Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-toybox-project-belfast-northern-ireland/5018782/
The Toybox Project is a rights-based service development model which aims to significantly reduce social and educational inequalities experienced by young Traveller children through an outreach play-based early intervention service provided in partnership with children and parents. Early Years �" the organisation for young children (formerly NIPPA), is responsible for the operational implementation of the project.Travellers are a distinct ethnic group within Irish society. Their lifestyle and culture, based on a nomadic tradition, sets them apart from the settled population. They are widely acknowledged as one of the most marginalised and disadvantaged groups in Irish society. While many Travellers still live in trailers, some Travellers now live in settled accommodation.
The Toybox Project supports a full-time Project Co-ordinator and nine Outreach Play workers plus a part-time administrator. Emphasising its regional character, the project operates in Armagh/Dungannon, Ballymena/Magherafelt, Belfast, Coalisland/Dungannon, Derry, Omagh/Strabane, Newry/South Armagh, and Newry. Service delivery focuses on the work of the Toybox workers who visit Traveller families in their own homes on a weekly basis, bringing with them a box of toys, art materials, books, and natural materials. The Toybox Project worker provides children with an eagerness to learn by sharing control, focusing on their strengths, and supporting ...