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Scottish Traveller Education Programme
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"Past and Present - The Travelling Way of Life - a Gypsy/Traveller Child's View"return to main Positive Images page
The project, was jointly led by Karen MacMaster, Development Officer and teacher for Gypsy and Traveller children, and Rhona Hamilton, Education and Outreach Officer for the Museum in partnership with a group of young people, some of whom attend school and some who attend an alternative education provision. The idea for the project came from a head teacher who felt that it would be beneficial for a small group of Gypsy/Traveller young people to work on strengthening their sense of identity and increasing their own cultural awareness. These young people were provided with opportunities to look at their heritage, initially within the school situation, supported by the Gypsy/Traveller teacher and a Children's Service Worker. A further aim for this group was to build confidence and self esteem. The group increased in number, to include young people who attend an alternative education provision on the local Gypsy/Traveller site, when the opportunity became available to use the museum as a classroom. This allowed for a flexible learning programme to be developed in a setting, new to the group. The young people were encouraged to develop their own interests and explore these with one another. The project evolved from a discussion group on Gypsy/Traveller culture and heritage, to the completion of an exhibition! The young people were encouraged to use existing knowledge and understanding of their own culture and develop this further by researching the past through their own families and people known to them. They gathered together material from their own backgrounds and exhibited a display of photographs, drawings, objects and writing around the theme of 'Past and Present - The Travelling Way of Life - a Gypsy/Traveller Child's View'. A local councillor formally opened the exhibition to the general public.
The young people invited their classmates to view their exhibition. Karen and Rhona constructed a series of activities supporting the themes of the exhibition. Staff and pupils alike from the schools involved were not only impressed with the work which had gone into creating the exhibition, but also highlighted their change in viewpoint and an increased awareness in their understanding of Gypsy/Traveller culture. Jess Smith, Scottish Traveller, writer and storyteller, supported the class visits by involving the children in a storytelling session, which proved to be extremely popular. As a continuation of the project, Save the Children became involved along with a further group of young people. Together everyone worked to develop an awareness raising session on the theme of Gypsy/Traveller culture, which was delivered to schools that had visited the exhibition. An evaluation of the whole project, from initial working with the small group through to the awareness raising sessions with Save the Children, was positive from both children and adults. It was highlighted by the adults that young people learning from their peers is powerful and that this project provided a positive and informative experience for all involved.
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In the Highland Council area a small group of Gypsy/Traveller young people were involved in a project, which was very successful. It sparked interest in development work relating to Gypsy and Traveller culture. The project involved children, teachers and museum staff working together to create an exhibition at the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery on Gypsy/Traveller Life, Past and Present. 
| STEP: Scottish Traveller Education Programme tel: 0131 651
6444; fax: 0131 651 6511
page updated 17 May 2006 |