WhatDoTheyKnow
JAR Good Practice Case Study Evaluations of Community Cohesion Initiatives
There has been a wide range of evaluations and reports evidencing the impact of Oldham Community cohesion Initiatives. These are listed below and the reports are included as individual attachments.:
National Reports and Evaluations
Page 2-5: Institute of Community Cohesion; Review of Community Cohesion in Oldham Final Report; Briefing for CYPF Directorate - Click here
Page 5- 7: Report on Diversity and Citizenship’ January 2007 (Sir Keith Ajegbo, DCFS) - Click here
Page 7: Bangladesh Photo activity Pack: Geography Association
Page 7: Citizenship: An Oldham Focus
Page 8-25: Oldham Secondary Curriculum Project
NB The LA will be receiving by the end of June the Report on the recent OfSTED Inspection of Community Cohesion and by the end of August the University of Newcastle Evaluation Report on the Oldham Philosophy for Children and Communities Project. The LA is also awaiting receipt of two regional/national community cohesion projects in which we have collaborated with the School Development Support Agency: The Northern Young Muslim Conference funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government and The Cultural Understanding through Science Project funded by the DCSF.
Local Reports and Evaluations
Page 25-29: Ability Sport Roadshow
Page 29-31: Community Cohesion Sports Day
Page 31-33: Kick it out Report
Page 33-51: PAYP and Community Cohesion
Page 51-57: Revised PAYP and Community Cohesion
Page 57-61: Report on the 4th Oldham Borough Games
Page 61-67: Report on Youth Peace Building and Leadership Programme 2007
Page 67-72: Shared Future Residential Weekend March 2008
Page 72-76: Oldham School Linking Project and Shared Future Project
Page 76: 2008 Youth Service Fusion
Page 77: Young People Excel Youth Service Project
INSTITUTE OF COMMUNITY COHESION REVIEW OF COMMUNITY COHESION IN OLDHAM FINAL REPORT
CHALLENGING LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO CHANGE OLDHAM
Briefing for The Directorate of Services to Children, Young People and Families
1.Introduction
1.1 The Chief Executive has prepared a brief report for elected members on the Review which is attached as Appendix A. The Report highlights four key issues from the Review which need to be fully addressed in the Council’s response to the Review. It is important to stress that these issues cut across all departments. The Department will need to consider these areas carefully when formulating our response, particularly as the section in the report on Education and Learning is somewhat light in terms of content, and in particular, recommendations.
Leadership
There is a need to develop and widen leadership on community cohesion.
There is a need to develop a wider shared responsibility for championing change, involving a greater number of people across all sectors, and the development of future leadership– particularly in relation to developing the involvement of women and young people.
Communication
There is a need to strengthen communications on community cohesion. Only a fairly narrow limited group of people are currently aware of the overall vision for the Borough and what we are trying to achieve, and there is a need to build a much wider awareness and understanding of this – both within organisations and with the wider public. People feel threatened by change, and effective communication is key to overcoming this.
Integration
The approach to this has been somewhat cautious, and there is now a need to develop a much more proactive approach to developing integrated communities based upon a programme for mixed communities, for example through the opportunities provided through investment in new schools and housing.
Engaging communities
The single biggest message in the report is about challenging communities to change Oldham, and the need to develop a “bottom up” approach to community cohesion in which communities are engaged and mobilised to make change happen.
1.2 The report also sets out the following tight timeframe for responding initially to the Review :
“ The response to the recommendations, and the initial version of the refreshed Community Cohesion Strategy will be produced by the end of September ”.
1.3 Bruce Penhale and Councilor Stretton are leading on the preparation of the Response and would wish to be included in discussions in the different Council departments.
1.4 In terms of articulating the Departments response it may be useful to bear in mind the following excerpts from the Executive Summary and Key Recommendations which stress the need to be bolder and more urgent in what we do:
“We found that the Oldham Partnership and the Council tended to be cautious
in their approach to tackling segregated communities, ever minded of the potential
‘political cost’ of more radical initiatives being exploited by far-right groups.”
“Oldham is at the cusp of real change and now needs to demonstrate sustained progress in tackling what are extremely difficult issues. In place of a borough associated with riot and ethnic strife, Oldham needs to further transform itself into the borough that defeated segregation and ethnic conflict - a beacon for best practice in building cohesion across all its communities. If this new Oldham is to become a reality, accelerating the pace of change is critical”
2 Education and Learning ; Findings and Recommendations
2.1 Findings
Section IX of the Report focuses on Education and Learning and highlights the fact that, “in terms of promoting positive approaches to cultural differences, the educational establishments are playing leading roles.” The Report makes particular reference to the following areas of successful projects, initiatives and services:
▪ The Oldham School Linking Project ( “emerging as an area of best practice” ) and the Shared Futures Project
▪ The Unity Project delivered by Sports Development and the commitment to sustain the project in the longer term through the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund
▪ The Youth Service, the youth club twinning project and the diversity training programmes it runs
▪ Positive outreach projects between colleges and schools
▪ Then development of curriculum materials aimed at promoting community cohesion and discussion in schools by the Minority Ethnic Achievement Team
▪ The work of the Lifelong Learning Partnership and its strong approach to joined up working
▪ Social Services working with the Oldham Mosques Council and the Oldham Inter Faith Forum to develop a training programme that supports people who teach or care for children, about issues of child protection.
▪ The emphasis of both Colleges and the LEA in encouraging and supporting more people into Further and Higher Education, for example, the Junior University programme that provides mentoring and other support for pupils to help them improve their GCSE attainment
▪ The Anti Discriminatory Practice Training Programme, promoting positive identities in children drawing on black perspectives, also sexuality, religion and culture programmes
2.2 Recommendations
The review references the fact that there is evidence that the degree of segregation in Oldham’s primary and secondary schools in overall terms is changing for the better as a result, it would appear, of shifts in the pattern of settlement within the Borough. In order for this trend to continue, the Report sets out the following recommendations:
▪ A long-term and determined approach is needed which goes beyond twinning and related activities.
▪ Proposed new schools need to be attractive to all communities
▪ Much more needs to be done in engaging and involving parents from all communities in school based community cohesion initiatives such as the Link Project
▪ Consideration should also be given to other ways of building bridges between schools including more teacher swaps and pupils of different schools coming together across a wider range of subject, sport and leisure activities.
The ultimate aim must be to create more mixed intake schools in which there is a sustained programme to tackle conflict and division in addition to building bridges between schools dominated by a single ethnicity with particular emphasis on the potential contribution of children and parental networks.
The Report also makes the following recommendation:
▪ Oldham MBC and the Learning Partnership should renew their efforts to involve established faith schools in tackling segregation and community cohesion.
▪ Oldham MBC and the Learning Partnership will need to give particular
attention to increasing the representation of BME governors on School
Governing Boards and also in challenging existing Boards on how they
can contribute to building community cohesion in the future.
▪ There is a pressing need to improve the representation of BME
teachers in Oldham’s schools and colleges.
3. Omissions in the Report
Much of the good work that the Dept is engaged in is referenced in the Report. However, there are also gaps and omissions. It is important that these should be referenced here (particularly those that relate to the four key issues above) in order to ensure we have the full picture of current practice to inform future working and our response to the report. Gaps and omissions include :
▪ The secondary community cohesion curriculum development project which was an integral part of the secondary cross borough training initiative held on October 31st 2005
▪ The Youth Service “Fusion” project
▪ The significant investment and commitment at school and LEA level over 5 years to Philosophy for Children.
4. Responding to the Recommendations : Action Planning
As stated above Bruce Penhale is the corporate lead on preparing the response. He has proposed the following initial sequence :
▪ Agenda item at the September SLT to brief all senior colleagues
▪ Agreement at SLT as to the process for developing an action plan by end of December 2006 and who to be involved
‘Report on Diversity and Citizenship’ January 2007 (Sir Keith Ajegbo, DCFS)
‘The review group found some trailblazing examples of good practice on diversity. Sir Keith’s team want schools across the country to follow the good example of communities in Oldham and Bradford …primary schools forged links by twinning between schools representative of different communities…’
Schools and education for diversity
|CASE STUDY |
|Royton and Crompton School, Oldham |
|Royton and Crompton School, where 93% of pupils are white, has contributed widely to community cohesion in Oldham. |
|• The school’s mission statement is: ‘To help pupils understand the world in which they live and empower them to take a full and active |
|role in the community’. |
|• The headteacher is morally committed ‘to addressing the issues of segregated schools’ and feels supported by the local authority and |
|by the other headteachers he works with. |
|• Working with the Spirit of Enniskillen in Northern Ireland and using their expertise, the school has been instrumental in setting up |
|the ‘Shared Futures’ programme, which involves young people delivering workshops in local schools on ‘dealing with difference’. |
|• The coordinator of Citizenship was a major force in developing a teaching pack ‘Culture and Diversity’ launched across the local |
|authority. |
|• An INSET day, attended by all teachers in the authority, involved subject specialists analysing the contribution their subject could |
|make to inclusion. |
|• The Head of RE went with a local authority delegation to Pakistan in 2006 to look at schooling there. |
|I don’t want to grow up thinking that Asians are people who are taking over our country. I want to meet them and get on with them. |
|A white Year 8 boy on the school council |
Education for diversity in the curriculum
|CREAM is a research project by Maurice Coles et al. to establish the extent and quality of materials reflecting the experiences of |
|Muslim and African Caribbean pupils, which could be used by mainstream schools within their National Curriculum. It’s a creative |
|approach to curriculum mapping. The team devised a series of 14 key criteria or ‘Big Ideas’ for auditing |
|Key Stages 1 – 4 curriculum materials and evaluating how these reflect the experience of Muslim and African Caribbean pupils. The key |
|criteria include: commonalities, diverse perspectives, multiple identities and interdependence and borrowing. These key criteria were |
|used by Oldham local authority, who, in an excellent example of system join-up, worked with consultants, headteachers and subject staff |
|to map their whole school curriculum and see how different subjects explore cultural diversity. As part of this project, subject |
|specialists identified curriculum strands and devised activities that could be mapped according to the ‘Big Ideas’. For example, Science|
|teachers worked collaboratively to identify concepts such as: |
|Curriculum strand Activity Key criteria/Big Ideas |
|Cells/cell function Sickle Cell anaemia Commonalities |
|Diverse perspectives |
|Variation The Melanin Trail Commonalities |
|Data Analysis Status and credibility |
|Diversity within diversity |
|Training was co-ordinated at Borough level to ensure that all primary and secondary schools had access to resources and space to discuss|
|pedagogical approaches. |
Linking Schools
|The bomb in Enniskillen on Remembrance Sunday 1987 killed 11 people and injured many more. It could have provoked anger and revenge; |
|instead what emerged were forgiveness, tolerance and reconciliation. In a deeply divided world, The Spirit of Enniskillen pays tribute |
|to this through working to develop greater understanding between all social, cultural and religious traditions. |
|• The Trust has created a range of programmes developing the capacity of young leaders from all backgrounds and traditions in Northern |
|Ireland, to deliver ‘dealing with difference’ dialogue and learning events in schools, communities and international settings. |
|• Volunteers are trained to facilitate and lead other young people. |
|• The Together Programme puts on events in around 14 schools a year on ‘dealing with difference’, run by young people trained through |
|the programme. |
|• The Trust also runs discussions and training workshops, organised by young people from Northern Ireland, for schools in Oldham that |
|are facing problems between Asian and white young people following the 2001 riots. |
Bangladesh Photo-Activity Pack: Studying Communities in Sylhet and Oldham (KS2)
[pic]
This pack was developed from the needs of teachers in Oldham who wanted a locality to study with the many pupils with a Bangladeshi background. As there was nothing available, they started developing the pack themselves in 1997. The aftermath of the 2001 riots in Oldham gave further impetus for the work to be published on a wider scale. However, this pack should not be regarded just as a pack to use if you have pupils from a Bangladeshi community in your class. It is one that can be used with any class as an alternative to, for example, Chembakolli.
