Report from Bradley Stoke Community Lunch to mark International Day of Tolerance
Jubilee Activity Centre
Bradley Stoke
Wednesday 16th November 2005
Introduction
For several years the Southern Brooks Community Partnership (formerly Patchway & Bradley Stoke Community Development Project) has been working with Bradley Stoke Town Council to hold regular community meals. We try to theme the events, to bring people together around a common interest.
There were significant concerns by those working in the community about increasing levels of racial abuse. The Partnership against Racial Harassment was also concerned at increased levels of hate crimes in and around Patchway and Bradley Stoke. Pauline Hawker-Bond, Head of Communities for South Gloucestershire Council, agreed to Chair the event to bring people together to begin to discuss how we can work together to improve the quality of life for people in this area.
The lunch
Invitations were sent to organisations and agencies active in the area as well as local Councillors, and posters displayed advertising the event to the general public... Working with the South Gloucestershire Council Community Development worker who is the Link Officer for many of the Black and Minority Ethnic groups (BME groups), positive efforts were made to encourage local residents from these groups to attend. The event was sponsored by Bradley Stoke Town Council and South Gloucestershire Council. A crèche was provided to make the event accessible for local residents with children.
Many organisations and individual residents attended the event including representatives of
Bradley Stoke Town Council, Patchway Town Council, Stoke Gifford Parish Council, Avon & Somerset Police, St Chad’s Church, Young at Heart, Patchway & Bradley Stoke Community Development Project, Connexions, South Gloucestershire Council, South Glos Chinese Association, Stoke Lodge Primary School, Bradley Stoke Twinning Association, Children’s Fund, Rotary Club, and Dalmo (formerly My Town Foundation)
The date chosen for the event was Wednesday 16th November 2005, the International Day for Tolerance, which was appropriate as the day aims to promote recognition of the need for tolerance and understanding of the practice of tolerance.
“Building tolerance and trust in diverse communities is not done overnight, but takes time and commitment. Building tolerance requires access to education. Intolerance is often rooted in ignorance and fear: fear of the unknown, of the “other”, other cultures, religions and nations. Intolerance is also closely linked to an exaggerated sense of self-worth and pride: notions taught and learned at an early age. Therefore in coming years, we need to place greater emphasis on educating children about tolerance, human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
We were keen to hear first hand the experience of members of BME groups living in the community. A black Patchway Town Councillor was approached to be the keynote speaker but he was not available. However, his 19 year old son and a friend, Darren Gordon and Samuel Asane, both Patchway residents, were keen to be involved. Once the session was introduced and the framework for the day laid by Pauline Hawker-Bond, the two young men spoke eloquently about their experience of living in Patchway.
They were followed by Saifi Hashmi, member of DALMO, a group resident in Bradley Stoke, which is an organisation that brings together Muslim people from across the area. Saifi spoke about the pride that members of the Muslim community felt in being in Britain and the way they were welcome. Many people had been here for a long time and he feels it’s important the Muslim community welcomes people into their cultural activities. There needs to be a challenge to the image that all Muslims are terrorists.
The workshops
After a short break, Darren and Samuel facilitated a workshop about how we may work together to foster greater understanding. The key themes that were identified were
Education
- Needs to start within the home at an early age
- Recognise that there is an issue about the way multi-culturalism is taught in schools
- Designated and structured lessons need to take place within the school
- Look for opportunities to bring people from different cultures into schools to talk about their lives and believes
- Education about the contribution of people from other countries to the history of Britain, including during the war
- To promote understand, a wide range of multi-cultural ideas need to be employed by teachers/tutors
Parenting
- Work needs to be undertaken with parents to ensure that they set an example for children
Community
- Increased opportunities for people from different generation to mix and learn from each other
- Positive images of people from BME groups to be used
- Put people before politics
- Open days and more cultural events
- Community leaders to promote ethnic groups within the community
- Work needs to take place in a variety of settings, including youth clubs and churches
- Bradley Stoke should have its own community safety group, with representation from minority ethnic communities
- BME groups need to be represented on strategic bodies
- People need to be confident to ask questions about other cultures/remove the fear of “saying something wrong”
- Need for role of “the good Samaritan” to foster a caring community that doesn’t look the other way
- Create a sense of community belonging
- Self respect needs to be promoted and reborn
- Challenge methods used by the media that affect people’s attitudes and prejudices
Thanks to
Bradley Stoke Town Council for organising the refreshments and for providing the Bradley Stoke Jubilee Centre
Pauline Hawker-Bond for Chairing and supporting the event
Marian Jones, South Gloucestershire Council Community Development for making the link with the BME groups
Samuel Asane and Darren Gordon for facilitating the workshops
Everyone that attended the event
Julie Snelling
Director
Southern Brooks Community Partnership