For Education, Culture, Welfare and Civil Rights

The Gypsy Council

Affiliated to the International Romani Union RIJ

The Gypsy Council was formerly known as the National Gypsy Education Council which was formed in 1970

What is the Gypsy Council?

The singer David Essex is Patron of the Gypsy Council

After many years of supporting and working in the educational rights of Gypsy people, the organisation was becoming increasingly involved in other issues which directly affected the educational prospects and advancement of Gypsy children and their families, e.g., the lack of legal stopping places, inadequate and unhealthy official sites, racism, inefficient health care, government and institutional harassment. At the annual general meeting in 1991, it was voted unanimously to change the name of the organisation to, The Gypsy Council for Education, Culture, Welfare and Civil Rights, to reflect the full extent of the work it does.

The Work of the Gypsy Council

Volunteer The Gypsy Council is involved in a wide spectrum of support and liaison work, supporting Gypsy families in planning applications and their fight for decent legal places to live. We liaise and mediate with government bodies, County and District authorities, Health and Social Services, police and legal advisors, education departments and schools, and lobby politicians and political parties for the rights of Gypsy people. We also offer an advice service to Gypsy people, students and others on many different issues, and are a main point of contact for both national and local media. The Gypsy Council has a large resource library for academic work. We also send representatives to conferences, seminars and public meetings both in the UK and Europe, and have our own European representatives to the European Union and The United Nations. The Gypsy Council publishes a Newsletter and other periodical reports and journals, which are sent free to all members and are available from the office.

Who can Join? Getting Involved in the Gypsy Council

Getting involved The Gypsy Council is a Gypsy based organisation, but welcomes membership from all Traveller groups and interested and supportive individuals who recognise and promote the aims and objectives of the organisation. The meetings of The Gypsy Council are open to all members who will receive notices of meetings with agendas and previous minutes. All members can play an active part in the running of the organisation and can stand for election as officers and committee members at our annual general meetings. We actively promote working with outside bodies and organisations, Gypsy and non-Gypsy.

Why Should You Join the Gypsy Council

You need us, we need you.

For generations the Gypsy people have been pushed from pillar to post denied their civil and human rights. Forced to live in squalid and degrading environments. Our children have not been properly educated or been given equal opportunities with those of the dominant society. Our culture and our ethnicity has been ignored, denied and often destroyed. This situation continues to prevail today in our own Country and in varying degrees across the whole of Europe. By joining The Gypsy Council and coming together under the flag of the International Romani Union, the Gypsy community can be a powerful force for positive change in the UK, Europe and World-wide. There are 100,000 to 200,000 Gypsy people in the UK alone, 20 million across the world. We need you as a member to give your support to the work we do for our own community. As individuals and small groups we are all vulnerable, by joining together to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, we will overcome intolerance and help Gypsy people take up their rightful and equal place in society.