm sharp.
3. Claiming our Future: AN ECONOMY FOR SOCIETY A NATIONAL DISCUSSION
IN: THE MILLENIUM HALL, CORK ON: 5 NOVEMBER
REGISTRATION: 10 AM
FREE Buses going from Cork, Waterford, Wexford and Galway.
Book your place with richie@claimingourfuture.ie
Our economic model of development is failing us. Unemployment is high, public services are being cut and wealth is increasingly concentrated in the hands of the few. It is time to talk about alternatives. It’s time to talk about an economy for society. Join us in Cork to debate the social, environmental and economic reasons for change. Join us to debate the elements for an alternative approach to development in Ireland. Claiming our Future, in association with PlanBetter, is organizing this national discussion. Individuals and organizations from the full breadth of civil society will take part. A working group will be organized to follow up the ideas discussed and to take action to promote an economy for society.
The discussion will focus on prosperity and what we mean by prosperity. It will explore how current policies might or might not serve our vision of prosperity. It will examine what we can do to promote
alternatives.
JOIN THE NATIONAL DISCUSSION IN CORK ON NOVEMBER 5TH 2011
www.claimingourfuture.ie
4. Nominate for The Diverse Ireland Awards 2011
The Irish Traveller Movement recommends all our members to nominate a group or an individual that made a difference in their community.
The Integration Centre invites you to nominate the person or entity you think has made a significant contribution to Integration. Anyone may make a nomination and you may nominate for as many categories as you wish.
To make your nomination online click here
The categories open for nomination are Politician, Local Authority, School, Journalist, Individual, Support Service, Sporting Organisation, The Arts/Cultural Organisation, Multinational, & SME Business.
An Advisory Board of experts has been appointed to assist The Integration Centre staff in selecting Prize winners. The Advisory Board is comprised of experts in media, politics and business.
The Advisory board is comprised of:
Dil Wickramingshe, Broadcaster
Nora Owen, Former Minister for Justice
Jim Power, Economist
Killian Forde, CEO The Integration Centre
The deadline for nominations is close of business, Friday 2nd December.
The Award ceremony will take place at 1pm, 16th December, venue to be confirmed.
For more information visit www.integrationcentre.ie
5. The National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project
The National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project is hosting two events which we would like to invite as many people to as possible.
The first event is a consultation event being held on the 22nd of November. . The purpose of the event is to develop a research gathering tool which will help the project identify where Traveller suicide and attempted suicide is happening around the country. This consultation we hope will help us to finalise what information we can gather re Traveller suicide. It will be an opportunity for Travellers to have their say.
The session will take place in Clonliffe college from 11am until 3pm
Lunch will be provided
I would be grateful if you could let the project know if you can attend . Please contact Petra on 0861729168 or email pdaly @crosscare.ie
The second event is a workshop on sexuality which we are hosting during Traveller focus week on the 7th of December.
This workshop will be facilitated by GLEN (Gay and Lesbian Equality Network). The discussion will focus on sexuality and will be an opportunity to ask and have questions answered about sexuality and how it can impact on mental health.
The workshop will take place in the Red House Clonliffe college and will be from 11am until 3pm
Numbers will be limited so if you would like to attend this event please let us know.
You can contact
Petra on 086 1729168 or email pdaly @crosscare.ie
6. The Spectacle of Defiance and Hope EVENT planned for 3 December in Dublin
This spectacular event will take place on December 3rd in Dublin at 2pm. This is a protest march with a difference and we would like to ensure that Travellers are included in the event in the best possible way. The theme of the march is to say NO to the cuts to the community and youth sector and to Defend - Protect - and Sustain the many community and youth projects.
Inspired by the Book of Grievance from the French Revolution, the Spectacle of Defiance and Hope is asking groups to write their grievance down and we can put it together in a book. The ITM will facilitate groups to put their grievances down and we will carry this book on the 3rd December.
So check out the website and send in your grievances to the ITM, dpeeloitm@gmail.com
The Spectacle of Defiance and Hope is a broadly based alliance of Community Organisations. In 2010 a large number of groups came together to protest and challenge the programme of cuts that were imposed on the youth and community sector and draw attention to the savage economic injustices that were taking place in Ireland. The Spectacle is for an Ireland of true equality in the conditions of people's lives. In December of 2010 we organised the powerful and provocative Spectacle of Defiance and Hope event in which community organisations participated.
For further information on the spectacle of defiance and hope check out their website:
http://www.thespectacleofdefianceandhope.ie
7. STARTING A BUSINESS in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
SUPPORT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR TRAVELLERS STARTING A BUSINESS
DUN LAOGHAIRE- RATHDOWN COUNTY ENTERPRISE BOARD
are currently running a Pilot Programme (Oct – December 2011) to help members of the Travelling community who wish to start new business or expand existing business.
The following services are available.
• Training
• Advice from experts/mentors
• Help with Business Plans
• Help to source funds and avail of schemes
• One to one sessions and group/family sessions
CONTACT: MARGARET SCULLY
Traveller Enterprise Support Initiative
Email: margaret@dlrceb.ie01 494 8400 / 087 244 4414
8. Traveller Wagon Wheel Theatre
If you or your group wants to host one of these plays, please contact by email Michael Collins at
travellerwagonwheel@hotmail.com
Michael Collins member of the Irish Traveller community who has been an advocate of Traveller human rights for over 20 years. He is an actor, writer and performer he has acted on stage in the Abby and Olympia Theatre’s.Michael played Johnny Connors in RTE’s Glenroe for over 10 years and has been in numerous films including Trojan Eddie and Man about Dog.