A number of the activities have a wider remit than simply geography, and a particular emphasis on PSHE and citizenship. The authors should be applauded for tackling racism and inter-community rivalry head on through a range of sensitive activities. This alone makes this resource stand out from the rest. Consequently, an argument could be made for all key stage 2 schools to use this pack to support PSHE and citizenship work alone.
The 29 A4 photographs are supported by an excellent 68 page teachers' book which contains a range of active learning opportunities, many photocopiable, and including, for example, simulations and card sorting activities. The activities are challenging and thought-provoking and extension activities are provided for more able children. Three families are the focus of the photographs and activities, enabling pupils to identify with children of their own age. There is also a list of other resources available to support the pack, including a range of websites. A CD-Rom of the photographs and activities would have helped make this more useful in a multi-media classroom, but that is a small point against this excellent locality pack.
This pack is a worthy award winner. It certainly deserves a wide audience. Buy it!
Citizenship: Culture and Diversity – An Oldham Focus KS3/4
This teaching pack was developed by a “Citizenship Working Group” over the course of 2002/03. The pack has now been successfully used in a number of Oldham secondary schools.
In addition the pack has been very favourably reviewed nationally with reviews / articles in the journal “Citizenship Today” and The Times Educational Supplement.
The activities are grouped together as unit for each year group as follows:
Year Seven: Diverse Oldham: Diverse Britain
Year Eight: Migration and Settlement
Year Nine: Segregation; Conflict; Developing a United Oldham
Year Ten: Understanding and Tackling Racism
Year Eleven: Racism: A Wider Dimension
Oldham Secondary Curriculum Project
1) The Preface: Reverend Phil Sumner
2) The Foreword: Richard Gore
3) The report
4) The recommendations
5) Conclusion
6) Postscript: Desmond Herlihy
7) Appendices
1. PREFACE
Oldham’s Community Cohesion Advisory Group has challenged all service providers in the borough to address the cohesion agenda under three headings, “Equality”, “Engagement” and “Identity”. Whereas sometimes the last of these is forgotten, this report will show how our secondary schools in Oldham, by addressing identity, are actually enabling equality and engagement. There has been much talk in this borough about “Community Cohesion” being a cross cutting theme that, like the writing in the Blackpool rock, runs through every aspect of service provision. The project reported on here, for one, seeks to achieve this objective within education; addressing identity is seen to be the task of every teacher and not just of those delivering religion or PSHE. In this project too we see a strategic approach in which all our Secondary school teachers are given a real opportunity to engage with the process. Energetic and capable practitioners have shared actual lesson plans as “off the peg” examples of nurturing community cohesion through the delivery of every curriculum area. Sadly, as the report will show, not every school was represented at the voluntary workshops so the principle of universality has inevitably suffered in this respect. However, with that proviso, this project has been and is a wonderful example of people working in partnership to “mainstream” community cohesion and to great effect. I thank Maurice Coles for his report and wholeheartedly support his recommendations.
(Rev.) Philip T. Sumner
(Chair of Oldham’s Community Cohesion Advisory Group)
2. FOREWORD: RICHARD GORE
I was on holiday in the south of France for the May half term 2001. My thoughts were dramatically returned to work considerations by the coverage by the international media of the civil disturbances that were rocking Oldham. I was saddened and shocked by the images, and the commentaries that accompanied them, that filled the television news programs and Internet websites. Oldham was big news in the global village for all the wrong reasons. It was a very uncomfortable feeling!
Since 2001 a great deal has been achieved by schools and the Education Department working in partnership to achieve community cohesion through promoting cultural diversity and race equality. As a result perceptions are changing and Oldham is now achieving recognition for its commitment and achievements. I feel confident that the curriculum development project described in the report will consolidate and enhance Oldham’s growing reputation for developing best practice and providing models for others to follow at both a local and national level.
Richard Gore,
LEA Lead, School Development Service, Oldham Local Authority.
3. THE PROJECT
3.1 This report is designed to outline the genesis, the processes, and the outcomes of the community cohesion aspects of the cross borough-training day held on the 31st October 2005. It has been compiled by Maurice Coles, the external consultant, following his active involvement in many aspects of the project, his reading and interpretation of a large number of documents supplied, and his interviews with a cross section of participants. It aims to extrapolate and evaluate the critical learning factors, and to suggest a number of recommendations for further discussion and resolution by the borough’s secondary heads and the Local Authority. The preface by the Chair of Oldham’s Community Cohesion Advisory Group; the foreword by Richard Gore and the postscript written in behalf of the Excellence in Oldham Partnership are clear testimony to the collective and collaborative efforts of so many to build a harmonious and cohesive environment for all Oldham’s young citizens.
3.2 Community Cohesion has been catapulted into prominence by the disturbances that took place in several Northern towns during 2001. Oldham was one of those towns that witnessed inter community tension erupting into violence on the streets. Significant segregation of immigrant, and mainly Muslim, communities from previously settled, mainly “Christian” or secular communities had enabled many myths to circulate that were further destructive of the wider community. Even after the actual disturbances had ceased the tensions continued and where the different communities met across the religious divide there were occasional problems. It was in response to one of these problems in a local Secondary school that the Head teacher invited several partners in the wider community, together with advisors from the Local Authority, to help. A task group was put together to address, amongst other things, the provision of “inter Faith” assemblies, of positive role models for each child, of different teaching and learning styles and of a curriculum that would nurture identity. Curriculum area consultants were given the task of coming up with ideas for nurturing identity within their curriculum area. The result was a piece of work that was so effective that the task group felt it must be expanded and made available across the Authority. At that time, as it happened, one of the “teacher days” was being developed by the Secondary Heads in the Borough to gather all the local teachers according to their curriculum area. This day was seen by the task group, the Head Teachers and the Authority alike to be the perfect medium for developing a diversity curriculum that responded to the community cohesion agenda for the whole borough.
3.3 Curriculum development and change is a dynamic process influenced by a range of drivers including key personnel in senior positions, available funding streams, conceptual clarity and commitment. In addition, on occasions, changes in education are galvanised by external events that are not necessarily directly related to schools and the education service. All these factors influenced the secondary heads’ decision to fund and hold a collaborative cross borough-training day, part of which was dedicated to developing a curriculum that would advance community cohesion. For some time the secondary heads themselves had been committed to a curriculum designed to address inequalities, and promote respect and understanding between Oldham’s different and relatively segregated ethnic and faith groups. The disturbances of 2001 and the reports that followed them, and the importance given to community cohesion by the council, gave an added impetus and urgency.
3.4 The project itself consisted of a number of well thought out steps that were designed to raise awareness of the issues in all secondary schools. (See Appendix One). Two Stages were envisaged. The first and most detailed stage developed the concept, the materials and the delivery of the workshops on the 31st October 2005. (See Appendix Two). The second includes this review and the recommendations contained within it. Throughout, a key principle has been the proactive participation of secondary practitioners including the lead professionals and the volunteer subject curriculum leaders for community cohesion. Most, but not all subject specialisms were covered. (See Appendix Three for a list of personnel and schools involved) Although some interest was expressed, volunteers could not be found to develop the areas of ICT, Art and MFL. The overall programme, designed by Richard Gore included one full and one half-developmental day, and two twilight sessions. The first half day was dedicated to exploring the ‘big ideas’ (see Appendices Four and Five) and preparing subject specialists to undertake a major curriculum audit against the 13 criteria outlined in the ‘big ideas’. These were taken and adapted from the SDSA’s Curriculum Related to the Needs of Muslim and African Caribbean (CREAM) pupils’ report, which was major piece of work undertaken on behalf of the DFES. (The full report is available from the sdsa website, ). Throughout the following month, the curriculum leaders carried out the audit in their own schools and began to identify the specific focus for development in their area. The full developmental day consisted of sharing the outcomes of the audit, outlining plans for the training day and developing materials, approaches and resources. A twilight in September brought some of the leaders together to finalise their planning for the workshops. The final twilight was designed for post workshop analysis.
3.5 All subject specialists were invited to attend the relevant subject cross - LEA training day in the host school organised by the lead practitioner. Each Headteacher host customised a common community cohesion script that had been prepared by two of their peers. (See Appendix Six) All teachers, therefore, heard a common message. In Geography, all participants followed the programme devised and run by the specialist volunteer. In other subjects, colleagues chose their workshop from a range of choices. Most workshops ran twice during the day. At the end of the day, most community cohesion leads orchestrated a discussion about the possible ways forward with at least one-person from each of the participating schools. During the day, Richard Gore, Maurice Coles and Phil Sumner attended a number of the workshops.
6. Was it a success? Yes. Witness accounts on the day, feedback from the workshop leaders and the overall evaluations were very positive. The delivery of the set piece speech set the tone for the day. Although the workshops themselves were not all evaluated separately almost all the comments registered about community cohesion were positive with a number effusive in their praise. The range and creativity of materials and processes developed and their very practical application to the classroom were impressive. The imaginative use of the 13 criteria as the basis for wider discussion proved a very helpful starting point. The work that the volunteer workshop leaders undertook was impressive. It was very clear that they had devoted considerable time and energy to making the workshops a valid and valuable experience, replete with practical material that their subject colleagues could take away and use, possibly with little adaptation. Information about the project, and the resources developed through the project, are currently being posted on the School Improvement Group Fluid website (fluid-oldham.co.uk). The website has been developed by the Excellence in Cities team to provide on line resources for Oldham Teachers.
3.7 What were the key success factors?
✓ Commitment and support of the Headteachers. The presentation written by two heads, customised and delivered by the host Headteachers, effectively set the tone and legitimated and validated the workshops
✓ The Universality : ‘all teachers, all subjects, all schools,’ received a common message
✓ The judicious use of LIG funding
✓ The support of the lead practitioners who were responsible for the whole training day
✓ The commitment and support of the Local Authority who managed and drove the project forward
✓ The project organisation. The organisation was well thought out and orchestrated by the LEA. It was planned sequentially with clear timelines and known intended outcomes but with a degree of flexibility that allowed the project to grow and change ‘organically.’ A structured framework for development proved invaluable.
✓ The successful blend of the LEA and the external consultant, who had a degree of knowledge and expertise in the field, and who was able to suggest, guide, and cajole. In particular, discussion around the curriculum’s 13 ‘big ideas’ that underpin race equality and community cohesion provided an ideal conceptual framework for further development.
✓ Most important of all, the level of commitment and industry of the workshop leaders, many of whom dedicated vast amounts of their own time in researching and planning materials.
