аЯрЁБс>ўџ UWўџџџTџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС7 №ПБ6bjbjUU .v7|7|L2dџџџџџџltttttttˆrrr8ЊОˆс Hццќќќќќќ` b b b b b b $) If† tќќќќќ† ю ttќќ› ю ю ю ќ*tќtќ` ю ќ` ю rю ` tt` ќк А„ьрц›Щˆъr& ‚` ` Б 0с ` ЏЈ FЏ` ю ˆˆttttй Cant Turn Back In this article Orla Kenny, Creative Director, Kid’s Own Publishing Partnership, writes about the process through which young Traveller and settled children worked together to create ‘Cant Turn Back’, a book which honours and revitalises an appreciation of Cant – the Traveller language. Cant is one of the many minority ethnic languages worldwide on the verge of extinction unless some kind of intervention preserves what is left. In 2003, Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership in collaboration with Marian Browne (visiting teacher for Travellers in Co. Kildare), Travellers, schools, Kelt (Kildare Partnership), Kildare Heritage Group, Minister Brain Lenihan and Padraig Mac Grщine launched the first Pictionary of the Cant Language in Newbridge Co Kildare. A follow-up to this work started in January 2008 in Mohill, Co. Leitrim, thanks to the generous support of the Leitrim County Council Arts Office, Leitrim Partnership and Mohill Family Support Centre and The Department of Social and Family Affairs. Cant Turn Back is the title of our new book; it was titled by Mary Brigid Mc Donagh, a 13 year old Traveller in Mohill Co. Leitrim. It packs a major punch for just three words. It can be read as a statement, a command, a hope and an acceptance of Traveller culture and its language. It expresses the dilemma for all Travellers of cultural retrieval. Cant is on the verge of extinction and returning to the old way of life is impossible. How can a history and tradition that has changed so dramatically in the last 30 years be distilled into a beloved memory that can continue to both honour those who came before and inspire the next generation of young Travellers? During the month of January and February 2008, 16 children from fourth to sixth class at Mohill Primary School (encompassing Traveller children and their friends), alongside 12 first year students from Marian College Secondary School, worked together each week for eight weeks to create this book. The workshops took place in the Mohill Family Support Centre led by Kids’ Own and Mary Mc Donagh a member of the Travelling community. This programme and publication is an empowering, positive and crucial intervention in the protection and preservation of the Traveller language and culture. The first phase of this programme involved the children working with writer, Mary Branley and Mary McDonagh twice weekly over two weeks to learn the Cant vocabulary. The next phase of workshops involved the children and young people working alongside Mary Mc Donagh and Kids’ Own to generate, develop and define the content, generate artwork, text, design features and copy editing in the final workshops. The publication introduces new vocabulary, stories as well as reflections, thoughts and opinions by the young people about the Irish Traveller and settled culture. I’m finding out a lot of stuff that I didn’t know about Travellers, like the language and how they lived. I’d like to go back in time to see how life was like for my granny and parents. I imagine the tents would be cold at night and you‘d have to go to the toilet behind the ditch. The women had to clean up and mind the children while the men mended the buckets and fed the children and the horse. Traveller girls get married around 14 up. It’s young but it happens. Girls leave school now at 16 and some girls and boys find school very hard. I find Irish hard. Traveller culture is different to settled people. In the settled culture people don’t move a lot, they wait in one house for years or live on a farm. I hated going to school young because I was bullied for being a Traveller. I find it easy now because they know I can stand up for myself. Mary Brigid (13) The structure of the programme provided an accessible means to explore the language of Travellers, which is often silenced in contemporary Irish society. The programme and book were developed to address and raise awareness of the disappearance of Traveller culture. It will promote and give voice to a vision and language, which would otherwise remain concealed. This programme provided a new opportunity for settled and Traveller children to learn about the Traveller culture through storytelling, interviewing, writing and the visual arts. The success of this programme was based on the dialogue between the young people and Mary Mc Donagh. Questions, answers and stories underpinned all the work. At the start of each workshop we discussed different aspects of the Traveller and settled culture, exploring our customs, traditions, prejudices and values. How did the Cant disappear? How come you started speaking English? Well the Cant disappeared because when I reared my children I didn’t learn it to them and they couldn’t learn it to their children so that’s how it went out. We didn’t keep it up and at the time I had my children there was no begging for them, and there was money coming in from the dole and it changed all the Cant. It changed the begging and the halting sites and the houses changed the staying on the side of the road. That took away an awful lot of the Travellers’ culture that you couldn’t stay where you wanted anymore, or make a camp where you wanted, or make a tent where you wanted. From the 1970’s it started going out because we didn’t speak it to our children and that’s how it went away like that. It’s going away and our children and our children’s children know nothing about it. How will our book help bring the Cant back? Well they can ask me questions, and they can read the book and they may start to talk it amongst themselves and try and bring it back if ‘tis possible. I think it’s going to be a hard thing, but I think the book will help them a lot and they can read it. Throughout the programme the young people developed their confidence in asking questions while realising what was a good question to ask or what was a fair question without feeling embarrassed. Trust was built up between Mary and the young people when they understood that Mary took each question on board. This programme provided a safe environment for us to get out of our comfort zones to ask questions about culture. Shyness about initiating intercultural dialogue, though not uniquely an Irish characteristic, is part of what keeps us from exploring cultural difference. We are afraid to ask questions in case they come across as too personal, inquisitive, or even have racist undertones. But Mary made it clear that every question deserved her full attention. The quality of listening from the young people was very intense, almost palpable at times. What do you think