Events | University of Strathclyde

Throughout June

8-14 Carers Week

23 International Women in Engineering Day

28 Stonewall Riots Anniversary (1969)

Celebrating LGBT+ Pride Month

Throughout June, we celebrate LGBT+ Pride Month for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary, queer and intersex communities.

As a socially-progressive and people-oriented organisation, the University of Strathclyde strives to be an inclusive community which recognises the potential, talents and contribution of all people.

There are lots of ways to get involved this Pride Month, across and beyond the Strathclyde community see more details on our website www.strath.ac.uk/whystrathclyde/lgbtpridemonth/

Strathclyde celebrates Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showmen and Boater (GTRSB) History Month

This June, we mark GTRSB History Month, celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showmen and Boater communities.

In January 2021, the University of Strathclyde was proud to be among five UK universities to sign the newly-created ‘GTRSB into Higher Education’ pledge.

As a socially progressive and people-oriented organisation, the University of Strathclyde is inspired by its founding mission to make a positive difference to the lives of its students and staff, to society and to the world. We strive to be an inclusive community which recognises the potential, talents and contribution of all people. Strathclyde values the diversity of our student and staff populations, and we work to create a culture where everyone is welcome and thrives within our institution.

For an introduction to travelling and GTRSB communities in Scotland, the Scottish Traveller Education Programme (STEP) webpages provides an accessible and concise overview

GTRSB into Higher Education pledge @ Strathclyde

In January 2021, the University of Strathclyde was proud to be among five UK universities to sign the newly-created ‘GTRSB into Higher Education’ pledge. We are committed to making higher education available to everyone who can benefit, regardless of their ethnic and cultural background.

We want to publicly commit to creating an open and welcoming environment in which members of the Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showmen and Boater (GTRSB) communities can be confident that their culture and learning needs are understood and, indeed, celebrated.

We recognise that people from GTRSB communities are under-represented within higher education and we aim to better understand and help surmount those barriers to access, making sure we listen carefully to the needs and views of those within the communities.

Hear from our Principal, Professor Sir Jim McDonald, on our pledge to you along with more information about our commitment and plans, and details on how to contact our Named Contact for GTRSB students. https://www.strath.ac.uk/sees/wideningaccess/gettingin/informationforstudentsfromgtrsbcommunities/

Roads from the Past: A short animated history of Gypsy, Roma and Travellers

Watch this short animated film from Travellers’ Times for insight into the histories of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in the British Isles and Ireland.

Interested to learn more about GTRSB history? Click GRTHM Timeline to download a timeline of key dates in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller history, from organisation Friends, Family and Travellers.

Ye canny forget the Cant!
Strathclyder Kelly Stuart, a researcher and PhD student in the School of Education, worked with STEP to develop ‘The Traveller ABC’ to encourage everyone to explore, enjoy and share the Cant language.

The Cant is said to mean ‘speech’ and comes from the Gaelic word ‘cainnt’. It is a vibrant, varied language, spoken by many Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities across the UK. It draws upon Gaelic, Sanskrit, Scots and Romany and there are different versions in Scotland, Wales, England and Ireland. It also varies between Highland and Lowland communities across Scotland.

Keen to learn some common phrases in Scottish Cant, Irish Cant and Romani Dialect? You can download some handy language cards GRTHM Language cards, developed by the organisation Friends, Family and Travellers.

LGBT+ Pride Month
Did you know that June is also LGBT+ Pride Month? Discover the spoken histories of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller LGBTQI+ people or read the text adaptation via the Romani Arts Company, listen to young LGBTQI+ travellers’ reflections on marching together at Pride for the first time, or watch a film about LGBT+ GRT people’s experiences as part of a campaign by The Traveller Movement (external links). Check out our main Strathclyde LGBT+ Pride Month webpage here.

Why GTRSB communities?
There is increasing evidence to suggest that people from GTRSB ethnic and cultural backgrounds face a range of barriers to accessing higher education. For example, data from the Department of Education shows that from 2009–10 to 2017–18 for all other white groups, the trend in HE participation is upwards. However, for Travellers of Irish Heritage it has declined and for Gypsy/Roma groups it has remained static (Atherton, 2020). Overall it has been calculated that only 3-4 per cent of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller populations aged 18-30 years access higher education compared with 43 per cent of people aged 18-30 in the general population (Mulcahy et al. 2017; Greenfields, 2019).

Get involved, get in touch
Are you a Strathclyder from a Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showman or Boater ethnic or cultural background? If so, the Access, Equality and Inclusion team at Strathclyde would love to hear from you so that we can include your perspectives and lived experiences as we develop our provision in this area. We are also keen to hear from non-GTRSB academics, researchers, practitioners and allies at Strathclyde with experience of GTRSB equalities work. Please contact Dr Matson Lawrence (matson.lawrence@strath.ac.uk), Senior Equality & Diversity Officer, and Lauren White (lauren.white.2014@uni.strath.ac.uk), the Named Contact for GTSRB students and staff at Strathclyde.