THE challenge of fostering self-esteem in the traveller child will be the subject of a day-long conference in Dublin next Saturday. Personal and social self-esteem and the Traveller child, will be the focus of the 23rd conference of the Association of the Teachers of Traveller People at the Teachers' Club in Parnell Square.

Speakers will provide practical and user-friendly strategies for its development inside and outside the classroom.

The keynote address will be given by Sean Ruth, an organisational psychologist and former head of the department of organisational and social studies at the National College of Industrial Relations. Mairin Kenny, principal of St Kieran's National School for Travellers, who has completed a doctoral study of travellers' relations with post-primary schooling, will also address the conference.

Registration is between 10 and 10.30 am. In the afternoon, four concurrent workshops, will discuss topics such as self-esteem and the literacy programme, building self-esteem in the pre-school, the new RT infants' programme and the classroom in context.