ITM Weekly Update 28th January 2010

Please see below ITM weekly update 28th January 2010.
 
1. ITM Staffing Update
2. ITM offer condolences to family of Mary Mc Cann
3. Meeting to discuss the future of Traveller organisations 2nd February
4. CWC Updates on the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs - January 27th 2010
5. Irish Times Article, Thursday 28th January: “Judge threatens to close club over discrimination”
6. Irish Times Article Saturday 23rd January: “The last stop for Travellers?”
7. ITM Upcoming dates- including ITM Regional Network Meetings, Working
8. Job Advertisement: The Southern Area Action with Travellers (SAAT) Safe & Well Project are currently recruiting for full time and part time staff
9. Irish RAXEN National Focal Point seeks Research Officer
10. EAPN to host international conference on February 19th
11. M.Soc.Sc in Third Sector Management for Voluntary and Community Workers, at University College Cork
12. Gay Traveller Support Group fist GLBTT meeting 30th January
13. Advertisement: Training in Personal Development and Community Development for Travelling Community Groups (Nationwide)
14. National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project Network 16th February
15. National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project Strategic Planning 23rd February
16. Focus on Travellers in Louth
17. ITM newsletter- call for submissions!
18.  Use the ITM Email update to get your message across!

1.  ITM Staff Update

The ITM is delighted to announce that Brigid Quilligan has been appointed Assistant Director of the ITM. Brigid will based in the Dublin office on Mondays and Tuesdays and continue her role as Regional Membership Development Worker in the South from Wednesdays to Fridays. We wish Brigid all success in her new role.

2. ITM offer condolences to family of Mary Mc Cann

Today we have received the sad news that Mary Mc Cann, had passed away yesterday, may she rest in peace. Mary was mother of Thomas Mc Cann, our former colleague in ITM and respected counselor and activist. The ITM would like to express its deepest sympathies with Thomas and his family at this time. As yet we do not have any details of funeral arrangements.

3. Meeting to discuss the future of Traveller organisations 2nd February

As ITM members will be aware, Traveller projects who receive funding from department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (DCGRA) under the Community Development Programme have been discussing locally and nationally the implications for their organisations and the role and future of independent Traveller groups under the new LCDP and the proposed merger with Partnerships. ITM members impacted by the changes in the CDP have been discussing these locally and regionally

A national discussion for Traveller organisations to discuss local strategies will take place on Tuesday 2nd February in Pavee Point. ITM has created spaces to engage Traveller CDPs and Traveller organisations without CDP funding for collective discussion on the future for Traveller organisations and will continue to support members to engage and be supported in regional spaces that will compliment national discussions. For further information, please contact the membership development worker in your region:

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

4. CWC Updates on the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs - January 27th 2010

With thanks to Ann Irwin from the CWC, of which ITM is a member (and some local groups as well- see www.cwc.ie)

Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs, John Curran TD,  attended the Joint Oireachtas Committee meeting today (Jan 27th) - he was accompanied by four of his officials. The meeting was also attended by approx 25 people from various CDPs, the NCDF and the CWC - though not all were allowed into the room.
The Minister was challenged  on a number of issues made during his opening statement, including issues relating to:


The Chairperson of the Joint Oireachtas Committee stated that the process by which the changes were being led by the DCRGA was not isolating people and asked the Minister to engage in a ‘real consultation’ process with stakeholders.
Highlights:

The Minister announced that he is willing to allow Projects and Local Development Companies to negotiate local arrangements - though he does not want a national alternative to either the new Local & Community Development Programme or the overall idea of integrating the CDPs and the LDC. He specifically mentioned the hosting arrangements that some CDPs have with Partnerships - where the Partnerships employee the workers etc but the Management Committee directs the work. The Minister also committed to letting projects that are under appeal know the results of their appeal by Friday – though other sources have suggested that projects may not know until Tuesday of next week

Other developments
The DCRGA also announced yesterday that the Partnerships will be required to allocate their budgets proportionately to each of the four goals in the LCDP - with the bulk (80%) being allocated to the goals on unemployment and education, and 10% each to the goal on services and the final goal on 'policy'. The Partnerships will be allowed a 4% variance for the first year.

5. Irish Times Article, Thursday 28th January: “Judge threatens to close club over discrimination”

RAY MANAGH
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0128/1224263290409.html

A JUDGE threatened to close down Krystle nightclub in Dublin yesterday for having “blackguarded” a member of the Traveller community. District Court Judge John O’Neill said Sarah Stokes had acted in a ladylike manner on the night of August 7th, 2009, when the Harcourt Street club refused to admit her to a charity event for which she had bought a €30 ticket.

