Being a Gypsy

Lisa-Marie eloquently writes about the expectations of her culture and her challenging some of these by attending a university, rather than getting married young. Lisa-Marie’s experience of exclusion, discrimination and bullying throughout her life are countered by the resilience she demonstrates in a number of settings and provide a role model for other young Gypsies who want to honour their cultural traditions but also to pursue further education and professional careers.

The chapter is interspersed with exercises and reflective points for a range of students to be able use on their professional training courses across the human services, such training courses rarely considering the issues surrounding Gypsies, Roma and Travellers.