“I started the walking group to create an opportunity for the women in our community to have a break from the work at home and to reduce social isolation that many people in the Gypsy/Traveller experience- especially since Covid”.
Jessie McPhee is one of the Community Health Worker for MECOPP and works to improve the health and wellbeing of the Gypsy/Traveller Community (G/T) in Highland and supports individuals on a wide range of issues including access to healthcare, housing and other services. The walking group meets regularly and is going from strength to strength!
Jessie explains that poor mental health in the Gypsy/Traveller community is at the highest it’s ever been. She feels that social isolation is a big issue, “Connection with nature and the outdoors is really important in the community’s culture and heritage, however members of the community can feel disconnected when housed- both from each other and nature; the walking group is a way to help support reconnecting.”
MECOPP has a range of resources hosted on their website that aim to support the learning of practitioners who work directly with community members or who have an interest in developing their knowledge and skills. ‘Two sides of the same story’ is a great resource which outlines some of the common misconceptions held, assumptions made, and discrimination faced by the Gypsy/Traveller Community.