Barrister Kevin Healy, for Ms Stokes, said she and a dozen friends had attended the fund-raising function in Krystle for Brainwave, the Irish Epilepsy Association charity, and her hand had been stamped at the entrance on arrival. Later she had adjourned with two friends through a side door to Dicey Riley’s bar, in the same building, but when returning to Krystle found the side door locked and had gone to the main entrance for readmission, which had been refused.

Ms Stokes, of Cherrywood Park, Clondalkin, who sought compensation under the Intoxicating Liquor Act, said the doorman ignored the stamp on her hand and simply said “sorry” before totally ignoring her.“I am a member of the Travelling community and I am taking this case because I believe I was discriminated against,” she told Mr Healy. Club doorman Paul Melia said he had stopped Ms Stokes because she was wearing very high heels and he was concerned for her safety and the safety of other patrons. He denied in cross-examination by Mr Healy that the defence he was putting forward was a disguise to cover discrimination against a member of the Traveller community.

Judge O’Neill rose to allow talks with Triglen Holdings Ltd, which trades as Krystle nightclub. When told there had been no progress the judge said: “I am absolutely satisfied that because they did not like the look of Ms Stokes, she was discriminated against and I am going to make a closure order against the club. The court may be persuaded to take a more lenient view if Ms Stokes were to be compensated.’’

“This lady was absolutely blackguarded and I have no evidence other than that she was absolutely ladylike on the night. I take a very dim view of the club’s attitude,” he said.
Following further talks Mr Healy said a settlement had been reached.

6. Irish Times Article Saturday 23rd January: “The last stop for Travellers?”
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2010/0123/1224262901310.html

As Traveller families move into residential neighbourhoods, objections to housing developments for Travellers in Co Dublin and elsewhere point to ongoing mistrust, writes JAMIE SMYTH Social Affairs Correspondent

ROWS OF well-tended graves stretch right to the top of Ardla graveyard, which nestles on the edge of the Milverton estate in Skerries. A short walk up to the summit provides stunning views of the picturesque town, with its trademark windmills, working harbour and small fleet of fishing trawlers.

“This is beautiful. You can see the Mourne mountains from here on a clear day. Why would anyone want to spoil this?” asks my guide for the day. Many local residents are unhappy about a new housing development for Travellers that Fingal County Council has begun building on land set aside for the graveyard. Some have responded by erecting abusive signs opposite the building site. Others are threatening to disinter their loved ones from the graveyard if the housing complex is completed and the Travellers move in. “Can you imagine having 100 Travellers living here? I don’t even have a fence around my house,” says my guide, a local who doesn’t want his name published for fear of retribution from his future Traveller neighbours.

More than 1,000 planning objections have been made to the county council about the proposed site from local people. Many of the letters focus on the legality of building on a site set aside for a graveyard, noting that the council has blocked private housing developments in the area. But quite a few of the letters reflect deep anti-Traveller sentiment. “Have you experienced the condition they leave a campsite in on their departure? They are demolition experts,” wrote one resident.

“I have just buried my husband five weeks ago there and before the ground even settles on his grave I would strongly think of moving him elsewhere if this plan goes ahead,” wrote another local resident. Tim Cusack, treasurer of the local residents’ association, says people are right to be fearful, given their experience of Travellers. “A group of Travellers parked illegally here four years ago and caused mayhem. They used graves as toilets and threatened children. They were dangerous,” he says. Pavee Point, an NGO supporting Travellers’ rights, says the objections reflect an intrinsic racism against Travellers in Ireland. It highlights the results of a Behaviour and Attitudes survey commissioned by the group in 2000, which found four out of five people would not accept a Traveller as a friend, 44 per cent would not accept them in their community and 97 per cent would not accept a Traveller in their family.
An EU Agency for Fundamental Rights study published last year found Travellers and Roma were the most discriminated minorities in Europe.

“Travellers are more despised than blacks or Chinese, but the fact is very few settled people have ever met a Traveller,” says Ronnie Fay, director of Pavee Point. “The truth is: not all Travellers are saints, just like not all of the settled community are saints. Most people make up their mind about the Travellers from media coverage, which is mostly negative,” she says.
THE SITUATION AT Ardla graveyard is not unique. Shortly before Christmas, a house built for Travellers by North Tipperary County Council was burnt to the ground in an arson attack designed to prevent a Traveller family, who had lived in the local neighbourhood for more than a decade, from moving in.

