MECOPP Men’s Engagement Worker receives top community award: An interview with Tommy Bennett

Our Men’s Engagement Worker Tommy Bennett recently won the South Lanarkshire Provost’s Award for his outstanding work within the Gypsy/Traveller community. We caught up with Tommy to discuss his role and learn how MECOPP supports Gypsy/Traveller men who also have a caring role.

Left to right: Cllr. Ross Clark, Tommy Bennett

What’s your role at MECOPP?

As the Men's Engagement Worker, I bridge the gap between Gypsy/Traveller male community members and various practitioners. My role involves supporting the men to have a voice in consultations with the Scottish Government and local authorities. Our goal is to empower the men, to build their confidence and skills, and help them realise their right to have a voice.

Why is your work with Gypsy/Traveller men specifically?

In our community, there's a perception that engagement is mainly a woman's domain. We break down this barrier and emphasise that Gypsy/Traveller men have as much right to engage and be valued. Our voices are equally crucial in shaping policy and decisions.

What happened in the past within our community is that the women went to meetings, to come home and report back to the man. And he would say, ‘If I was there, I would have said this’. What we’re doing is giving the men the opportunity to speak for themselves.

Does MECOPP work with Gypsy/Traveller men who are also carers?

Yes, most of the Gypsy/Traveller men we work with are carers. There may be some that aren’t carers, but making life easier for carers also benefits the community more broadly.

A big part of supporting Gypsy/Traveller community members is helping to establish tenant’s associations on sites. “Having your voice heard” – It’s something that’s taken for granted and maybe seems a bit basic, but for a lot of Gypsy/Travellers it’s not that simple. So, it is really significant when community groups do get established for those ends.

What experiences led you to this kind of work?

It all started with my own Gypsy/Traveller site. I saw so many injustices, and no one in the community being able to have their say. I helped establish the tenants’ association on my site, and later became the chairperson.

Thanks to that association, the site’s living conditions completely changed. We went from really poor conditions, like not having running water, to having day rooms for the community to come together. That was my introduction to community engagement.

From there, I became involved with local politicians, advocating for my community. I built relationships with our local MSP and councillors, to the point that the community now knows that they can vote, and they have someone they want to vote for!

How did you find out about MECOPP?

My former youth worker introduced me to MECOPP, and I was captivated by the charity’s impact and approach. MECOPP provided me with the opportunity to extend my influence from the local to the national level, breaking barriers and challenging norms.

Speaking of which – It’s not the norm within my culture for a man to have a 9 to 5. I believe you can be whatever you want to be, you don’t need to follow the same path as your dad and grandad.

The Gypsy/Traveller men I work with are breaking barriers too, identifying the issues that personally affect them and speaking up. Their ‘ownership’ of what they want, and what changes they’d like to see, is the heart of MECOPP. We are community led – we don’t speak for the individual, we support them to speak for themselves. That’s the ethos that I fell in love with.

What’s the most important part of your day-to-day work?

Breaking down stigma continues to be vital. I have a model: everything can be spoken about in the right context. A conversation to understand our culture, heritage and beliefs to better educate yourself about the community is not racist. Having those conversations helps to build genuine understanding. If it’s coming from somewhere good, let’s ask those questions. Fear of not knowing and fear of offending can create more barriers.

Do you have any advice for individuals looking to make a change within their communities?

Don't be afraid to ask questions and speak up. As I say to my son, “if we want to bring about change, if we can, it’s up to us.” Change begins with taking that first step, speaking up and saying ‘hello’. If we stay silent, nothing is going to change.

Provost Margaret Cooper presented Tommy with a rose bowl and certificate at a ceremony at South Lanarkshire Council’s HQ in Hamilton. Tommy was nominated for the award by SNP councillor for Larkhall, Ross Clark.