Inventing our future Collective action for a sustainable economy

Action plan
Regional Social Strategy – the strategy to achieve social inclusion throughout the East of England
Case study 36
Traveller site, Cottenham
Pupils at Cottenham Village School have had lessons on the theme of conflict in the community, exploring
themes of racism and prejudice towards Travellers. The lessons looked at how such prejudice is fuelled by
myth, gossip, misunderstanding and the media, often leading to community conflict.
Subsequently arrangements were made for pupils from the school to visit their local Traveller site with a
questionnaire for their GCSE coursework. This looked at Traveller lifestyle and how relations between
Travellers and the wider community might be improved. The pupils were made very welcome and their
questions were answered in detail, changing their perceptions of Travellers and Traveller sites in a
positive way. The Traveller residents, who are often reluctant to allow their children to transfer to
secondary school, also reported being very impressed with the pupils from the village college.
A DVD* of this project has now been produced and a number of excellent suggestions for improving
community cohesion have been passed on by the pupils to members of the community with the
influence to act upon them.
* Copies of the DVD can be requested from: Team for Traveller Education, Cambridge Professional Development
Centre, Foster Road, Trumpington, Cambridge, CB2 2NL, Tel. (01223) 508 700.
Case study 37
Gateway Protection Programme
In December 2006 12 Congolese families from a refugee camp in Zambia started a new life in Norwich
under the Gateway Protection Programme, a partnership between the UK Government and the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees. Gateway provides a route to the UK for some of the most
vulnerable refugees in the world, who are often also survivors of torture, rape or other severe trauma.
Some of them will have spent up to ten years in a refugee camp.
Since their arrival the refugees have received co-ordinated support, advice and help from a range of local
agencies, which has been an invaluable factor in their successful integration into their new communities.
The action plan which accompanies this strategy (see inside back cover) stems from the preceding analysis
and findings of the strategy review undertaken by a multi-agency project team during 2007.
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