There have also been recent campaigns against housing developments, and individual Travellers living in rented houses in Donegal, say Traveller groups. These cases highlight the deep suspicion felt by the settled community towards Travellers. They also reflect a big increase in the number of Traveller families choosing to settle in residential areas, either in group housing schemes or standard council housing, over the past decade. This move into residential neighbourhoods has gone hand-in-hand with a decline in the number of Travellers practising their traditional nomadic culture, whereby families move around the country to visit religious events and festivals. Three quarters of the 8,398 Traveller families in the State currently live in some form of public or private housing, while the number of families living in caravans has slipped below 20 per cent. There are now 534 families living on unauthorised sites, a 57 per cent fall on the numbers recorded in 2000.

The move into standard housing follows a change in the law in 1998, which made it a statutory obligation for local authorities to provide suitable accommodation for Travellers. The Government has spent €372 million on Traveller accommodation between 2000 and 2008, which was enough to house or rehouse more than 2,000 Traveller families.

“There are no Traveller families living by the side of the road in Fingal today, although we do have a few unofficial sites,” says Philip Long, senior executive officer with the housing department at Fingal County Council, which is building the site at Ardla graveyard.
He says the clear preference of the 317 Traveller families living in Fingal is standard housing and group housing schemes – such as the one under construction in Skerries – rather than traditional Traveller accommodation.

“I don’t think we will build any new halting sites in the new programme ,” says Long, who lauds the success of several housing schemes recently built across the county. For Mary Lawrence and her son Anthony, the Ardla scheme promises a new life in surroundings that will bring her closer to traditional Traveller culture than her situation at present. “My family is scattered in different rented accommodation in Balbriggan at the moment. And it’s very important in our culture for us to be living together,” says Lawrence, who has not travelled around the country or lived in a caravan since she was a little girl.

“We’ve been waiting for this site to be built for four years. My husband and I are getting old, and it would be a great help to have our extended family living beside us. We won’t be any trouble to anyone at Ardla,” she says.

But within the Travelling community there are concerns that the stampede into standard housing threatens Travellers’ traditional nomadic culture. In its recent report Progressing the Provision of Accommodation to Facilitate Nomadism , the Irish Traveller Movement pinpoints the failure of local authorities to provide suitable transient halting sites – which enable Travellers to park their caravans temporarily when they travel around the country – as a major problem.

There are currently just two proper sites in Ireland supporting nomadism, one in Westmeath and one in Donegal, says the Irish Traveller Movement. But both of these sites are being used to provide emergency housing in caravans to Traveller families due to a shortage of accommodation. And there is little sign that local authorities are willing to provide transient sites, despite their obligation to provide a mix of accommodation for Travellers.

Just six of the 34 city and county councils have included plans for transient sites to support nomadism in the new Traveller housing programmes for 2009-2013. Local authorities claim there is no demand for the sites, while Travellers say county councils do not like them moving around and find it more difficult to manage transient sites, which have many different tenants.
“Travellers aren’t allowed in most cases to pull into normal caravan sites, and there are no transient sites available in most parts of the country. The Government also passed a new trespass law in 2002, so they can’t pull up on public ground,” says Biddy Connors of the Irish Traveller Movement. “This was a very anti-Traveller law. It’s definitely intentional that they don’t want us moving around. We won’t be able to pass our culture onto our children,” she says.

Section 24 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act made trespass on land with an object such as a caravan a criminal offence. The measure was introduced on foot of public outcry when a group of Travellers camped on the banks of Dublin’s Dodder river last year, angering local residents and necessitating an expensive clean-up operation by local authorities.
A few miles away from the controversy at Ardla graveyard, Joe Mahon is settling in to his new home at a group housing scheme for Travellers at Stockhole near Dublin airport. “I’d sooner be in a house than a caravan,” shouts Mahon over the noise caused by a bin lorry collecting rubbish. “We used to travel around in the caravans, but we stopped about 10 years ago. There are less and less sites nowadays. There is nowhere to stop. I think the travelling days are gone.”

7. 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 Accomomodation 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 Northwest Regional Network 4th of February 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

8. Job Advertisement: The Southern Area Action with Travellers (SAAT) Safe & Well Project are currently recruiting for full time and part time staff


Southern Area Action with Travellers and Craigavon Travellers Support Committee (CTSC) wish to recruit the following posts to work with the Traveller Community in the Southern Health and Social Services Trust Area to take forward the SAAT Safe and Well Project.

