A new film about the effects of prejudice and inequality on the mental health of young Travellers has been launched by the Limerick Youth Service.
The social media project, which was written by and features young Travellers, will be used as part of anti-discrimination and cultural awareness programmes in schools as well as youth and community organisations.
Kilmallock sisters Crystal Ward, 23, and her sister Maggie, 19, have taken part in a hard-hitting but honest depiction of the incidents of prejudice and stereotyping they have encountered in their lives because they are Travellers.
Crystal said an assumption was made in school that she would not be able for Honours Level Irish.
She said she immediately felt picked out that she, in some way, did not have the ability for the higher class which made her embarrassed and sad.
In another incident, she recounts how Travellers cannot get a takeaway delivered because of where they live.
Maggie said it has made her feel very low that people would judge her simply because of who she is related to.
It has made her feel lonely and isolated.
Another participant, Martin Ward, spoke about how he was always put in the lower classes in school whether he liked it or not.
The film is also about the CHIME programme which stands for the various strands of connectedness, hope, identity, meaning and empowerment.
The aim of the programme is to aid young Travellers in seeking help, connecting with family and friends as well as support agencies, and recovery from difficult struggles.
Maurice Walsh, manager with Limerick Youth Service (LYS), said more than 100 young Travellers participated and came together to speak out about how the bias and prejudice they encountered in their lives had affected their mental health and their wider families.
LYS undertook the programme along with the HSE and a network of Traveller support agencies.
Dermot Troy of LYS said the power of the new film is that it has young Travellers actually talking about their own mental health and the discrimination they have faced in the education system and in society in general.
The film launched today will feature as TikTok shorts and will also be used as part of a wider school and community campaign to try to break down the prejudice which has impacted so strongly on young Travellers.