3.8 Areas for improvement:
During discussion and via their written comments, colleagues identified the following areas for improvement:-
• The two twilights were not popular. Curriculum leaders felt that they were simply too pressured with the normal diurnal school activities to drive to the centre, re-orientate their thinking and refresh the agenda
• Much more time was required by the curriculum leaders to develop trial and then produce materials for wider consumption. Dedication and commitment well beyond the call of duty delivered the outcomes. Future projects must acknowledge this and must build in workload consideration
• More money and time were required to produce ‘professional’ resources, especially if, as it is hoped, they receive wider dissemination than just Oldham teachers
• More could have been done to promote understanding of the concept of community cohesion prior to the day. Some staff were a little unclear as to its meaning and this may have influenced workshop choice
• Although the opening remarks were delivered to everybody, in most cases workshop attendance was voluntary. Some subjects insisted that there should be at least one person from each school; others did not. This unevenness of approach inevitably meant that some colleagues, departments and schools were more ‘on-message’ than others
• Insufficient time was built in for post-workshop action planning. This needs to be far more structured and robust; otherwise, the initiative was in real danger of petering out in some subject areas
• The inability to attract volunteers in all subject areas would make a whole school co-ordinated approach more difficult in the future.
4. Recommendations
4.1 The following recommendations are designed as key discussion points for the Secondary Heads and Local Authority. They are based upon the simple but demonstrable premise that the project’s many successes must be enhanced and built upon as a key plank in schools and the council’s drive to promote community cohesion. It is recommended that:-
4.2 The secondary Headteachers, working closely with the local authority, agree in principle to progress to the project’s second stage. This will be structured to develop further and to embed the concepts, the practices and the curriculum materials designed to promote community cohesion
4.3 A very precise project brief be developed and costed. Realistically, to finance teacher and Local Authority time, the development of curriculum and resources, and further implementation, £50,000 will be required
4.4 These funds be sought from a range of finance streams, as it is unlikely that any single party will be able to find the total amount. These streams might include contributions from the Local Authority, Oldham’s Local Area Agreement, the secondary schools themselves, the recently formed Institute of Community Cohesion, the DFES, the Home Office and other charitable funders
4.5 Subject to funding, HEI’s be approached to conduct a longitudinal project impact evaluation
4.6 The secondary heads and local authority approach Ted Cantle and the Institute of Community Cohesion directly outlining the success of the first stage and requesting close collaboration with his institute on the second
4.7 Mick Waters, the recently appointed Director of Curriculum at QCA be informed of Oldham’s excellent curriculum development with a view to enlisting his and his subject specialists’ support for further development
4.8 The stage two of the project be included in the local authority’s statutory Children And Young People’s Plan and in the authority’s Local Area Agreement
4.9 The curriculum materials so far developed be collated and edited with a view to commercial publication
4.10 The staff involved in the detailed project work be encouraged to seek external accreditation for their efforts possibly via GTC Learning academy or HEI links
4.11 Staff involved receive letters of commendation signed by the Chair of the secondary heads and the Director of Children’s Services
4.12 The final report be circulated widely in Oldham and elsewhere as this will help raise the borough’s profile.
5. CONCLUSION
Oldham secondary Headteachers and their staffs, the Local Authority’s officers and elected members should feel rightly proud of this project. Much of the work is innovatory and pioneering. After many years of central government, control of the secondary curriculum the grip is loosening and schools are increasingly encouraged to develop a curriculum that better suits the needs of their pupils in their locality. In addition, recent events related to ‘extremist’ activities and their repercussions have made central government all the more aware that schools have a major duty to create and promote community cohesion. This is perhaps an auspicious time to be seeking funding for further development of this crucial project.
6. POSTSCRIPT
Secondary Headteachers welcome this report and its recommendations. Maurice has taken the time to advise, offer suggestions and then observe the processes and events that led to our successful Borough-wide Training Day. We should be in no doubt that the day and its contents were a mark of the commitment of Secondary Schools and the LEA in Oldham to learn the lessons of the Ritchie Report in the wake of the disturbances of 2001. We recognised that while children attended different schools, there was much we could do to promote Community Cohesion. We know that the curriculum drives learning and attitudes, and that an effective way to contribute to the welfare of Oldham is to bring Teachers and Support together to develop a shared view on the future of the town. We also recognise that Secondary Headteachers have an important strategic role to play with our colleagues in schools and the LEA. We therefore collaborated in planning the format and content of the day and found the funding through the Leadership Incentive Grant. This is an example of how effective the Excellence in Oldham Partnership is and Maurice has correctly identified the Partnership as a key success factor. The presentation that launched the day was written by two Headteachers, Richard Gore and then transformed into a high quality product by a Secondary Deputy Headteacher. Our aim was to ensure that Teaching and Support Staff understood the Oldham context, our responsibilities as educators and the fact that we are all responsible for our contribution to the future of Oldham. This report recognises that the event was successful and it gives clear and helpful guidance on how we can continue this vital work.
Desmond Herlihy
Headteacher
Royton and Crompton School
On behalf of the Excellence in Oldham Partnership
7. APPENDICES
Appendix One : Project Timeline
Appendix Two : Workshop format for 31st October
Appendix Three : Curriculum Leaders Contact Details
Appendix Four : The Curriculum’s ‘Big Ideas’
Appendix Five : Secondary Curriculum Development Project – Curriculum
Leaders for Community Cohesion
Appendix Six : Headteacher PowerPoint Presentation – Raising Standards & Promoting Community Cohesion
Appendix Seven : Contact Details
Community Cohesion Secondary Curriculum Development Project.
Project Timeline
|1. Project “Set Up” Session at Fitton Hill 1.30 – 4.30 |
|The “Big Ideas” 21 April 2005 |
|Curriculum Audit |
↓
|2. Curriculum Leaders carry out Audit in school and April/May |
|identify specific focus for development. |
↓
|3. Curriculum/Materials Development Day CPD - Fitton Hill |
|Share audit outcomes 9.00 – 4.00 |
|Develop materials 9 June 2005 |
↓
|4.Trialling of Developed Resources in Schools June/July |
↓
|5. Planning for workshops CPD 4.00 – 6.00 |
|13 September 2005 |
↓
|6. Delivery of Workshop on Cross LEA Training Day 31 October 2005 |
↓
|7. Publication of Outcomes of the Project Autumn Term |
↓
|8. Review of Project and “Stage Two” Autumn/Spring |
Curriculum Leaders for Community Cohesion
Workshop 31st October: Suggested Format
1) The Process
▪ The “Big Ideas”
▪ Curriculum Audit ( Area for Development
▪ Preparation of Materials
▪ Class Practice
2) The Curriculum Development
▪ Outline of work undertaken
▪ Examples of Activities: Interactive Element!
▪ Consideration of strengths/area for development
N.B To include pupils evaluation
▪ Next step Planned/Dissemination
3) Reflection
▪ Invite participants to consider application in their own school/classroom
Practical Issues: Things to Consider
o Resources needed
o Seating/room layout
o Pair/group activities
o Ways of making an impact
• Film an activity and show the video
• Bring in display/show examples of pupils’ work.
Curriculum Leaders for Community Cohesion
Contact Details
|Subject |Curriculum Leader |School |
|Maths |Ann Blything |Blue Coat |
|English |Kirsty Gelhard |South Chadderton |
|History |Ruxsana Rasul |South Chadderton |
|R.E. |Kate Flaherty |Blue Coat |
|Geography |Tracy Withington |Our Lady’s |
|Science |Helen Brookes |Royton & Crompton |
| |Laura Broadbent | |
|Music |Bob Marsh |Grange School |
| |Wendy Andrew |The Oldham Music Centre |
|Drama |Antoinette Howard |Crompton House |
|MFL |Graham Hall |Saddleworth |
|Design & Technology |Zara Radford |Blue Coat |
|Physical Education |Sharon Murray |Failsworth |
|SEN |Maggie Hignett |Newbridge (Hill Top Site) |
|Social Studies |Hayley Wood |Crompton House |
|Consultancy |Maurice Coles |School Development Support Agency |
|LEA Lead |Richard Gore |School Development Service |
THE CURRICULUM’S ‘BIG IDEAS’
The CREAM project team identified 13 overarching criteria that can be used to underpin race equality and community cohesion. They are:-
Commonalities
Does the curriculum stress, at the same time that it depicts diversity of culture and experience, that all people share common aspirations, needs and concerns by virtue of their humanity? For example, does it teach about similarities and common humanity when depicting aspects of Black-British culture and experience?
Diverse Perspectives
Does the curriculum teach that, with regard to every event, there is a variety of perceptions, interpretations and perspectives? For example, does it teach about perceptions, outlooks and experiences of Black-British people?
Diversity within Diversity
Does the curriculum counteract over-simplified, stereotypical views by teaching that, within every cultural tradition, there is a diversity of viewpoints, lifestyle and beliefs? For example, does it show that there are many differences within Muslim culture and experience?
Narratives
Does the curriculum teach that every culture interprets its history and learning through certain grand narratives and that these, in turn, contribute to the identities of individuals? For example, does it depict key narratives in African, African-Caribbean and Black British cultures?
Multiple Identities
Does the curriculum teach that most people have a range of affiliations, loyalties and sense of belonging? For example, does it illustrate that all of us, and maybe especially pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds, assume different roles and behaviour patterns within different settings and readily switch between them?
Status and Credibility
Does the curriculum give status to the experiences and achievement of people from all backgrounds and cultures in terms that pupils value? For example, is the point of comparison just with the dominant ‘anglo’ culture or does the curriculum also acknowledge black, Muslim and other perspectives?
Racism
Does the curriculum teach about issues of racism, for example distinctions between colour racism and cultural racism and between personal and institutional, and about ways of preventing and addressing racism?
Interdependence and Borrowing
Does the curriculum teach that all learning and human achievement are dependent upon the prior learning/achievement of others and often build upon and borrow from other cultural traditions? For example, does history teaching recognise how much scientific knowledge commonly attributed to Renaissance discovery was actually an evolutionary development of earlier Islamic thinking?
1. Positive Role Models
Does the curriculum depict people from a range of cultures and backgrounds achieving eminence as inventors, entrepreneurs, leaders and artists, and demonstrating creativity, initiative and moral courage? For example, black pioneers and achievers given a place of significance?
2. Normal not Exotic
Does the curriculum show that diversity is an aspect of contemporary experience and ordinary, daily life, not merely a feature of distant lands?
3. Excellence Everywhere
Does the curriculum teach that excellence is not restricted to the achievements of people within dominant cultures, but that people in all cultures, today and in the past, achieve excellence?
4. Inclusion
Does the curriculum specifically promote a culture of inclusion, teaching that all people of all cultures and backgrounds are or equal value and their ideas equally worthy of consideration?
5. Dynamic Culture
Does the curriculum teach that societies and the cultures within them are constantly changing and developing? Does it teach that there is not a fixed, static view or perspective for a cultural group in any time or place?
