A graduation/Award ceremony for six students from the Travelling Community, who successfully completed the Traveller Mediation and Conflict Training Pilot Programme, took place on May 30, 2017 in Maynooth University.
The course took place over a one year period and consisted of a Part 1 (an accredited QQI Level 5 course in Conflict resolution & Intercultural Studies) and a Part 2 (Mediators Institute of Ireland accredited Mediation Training Programme).
The programme is a partnership initiative between the Midlands Traveller Conflict Mediation Initiative (MTCMI), the Edward Kennedy Institute, Maynooth University, and Kildare/Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB).
MTCMI plans to establish a panel of available qualified Traveller mediators from the recent graduates in order to effectively harness the graduates’ experience and skills for the benefit of the wider community. A second Traveller Mediation & Conflict Training Programme is planned to commence in September in Offaly, in partnership with Laois/Offaly ETB.