How Can We Work With and Learn from Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller Communities?

What is this advice about?

This advice is for heritage organisations looking to broaden the stories they tell to include the stories of Gypsies, Roma, and Traveller communities and to do so by working alongside those communities.

What are the key points?

Why work with Gypsies, Roma, and Travellers?

Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities have not traditionally been included in the way heritage stories are shaped and told. It is important that heritage is reflective of the wide range of diverse groups that make up England, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities are a part of that. Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities, some of which date back thousands of years, have influenced everything from music, art, language, and literature, to sport, politics, and international relations. Many words we use today come from the Romani language, while many public figures have been of Romani descent.

The heritage of Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers can be seen in the landscapes of the country’s towns and rural areas through ‘Gypsy Lanes’ and ‘Tinkers Woods’, which would have originally been traditional ‘stopping places’.

Showpeople, similarly, have influenced art and culture through fairs and circuses, while New Travellers played a part in shaping cultural staples such as Glastonbury Festival and what became the modern festival circuit.

Boaters have played a part in restoring and preserving the country’s canal system, while saving its traditional way of life.

These histories are important, unique, and distinct, and can be linked to place both tangibly and intangibly.

Who are Gypsies, Roma, and Travellers?

While the acronym GRT (Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller) is often used in policy, as well as GRTSB (Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, Showpeople, Boaters), it is important to not group each of these communities together:

• Romany Gypsies have been in the United Kingdom for at least 500 years, with origins in Northern India
• Irish Travellers have been in the United Kingdom for at least 200 years, and originally come from Ireland
• Roma most often refers to more recently migrated Roma from European countries to the United Kingdom
• While the term Traveller can be applied to Irish Travellers and is often used by Romany Gypsies to identify themselves, it is also used to incorporate non-ethnic communities with a nomadic element, such as New Travellers and Boaters
• New Traveller communities formed in the late 70s and early 80s as part of the Peace Convoy and Free Festival movement, and today many live off-grid and nomadic lifestyles
• Boaters is the term used to refer to people who live on traditional houseboats on the country’s canal and river systems
• Showpeople refers to communities that have historically worked and lived as part of travelling fairgrounds and circuses

Are Gypsies, Roma, and Travellers the same?

No – Romany Gypsies, Roma and Travellers are not a homogenous group (meaning all the same).

They are separate ethnicities who experience society and life differently from each other and face different barriers to things such as education, healthcare, and the economy:

• It is important to refer to Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities (plural) rather than community (singular) to reflect the different groups that make up this phrase. The term GRT (Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller) was created to incorporate ethnic and non-ethnic groups who share some cultural traits, notably that of nomadism, and is often used in government policy and by organisations
• Romany Gypsies, Irish Travellers, and Roma are distinct and legally protected ethnic groups. While they share some similarities, especially between Romany Gypsies and Roma, they should not be combined as a single group
• More modern, non-ethnic communities like Showmen, Boaters, and New Travellers are not legally protected groups but have families and cultures spanning several generations. Each group has their own culture and history that should be celebrated as such

What do we need to consider when working with Gypsies, Roma, and Travellers for heritage projects?

Romany Gypsies, Roma, and Irish Travellers face many barriers throughout their lives. This ranges from experiencing hate crime and racism to low life expectancy, poor health, economic exclusion, or a lack of representation in (or access to) education.

Here are some things to consider when working on heritage projects with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities:

• Don’t assume the literacy and numeracy level of Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller. Scale your engagement to ensure projects are welcoming and accessible to all participants
• Data tells us that Gypsies, Roma, and Traveller communities are among the most economically excluded in our society, with the poorest health and little access to education. Each of these factors is a barrier to engagement and should be considered when planning projects
• Gypsies, Roma, and Traveller communities can suffer from digital exclusion and access to technologies. They may not have access to the internet, phones or email. Ensure you understand and adapt to the communication needs of participants when planning your project
• Work with organisations, charities or individuals who already have relationships with the communities your project hopes to reach. This is a crucial step in creating successful working relationships with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, as trust and connection are important aspects of working with these groups
• Make sure that your aims and objectives for your project and for working with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities are clear, open, and honest
• When developing your project, aim to understand how Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities will benefit through their participation. This might be through building vocational or soft skills, building their sense of pride in their heritage and sharing it with a wider audience, or through positive impacts on their physical health and mental wellbeing. Plan these benefits from the beginning as part of your project outcomes, as well as how you will measure and evaluate them. You should involve the communities in shaping what the outcomes should be and deciding what they would like to get out of participating
• Ensure that timings for meetings and events are flexible to accommodate the potential for participants being on the move for economic, cultural, or family reasons
• Participation in your heritage project should be free. Any potential financial impact on your Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller participants should be mitigated against in your project risk log and budgeted for so that any reasonable expenses can be quickly reimbursed
• Consider creating opportunities for younger participants that will enable them to gain formal work experience on the project and to learn outside of a traditional classroom environment
• Don’t shape your projects around negative stereotypes, media portrayals, or misinformation, nor assume that your participants will want to avoid these topics altogether. As with all good co-creation, Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities should be equal and active participants who have agency to tell the stories they want to tell, in the way they want to tell them

Further reading

• Roads From The Past – A short film by Travellers’ Times on the histories of Gypsies, Roma and Traveller communities
• London Gypsies and Travellers History and Heritage Maps – A heritage project that mapped historic Gypsy and Traveller sites across London
• Education Challenges Facing Children and Young People from Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller Backgrounds – A report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission