By Steven Hardiman
Recently, Traveller Voice spoke with Bernard Power, whose appearance on the RTE documentary ‘Patrick: A Traveller Child Lost’ introduced him to a national audience regarding the situation concerning suicide rates in the Traveller community. Bernard is a proud member of the Travelling community, and an active changemaker within regarding Mental Health activism. His appearances on radio and television have helped him to illustrate his knowledge and outlook in terms of how individuals can process their own Mental Health struggles. He works as a Community Development worker at Kilkenny Traveller Community movement.
Communicative Spaces
For Bernard, an important aspect of helping different members of the Traveller community would require opening communicative spaces to all members of the community, whether they are in rural areas or cities.
This is core to Bernard’s idea of connecting the community in a way that does not exclude any members because of their geographic location or their particular way of life: “National organisations need to focus on rural Traveller’s as much as city Traveller’s and the problems and issues around the cities”. Throughout our interview, Bernard makes it clear that for him, communication between all members of the community is what is required to open spaces for change.
Bernard stresses the idea of reaching out to individuals and asking them what they really need, saying “The Traveller that lives off down in West Cork needs to be looked at the same as the Traveller that lives in the heart of Dublin city.” Individuals must be heard, and their stories need to be told without any form of societal filter. Protection and advocacy are necessary for all members of the community to feel a sense of belonging.
Recognising the core issues
Diagnosing social issues through written reports seems to be missing the point according to Bernard, who desires transparency in terms of how Traveller organisations co-ordinate their efforts with one another, to hear the individual stories and experiences of community members. Bernard makes the point that the Travelling community itself need to assist one another in practical and communal ways to achieve better standards of Mental Health across the community: “It’s easy to tell people to ask for help, but they need to understand what’s the help they’re asking for.”
Bernard speaks with absolute clarity and strength and discusses the nature of Mental Health issues with a view to understanding the events occurring in the background of Traveller’s lives which can be found to act as the factor which may be causing a certain level of distress in their life. Reiterating a necessary point which he also made on an appearance on the Ray Darcy Show, Bernard says that “it’s not ok… to be ok. not to be ok.” In his own experiences, he always had to do his own type of investigation to discover the root cause of his own feelings: “If you’re hanging around with a bad group of people, you can change your group of friends.”
Be the Change
The ability to be the change you wish to see in the world could be described as a core philosophy of Bernard’s overall approach. This idea of creating change on the ground is a fiercely key factor for Bernard, who looks at this process of self-adjustment as a practical and necessary means of uncovering the things in our lives which may be lowering our mood or causing us stress.
However, Bernard does not dismiss the wider societal conditions which inform the racist discrimination which massively affects the Travelling community:” I completely understand the day-to-day problems we face as Traveller’s, I see that myself. I’m not saying it’s not a massive part of the problem”.
Root Causes
Just the same as the old saying – ‘ask a silly question and you’ll get a silly answer’ – Bernard takes this wisdom on board and analyses the Mental Health situation of the Travelling community through a complex lens which leaves no stone unturned in terms of asking the correct questions, including his questioning of a lack of government intervention.
In reference to ongoing crises within the community, such as problems with finding adequate accommodation, he states that “the government has to be answerable for that in the first place.” The key to progress for Bernard could be defined as working to solve issues which can be eradicated, but with an awareness that this can only be achieved with active participation by Traveller’s hailing from all four corners of Ireland, regardless of socio-economic condition or geographic location.
Teamwork is the key
Active co-ordination between the national Traveller organisations is required according to Bernard:” It is a case now where our national organisations need to come together and go to Europe.” Active and direct participation between local and national organisations, and the inclusion of all voices in the Traveller community: that is the future envisioned by Bernard, but only if key changes are made both outside and inside the community. “Instead of all the different organisations pulling off in different directions; what needs to be done is to start pulling together.”
Wide-scale changes in society only arrive after communities lay the groundwork together in an inherently communicative and open manner. The groundwork for change is subject to this open network of direct communication between individuals and organisations.
The Simple Things
Often in life it is the simple things that we can find ourselves taking for granted, yet these are the very things which make life worthwhile:” Help with dressing the kids for school and just stupid stuff like that.” Material possessions and objects contain a short-term possibility for happiness, but long-term well-being is in the everyday details of life, the so-called simple things which are not so simple at all:” Like obviously you need money to live, but that’s not what makes you happy or rich.” Bernard excellently outlines how important it is to stay grounded in the natural landscape of our lives; the family, our community, and our Mental Health.
The best things in life, such as creating change in our communities or leading a fulfilling personal life, are worth fighting for. Bernard makes no bones about underscoring the importance of this collective fight:” the only way we’re going to manage to help it is to fight hard alongside each other, not against each other”. Bernard himself is connected within his community as an active changemaker, as a figure who truly desires radical change.
