SPARC is a gypsy and traveller community-based charity working in the Tees Valley.
It aims to help gypsies and travellers access mainstream services by working with gypsies, travellers, mainstream services and strategic bodies. The organisation’s key objective is to “promote equality and diversity for the public benefit” by:
- Promoting activities to foster understanding between people from diverse backgrounds in particular by promoting stronger ties between the Romany and Traveller communities and the wider public
- Advancing education and raising awareness in equality and diversity in particular by promoting understanding of the history and culture of Romany and Traveller communities
Funding will be used to increase engagement between the Police and other Criminal Justice Agencies and Gypsy and Traveller communities.
To agree £15,000 funding from the PCC Community Safety Initiatives Fund to enable SPARC to deliver:
- Increased engagement between the Police and PCC Office and the travelling communities.
- Provision of awareness-raising sessions with CJS agencies to increase awareness of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller culture.
- Improvement in relationships between the Travelling communities and CJS agencies at an early stage by organising visits for children from the community to Cleveland Police. This will break down barriers at a young age and increase awareness on both sides.
- Further promote SPARC’s services within the travelling communities leading to further increases in service usage from those communities and a breaking down of barriers.