Secondary Curriculum Development Project
Curriculum Leaders for Community Cohesion
| | |Curriculum | |Subject Criteria |
|Subject |Curriculum Area |Development Planned |Big | |
| |Identified | |Ideas | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | |Individual |Departmental |School |LEA |
| | |Using stimulus to develop drama | | | | | |
| | |skills refugee scheme of work: | | | | | |
| | |In role as fictional town | | | |Explore home/country/ | |
| | |people/team meetings to discuss | | | |identity | |
| | |implications of refugees being | | | |Different perspectives on | |
| | |placed in town – take on specific | | | |refugees | |
| | |roles (for and against) | | | |Challenges stereotype and | |
| | |Exploring P.O.V of refugees | | | |assumptions | |
|Drama |KS3 (Yr9) issue based – 5-lesson |dramatically: journeys |1, 2, 3, |Outline of scheme of work|Utilise scheme of work |Recognises and preventing | |
| |unit aprox. |Explore what home and country |7 | | |racism | |
| | |means. | | | | | |
| | |Development: using Mangla Activity | | | | | |
| | |Pack, including skills work of | | | | | |
| | |maps, negative and positive impacts| | | | | |
| |Diversity is an aspect of |on Oldham. | | | | | |
| |contemporary experience and |Population: Effects migration into | | | | | |
| |ordinary daily life/All people of|Oldham, where do migrants come from| | | | | |
| |all cultures and backgrounds are |Oldham Riots: Develop ideas to show| |Develop materials to |Share materials with |Share materials with |Use materials in |
| |equal/societies and cultures are |that migrants in Oldham are not |10, 12, |present to classes |departments |Geographical Consortium Group |workshop on 31st |
|Geography |constantly changing and |just from Asia to show cultural |13 | | | |October |
| |developing. |diversity | | | | | |
| | |Look at individual’s reasons for | | | | | |
| | |moving to Oldham. | | | | | |
| | |Curriculum | |Subject Criteria |
|Subject |Curriculum Area |Development Planned |Big | |
| |Identified | |Ideas | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | |Individual |Departmental |School |LEA |
| | |Asian experience in Britain – | | | | | |
| | |series of biographical materials | | |For staff to use/find | | |
| | |inc. poetry and interviews. How | |Resources trials to be |useful the scheme of work| | |
| | |has experience varied over | |enjoyed and outcomes of |and resources given. | | |
|English |Biography |time/different generations. How |1, 2, 3, |activities achieved by Yr |Incorporated and used |Liaison with FTLs to look at |For English teachers |
| | |diverse languages of |4, 6, |7 classes. |within established |cross-curricular links |across LEA to trial |
| | |multi-cultural society enriches |10, 13, | |schemes of work. | |resource. |
| | |our culture. |12 | | | | |
| |Inclusion – Fair Trade Topic |Around the world in 80 foods | | | | | |
| |(World (UK) |FPT – based in challenge cards to | | | | | |
| |Dynamic Culture – Food choice |extend FPT use of design matrix | | | | | |
| |changing/Origins of words & |for ingredients depending on | | | | | |
| |ingredients |calendar bank |12, 13, |Challenge cards for use of|Design and Technology, | | |
|Design and |Normal nor Exotic – ingredients | |10, 8 |FPT. |feedback to D&T from |Blue Coat. |Oldham. |
|Technology |bank/fusion 21st Century Kitchen.| | | |INSET | | |
| | | | | |Staff will have basic | | |
| | | | |Develop cross curricular |knowledge to deliver |Update of dance (Street Dance)|Borough use of |
| | | | |themes through PAL/PSHE |‘street dance’ within |in OOH (particularly boys). |External “Role Model” |
| | |To involve external ‘role models’ | |time – Based on 2012 |lessons, use of music, |Questionnaire – evaluating |in other schools |
| | |to deliver street dance both in |2, 5, 9, |planning/bidding – project|and contact, basic |experience. |Provide specific |
| | |curriculum time and to PE |10 |work based on Commonwealth|concept. |Exam results (improved BTEC & |funding for variety of|
|PE |Diversity |teaching/learners on the Inset day| |Games 2002. |Offer network of regular |GCSE). |workshops |
| | |31.10.05 | | |workshops to update | | |
| | | | | |knowledge. | | |
| | |Curriculum | |Subject Criteria |
|Subject |Curriculum Area |Development Planned |Big | |
| |Identified | |Ideas | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | |Individual |Departmental |School |LEA |
| | |Hindu Chants – Indian Music | | | | | |
| | |Islam – Chanting the Qur’an | | | | | |
| | |The chanting of Buddhist monks – | | | |Music department having | |
| | |Tibet | |More interest in music |A culturally inclusive |played its part in |Community Cohesion in |
|Music |Vocal Chants |Ravi Shankar – Indian Music |1, 2, 8, |from other cultures. |music curriculum. |contributing to a school |Oldham. |
| | |John Taverner – Greek Orthodox |10 | | |ethos, which is culturally | |
| | | | | | |tolerant and diverse. | |
| | |Civil rights movement in 1960s | | | | | |
| | |America | | |Other members of dept. to| |LEA INSET in October – share|
| | |Identify individuals such as | |Resources/lesson |trial materials with |Highlight; raise profile of|ideas/materials. Follow up |
| | |Malcolm X and Martin Luther King | |activities completed and |their pupils. Follow |work being done along with |with evaluation once trailed|
|History |Black Peoples of the Americans |Link it to racism today |4, 6, 7, |trialled with Yr 8 pupils |this up with an |CREAM project. |by other History teachers |
| | | |9 | |evaluation of how well it| |after first term. |
| | | | | |has worked. | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | |Sequence of three lessons plans | | | | | |
| | |PGR area to include race | | | | |Support all secondary school|
| | |equality/cohesion work. Map all | | | | |through provision of Quality|
| | |activities against the 13 “big |All |Get workshop |Support development of |Enhance science college |resources, Curriculum audit |
|Science |Activities/resources to develop |ideas” to show how they | |Planned and develop the |SOW to Science College |“ethos and culture”. |tool/understanding, |
| |in six units. |contribute to the “inclusive” | |resources. | | |Effective CPD. |
| | |school. | | | | | |
| | |Curriculum | |Subject Criteria |
|Subject |Curriculum Area |Development Planned |Big | |
| |Identified | |Ideas | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | |Individual |Departmental |School |LEA |
| | |Use of email exchange project to | |To be able to | | | |
| | |facilitate the sharing of different| |successfully use the | | | |
| | |views/perceptions regarding faith. | |project within the |Can email exchange |Can links be built |Have any links been |
| |Diverse perceptions | |1, 2, 5, |classroom, cascade to |programme be implemented |upon/strengthen with other |established between |
|RE |Representing religions from the | |10, 11 |colleagues in the |across the different year|schools/colleges in the area?|other schools in the |
| |viewpoint of their faith communities.| | |department and |group/SOW? | |LEA. |
| | | | |use/present results at | | | |
| | | | |INSET Day | | | |
| | |Analyse the database and | | | | | |
| | |investigate the cultural/ethnic | | | | | |
| | |diversity/within an area of the | | | | | |
| | |UK/World. | |Trialling materials with |Presenting materials to | |Presenting materials |
| |Multiple identities, racism, positive|Communicate findings using |5, 7, 9 |KS3 groups of all |all departments via | |to other schools via |
|Maths |role models. |statistical diagrams/graphs. | |abilities. |INSET. | |31st October 2005. |
| | |3rd World debt – positive role | | | | | |
| | |models analysing database. | | | | | |
| |Education achievement, ethnic |Christian/Angle Centric perspective| | | | | |
| |group/poverty and biased IQ tests |Psychology – bias research | | | | | |
| |(Speaker- CRE/Aim Higher) |Attached – family | | | | | |
| |Family Diversity (Multiple |diversity/parenting styles | | | | | |
| |identities/Loyalties/ |Mental disorders – Schizophrenia | | | | | |
|Social Studies |Affiliations) |and over representation of Afro |3, 5, 7 |- |- |- |- |
| |Statistics/explanations |Caribbean s | | | | | |
| |McPherson report | | | | | | |
Headteacher PowerPoint Presentation
[pic]
Contact Details
For more information about the curriculum project please contact Richard Gore, School Improvement Adviser, by telephone 0161 911 3670 or email xxxxxxx.xxxx@xxxxxx.xxx.xx
For more information please contact the Fluid website please contact Dave Gibson on xxxx.xxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx.xx. The website can be accessed through the following link fluid-oldham.co.uk.
Ability Sport Road Show – Report
22nd – 25th May 2007
Overview
The Ability Sport Road Show was a concept developed through a partnership between Oldham Disability Sport Group and Oldham Sport Development. It was identified that there was a lack of sport and physical activity opportunity for young people who may have a disability or an additional need, particularly in mainstream school. This group of young people is often excluded from sports activities in the school and may not have had an enjoyable sporting experience in the past.
The aim of the Ability Sport Road Show was to provide an opportunity for the young people identified to take part in a range of appropriate sporting activities with other young people across the borough.
The purpose of the Road Show was to:
• Identify young people in mainstream school who may have a disability or an additional need
• To provide an opportunity that is not readily accessible to young people in target group
• Bring young people together from across Oldham
• Provide an environment where young people are able participate in sport and physical activity
• To build confidence, self esteem and inter personal skills
• To raise awareness of the work of Oldham Disability Sport Group
• To provide exit pathways for young people and raise an awareness of what is available to them
• To provide coaches and JSLA volunteers with experience of working with young people who may have a range of needs
Format
The Ability Sport Road Show ran over a week- long period with sessions run at 3 venues. A morning session and an afternoon session were run on each day to allow maximum number of young people to access the activities. Host schools ran activities as follows:
• Tuesday 22nd May 07 – Counthill School
• Thursday 24th May – Kaskenmoor School and New Bridge School
• Friday 25th May – The Radclyffe School
Each School Sport Partnership was allocated 1 Road Show, with a third Road Show being joint hosted between Kaskenmoor and New Bridge. Every School Sport Cluster was allocated places on the Ability Sport Roadshow, and schools were invited to nominate young people to take part.
The Road Show primarily targeted Year 5, 6, 7 & 8 pupils (although this was flexible depending on what was appropriate for the individual).
The Road Show itself adopted circuit- based approach where participants took part in 5 taster sessions in:
• Ability Counts Football
• Wheelchair Basketball (delivered by Oldham Owls Disabled Sports Club)
• Multi Skill Activity
• Indoor Athletics
• New Age Kurling
Participants were allocated a group number according to their ability/ additional need and after a warm up session spent 30 minutes taking part in the introductory sessions. Sessions were based on simple skills and enjoyment. Participants and school support workers received information on where they could take up these activities on a more long- term basis.
Partners
The Road Show involved a number of key partners including:
• Oldham Disability Sport Group
• Oldham Sport Development – OMBC
• Oldham Owls Disabled Sports Club
• Oldham Ability Counts Football Club
• Oldham School Sport Partnership
• Greater Manchester Sport Partnership
• Oldham Community Leisure Limited
• Oldham Visually Impaired Service
• Oldham Schools
• Sport and Recreation Oldham
Outcomes
199 young people from across Oldham took part in the event.
26 Primary and Secondary schools took part in the event (17 schools in Counthill Partnership, 9 schools in the Failsworth Partnership).
Young people with a wide and diverse range of needs were involved in the event. Some of these needs included:
• Hearing Loss
• Visually Impaired, Blindness, Colour Blindness
• Moderate and Severe Learning Difficulties
• Language, Speech and Communication Difficulties including Global Delay
• Low Confidence
• Behavioural, Emotional, Social Difficulties
• Asperges
• Dyslexia, Literacy and Numeracy Difficulties
• Autism
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Cerebral Palsy and Mobility
• Wheelchair and Physical Disability
• Tourettes Syndrome
• Dyspraxia and Co-ordination
• Special Educational Needs (SEN)
• Diabetes Sufferers
• Social Withdrawl
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Kidney Disorder
• Epilepsy
• Severe Asthma and Allergy
4 JSLA Leadership students with learning difficulties supported sessions at Kaskenmoor School and carried out voluntary leadership experience.
As a result of the Road Show a number of young people have been identified to represent Oldham in this years’ Greater Manchester Youth Games. There have also been a large number of young people identified to join the Oldham Ability Counts elite squads at Borough and County level.
All young people have been offered the opportunity to progress onto appropriate weekly target sessions. The number of young people moving on to access this provision is not yet known.
There have been a number of schools who have asked about how to access further activity of this nature including the Wheelchair Basketball. This has raised awareness of sports activities available to these young people and the work of the Oldham Disability Sport Group and Oldham Oldham Owls Disabled Sports Club.
