New project aims to help diverse communities tell their ‘stories’

A NEW cross-community project, Distance Travelled, has been launched to bring together a wide range of cultural and ethnic groups from Derry, Strabane and Donegal.

Funded by £59,000 from Derry City and Strabane District Council’s PEACEPLUS Programme – managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) – the initiative aims to foster understanding and connection among diverse communities, including Irish Travellers.

Led by the AYE Project in Strabane, the programme will use a grassroots approach, supporting individuals to create training materials, displays, workshops and other resources to share their own stories and cultural priorities.

Paul Gallagher, co-ordinator of the Strabane AYE Project, said, “AYE has a long experience of working on the ground and at a policy level to support and advocate on behalf of Irish Travellers, migrants, and other local communities across Strabane and further afield.

“This new Distance Travelled project could not come at a more critical time.

“We have done a lot of work with groups and individuals on the ground to support them and now want to help everyone to come together and share in each other’s cultures, histories and traditions.

“We want to train up a new group of facilitators, especially those in the younger age groups, to carry on this work. We’re looking forward to all the challenges this will bring with it – and we know there will be many. It marks a much-needed opportunity to dispel some myths, break down barriers and, most importantly, to bring people together for what should be a series of very enjoyable events and opportunities.”

Kat Healy, who has advocated for Irish Travellers for decades, added, “This project is intended to be very much interactive and a two-way street.

“Unfortunately, many community projects don’t have the time, space, competencies or resources to bring together groups for sustained collective learning. That’s exactly what we hope to achieve here and we’re grateful to the PEACEPLUS Programme for enabling us to do it.”

Anyone interested in participating, facilitating or hosting can contact the project team via email at: distancetravelled2025@gmail.com or call 02871 880023.