will happen in a few years time to Travellers? In the future, I don’t see any Travellers travelling, except that they’d be going to funerals or weddings or going to things like that. There’ll be no more camps, for that day is gone and you’re not allowed to stay on the side of the road now anyhow, because it’s too dangerous. The only way you’d get big groups of Travellers is at funerals because they do show an awful lot of respect. And then for weddings; they’re all open invitation so any one can go to them. That’s when you get an awful lot of Travellers coming in. And I think now there’ll be more change and change. There’ll be bigger weddings; there’ll be more getting married but they’ll be a lot older, from 18 up to 20’s instead of younger. There’ll be big change alright, but I think they might be all things for the better. But we’ll still be Travellers no matter what way you look at it. The Travellers’ culture will never go. It will always be in the blood of the Traveller to be a Traveller. Did anyone cause trouble for Travellers? Well sometimes at night if the settled people or country people as we call them were coming home from the pictures they might start slaggin’ us, or throwing stones at the camp or try to pull the cover off the tent. We called that slaggin’ but nowadays it’s called discrimination. The young people led the discussion with questions and developed images around the arising themes. They worked with writer, Mary Branley who typed as their stories, reflections and opinions were shared, asking a question here or there to clarify, or extend the narrative. This is an oral history technique that stays close to the spoken language, both the Hiberno-English of Mary Mc Donagh and the children’s exact phrasing. Often children feel that their actual life stories, opinions and personal expressions are not good enough in formal education. So they get stuck in trying to fabricate generic text, often bland and boring for them. Through all our work we aim to break down barriers for young people to express their real lives, voice what it’s like to be a young person in their particular situation. I have twenty-three in my family. Some of them are in Dublin, Trim, America and England. My brother Martin is gone for eight years to America and is married to an American girl. He has three children. My sister had a baby girl last night, she has two children now. I wouldn’t like to go back to living in a tent, because it was too poor. I’d like to have a job of being a cop when I grow up. If I was a seidѓg (Cant for garda) I’d watch out for people breaking into houses and stealing and breaking into shops. My family would be happy if I was a seidѓg. Settled people and Travellers are getting on well in Mohill and around towns. Stephen (10) The role for Kids’ Own is to act as facilitators not as directors, and open the space for children’s lived experiences to be shared and valued. The intercultural conversation begins with simple questions; Who are you? Who am I? The Kids’ Own process provides opportunities for children to explore their experiences through art and writing. Our process recognises the child as the intercultural expert on his or her life, with the authority to determine the outcome of the experience. Ongoing for us is the process of working in new ways, in embracing the unknown and finding ways to enable children and young people to transform their lives through writing and visual arts. In the last two weeks of the workshops the young people gathered the stories and artwork together, edited the work, designed the layout and the content of the book. My picture shows a traveller boy getting a beating. His father is hitting him with a sally rod because the boy did something bold. Parents nowadays can’t hit their kids although they might threaten it. This is a good project because we are learning about different cultures, and a new language. We need to learn about other people so we won’t discriminate because we don’t understand them. We hope our book will teach people about Traveller language and culture. Rowan (13) Publishing with young people is a powerful force of democratisation. The books we make with children and young people are real books, with ISBN numbers and bar codes normally the preserve of the professional few. Yet these books sit on the same shelf as Harry Potter, James Joyce or any of the greats. In this way they contribute to the culture of the country on an equal basis with the dominant culture. Kids’ Own books fill a gap that cannot be met by commercial publishers; they are driven by a rich educational and artistic process, not by the need for sales. Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership uses the suitability of the book form as a classroom aid for helping young people articulate their own visions and stories, and take part in the creation of their own educational material. They are encouraged to engage in the creative process and work together towards a shared outcome. We are committed to promoting the power of books and their effectiveness as a learning tool that can extend young people’s experience as readers, writers and illustrators. By including children and young people in the creation of books, we challenge prevailing ideas about who creates educational material and for whom. Our manifesto is one which seeks to empower others, and our way of working uses the construction of books as the process by which to do this. Cant Turn Back is a heartfelt journey into the past and present of Traveller culture, full of humour, unromantic about poverty, yet it celebrates the interdependence of settled and nomadic life. The dialogue between Mary Mc Donagh and the children is a gift to all. Her knowledge of Cant and generous sharing is a major contribution in the intercultural arena. It was great to see Traveller children and settled children happy at the one thing. It’s a big step to see the discrimination going away when they work together. It would be an awful thing to see the Cant going out, because it’s like another part of education that we can all share. Mary Mc Donagh Cant Turn Back will be published in November 2008 and will be available from info@kidsown.ie or good bookshops nationwide. Article from IN2, NYCI’s annual publication of youth arts practice. March 2009 Page  PAGE 1 12Ььўџš › щ ъ ‚'(Žњћщъ-.~JKwxwxвгж!з!""##D&E&Ь(Э(o+p+,,ђ-ѓ-(0)08393H3Ѓ4Є4П5Р5а5б5р5K6L6X6Y6јѕюмюмЧмОЧмОмюмОмОЧОмюЧОЧОмОмОЧОмюмОЧОмюмюЧОмОЧОмюмОЧОмОмюЧмОЧОЧОЧмИЕCJ 5CJ\OJQJ^JaJ)0J56B*CJOJQJ\]^Jphџ#0J5B*CJOJQJ\^Jphџ OJQJ^J0J 0JB*phџG12ўџš › щ ъ ‚'(Žњћщъ.JKxwxв§ћљљљљљљљљљљљљљљљљљљљљљљљљљљљL6А6ўўвгж!з!"#E&Ь(Э(p+,,ђ-ѓ-(0)08393Ѓ4Є4Р5а5б5L6œ66Ў6Џ6§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ї§ѕ§ ЦЄY6›6œ6Ѓ6Є6Њ6Ћ6Ќ6­6Б6іѓьщьсь0JmHnHu0J j0JUCJ0JB*CJphџ Џ6А6Б6§§,1hА‚. 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