Evaluation
Feedback from participants, support workers and teachers was highly positive. A selection of comments are shown below:
“You can see the confidence building in the children”
Broadfield Primary
“Great to see different children being involved in sport and given the chance”
St Paul’s Royton
“An excellent opportunity for pupils to develop their skills in a friendly environment”
North Chadderton
“A fantastic spectacle. Need to continue this type of opportunity”
Head of PE, Hathershaw College of Technology and Sport
“Students all had a fantastic time. They are all keen to join clubs in the evening”
Hathershaw
“Our children have had a great time, and built up confidence throughout the afternoon”
Higher Failsworth Primary
“Great chance for children to meet other children outside of school”
South Failsworth CP
“Wow! A wonderful morning. All children have got so much out of it”
Burnley Brow
“Everyone has smiled all morning! We have discovered a star in the long jump as well. It has made them all feel they have and can achieve in PE”
Radclyffe
“Excellent – I brought not just SEN students but students with low ability – they got a chance to enjoy sport in a different environment. No pressure placed on them, just fun. Two of the students don’t like PE but had a fantastic time – real confidence boost for them. All seemed to enjoy the challenge – barrier free learning and enjoyment”.
Radclyffe
“Today proved it doesn’t matter if your good at sport, you can still enjoy and have fun”
Christ Church
The overwhelming feeling was that the event had provided an opportunity for young people who do not normally engage in sport and physical activity (for varying reasons). There were numerous instances of teachers saying they couldn’t believe that the students were taking part in sport and enjoying it. One of the key factors for the participants was that it provided an environment where participants felt comfortable to take part, mix with other young people and try out new skills. They felt confident and not afraid to engage in activities as they were pitched at the correct level.
As a result of the feedback the partnership will look at the feasibility of running such an event on an annual basis.
Community Cohesion Sports Day
16th April 08
Overview
On Wednesday 16th April, Oldham Sport Development ran a Community Cohesion Sports Day at Manchester Tennis Centre, Sports City. 13 Primary Schools from across Oldham brought pupils together to take part in various sports sessions.
The purpose of the day was to:
• Promote community cohesion and inclusion by bringing young people from 13 primary schools together to participate.
• Tackle cultural and racial issues in sport, through a positive medium.
• Enhance Oldham Sport Development’s commitment to using sport to provide positive educational messages.
• Provide young people involved in the programme with the opportunity to build friendships with other young people in Oldham.
• Provide sporting opportunities for young people in a safe environment.
• Provide a launch event for the Unity in the Community programme
Format
The Community Cohesion Sports Day ran as a one day event and was broken down into 6 main sessions, Team Building, Multi Skills, Skipping, Athletics, Sensory Games, and Anti Bullying. All sessions were identified to use various sports- related disciplines to address topical social and educational issues. Sessions were delivered by Sport Development staff. On arrival all pupils were split up into 6 integrated groups with pupils from each of the participating primary schools, and allocated a group leader. The purpose of the sessions was to provide participants with skill development and allow them to meet participants from different communities in a positive and stimulating environment.
The event targeted children in school years 3 and 4. All participants enjoyed a dance warm up at the start of the day and then split off into their individual groups.
Outcomes
• 129 young people from across Oldham took part in the event.
• 13 Primary schools took part in the event.
• Gender Male 63% Female 37%
• Ethnicity White = 60% Mixed Race = 15% Asian/Asian British = 24% Other = 1%
• Had Fun? Very Much = 97% Partly = 3% Not at all = 0%
• Made new friends? Very much = 82% Partly = 16% Not at all = 2%
• Enjoyed meeting people from different backgrounds? Very much = 91% Partly = 9% Not at all = 0%
• Would you come again? Yes = 94% No = 5% Unsure = 1%
• Enjoy playing sports with different religions, skin colours etc? Yes = 97% No = 3%
• More likely to play with these people again? Yes = 78% No = 1% About the same = 21%
Evaluation
Feedback received from participants and teachers was very positive, a selection of comments are shown below:
Teachers Feedback;
‘Great day, the children seem to have really enjoyed themselves and are all boasting of their new friends – organisation excellent, staff extremely friendly.’
Jo Hankinson, South Failsworth C.P School
‘Really good day, activities enjoyable, kids have enjoyed mixing with other schools.’
Liz Wilkinson, Limehurst Primary School
‘Been a great day – Really well organised, lots of fun, skills based activities. The kids have really enjoyed it, made new frinds and learnt new skills. Thank You.’
Bill Thomas, Christ Church Denshaw
‘Children loved it and soon lost all their shyness and met other children.’
Gill Pursey, St Hilda’s School
‘Excellent – extremely well organised. The children have all had an absolute ball, they’re really excited about all the activities and proudly told me about the new friends they have made. The Sports Leaders were all skilful and very enthusiastic. Thank you!’
Lisa Carter, Friezland School
Participants Feedback;
‘It doesn't matter about their skin - they're great’
‘I thought I was left behind but I was not.’
‘I feel different now’
‘I had fun, I wish I could come again’
‘I never normally meet new friends’
‘I thought it would be hard because there would be lots of schools’
‘First it was scary then it wasn't’
‘I learnt a new language and made friends’
‘It was fun and I met a friend called Courtney’
‘I was nervous but I'm not now’
‘I have made new friends and met new people’
‘It is nice making new friends’
‘It was fun having more friends’
Kick Out Racism – Report
Monday 1st Oct – Tuesday 23rd Oct 07
Overview
The ‘Lets Kick Racism Out of Football’ campaign is an international campaign, which was established in 1993. Kick It Out works throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge racism and work for positive change. The campaign is supported and funded by the game’s governing bodies, including founding body the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), the FA Premier League, the Football Foundation and The Football Association.
Oldham Sport Development supported this years’ Kick It Out campaign by delivering its own localised programme of events.
Format
Oldham Sport Developments’ Football Development Officer and his team of coaches delivered the ‘Kick It Out’ programme for Oldham. The project ran borough wide for a four- week period and involved 13 primary schools. Through the School Sport Partnership each secondary school nominated 1 cluster primary school that they felt would benefit from taking part in this project. Each nominated school received 3- weeks of in school football coaching and a morning’s educational talk on the issues of racism in football, using ‘Kick It Out’ resource packs. This culminated in a tournament on Tuesday 23rd October with all the schools coming together to take part in a cohesion- based festival of football.
The purpose of the project was to:
• Promote the ‘Kick It Out’ campaign in Oldham.
• Tackle cultural and racial issues in sport, through a positive medium.
• Enhance Oldham Sport Development’s commitment to using sport to provide positive educational messages.
• Provide young people involved in the programme with the opportunity to go on to join local sports clubs to develop their skills and build friendships with other young people in Oldham.
• Provide competitive opportunities for young people in a safe environment.
The following schools were involved in the project:
Greenacres Primary, St Hildas, Crompton Primary, Corpus Christi, New Bridge School, Medlock Valley, Alexandra Park, Woodhouses, St Aidens & Oswald, St Pauls CE, Mayfield Primary, Burnley Brow, St Margarets CE.
Partners
Manchester FA
Kick It Out
School Sport Partnerships
Local Football Clubs and community groups
Outcomes
• 450 young people from across Oldham took part in the event.
• 13 Primary schools took part in the event.
• 13 educational talks delivered.
Evaluation
Feedback from participants, support workers and teachers was highly positive. A selection of comments are shown below:
It was very good and I met lots of nice people.
Children really enjoyed it, well organised.
• Happy to be part of this programme and hope to be involved again next year.
• We had lots of fun and improved my skills. We came last but I had fun and that’s all that matters.
• I met some nice people from other teams and other schools.
• The programme has provided the students with an opportunity to learn about other cultures and integrate through the football tournament. An excellent way of getting the message across.
The overwhelming feeling was that the event well and it is hoped that funding can be found to help sustained the concept of the programme all year round.
As a result of the feedback the partnership will look at the feasibility of running such an event on an annual basis, dependant on future funding.
PAYP and Community Cohesion
CRG Research Ltd.
Table of Contents
Introduction 33
Case Study 1: Kirkby Stephens 34
Case Study 2: Lambeth 36
Case Studies 3 & 4: Stockton-on-Tees 37
Case Studies 5 & 6: Oldham 40
Case Study 7: Leicester 44
Case Study 8: Nottingham 46
Case Study 9: Tower Hamlets 48
Case Study 10: Bristol 50
Introduction
A cohesive community has been defined by the Local Government Association[1] as one where:
• There is a common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities.
• The diversity of people’s different backgrounds and circumstances is appreciated and positively valued.
• Those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities.
• Strong and positive relationships are being developed between people from different backgrounds and circumstances in the workplace, in schools and within neighbourhoods.
As Britain becomes more culturally diverse, the need to achieve a cohesive community along the lines outlined above is increasingly important. Where there has been a failure to do so, the consequences have been grave, as illustrated by recent race riots in Birmingham and Oldham, and more worryingly the July 7th bombings in London.
If we are to achieve a cohesive community it is vital therefore that alienation from society is addressed, and addressed as early as possible as young people are both part of, and the future of our community. The objectives set for PAYP recognised this, with clear goals of promoting community cohesion built into those objectives.
It is possible to argue that nearly all of the work funded by PAYP falls under the remit of community cohesion due to PAYP’s targeted approach, working with young people aged 8-19 years defined as being most at risk of social exclusion, committing crime or being a victim of crime.
The following case studies provide examples of how PAYP funds were used to help promote community cohesion through a variety of means e.g. by encouraging young people to participate in their community, challenging stereotypes of race and gender, reducing disruptive behaviour, and offering positive life opportunities.
Methodology
Areas included in the case studies were selected based upon a review of PAYP Regional Manager Regional Reports, and CRG’s prior knowledge of activities delivered from the national evaluation of PAYP.
A qualitative methodology was adopted to assess the impact of PAYP on community cohesion, drawing upon interviews with staff from PAYP Lead Delivery Agencies, Activity Providers, relevant statutory organisations (e.g. Local authorities) and local community groups. Much of the evidence presented in the case studies is anecdotal in nature partly due to the difficulty in collecting suitable disaggregated data (e.g. youth crime figures), and the additional difficulty in obtaining robust quantitative data that is able to appropriately measure changes in community cohesion relating to young people.
Case Study 1: Kirkby Stephens
Kirkby Stephens is a small, rural Market Town lying at the head of the Upper Eden Valley (within the Eden District) in Cumbria, North West England[2]. In 2005, 10% of the total Eden population was between the ages of 14 and 24 years old[3]. The area has relatively low indices of deprivation in comparison to other areas within the North West, although there are significant barriers to Housing and Services within the Eden District[4]. Specific ward data for Kirkby Stephen indicates there is a higher than average number of people aged 60 years and above[5] and the key issue for the town is significant rural isolation, with a population density of 0.2 person per hectare[6].
Interviews also indicated a range of other social issues within the area, including:
• little in the way of activities for young people outside of school hours
• transport difficulties associated for those under the age of 17
• a lack of aspiration within the young people in Kirkby Stephen. There are few role models in terms of careers, and further education colleges are some distance away – the nearest is an approximately 50 mile round trip, and is hence costly and time-consuming for young people and families to actively encourage attendance.
• limited job opportunities for young people within the area.
