Press Release January 2005
18 April 2005.
Moving Forward: Exploring Responses to Drug issues in the Traveller CommunityToday, Pavee Point’s Traveller Specific Drugs Initiative hosted a conference titled Moving Forward: Exploring Responses to Drug issues in the Traveller Community. The aim of the conference is to provide a space for Traveller organisations, drug service providers and policy makers to explore the way forward to addressing drug issues within the Traveller Community.
Sinead Smith, Co-ordinator of the project stated:
‘Today
marks a
positive step in addressing the issue of drugs in the Traveller
Community, demonstrated by the large number of attendees at
the conference and the expertise and experience of
presenters and speakers. It is clear
that
statutory, voluntary and Traveller organisations should be, and are
seeking to work together to develop community responses to the issue of
drugs’
120 participants from local and national Traveller organisations, direct drug and health related services and policy makers. The key note speakers were; Kate Davies, Senior Manager of Nottinghamshire County Drug and Alcohol Action Team and member of Central Lancashire University, Community Engagement Team, a project which ensures and supports the sustainability of Black and Minority Substance Misuse Community Engagement Projects, across the U.K. Donnamarie Donnelly manager of 'face it' Young Persons Drug & Alcohol Service, a project that engages young drug users and delivers substance specific education as well as targeting marginalised young people outside of educational settings such as cold contact street working, Travellers and other groups.
Some of the key themes addressed at the conference included:
- Ensuring Traveller inclusion in Local and Regional Drug Task Force strategies and action plans and the necessity for Traveller representation on these structures
- The need for Drug awareness information to be delivered in a culturally appropriate manner
- The role Traveller organisations have in the development of Community Based responses to the issue of drugs and support in carrying out this role from the relevant drug agencies
- Developing Drugs Services to develop inclusive and anti racist codes of practice and policies to ensure equality of access, participation and outcomes for Travellers who are drug users.
- The call for responses to be
flexible, culturally appropriate, and the exploration of peer to peer
and outreach models to engage Travellers who are drug users.
Issued by:
Pavee Point Travellers Centre, 46 North Great Charles St., Dublin 1.
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version of the webpage: www.paveepoint.ie/press_feb_05.html