Open Doors Education and Training (ODET) is a Community Interest Company.
ODET was born out of the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2020 when schools were closed. The Traveller Movement saw an opportunity to reach children and young people through digital methods.
ODET was initially established to support Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller young people however our remit is now wider than just these communities.
We provide young people from disadvantaged and marginalised communities with opportunities to access professional digital one-to-one education and career guidance. Our online format has been carefully designed and we offer support every step of the way.
We offer flexible education that works. Our carefully designed programmes strives to ensure that young people from ethnic minority and other marginalised communities do not fall behind their peers. ODET gives young people another chance at education when the system did not work for them. All of our projects are evidence based. See our projects page for more information
The ODET team is constantly looking to develop new and exciting programmes to further unlock the potential of people from ethnic minority and other marginalised communities. If you are interested in commissioning or collaborating with us, please get in touch!
Our vision is for a society where the human rights of people from ethnic minority and other marginalised communities is upheld and are social norms.
Our mission is to support children and young people to unlock their potential and provide and promote alterative or complementary streams of flexible education that work for them and accommodate their needs.
Our approach takes a human rights informed lens and each child’s heritage is actively embraced and celebrated through our work.
Article 12 – The Child’s Opinion
The voice of the child must be considered in any issues affecting them and they have a right to express those views freely. The views of the child will be given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.
Article 28 – Education
Recognises the right of the child to education, and with a view to achieving this right progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity.
Encourage the development of different forms of secondary education, including general and vocational education, make them available and accessible to every child.
Article 29 – Aims of Education
The development of respect for the child’s parents, their own cultural identity, language and values, for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for civilizations different from their own.
Article 30 – Children of Minorites or indigenous peoples
A child belonging to a minority or who is indigenous shall not be denied the right to enjoy their own culture.
Hannah has been working in the NGO sector since 2010. She has worked with Irish migrant support organisation Doras, the British Refugee Council and the Irish Red Cross. She holds a BA in in Sociology and Politics, MA in Ethnicity, Race and Migration, and an MA in Social Work. Hannah is also a qualified ESOL teacher and has taught in Ireland and South Korea.
Contact Hannah on education@odet.org.uk
Shane has previously worked in the voluntary sector through development of local initiatives, such as projects aimed to eliminate social exclusion and the breakdown of social barriers between young Travellers and local people outside of schools - in the essence of building team bonding through the participation of team sports and other various activities. Shane holds a BCL in Civil Law. He plays a lot of football, also enjoys exploring unknown paths whilst hiking, and for his sins is a massive Arsenal fan.
Contact Shane on education@odet.org.uk
Christian has been working in education for the past three years, predominantly in a teaching capacity. As well as working for Open Doors Education and Training, Christian is also a Policy Officer within the Charity Sector. He has BA in English and American Literature and an MA in Literature and Philosophy, both from Goldsmiths University London.
Contact Christian on partnerships@odet.org.uk
In 2020 Yvonne set up Open Doors Education and Training Community Interest Company which was born out of the Coronavirus pandemic. Yvonne is a well-seasoned practitioner within the field of community development and equality and has held a number of senior management roles. She currently sits on a number of advisory groups across government and within the wider sector. Yvonne joined the staff team of the Traveller Movement as CEO April 2008. She is responsible for overseeing and leading the charity and all of its teams.
Karen is the CEO of Safe Home Ireland, Karen was the CEO of Doras, a migrant support charity in Limerick and was also the former Director of an Irish Centre in London. Karen is passionate about human rights, inclusion and social justice.
Sabrina is the office manager at the Traveller Movement, a small but National Charity that leads in Policy and Campaigning for the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Community. Traveller Movement also carry out community development and partnership and research.