In 2004, Connexions Cumbria (LDA) and its local partners identified that, while crime rates in Kirby Stephen were not high in comparison to other areas within Cumbria, the continuing lack of opportunities and low aspirations meant that young people were persistently involved in anti-social behaviour and petty crime resulting from boredom and a lack of youth provision. This anti-social behaviour, combined with under-age sex and alcohol-abuse was beginning to have an effect on the local community with negative press leading to – often older – members of the community becoming increasingly frightened of the young people within the town and increasing levels of complaints to the Local Community Police Officer.
Intervention
PAYP funds were allocated by Connexions Cumbria to Kirkby Stephen to target the young people living there and develop a sustained and integrative approach to engage them with their local community. the approach relied heavily on the use of partners comprising voluntary and statutory agencies, including Connexions and the local community Police officer. A targeted three day residential, outward bound programme (delivered in conjunction with Cumbria Outdoors) was delivered with a group of 14 young people aged 14-15 years. The criteria for selection were:
• those at risk of offending – not just in terms of anti-social behaviour but also those displaying high-risk behaviour
• young people who could act as mentors and provide positive role models during the residential
The residential programme was given a strong theme (Freedoms and Responsibilities) to help develop self-esteem, highlight the need for social responsibility and to build relationships with the various partner organisation key workers and the Local Community Police Officer.
Outcomes
Since the initial PAYP intervention, the partners have provided ongoing support to the young people involved to ensure the sustainability of the original PAYP work.
One of the biggest impacts is that the young people decided that they wanted a venue in the town where they could meet regularly, and with the help of the youth workers, formed their own formal management group responsible for planning and organising fundraising events. Over the past two years, the management group have set up their own constitution, terms of reference and policies. The group is formed from a range of young people, from those who are more academic, to those who have previously displayed at-risk behaviour.
The management committee has developed strong links with the Town Council and produced a partnership agreement with the local cricket club to use its facilities and renovate them for use as a youth centre, which will be run by the young people. The young people are actively encouraged to participate in their local community and have provided presentations to the Town Council, local voluntary organisations and neighbourhood forums to raise awareness of the group and the proposed youth centre, as well as engaging with the local town improvement scheme.
The PAYP funding provided the opportunity for youth workers “to build relationships with the young people; without it the rest of the work couldn’t have started... the most important is building relationships with young people, if you get that wrong then nothing happens” (Kirkby Stephen Youth worker), and enabled the young people to access their community, consolidating links between youth work and other representative bodies within the town. It has “... given the young people more kudos in the community and... gives them a bit of a boost to think that the Town Council wholeheartedly supports them. The young people get a lot out of it, rather than being left in isolation” (Kirkby Stephen Youth worker).
Case Study 2: Lambeth
Background
The Moorlands Estate sits within the Coldharbour Ward, a ward with one of the highest crime rates in the borough of Lambeth. Identified as a priority area, PAYP focused its Key Worker support on the Coldharbour Ward and the Moorlands Estate in particular. In response to rising community, professional and police concern about the anti-social and sometimes criminal behaviour of some of these young people, PAYP Key Workers designed a programme with these young people specifically in mind.
Bike theft was prevalent in the area and the police were responding by confiscating bikes if the young people could not prove ownership. This led to increased conflict between the police and young people, serving to heighten tensions within the community.
Intervention
Given the obvious interest in bikes and riding, the LDA felt that a bicycle art workshop would allow its workers to engage with these young people as a group to explore issues about ownership, community and belonging, crime and how it impacts on the community. Along with this, young people were given the opportunity to learn about recycling, bicycle maintenance, different artistic techniques, a history of art throughout the world and team work in a community setting.
20 young people (11 Afro-Caribbean boys, 4 White boys, 4 Afro-Caribbean girls and 1 White girl) aged 8-15 years took part in the project.
Lamonte Johnson, a community artist with extensive experience of working with similar client groups in the U.K. and the USA was chosen to deliver the programme. Lamonte draws upon his own life experiences as a Black man from the ‘projects’ of Chicago, facing issues of gang warfare, high unemployment and marginalisation to inform his work and approach with young people. Lamonte shared some of his stories with the group and through them, was able to challenge racist and gender stereotypes, destroy myths about the glamour of gang life and encourage the young people to think outside of their immediate reality in terms of goal setting and aspirations for the future.
The Police donated 23 unclaimed bikes to the project, and Metropolitan Housing Trust, the landlord for the Moorlands Estate, allowed the LDA to use their hall free of charge. The LDA invited colleagues from the Youth Inclusion Programme to jointly staff the project, as some of the young people were signed up to the YIP programme. Sergeant Toby McDaniel from the Safer Neighbourhood Team delivered a session on bicycle theft, how best to respond to police stop and searches, consideration of how they would feel if their bikes were stolen after all their hard work to clean, repair and decorate them, and property marking.
Outcomes
With the exception of two boys excluded for one day, the young people attended the project for the whole duration, a measure of their enthusiasm and engagement with the activity. Parents and local residents dropped by, some supporting staff for short periods and all commending the work and commitment to the children. Several local residents commented that the streets were quieter and that it was good to see these children engaged in constructive activities.
Families, community members, police and other young people from the estate were invited to celebrate the last day with the project participants, who were presented with their newly repaired and decorated bikes by Lamonte. Requests from other young people for further workshops poured in during the two weeks, and a second project has been run on the estate, funded this time by Lambeth Crime Prevention Trust which targeted another group of young people.
In summary the project achieved:
• Successful engagement of young people identified as ‘at risk’ in a positive diversionary activity.
• Raised the aspirations of the young people.
• Challenged the young people’s preconceptions about race and gender stereotypes.
• Promoted partnership working.
• Helped to develop a more positive relationship with the local police.
• Reduced incidents of anti-social behaviour.
• Presented the young people in a more positive light to the older generation of the local community.
Future projects of this kind are planned for other areas in Lambeth.
Case Studies 3 & 4: Stockton-on-Tees
Background
The Tees Valley sub-region has been described as “an area of fascinating contrasts, on the one hand, it has nearly 1,000 hectares of derelict land… and some of the neighbourhoods with the highest level of social deprivation in England…. On the other hand it has large areas of high landscape value along the coast and along the fringes of the North Yorks Moors National Park and some of the most affluent communities in the North East…”[7].
Key characteristics of the Tees Valley sub-region include:
• above average proportions of people with health problems
• above average proportions of single parent households
• above average levels of households with no access to a car
• relatively high numbers of young people with learning difficulties and disabilities
• relatively poor literacy and numeracy
• reported low levels of aspiration and expectation amongst young people
• rates of young people achieving A-C GCSEs (51.3% in 2005) well below the national average (57.1%)
• unemployment which is higher than regional and national averages (Middlesbrough is the highest at 4.3%, Darlington the lowest at 2.7% - the Stockton rate is 2.8%, close to the regional average)
Like most areas, the position on crime and other indicators of community well-being within Stockton varies appreciably. In a number of areas (e.g. Mandale and Victoria ward, and Hardwick ward) rates of NEET school leavers are well over twice the Stockton average; for the neighbourhood renewal areas of Norton Grange and Ragworth/Little Ragworth NEET rates are well over 3 times the Stockton average.
In community cohesion terms, Stockton has had to face a mix of challenges including rivalry between different estates, disengaged and demotivated young people causing tensions with older people, and isolation associated with worklessness and low incomes.
Whilst the proportion of ethnic minority residents has traditionally been low, this has not always precluded racial tensions – and recent arrivals of appreciable numbers of asylum seekers have been associated with tensions, not only with the white majority, but with residents from some of the more established BME groups.
Intervention 1: Primrose Hill Football Club
The Primrose Hill Football Club was formed in 1989, around a time of riots and serious community unrest in parts of Stockton. Although football for Primrose Hill boys remains a major focus of the club, its scope has become much wider so that:
• Other areas are deliberately included, to counteract traditional inter-estate rivalry (including the recent re-emergence of gangs like the so-called ‘Bluehall massive’)
• Activities separate from football (e.g. fishing) have encouraged the involvement of “all young people whatever their footballing abilities may be”.
• Girls have become involved with football and the other club activities
• Trips and exchanges “at affordable costs” have broadened the horizons and provided genuine enjoyment to young people who might otherwise have had little in the way of a holiday.
PAYP supported a residential event, locally-based football events, and further work to engage parents. The programme engaged 61 young people, 37 attending regularly. A key role for PAYP has been working with the people running the club, who have strong local community connections and a clear understanding of “what it’s like to live there.” In turn, the club has proved its capabilities for addressing community cohesion issues effectively. Its generally ‘inclusive’ approach engages with different areas and different kinds of young people. Attention to specific issues - for example, race relations - has been delivered in imaginative ways. Exchange visits with ‘street-wise’ inner-London black footballers challenged a number of preconceptions – both groups mixing well and starting to appreciate each others’ points of view.
PAYP funding for the summer of 2006 (£2,396) was provided in a context of rising concerns about estate-based rivalries, particularly targeting potential recruits to the ‘Bluehall massive’ and its counterparts. Here, the local knowledge of club members has been invaluable, “we’ve known most of them since they were born”, along with increasing acceptance of the merits of the Ward policing initiative “the lads come along and play football with the kids. A change from when you’d only see blue flashing lights and someone’s door getting kicked down”.
Intervention 2: Asylum Seekers Project
PAYP contributed £5,154 during the summer of 2006 to support a range of activities promoted by the Asylum Seekers Support Group (ASSG) – in partnership with a range of other agencies, voluntary groups, and informal networks.
The activities encompassed swimming, cinema, various sports, ‘family fun days,’ dance workshops – and links into other PAYP-supported projects. 28 activities, with 7 activity places attracted 55 young people on a regular basis; the ‘family fun day’ attracted 150 people of various ages. ASSG young people came from a variety of countries of origin, but mainly came from the Middle East (Syria, Iran. Iraq), Africa (Angola, Congo, Somalia) and Pakistan.
A particular highlight was participation in events at the Stockton Riversides International Festival, building on the dance workshop and some of the other activities – not only giving expression to some of the different cultures the group could draw on, but giving status and a focal point for the whole group to engage with and support. These activities have continued, with more recent participation in an event at the prestigious ARC theatre in the town, and plans for a joint project (with PAYP involvement) around a ‘Bollywood/Breakdance’ theme.
In terms of community cohesion and asylum seekers and other groups, it is also worth noting an output from a separate PAYP 2006 summer project with asylum seekers run with the Corner House Youth project, close to the centre of Stockton. One output has been a video, a large part of which has young people from all sections of the community in Stockton talking freely and candidly about their feelings towards people from different backgrounds in the area.
Currently in its final stages of editing, the video is expected to provide a compelling picture of “how it really feels” for young people in the area, but also point out how multi-faceted some of the issues are. For example, young people from settled BME communities point to issues they face which they see as quite different by comparison with asylum seekers; white youths with more concerns about travellers than “people who live here”, widely different perceptions about job opportunities and possible competition for jobs. Crucially, the young people themselves point out that views of other ethnic groups become completely different “when you get to know people”.
Outcomes
Stakeholders suggest that PAYP in Stockton has worked well, overall. A high emphasis on active key working has characterised delivery so far, and young people have been able to participate in many different kinds of group-based activities.
PAYP has drawn carefully on established community resources, addressing community cohesion through partnership with a range of groups, initiatives and agencies. Resources made available through PAYP for summer projects in Stockton in 2006 amounted to a total contribution of £17,400 (including £7,089 for activities) leading to the regular participation of 259 young people, and a total of 1,171 activity places.
PAYP in Stockton has helped to:
• Engage local young people in positive and healthy diversionary activities such as football.
• Raised the aspirations of the young people.
• Address tensions between rival estates.
