Ensuring Equality of Access to Enterprise Supports (EEATES)

Presentation by the Galway Traveller Movement to the

‘Making it Real’ Conference

22nd October 2013

Investing in your future Funded by the Equality Mainstreaming Unit which is jointly funded by the

European Social Fund 2007-2013 and by the Equality Authority

I nvesting in your future

Format of presentation

1. Overview of the situation for Travellers in relation to unemployment and access to enterprise supports

2. Background to the Galway Traveller Movement and its efforts to address unemployment amongst Travellers in Galway

3. Rationale for the Equality mainstreaming project

4. Equality mainstreaming process

5. Summary of outcomes

• 77% of Travellers are unemployed (Census 2006)

Travellers in Ireland – some facts &figures

Research by GTM and others has shown that the following are some of the barriers Travellers face in

starting their own business:

• Lack of start up capital and access to finance• Lack of information around supports available• Lack of confidence• Practical training needs• Discrimination in the market• Welfare trap and fears around loss of benefits• Lack of role models in our community

For those reasons

• Many Travellers choose to work for themselves (e.g., markets, door-to-door work, recycling, scrap metals)

• But Government policy has impacted negatively on opportunities in those areas e.g.,– Casual Trading Act (2005)– Control of Horses Act (1996)– EU directive on end of life of vehicles (2000)– Trespass legislation (2001)

Other options to succeed in employment

• Other Travellers have to hide their identity in order to get a job…but trying to hide your identity all day every day can have a negative impact on your mental health

• Travellers in employment (who hide their identity) can’t serve as role models for other Travellers and don’t break down barriers – view persists that Travellers don’t/wont work!

Galway Traveller Movement

GTM - a partnership of Traveller and settled people established in 1994.

GTM seeks to achieve full equality for Travellers in social, economic, political and cultural life as well as the broader enhancement of social justice and human rights.

GTM’s enterprise development work

EU EQUAL project (2002)

Work and Traveller economy identified as strategic area of importance (2004-2006)

Vision, strategy, structure

Galway Recycling Co-op, First Class Insulation, Empowering Traveller Women Entrepreneurs

Traveller Enterprise Development Unit

Support of external expertise

Lack of understanding amongst enterprise agencies

First Class Insulation

Empowering Traveller Women Eentrpreneurs

Rationale for the Equality mainstreaming project

Barriers identified by Travellers Low take-up of enterprise supports, fears around

discrimination, self-esteem, finance, welfare trap, lack of networks

Willingness of enterprise and employment support agencies to engage

Timely – enterprise key to economic recovery

Restructuring of services – opportunities for change

Key elements of Equality Mainstreaming Project

• Upskilling of Traveller ambassadors

• Establishment of an advisory group

• Seminar - Introduction to equality mainstreaming

• 3 workshops with each partner organisation

• Development and dissemination of equality mainstreaming toolkit

Definitions

• Equality mainstreaming is the goal,

• Equality impact assessment is the means,

• Equality competence is the capacity to achieve the goal and implement the means.

Workshop One – generate knowledge and data

– Work with partners to generate knowledge and collect data about Travellers which is relevant to the policy and programme under consideration.

– Collecting information about the situation, experience and identity of Travellers is key when testing the impact of a policy or programme on Travellers

Examples of the types of relevant information

• Situation – What is the situation of Travellers? For enterprise and employment policies, this could examine their situation in terms of their labour market situation, employment rates and education status.

• Experience – What is the relationship between Travellers and wider society? In enterprise and employment policies this could include Travellers’ experiences of employment, educational/training establishments or enterprise agencies.

• Identity – What are the values, beliefs and aspirations held by Travellers? In relation to enterprise and employment policies, issues of identity in relation to economic activity, family, and nomadism could be taken into account.

Workshop Two – Equality Impact Assessment

Partner organisations used the EIA to assess whether an existing policy considered the following three things:

– Whether the policy is in any way discriminatory,

– Whether it takes account of diversity, and – Whether it will positively impact on Travellers.

Equality Impact Assessment

An equality impact assessment involves checking that policies are designed, delivered and evaluated in a way that has a positive impact on members of groups that experience inequality.

It can take place on an existing policy or on a draft policy.

Equality impact assessment If there is a potential adverse impact on

Travellers, the following questions are then asked:

– What changes are required to eliminate discrimination?

– Can the policy be redesigned to accommodate diversity?

– Can the policy be redesigned to better advance equality?

– If not, why not? What are the constraints?

Workshop Three - Participation

• The partners presented to the Traveller enterprise ambassadors the work they had undertaken on their selected policies for the equality impact assessment, and

their proposals for changes in these policies.

The Traveller ambassadors• ...tested the conclusions and findings of the impact

assessment• ...considered the assumptions made in the assessment,

and• ..made recommendations on changes that should be

considered

Project – key outcomes Travellers trained as Traveller ambassadors to

promote Equality Mainstreaming Equality mainstreaming toolkit and equality

mainstreaming guidelines developed and disseminated

Greater capacity in partner organisations to implement equality mainstreaming

Toolkit applied to other groups – NWCI Potential to extend to other grounds and across other

institutions Resource for organisations to assist in service

delivery and compliance (positive duty)

Arising from the equality mainstreaming project

• Partners have amended ways in which programmes are advertised, targeted and communicated.

• Ethnic identifiers have been put in place, and policies have been changed.

Quotes from partner organisations

• This proved so useful and practical I’m sorry I moaned about going in the first place! Partner organisation workshop participant

• [the workshops] were not too technical or academic...plain speak...practical and informative Partner organisation workshop participant