1 x Health Worker, 1 x Community Development Worker and 1 x Youth Worker
Salary £20858.00 per annum Scale 5 pt 24
Full time 35 hours per week
Fixed Term Contract until 31st October 2014

Key skills and experience required for these posts:
•    Hold a third level qualification in a related field (health, education, social care, community development, youth work)
•    OR 3 years experience in an operational role which includes youth work/ community development and interagency/multi sectoral working
•    Recent experience and knowledge of Travellers and/or BME groups
•    The post holder will be required to have access to and the use of a car and a full current driving licence or demonstrate how they can meet the Travel requirements of this post
•    Regular travelling throughout the Southern Trust area will be associated with this post

2 x Part time Project Support Workers
Salary £7519.50 per annum Scale 2 pt 12
Part time 16 hours per week
Fixed Term Contract until 31st October 2014

Key skills and experience required for this post:
•    Good communication skills
•    Within the last 3 years have 1 years active experience of community development
•    Direct experience and knowledge of Travellers culture and issues
•    The post holder will be required to have access to and the use of a car and a full current driving licence or demonstrate how they can meet the Travel requirements of this post
•    Regular travelling throughout the Southern Trust area will be associated with this post

Applicants must demonstrate on their application form how they meet the requirements of this post.  Please note that the above criteria may be enhanced to facilitate short listing.
These posts are funded by the Big Lottery Fund.
For a full job description and application pack, please apply in writing to;
SAAT Safe & Well Project, Room 210, Tower Hill, Armagh BT61 9DR

The closing date for returning applications for the full time positions is
12 February 2010 @ 4.00pm
The closing date for returning applications for the part time positions is
26 February 2010 @ 4.00pm

CTSC is an equal opportunities employer and would welcome applications from all communities and particularly welcome applicants from members of the Travelling community

9. Irish RAXEN National Focal Point seeks Research Officer

The Irish RAXEN National Focal Point (NFP) for RAXEN Europe is currently seeking a Research Officer for a position of up to one-year to join the NFP team of academics and researchers involved in conducting research on the following three discrete and short projects:
 
1.    The Situation of Asylum Seekers: Asylum Procedures and the Right to Work
2.    Racist and Related Hate Crimes in the EU
3.    A complimentary data collection report on issues relating to racism, xenophobia and related intolerances
The research officer position provides a great opportunity to expand qualitative research and statistical skills, and work with a team of academics, researchers and activists in the area of equality, human rights and social justice.
Making an Application
 If you are interested in this position, please send an academic cv, two unedited writing samples and a letter by email explaining why you have the relevant skills for this position to Joanne Garvey, Administrator, ICCL, by email joanne.garvey@iccl.ie by Weds, 10 February 2010. Interviews may be organised in February 2010 and the RAXEN Research Officer will be required to start working on the project as soon as possible.
 If you have any queries about this position, please forward them to Joanne Garvey, Tel: (01) 799 4504.

10. EAPN to host international conference on February 19th

On 19th February 2010, the European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland will host an international conference on the occasion of the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. The conference agenda and a registration form can be found on www.eapn.ie.
 If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the EAPN on 01-8745737

11. M.Soc.Sc in Third Sector Management for Voluntary and Community Workers,  at University College Cork

A part-time Masters degree in Third Sector Management is being offered by University College Cork to voluntary and community sector workers who have experience of project management and co-ordination and who would like to improve their knowledge and skills base.

The course is taught by the Department of Applied Social Studies in association with the Departments of Food, Business and Development, Management and Marketing, Accounting and Finance, Business Information Systems, Government, Economics and Law. It will be taught one day a week (Wednesday) over two years with provision for some Saturday morning teaching. The programme will also include a Summer School in UCC in June 2011.

Further information on this programme is available on our online prospectus at www.ucc.ie/en/CKE75
or by contacting Dr. Féilim Ó hAdhmaill, Dept. of Applied Social Studies, on       021 490 2616  or email f.ohadhmaill@ucc.ie

Applications can be made online through the Postgraduate Admissions Centre at http://www.pac.ie by Monday 1st March 2010.

12. Gay Traveller Support Group fist GLBTT meeting 30th January

The Gay Traveller Support Group will be holding it's first GLBTT meeting in
Athlone on the 30th January at 4pm. Forum members are reminded to check their message boxes for further details on it's location and directions.

Any non-forum Traveller members that are interested in coming are free to contact us via email (gaytravellers@gmail.com )for further details.

It would also be fantastic if people let other GLBT Travellers know about the meeting especially those that might benefit from getting together for a casual chat and meeting other men and women in a similar position as themselves.