• Challenge and breakdown the barriers between different ethnic groups.
• Encourage greater engagement of the different ethnic communities by involving parents of the participating young people in ‘family events’.
• Provided young people with a ‘voice’ to express their opinions on what it means to live in Stockton.
• Promote a more positive relationship between the Police and young people.
• Help reduce crime, with evidence of improvement in several aspects of crime data over the past 2 years (i.e. the number of young people supervised by the Youth Offending Team reduced from 356 in June 2004 to 330 in June 2005)
The positive influence of PAYP was noted by the local community, with responses from police and community groups stating that “PAYP is a very positive thing for cutting back problems with young people”, “PAYP definitely makes a difference”, and “PAYP is very beneficial for the community”.
Case Studies 5 & 6: Oldham
Background
Oldham is situated in the Greater Manchester area of the North West with a population of 218,332.[8] Oldham has a growing population, unlike the North West region and England as a whole, with the overall population predicted to rise by 2.8% by 2021. Oldham’s population is also a relatively young population with 28.2% under the age of 20 compared with a national average of 25.1%.[9]
Over a quarter of Oldham’s youth population are BME (26%), with the remainder White (74%).[10] As with other towns and cities across England, mono-cultural areas form part of Oldham’s demographic fabric, with Chadderton, Failsworth & Hollinwood, Royton & Shaw and Saddleworth & Lees being predominantly white, and West Oldham having the highest BME population (65.3%).
Oldham has a diverse BME population: with large Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities (13,754 and 9,817 respectively[11]), but also comprising of Eastern Europeans (especially from Poland and the Ukraine), Afro-Caribbean’s, asylum seekers from Iraq and a small Chinese community. A large Pakistani population reside in the Glodwick area of the city, scene of the 2001 race riots.[12]
Crime remains a considerable problem in Oldham: in the January – March 2006 period there were 29.7 offences per 1,000 population, compared to a national average of 24.9.[13] Crime-related problems associated with young people include anti-social behaviour, underage drinking, motor vehicle crime and minor criminal damage.
To address the issues presented by young people in Oldham, the Lead Delivery Agency Positive Steps Oldham (PSO) has worked in partnership with several local trusts, charity organisations and community groups such as: the Pakistani Community Centre, Oldham Fire Service, Greater Manchester Police, Kickstart and Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale.
Intervention 1: Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale
In terms of community cohesion, Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale have completed several PAYP activities with considerable success. Groundwork works toward a 'sustainable community' which is vibrant, healthy and safe and which respects the local and global environment enabling individuals and enterprise to prosper.[14]
Groundwork has linked PAYP activities with Youth Works, a national partnership which exists to help 'at risk' young people play a creative role in regenerating their community and creating safer environments for everyone.[15] Groundwork has hosted regular meetings to discuss PAYP in order to discuss how best to promote cohesion, delivery improvements and ensure that all ethnic groups in Oldham are included.
Groundwork activities include outdoor pursuits, horse-riding, working with farmyard animals, road safety projects and mosaics/ sculptures in e.g. parks. More specific examples include the Groundwork ‘End of Summer Celebration events’, which not only bring together young people from different ethnic backgrounds, but also encourage their parent(s) to become involved as well.
The importance of getting parents involved was emphasised by a Government Office North West representative for PAYP: not only do children and young people involved in PAYP activities report back to their parent(s) and describe their positive experiences, but it also leads on to parents becoming more involved and getting them to meet with other parents from various ethnic backgrounds. Furthermore, if a young person is absent from PAYP, then the youth workers then contact the parent(s), thus forming an important link with them.
These PAYP activities have been instrumental in increasing young people’s confidence and self-esteem, allowing them to mix with other young people from various ethnic backgrounds on visits to e.g. the countryside, whereas previously they were only aware of their own area within Oldham. As the representative from the Pakistani Community Centre explained, most young Pakistanis have grown up and stayed in Glodwick for most of their lives, with their only trip abroad being to Pakistan. PAYP allows them to see other parts of Oldham, the countryside and other areas of England in the company of other young people from various ethnic backgrounds.
A Groundwork worker described how PAYP has had a “massive impact” on community cohesion. Before PAYP, and in the wake of the race riots, there were “no go areas” for young people from both white and Asian backgrounds, exacerbated by a serious lack of communication between wards in Oldham. This situation, thanks in large part to PAYP, has improved.
Intervention 2: Kickstart
Kickstart is another organisation that has played an important part in delivering PAYP activities in Oldham. Kickstart offer young people the opportunity to complete motor vehicle courses, with a primary focus on 14 to 19 year olds. Young people involved with PAYP are referred to Kickstart through PSO, Kickstart then work with these young people and sometimes in partnership with other delivery providers, such as Groundwork.
Most of Kickstart’s PAYP activities occur during the summer, further activities include metal works and welding, water-sports at Salford Quays, graffiti art, DJ sessions and activity trips e.g. a four day trip to the Lake District. Although most of Kickstart’s participants are from white backgrounds, the ethnic backgrounds of participants are “always changing”. These participants then mix with other providers with “PAYP adding the cohesion”.
The PAYP activities encourage boys and girls from all ethnic backgrounds to mix, learn from one another and encourage team building. PAYP participants come from all over Oldham, and as they are introduced to new experiences they “break down boundaries” by working as a team.
Kickstart have also experienced considerable success in bringing together young people from all parts of Oldham to work with a Greater Manchester Police youth liaison officer, who provides a human face for the police, informing the young people of what they can and cannot do and why most laws are there for their protection.
The youth liaison officer not only gives the young people an opportunity to ask questions about the police and address any concerns they might have, but also uses his extensive experience in metal work to help the young people design metal sculptures and help in welding. The young people as a result enjoy the activity and see the police officer as a friend, rather than merely a uniform. According to the police officer, PAYP gives these young people new opportunities, it promotes good behaviour, and it helps in breaking down barriers between young people and the police, so “we now have a foot in the door.” The metal work activities have proved to be so successful that two young people from PAYP courses are now considering it as a career.
Another successful initiative that involved several delivery providers, was the ‘Kick racism out of football’ initiative, run by the Manchester FA and which involved Oldham Athletic football club. The initiative was based around a football tournament staged in October half term. According to a Groundwork worker in terms of getting young males from different ethnic backgrounds together successfully this tournament “stood out for me”. The tournament brought together children and young people from Asian, White and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds and allowed them to play together in a safe environment within a well organised, structured activity.
“If you ask me to define cohesion, just go there on a Saturday morning”
The Pakistani Community Centre in Glodwick has also become involved with PAYP activities in Oldham. The youth club has participated in trips (Alton Towers, Science Museums, outdoor pursuits), football/ table tennis/ go-karting tournaments and music diversity programmes with other youth groups from various parts of Oldham.
PAYP Community Cohesion activities have helped young Pakistanis in Oldham by keeping these young people engaged and interested by giving them new experiences; which is vitally important in the fight against radicalism. PAYP key workers play a crucial role in ensuring that these young Pakistanis are constantly included in activities, courses and the referral system, thus providing a vital link between the young people, the community centre, local schools and PAYP delivery providers.
“Without PAYP funding we would not able to deliver these activities…it gives young people something to do”
(Representative from the Pakistani Community Centre, Glodwick)
Outcomes
By providing new and exciting activities these young people are less prone to being manipulated, and allowed them to share their own religious practices and beliefs with young people from other faiths in a constructive manner. PAYP also encouraged these young people to “get back on track”; some left the education system, but PAYP activities encourages them to return to it.
The Government Office North West representative for PAYP described how PAYP enables you to use simple, local facilities e.g. a football pitch, but the outcome can be tremendous. Not only does it encourage cohesion, but it also signposts young people on to agencies who may advise them on apprenticeships, returning to education and other opportunities, or to discuss concerns (drugs, alcohol) e.g. 2,623 clients visited the Oldham Connexions Centre in November 2006, more and more young people are using the internet facilities at the Pakistani Community Centre in Glodwick to look for jobs/ further education courses.
Those interviewed agreed that PAYP has done fantastically well in improving community cohesion, barriers have been broken. One person commented how Oldham used to be in the newspapers and media for the wrong reasons e.g. the 2001 race riots, more recently however, and thanks in large part to PAYP, Oldham, and its young people in particular, are in the newspapers for the right reasons. Young people in Oldham now have a better understanding of what cohesion is all about.
“If two young people from different ethnic backgrounds see each other on the street and acknowledge each other then that, for me, is a result”
(Groundwork worker)
“PAYP allows us to do things we normally couldn’t do…taking these young people away from Oldham on activity days…even though they were from different ethnic backgrounds they were interested in each other, they interacted with one another…there was no trouble at all, it was very positive…some young people from Asian backgrounds have since invited youngsters from white backgrounds into their areas, and vice versa.”
(Greater Manchester Police youth liaison officer)
Young people’s attitudes have changed through PAYP; they’re now more willing and more interested to learn about different cultures. PAYP helps to build up young peoples self-esteem, they’re now more aware of opportunities in other parts of Oldham which were previously ‘no go’ areas.
“PAYP has a massive role to play in the town, getting hundreds of young people from all ethnic backgrounds together for day after day has to have an impact.”
“On one activity trip one group of young people got on so well they called themselves the ‘PAYP crew’….they forgot which areas of Oldham they were from, they just gelled”
The Government Office North West representative for PAYP and PSO officer described how re-offending rates have dropped considerably in recent years; this is not exclusively because of PAYP intervention, but there is no doubt that PAYP “has had a considerable effect on reducing youth offender rates”. Indeed, youth crime in Oldham fell by one third during one summer[16]. The evidence suggests that staging PAYP activities during the summer holidays has contributed immensely towards this statistic.
Case Study 7: Leicester
Background
Greenhill is a housing estate located in north west Leicestershire near Coalville, and is one of the most deprived areas in the region. As such it suffers from a range of issues such as:
• Low levels of literacy and numeracy
• High levels of unemployment
• High levels of truancy and exclusions
• Substance misuse
• High levels of anti-social behaviour
Leicestershire has a large BME population, however, the different ethnic communities have tended to congregate into distinct pockets, with little or no communication between the various populations. The growing BME population has meant that in many wards, particularly in Leicester city, the white population is in effect the minority population. This has created an ‘under siege’ mentality among the white population with a resultant increase in tension and racial prejudices. The Greenhill estate is predominantly white, but due to an influx of Somali asylum seekers into the area, tension between the different ethnic populations have become apparent.
Intervention
To engage the young people living on the estate Connexions contracted In 2 Sport, a local activity provider, to deliver a programme of activities. In 2 Sport specialise in engaging young people through sport, employing professional coaches that have youth work experience to train and develop the young people. In 2 Sport use a model based around the Sport Leadership Award which spans two weeks. Young people aged 10-13 years are enrolled on the Youth Sport Leaders Award, while young people aged 15 plus years enrol on the Junior Sports Leader Award.
In the first week the young people aged 15 years or older take part in a 30 hour activity programme. This includes sessions covering career opportunities, and a three day training course designed to provide them with skills in leading groups in sporting and recreational activity.
A requirement of the Junior Sports Leader Awards is that the 15 plus age group coach a cohort of younger people. In 2 Sport’s programme is designed so that in the second week, the 15 plus age group work with the 10-13 years age group taking part in the Junior Sports Leader Awards. The young people from the older age group, with the support of In 2 Sport’s professional coaches, take responsibility for coaching and mentoring the 10-13 years age group. The second week’s activities are run Monday - Friday from 10am to 4pm.
