26 Oct BAME Listening Event Key Points
Presenters at the BAME Listening Event described some incredible work happening across our communities!
For example
- Practical mentoring schemes for positive parenting, promoting wellbeing, dignity and cultural appreciation / awareness.
- Positive pathway projects for young people and inclusive support programmes for those who do not have English as a first language.
- Creative approaches with intergenerational projects to help tackle issues such as loneliness, isolation, mental health and well-being
- Projects that bring people together to celebrate diversity through art
- Supporting homeless and vulnerable people with no recourse to public funds with (at times culturally sensitive) food provision, shelter, mental health and well-being support.
- Helping to address digital poverty with the supply of laptops to needing families
- Feeding NHS staff and care givers during the Covid-19 pandemic
- Supplying vital PPE to care establishments during the Covid-19 pandemic
- Providing education and schools to ensure that heritage is preserved for future generations
- An increase in partnership working – not just with community groups but local authority departments and health and support services
However, there is still a lot of work to do. Those who attended the Listening Event described future improvements to include
- For any consultations, future service decisions / policy considerations to be done so ensuring fair representation from the group that it most affects!
- Active efforts made for decision makers and service leaders to create relationships and a much greater understanding of the diverse cultures of Southend
- Training on cultural awareness
- More work that focuses on young people – influence on the next generation of community members
- More non-judgemental mentoring programmes concerning domestic violence, mental health and Covid-19 health support information
- Young people- this future society – to be informed and encouraged to celebrate their culture and history in order to feel empowered.
- Action that reflects the urgency of the developing situation – our young people are not waiting.
- A true representation of the diversity across Southend reflected in future projects / policy changes
- An open minded and creative approach to future funding allocations.
- New & creative ways of engaging with communities who are not often heard from.
- An awareness of hate crime – particularly on social media
- Better representation of BAME members in local authorities
