I watched a programme about effective altruism last night. The main points discussed were what approaches, and by whom, were most effective. It got me thinking about the what and who by and for of community development approaches – empowerment, participation and so on. At the core of the altruism debate was funders, who…
Watching a documentary on Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) reminded me that my critical thinking developed against a backdrop of psychedelia, a sub-culture associated not only with psychedelic drugs, imagery and music but also with critical consciousness – a state of mind where ‘the ability to recognise and analyse systems of inequality and…
I was invited by the Scottish Traveller Action and Resilience Collective [STARC] to present on their behalf at this meeting. As a founding member of the collective I was happy to do so. My presentation, which focused on the role of the media in driving hate speech directed towards the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities,…
In the quiet of the night she rises slowly, careful in her movements lest she wake the man. She moves to the curtainless window looking out to an ink blue sky. Fiery Mars low in the East. High above, Ursa Major’s seven stars shine bright in anticipation of the coming blue moon; a portent of…
First published as part of Engender’s F-Words series (July, 2020). In considering the language used to categorise and indeed denigrate Gypsy/Traveller women, an examination of the role of the media in the ‘othering’ or cultural denigration and exclusion of the Gypsy/Traveller community en masse is crucial. Creators of ‘folk devils’ and drivers of moral panics who with “a…
The first long, warm evening of the year, we sleep with windows ajar. Drifting into sleep, we are minded that the summer Solstice will soon be upon us and so we will begin the slow descent into the darkness once more. …
Reality TV – a genre which started out in the 1960s as a ‘fly-on-the-wall’ look into the daily life of others, a ‘stripped down’ observational or documentary account of the subject or subjects being filmed wherein the viewer is invited to reach their own conclusions on the content and context of the production –…
That’s me there. Not a statistic, a risk category, a graph or a peak on a curve. A living older person with a compromised immune system and a long-term condition. A mother, a grandmother, a wife, a friend, a colleague, a neighbour, a contributor to society and sometimes a massive thorn in the side…
The wild Atlantics, scouring the shifting sands of the machair. Redshank and goose, rising in displays of protest and distraction; The eyebrights and forget-me-nots rooting down, steadfast; weathering the storm. Boreas, advancing from the north Wrapped in furs, cold breath shrouding the mountains and carpeting the land; The ptarmigan and mountain hare in winter cloak,…
I successfully defended my Doctoral Thesis on Friday. It signifies a personal and professional ‘crossroads moment’ in my life. It concludes my more than thirty year long journey across the fields of activism with and advocacy for marginalised children and young people and commences a new chapter in my life. As with all my crossroads…