Looking forward to seeing many of you there!

Bright blessings,
The G.T. Support Team

www.gaypavee.yolasite.com
www.gaypavee.forumotion.com

13. Advertisement: Training in Personal Development and Community Development for Travelling Community Groups (Nationwide)

The following training sessions are available for Traveller Groups nationwide:
•    Assertiveness
•    Personal Empowerment / Confidence-Building
•    Stress Management
•    Group Work
•    Introduction to Community Development
•    Effective Participation
•    Communication Skills
•    Committee / Meetings Skills

All training sessions are appropriately tailored and are participant-centred, with a range of experiential activities and exercises.

About the Trainer / Facilitator
Nicola Williams has a BA (JH) in English and Social Studies (Swansea Metropolitan University) and MA in Community Development (National University of Ireland, Galway)

Nicola’s approach to personal development training emphasises the personal empowerment of each individual which supports a lifetime of sustainable and ongoing personal development.
Nicola’s approach to community development training reflects her belief that for a community to become empowered, support for the individuals within that community to embrace their own personal empowerment and development is invaluable. Therefore, her approach to training focuses on the actual and potential experience of each individual through self-awareness and self-empowerment.


Current / Past Clients
Nicola has been facilitating self-designed courses and workshops for a variety of community organisations in Ireland and the UK for the past six years. These include:
•    Laois Travellers Action Group
•    Tullamore Traveller Movement, C.o. Laois
•    Midlands Traveller Health Network (MTHN), Ireland
•    Kiltimagh Community Development Project
•    Galway Technical Institute, Galway
•    Galway Volunteer Centre, Galway
•    West Bann Forum for Children and Young People, Coleraine, N. Ireland
•    Swansea Young Families Project, Wales

Please contact Nicola Williams for further information:
Tel: 086 315 0949
Email: nicolajaynewilliams@hotmail.com

14. National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project Network 16th February

The National Traveller Suicide Awareness project would like to provide Travellers and Traveller organizations with an opportunity to come together to discuss the issues they are faced with when it comes to taking on the issue of Suicide and mental health.

There has been a lot of very positive work happening and it is important that we come together to share this. I am proposing to establish a networking space for those who are interested. With this in mind I propose to hold the first meeting of the National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project Network on Tuesday 19th February.

The meeting will run from 11am until 3.30 pm  and will take place in Clonliffe College which is close to Croke Park. If you are interested in participating in the Network please let me know. Places are limited to three per project or network. Traveller participation is essential

The vision for this space is that community workers Youth workers health workers or anyone who has an interest in the area of Traveller mental health and suicide awareness would come together to share what’s working try and change what isn’t and as a result shape future policy direction of the National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project.

For more information or to confirm your attendance please contact
Petra Daly at pdaly@crosscare.ie or  phone 086 1729168

15. National Traveller Suicide Awareness Project Strategic Planning 23rd February

The National Traveller suicide Awareness Project is holding a Strategic planning event on 23rd of February from 11am to 3pm.

The day proposes to bring key stakeholders together to look at the way forward for the project.
If you are interested in having your say about the future direction of the project then please put this date in your diary

More information will follow in the coming weeks. For more details, contact Petra at pdaly@crosscare.ie

16. Focus on Travellers in Louth

Louth Traveller Support Group celebrated Traveller Focus Week 2009 with the launch of Focus on Travellers in Louth Report 2009.  The event took place on December 12th 2009 in the Fairways Hotel Dundalk.

The event reported on the findings from a consultation project that took place with Travellers throughout Louth.  The project was run by the Louth Travellers Support Group from May 2009 to October 2009 and the report on these discussions was launch by Councillor Mark Deery, Green Party who kindly stood in for Minister Ahern.

In summary, the recommendations in the report argued for a strong independent Traveller run organisation in Co Louth working from community development principles and practice.  Such an organisation could provide information and advice to the local Traveller community, support skills development and liaise with a range of statutory and voluntary bodies that are responsible for services that impact on the lives of Travellers.  Calls were made for the promotion of the positive aspects of Traveller culture through the development of a regular newsletter and the development of a website by young Travellers.  Whilst some progress has been made in the ongoing effort to reduce discrimination against the Traveller community, much remains to be done.  Other areas of discussion focused around Accommodation, Drugs, Health, Youth, Older People and Education

For more information or copies of the report contact Susan Keogh, ITM @ 087 9277481 or Maurice McConville, Le Cheile CDP @ 042 9386704

17. 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 19th.

18.  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