Minutes EC meeting 5th May 2022

Our Bank balances are as follows

Our insurance Premium is due this month and it has increased from £181 to £260. I am speaking to the insurance company about this at present.
CAF Bank has asked to be updated on the details of the trustees. This is normal due diligence by the bank as the Trustees manage the charity and they have a duty to ensure they know who they are and that they are fit and proper people. Anti-money laundering requirements are being tightened all the time and other charities are encountering difficulties complying with requirements.

Emma Nuttall – various updates regarding the GTRSB Pledge for Schools. Schools can be invited to sign up. The launch (virtual) will be held on June 16 from 4.30 to 5.45.
From the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance looking for a speaker at a staff conference. Margaret has put her in touch with Chelsea.
From Candace Thomas – updates from the ACERT Showmen’s Working Group and investigations regarding an ACERT conference venue.

Thomas was concerned about commented on the naivety of the music being played and the failure to recognise the centuries old musical traditions of Roma. EC are confident that Chelsea McDonagh will respond appropriately.
Discussed below.

Candace has contacted John Moores who have requested a written request specifying our requirements. EC decided to delegate organisation to a subgroup of the EC, provisionally Lisa, Candace, Anne. Margaret, Brian.

Margaret will email Candace clarifying our requirements based on previous conferences.

Meeting held on 10th March via Zoom attended by futures4fairgrounds, 1st Scotland, EPIC, Traveller Pride and Showmen’s Mental Health.
The meetings will have a rotating chair.
Issues discussed support for ELOs.
Ethnic identity of showmen within the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller context; at the moment they are recognised as a business group but not as an ethnic one within education. Parents have no appropriate ethnic identity to choose but they experience many educational challenges including discrimination and prejudice.
For the next meeting they aim to identify 10 questions relevant to the education of showmen.
Consider making submissions to the DfE to become recognised as a group with specific educational experiences.

Education Support Network will next meet Wednesday 15h June 2022 at 2:00pm.
The agenda will include:
- Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month updates
- Developing a resource base
- How ACERT and the Education Support Network can back the Pledge
- ACERT Conference 2022 update.

This was the first time Lisa and Candace have met so Lisa took the opportunity to update us on her work in Berlin working with Roma Trial, specifically creating short animations on the treatment of Roma and Sinti in the 2nd World War.
Roma Trial are campaigning against plans to demolish the Roma Holocaust memorial in Berlin to make way for a new railway station. Roma organisations have been divided on the issue but there appears to have been better cooperation and some progress of late.