Savvy Chavvy gives a voice to young gypsy travellers

This social networking site gave young gypsy travellers a voice and the opportunity to change the way their community is perceived.

The site is administered by its users where young gypsy travellers can network, blog and share media such as podcasts and video content amongst their peers. This is a group which are often marginalised and misrepresented by the UK’s media. Savvy Chavvy (Chavvy being the old Romany word for ‘youth’) is an online cultural space with more than 1250 members that gives a voice to young travellers to help to change how their community is perceived.

Christy McAleese, one of the founders of Savvy Chavvy, tells us how it started:

“The Savvy Chavvy Project began in January 2008 when Nathalie McDermott of On Road Media and I hit the road to deliver social media and citizen journalism training to young Gypsy Travellers across the south east. Despite very early starts, getting stranded on various rural branch lines and some unusual training venues (including a converted Double Decker Bus) we were spurred on by the positive responses of the young people we worked with. We met some amazing young journalists, editors, camera-people and directors all of whom we could see growing into powerful advocates for their community.

Whilst all of this happened the Savvy Chavvy online network was growing at a phenomenal rate. With Nathalie’s technical wizardry and guidance from Unltd young Gypsy-Travellers from across the UK and beyond began to make connections and talk about their shared interests and culture. Savvy Chavvy hosts some brilliant examples of citizen journalism but it is the simple day-to-day exchanges that I find the most powerful; young people discovering relatives they didn’t know they had, making friends, talking about music, dancing and fairs.

It is this combination of social purpose and social life that I believe will ensure Savvy Chavvy continues to grow. Many thanks to everyone who was involved, it is due to the fact that you are all too numerous to name that the project has been such a great success and so enjoyable to work on.”

Savvy Chavvy won the Community Award in the 2008 UK Catalyst Awards. Find out about the 2009 UK Catalyst Awards.