TLO Community Participation and Engagement Initiative Meelagh Tenants Participation Programme (March – November 2024) The Meelagh Tenants Participation Programme, coordinated with the TLO and Cork Traveller Women’s Network (CTWN) and facilitated by a socially engaged practitioner/researcher from the Living Commons, involved a group of women residents at Meelagh Housing Estate. The programme began by exploring the women's interest in self-organising to gain more control over their needs and access to support systems. It also provided an opportunity to explore alternative methods for addressing their needs and building stronger relationships with the City Council through the TLO's tenancy participation programme. Weekly meetings were held where the women engaged in peer-to-peer learning, co-facilitating discussions on housing issues and collective problem-solving. The programme aimed to produce professional outputs that could serve as clear communication tools with the City Council.
Meelagh Women’s Traveller Committee (Ongoing) Following the success of the participation programme, the women at Meelagh Estate established the Meelagh Women’s Traveller Committee (MWTC). The committee worked on branding, creating a logo and visual media outputs to raise their profile within existing and future consortiums. The group collaboratively produced a report, with the assistance of a graphic designer, to present their first issue to the TAU for discussion and resolution. The committee has committed to adopting a community-of- care approach, focusing on the upkeep of the estate and improving the quality of life for its residents. They are also working on visual literacy, particularly designing a Traveller tenancy handbook to make it more accessible to their community, including those with limited literacy skills.
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