It’s a cultural thing or is it
Michael has written his own play’s “It’s a cultural thing or is it” which he has spent the past five years performing in venues in Ireland and in the UK this play received a five star review in the Irish Times in the 2005 Dublin Fringe festival.
Mobile written and preformed By Traveller Michael Collins
Mobile looks at the dilemma of a Traveller man who is matched off to fight another Traveller to settle a family dispute. The fellow who he is to fight is not only his cousin but they are also married to two sisters. The play explores some of the issue of internal fighting within the Traveller community through eyes of Peter one of the combatants who is faced with the dilemma will I wont I fight. This exciting play will challenge the audiences perceptions of the Traveller community and the particular issue of internal fighting while highlighting the role of the out side community in contributing to the issue.
Same Difference Michael’s third play
This play explores the different cultures of Travellers and elements of the African community. When A young Traveller woman is forced to flee her home because of Domestic violence , she flees to England and a new love in the arms of an African man. Their union exposes the similarities and the difference in their strong cultural backgrounds. Can Miley and Tiga unite in the face of tragedy. This play received great feedback from its audience in Dublin in May 2010
Traveller Wagon Wheel Theatre Company
Michael has been developing the idea of establishing a Traveller Theatre Company which would work with Travellers and other socially excluded and ethnic minority groups to allow them to tell there stories and issues in an artistic way. This company will be called Traveller Wagon Wheel Theatre Company.
If you or your group wants to host one of these plays, please contact by email Michael Collins at travellerwagonwheel@hotmail.com
9. CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: The Irish Review of Community Economic Development Law and Policy
The Irish Review of Community Economic Development Law and Policy is an online journal, published four times a year by the Northside Community Law Centre, in Coolock, Dublin. The journal seeks to offer a platform for interaction that encourages greater scholarly and academic collaboration in the areas of social policy, law and community development, promoting the practice of CED law and policy in Ireland and learn about these initiatives in other countries. The journal also seeks to create channels of collaboration between academia, practitioners and any other interested parties.
Its mission is to offer an insight into how we can address issues of social inclusion by the use social policy, law and community development principles.
We are currently requesting articles on any topic pertaining community economic development law and policy, such transactional law, grass-roots lawyering, articles that integrate socio-legal rights with community development and/or social policy issues, or articles that create connections not created before among these areas. The articles will be peer-reviewed for possible inclusion.
If you are interested in writing an article please see attachments or email us at editor@nclc.ieindicating your proposed article. Articles previously published may be accepted where permission has been granted.
We look forward to your contributions!
The Editors
Colin Daly and Maria Antonieta Nestor
Background
• What is CED?
Although there is no exact definition or single theory that dominates Community Economic Development (“CED”), its core definition can be described as a composite, as a mixed-recipe of legal, social policy and community development tools all of which interact to address issues of poverty and disempowerment within communities.
To say that there is no single dominant theory that defines CED does not mean that all economic development equates with CED. On the contrary, the array of elements that characterise CED means that not all community development falls under the auspices of CED. For CED to take place, having contact with the local community either by face-to face encounters or by being part of a geographic focus as well as making the community the recipients of development is essential. Moreover, local development has to be accountable to the community it serves.
• What is CED law?
CED law is said to include matters of corporate, real property, contract and tax laws, all of which act singly or in conjunction to support community projects. CED law also entails the use of legal regulatory frameworks that sustain its existence. CED law therefore embraces all those efforts aimed at developing “housing, jobs, or business opportunities for low income people … in which a leading role is played by non-profit, nongovernmental organizations … that are accountable to residentially defined communities.” CED law also has an evolving nature and as such, it also includes other initiatives such as those that provide services to fight homelessness, unemployment, drug abuse, violence and crime.
• What is CED lawyering?
CED lawyering has been described as a strategy for redressing urban poverty in which economic justice initiatives can receive input from lawyers, where points of legal intervention can be addressed and where issues of accountability can come to the fore. CED lawyering therefore acts as a facilitator, building and empowering communities by the use of different legal tools and approaches, all of which are directed towards the improvement of the socio-economic infrastructure and personal development of those communities.
10. VACANCIES
None this week.
11. ITM Important Information and Dates for your Diary
From the Accommodation Working Group:
It had been decided by the Accommodation Working Group that to be more informed by Travellers and local issues we would hold regional Accommodation Working Group Meetings twice a year and hold four ITM National Accommodation Policy Committee meetings a year.
Representatives from each region will be invited to sit on this committee. We are hoping that this new way of holding the meetings will ensure participation of Travellers and Traveller representatives on LTACCs. It has been suggested that the meetings would be held on the same day as a regional health network meeting. Colette Spears, ITM Accommodation worker, will be in contact with regional primary health care co-ordinators to check if this is possible or for further suggestions on how best to meet regionally.
It is envisaged that there will be one meeting regionally between now and Christmas, dates to be confirmed.
12. Use the ITM E-zine 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.
Please send details by the Wednesday mornings at the latest to itm.ezine@gmail.com
