Wicklow Travellers Group – Community Development Project
February has been a packed and positive month across all areas of the Community Development Project, with new groups starting, school outreach increasing, and some great partnerships taking shape.
All our regular youth groups continued this month – the Boys Group (13–16), the Girls Group (11–15), and the Mixed Group (10–12) – with brilliant weekly engagement and energy from all involved. The new Kilcoole Mixed Group (ages 10–16) got off to a great start too, bringing young people together in a new area and building connections through games, group chats, and plenty of laughs. The Arklow Girls Group also kicked off this month and is already showing great potential as a space for friendship, confidence-building, and support.
We were delighted to welcome a visit from Wicklow Educate Together Primary School to CEART. The pupils and staff engaged really well, and it was a lovely opportunity to strengthen understanding and relationships between schools and the Traveller community.
The Boys Group took a trip out to Tibradden Craft Farm, where they each built their own tool caddy. It was a brilliant hands-on day with a strong cultural connection, and the lads came away proud of what they created.
Plans are now in place to start a new 8-week Men’s Handball Programme in the coming weeks, building on the success of the 6-week version in January. Interest has been strong, and we’re looking forward to getting going.
We’ve also increased our school outreach work this month, making new introductions and strengthening links between Traveller families and schools across Wicklow, Kilcoole, and Arklow. This ongoing effort is helping to build trust, improve communication, and create better support networks around education.
Our regular coffee mornings for parents and educational staff continued, offering a consistent, welcoming space where people can talk openly and share ideas. These spaces are helping to build relationships and mutual understanding.
This month also saw the launch of “Chatting and Tatting”, a new collaborative project with ANU. The sessions focus on healthy relationships in everyday life – whether it’s parenting, teaching, or peer-to-peer – and provide a creative and relaxed space for conversation and connection.
We’re proud to have launched our in-house Level 5 SNA course in partnership with Mallow FET this month. We have 13 participants enrolled, including three under-18s who are keen to return to education. It’s a big step for them, and we’re here to support them all the way.
Finally, we had a very positive meeting with Wicklow County Council’s Environmental Awareness Officer, where we started discussions around the circular economy and how we might collaborate as part of Traveller Pride 2025. Some exciting ideas were shared, and we’re looking forward to seeing where it leads.
Well done to everyone who took part in our groups and activities this month, and a big thanks to all the staff, volunteers, and partners who help make it happen.