Richard O’Neill is a multi-award award winning, Storyteller, Author and workshop leader based in Manchester, he delivers training sessions in a wide range of settings across Europe, in Nurseries, Schools, Libraries, Festivals, Universities and Theatres.
He is the recipient of the ‘National Literacy Hero’ award, the Beacon Leadership Award for community development and inclusion, and a Royal Literary Society Award.
He is the creative lead of Seven Stories the National centre for children’s books.
Raised in a traditional nomadic Romani family, he has a particular interest in using literature to promote inclusion and social mobility.
Emma Nuttall
Emma has worked at Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT) for 23 years, in a variety of roles including case work and policy work in all relevant areas including sites and accommodation and hate crime, and is now leading on education policy at FFT. She is part of the working group for the GTRSB Pledge for Schools.
Dr Tricia Jolliffe
Tricia is an experienced lecturer and researcher in the Human Resource Academic Department at Liverpool John Moores University. Her specialist research areas include Precarity, Roma, Action Learning, Profession, Labour Turnover, Spirituality, Machine Learning, and HRD. She is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Currently, Tricia with her colleague Helen and Roma Support Group (RSG), London is working on re-creating the National Roma Network (NRN). Tricia developed the HR Professional Student Network in 2015, Liverpool Roma Employability Network (LREN) in 2017, and Roma Education Aspiration Project (REAP) in 2018. In 2021 Tricia conducted an international project in Syria, India and the Philippines, studying the education and aspiration of females aged 18-30.
Paula Strachan
Paula has been Head Teacher of St Teresa’s over 7 years. She is passionate in her mission to ensure that all children, regardless of their starting points, are able to shine and become the very best that they can be. She delights in the daily conversations that she has with the children that she serves. Paula strives to have a school that is full of smiles – and not just on the faces of the children!
St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School serves a diverse community with 57% of pupils from an ethnic minority group with 26% identifying as GRT. The school and Paula’s leadership are used by the Catholic Education Service as a role model for schools with a diverse community and those with a high percentage of GRT pupils. Paula is regularly invited to speak about St Teresa’s inclusive practice. St Teresa’s are proud to be the inaugural signatories of the GTRSB Education Pledge.
Jonathan Green
Supposedly a retired Headteacher with 15 years experience of Headship! I was persuaded by the LA to lead a small school on the outskirts of York for a term of transition. A year and a term later, I am still here and thoroughly enjoying it. We have 50 children on role and 50% of these are from a recently established Traveller site (Millbridge Farm). We are on a wonderful journey bringing our lovely community together.
Dr. Mitch Miller
Mitch Miller is an artist, researcher and Showman who lives and works in Glasgow. Mitch’s ‘dialectograms’ are complex drawings of places created through close collaboration with groups and communities – including his own Showground community.
Mitch has been commissioned by a range of different commissioners from grassroots organizations to cultural institutes, most recently the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art, Glasgow City’s artist in residence program and the Museum of Civilizations in Marseilles.
He is a co-founder and Chair of Fair Scotland and illustrated the book The Show Must Go On.
Candace Thomas
Candace is a Program Coordinator with EPIC Assist Scotland, a charity founded in 2013, to provide support and development opportunities to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups throughout Scotland.
Candace has an MPhil in Sociology from the University of Cambridge, in which she conducted auto-ethnographic research with Gypsy, Roma, Traveller & Showmen communities; using her own identity as a Traveller to decolonise group identity. She is currently undertaking a PhD in Sociology at University College Dublin, developing a methodological framework, which can be adopted within the third sector to build decolonial, inclusive and authentically diverse services.
She has extensive experience designing and implementing various integration/community education projects both in the UK, and internationally.
“I wear many hats; I am a professional dancer, Dance Historian and Critic, a Romani studies Scholar, a Flamenco historian, sociologist, curator and peace activist….
“As a researcher and an activist, I am involved in and leading various EU funded projects some of which aim to make education accessible to vulnerable groups and ethnic minorities. I believe that dance and music are great equalisers and can be used to engage and change society towards a more peaceful world.”
Sally Carr MBE
Sally’s influence has extended across the UK and Europe for over 35 years in Youth Work, Education, Health, Community Development, Policy, Sport Development and social justice work.
As a proud gay, disabled, Romany Gypsy, Sally brings an intersectional lens to her work which is rooted always in compassion: calling-in rather than calling-out, and not being afraid to embrace challenging conversations.
Sally’s work in LGBTQ+ advocacy started in the 1980s against a backdrop of anti-LGBT+ legislation and sentiment in the UK. She has dedicated her life to improving outcomes for young people, determined to eradicate the trauma, loneliness and marginalisation that so many communities face regarding intersectional discrimination.
She has set up and influenced many organisations and charities, and mentored numerous prominent leaders in the VCSE and other sectors.
She is an advisor for The Traveller Movement, an Ambassador for The Pankhust Trust, a Trustee at the National Youth Agency and Youth Focus North West, as well as being Director of Youth at Pride Sports and North West Director for the national youth people and sports charity StreetGames.
Lisa Smith
Lisa has a Masters in Inclusive Education and is currently Chair of The Advisory Council for the Education of Romani and Other Travellers. She is also Co-Curator of AKE DIKHEA? The International Festival of Romani Film and provides consultancy and supports training at Travellers‘ Times.
