Page 3 - Heart of the Travellers Vol 3 ed 2 May 2017
P. 3
Bernadette Williamson -
Young Scot of the Year 2017
Bernadette Williamson, 21, Balloch
Congratulations to Bernadette Williamson on being
awarded Young Scot of the Year for her work on
th
Diversity. The ceremony took place on April 27 and
was streamed live on Facebook for those who couldn’t
be there in person. The information below is from her
biography on the awards page:
As a young Gypsy/Traveller, Bernadette was bullied at
school because of her ethnicity and felt forced to cut
short her education. Fuelled by a passion for helping
other young people in her community, she joined Article
12 in Scotland, a network who promote youth rights. As
a member of the Young Gypsy/Travellers Lives (YGTL) Bernadette Williamson Article 12 in Scotland
project, Bernadette has spent the past five years raising
here in Scotland but around the world, by Bernadette’s
awareness of the rights of the Travelling community.
dedication.
She has consulted on the Human Rights Act being
The competition in her category was fierce and it to
replaced by a Bill of Rights in London and made a
Bernadette’s credit that her work stood out amongst
presentation to academics about the rights of young
such strong competitors. Well done, Bernadette, a well-
Gypsy/Traveller women from across Scotland as part of
deserved reward. We are thrilled for you!
a Children’s Rights seminar. Her presentation has now
been made into a learning guide for projects across
Click on the links below for more information:
Europe. Bernadette has also co-delivered workshops
Video of Bernadette’s nomination:
across the UK ensuring the voices of young people from
Young Scot Awards 2017: Bernadette Williamson - Diversity
her community are being represented at UN level.
Young Scot Awards Categories and Finalists:
It’s impossible to estimate how many young people’s https://youngscotawards.com/portfolio/finalists-2017
lives have been transformed and enhanced, not only
Bernadette’s work / Article 12 in Scotland:
http://www.article12.org/
3