Travellers and Roma

Travellers and Roma

Michael and Nell McDonagh alongside MU Students and Staff at Launchpad

MU has a strong commitment to increasing the participation of Traveller and Roma students at Maynooth University. In 2019/20 MAP held a year‑long celebration of Travellers and Traveller ethnicity at the University. The celebrations began with a living history exhibition and public lecture and culminated in a joint event between Kildare County Council and Kildare Traveller Action Group to celebrate International Women’s Day. Over 60 Traveller women gathered for a celebration of women, the importance of education and to learn about the supports available to Travellers across the country who wish to access education.

MAP hosted a series of Whidden Workshops ‑ virtual conversations between current and prospective Traveller and Roma students and families to help navigate the pathways to higher education and support the transition of Travellers and Roma into third level education. In June 2020, the Director of Access represented the University sector at a national forum organised by Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre and the National Traveller Women’s Forum, in response to urgent COVID‑19 concerns being expressed by Traveller and Roma students and parents and adult learners hoping to continue or commence third level education in September 2020. Maynooth University coordinated a national response across the sector to the issues raised in this forum.

Maynooth University offers a range of pre‑university foundation courses that provide a pathway for progression to specified Level 8 programmes for students underrepresented in higher education. In 2019, in an innovative approach the Maynooth University Department of Applied Social Studies partnered with MAP, the Eastern Region Traveller Health Unit and Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre, and with the support of the Department of Adult and Community Education, delivered a Return to Learning (RTL) Level 5 certificate for a cohort of eleven Traveller Community Health Workers with progression pathways to the Part‑time Level 8 (Hons) Bachelor of Social Science in Community and Youth Work, a professionally endorsed programme in both Community Work (AIEB) and Youth Work (NSETS). In the face of significant challenges, the eleven participants are on track to successfully complete the course in September 2020 and nine of the eleven participants applied and were successful in securing places on the MU Part‑time Level 8 (Hons) Bachelor of Social Science in Community and Youth Work.

A gift from tinsmith Tom McDonnell