Throughout the programme, the young people are engaged by In 2 Sports staff drawing upon their youth work experience to offer positive role models, develop the young people’s self-esteem and confidence, raise their aspirations, inspire them to participate and challenge their preconceptions on issues such as racism.
Outcomes
The programme has been very successful with the young people responding well to the coaches. The young people are keen to participate, as the programme offers them the chance to take part in an activity that is interesting and relevant to them, and the opportunity to develop their football skills, learning from professional coaches.
This enthusiasm and desire to participate by the young people offers the coaches a way in to modify the young people’s behaviour and beliefs. For example, the need to be healthy to perform well allows the coaches to introduce topics of healthy diet and the need to refrain from substance abuse. While the team nature of football naturally promotes team-working and a sense of engagement. Young people who previously felt they were underachievers because they did not succeed academically in school, or who were isolated, are able to engage, and gain confidence and a sense of worth from their peers as a result of their ability to play football well.
“Sport can offer young people credibility. Team sport can help young people engage in a group, and feel good about themselves as they can get positive feedback from their peers”
The programme has also motivated participants to re-engage in training or education. For example, the desire to become a coach, motivated one young person, who prior to joining the programme could not read and write, to successfully pass an NVQ Level II. The trust developed between the young people and In 2 Sport has also meant that the coaches are able to assist the young people in advising on career opportunities and assisting the young people in pursuing them, through signposting to relevant organisations or helping fill in application forms.
Crime on a Saturday night was also noted to have dropped on the estate, as young people on the estate went on to form a football club that played on a Sunday morning. The desire not to let team mates down by performing badly due to hangovers etc, meant that young men on the team refrained from drinking the night before, with a resultant drop in alcohol related crime.
Initially supported by In 2 Sport to set up the football club, the young people are now running the club themselves, managing the finances and other day-to-day running of the club, a sustainable output that promotes a sense of community.
As part of the In 2 Sport desire to challenge racial stereotypes, young people from the estate were taken to play in a football tournament with teams from different ethnic groups. As a result of this interaction, and without the prompting of In 2 Sport, the Greenhill estate team invited an Asian football team to play them in Greenhill.
Case Study 8: Nottingham
Background
Educational achievement in Nottingham as a whole is poor. Nottingham Local Education Authority (LEA) was ranked second-worst in the country at primary level, and third from bottom at secondary level in terms of GCSE results attained.[17] Historically schools in and around Bulwell have been among the worst-performing in the UK, with the North Nottingham region having the lowest level of students progressing to higher education in the UK. This has meant that the entire Bulwell area was designated an "Education Action Zone" in 1999.
Crime statistics in Nottingham are very high, with many crime categories several times higher than the English average.[18] A national survey in 2006[19] noted that Nottingham topped the crime rankings for police statistics on murders, burglaries, and vehicle crime, and "had almost five times the level of crime as the safest town in the rankings". As with education, the crime figures for Bulwell are very high in comparison to both Nottingham and national levels, with gun and gang-related crime a particular problem.
Young people in the target areas have been categorised as being:
• Poor attenders at school,
• Low academic achievers,
• Having low aspiration,
• Exhibiting challenging behaviour,
• Little or no self confidence/esteem,
Intervention
Connexions Nottinghamshire in partnership with four local schools from the north of the city, Nottingham City Youth Service, and a local activity provider Progress Fitness built upon an existing model of engaging young people via basketball known as the midnight basketball project.
The programme consisted of 1 evening session per week per school over 10 weeks, with a skills clinic in week 11 and a tournament for all the schools in week 12. The basketball sessions were run on the school premises by Progress Fitness’ qualified basketball coaches, and supported by youth workers and school staff in some schools.
As well as a basketball coaching the sessions also included a 40 minute youth work section, which covered issues such as life-skills, healthy lifestyles/eating, citizenship, and knowledge of community. The young people were required to attend the youth work element to be allowed to take part in the basketball coaching. Staff from both the youth service and Progress Fitness attended each other’s sessions to promote a group approach. The young people became very involved in these sessions often talking past their allotted time.
“It was important to have a combination of youth work sessions and sport activities, the combination was very powerful.”
Clear ground rules were set for the young people’s behaviour (i.e. no swearing, or bullying), and a consistent approach from both Progress First and the youth workers emphasised, with a three strikes and your out policy enforced. Youth workers and coaches met regularly to discuss any behavioural issues identified. Only six young people were asked to leave because of their behaviour.
The tournament run in the 12th week was run at a neutral venue for all the young people, requiring them to travel across the city, a considerable challenge for some young people who had never ventured outside their own estate before. Initially young people played within their own teams, but in the afternoon session the young people were mixed up according to ability to force them to play alongside players from other areas.
“It was incredible to see the amount of teamwork where a few weeks before they had been dispirited”.
Outcomes
The response from the young people was very positive with over 70 young people attending, 35 attended every session. School staff interviewed noted improvements in the young people’s behaviour, focus and discipline carried over to their school life. For example, one young man who had consistently exhibited aggressive and disruptive behaviour in school, changed his behaviour completely due to his participation, and has now been talent spotted by the local professional team.
32 young people received an AQA Level I Certificates, and 10 young people are to receive a Duke of Edinburgh Module Award.
55 young people received a positive outcome (details to be forwarded).
The youth work sessions built into the programme helped improve the young people’s awareness of their role and responsibilities in their community, “all areas now have a group of young people that upbeat about being part of that community”.
The young people’s view of what is their local community was also expanded beyond their housing estate, with cross-estate friendships developed.
The young people’s aspirations were raised, and a cohort of young people who could now easily go onto complete a Level I Coaching qualification has been created. With many of the young people requesting the opportunity to do so.
By running the basketball sessions in the evening, a positive side-benefit has been a reduction in offending behaviour, as the participating young people were too tired after the end of the session to cause any mischief.
For the schools participation in the project was very positive, offering their pupils an opportunity to take part in a positive activity and opened their eyes to the opportunities offered by a career in sport and coaching. The programme was also considered to mesh well with the Healthy Schools programme and could potentially be used as part of the Key Skills curriculum, in addition to helping their pupils to develop a portfolio of activities and achievements. One school was so impressed by the effectiveness of the programme, that it decided to use the money it was paid by Connexions for the use of its premises to pay for the programme to continue after the PAYP funds ended.
Case Study 9: Tower Hamlets
Background
Tower Hamlets is located in central London to the east of the City of London. The borough has a large BME population at 58%, with Bangladeshi’s accounting for 33%, and is one of the few local authorities in the UK to have a minority white population. The number of Bangladeshis under the age of 18 is almost double the proportion for London. The borough therefore has the largest percentage of 20-34 year olds of any Local Authority in the country. However the age profile for Bangladeshis and White British differ considerably, with 70% of the Bangladeshi population under 30 years, compared to 40% for White British.
Male life expectancy is very poor, with the Brorough ranked fifth lowest for all local authorities. Tower Hamlets is ranked as the second most deprived local authority in England. Crime in the borough is high, with crime rates consistently higher than the national and London average.
Intervention
On the One is a local activity provider that provides and supports young people to develop their musical ability using modern studio equipment. Run by professional sound and video engineers, staff at On the One engage with young people through their interest in music production. This allows the staff to use their youth work experience to tackle a range of social and developmental issues, such as life skills, sexuality and self-confidence.
On the One applied for PAYP funds to work with a group of NEET young people (2 girls aged 17-20, White British and Afro-Caribbean; and 6 males 17-20 years, 5 Bangladeshi and 1 Chinese) to produce a music video. The aim of the project was to help the young people develop the skills necessary to plan, produce and take part in a professional music video. The project required a great deal of commitment and skill from the young people, with the young people responsible for setting up and using the necessary video gear such as lights and cameras. To further challenge the young people the On the One team opted to film the video on location in Devon, requiring the young people to travel outside their home borough for the first time.
A gruelling professional timescale was set for the project, forcing the young people to work together as a team, testing their ability to work with people from different cultural backgrounds or genders, and learn responsibility for their own actions. In addition to writing and performing their own music, the group were expected to location spot, choreograph and costume the video. Shooting three videos over five days, meant there was very little time to make mistakes, placing significant pressure on the group to get it right first time.
Outcomes
Each element of the project allowed the On the One staff to work with the young people to help them assess their own behaviour, and what they wanted to do with their lives. For example, by using the need to write their own lyrics for the music video, On the One staff were able to explore with the young people their perceptions of celebrity personas and how these influence the young people’s own behaviour within their community. Taking the young people away from their comfort zone and peer group assisted in the developmental work, giving the young people more freedom to express themselves.
In addition to learning a number of hard technical skills, such as how to set-up and use lights, cameras and sound equipment, the project developed the group’s soft skills e.g. communication and negotiation skills, timekeeping and organisational skills.
Prior to taking part in the project the team skills of the group were poor, to the extent that one of the Bangladeshi boys would not work with girls, but the tight timescale forced the young people to work as a team irrespective of race or gender.
The confidence achieved through producing their own music video has given the group a new focus to their lives, and now have a clear idea as to what they want to do.
Feedback from the young people themselves offers good evidence of how the project changed the young people’s perceptions and approach to dealing with others.
“When you don’t dismiss someone’s idea it makes them feel confident and feel part of the team.”
“Travelling makes you open-minded. It encourages racial acceptance and appreciation.”
“I have learnt to include people’s ideas and compromise. I learnt how to bring forth an argument without starting a fight.”
“I have realised that people will listen to me if I listen to them.”
“I have realised that people are interested in learning about my experiences if I have the confidence to talk about them. I feel that I have gained in confidence.”
Case Study 10: Bristol
Background
The Lockleaze Young Mums project is based in the Lockleaze and Upper Horfield districts of Bristol. These areas are currently receiving assistance under the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, and SRB6. The areas are typified by:
• High crime rates.
• High levels of anti-social behaviour.
• High levels of exclusions and truancy.
• Poor local amenities, particularly facilities for young people.
• Poor educational provision (the local secondary school has been closed)
• Low employment.
• Low aspirations among residents.
• High rates of teenage mothers.
Due to the numbers of single teenage mums in the area, and concerns that these mothers are at risk of being isolated from the community, the PAYP Lead Delivery Agency in partnership with the local authority to support these young mums through the Lockleaze Young Mums project.
Intervention
The Lockleaze Young Mums project operates a weekly drop-in in a local nursery/children’s crèche, staffed by Better Together workers. Better Together is part of the local authority, receiving line management from Social Services, but is externally funded by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Children’s Fund and SRB6.
The young mums on the project have been referred onto the project by their Health Visitors or recruited onto the project by Better Together staff tasked with working with young people that have been identified ‘at risk’ by a multi-agency Youth Inclusion Programme (YIP) panel. To avoid any risk of stigmatisation and to encourage their participation, role of Social Services has not been made explicit to the young mums.
The project currently works with 12 young mums aged 15-18 years, three of which are BME. All the young mums are out of education, and none are working. Most of them have little or no qualifications. Some of the young mums attended Pupil referral Units (PRUs) prior to the joining the project. Isolation from their peers is common as the young mums typically don’t mix with other young people if they aren’t also young mums. 7 of the 12 young mums are living independently.
The project’s objectives are to supplement the young mums education, support the health and well-being of the mum and baby, improve links for the young mums in the community as well as pathways in education, and help develop the young mum’s key skills.
The project has adopted an informal approach to working with the young mums as the young mums have issues with confidence and self-esteem, despite presenting an appearance of confidence. The informal approach allows the Better Together staff to address the issues faced by the young people in a manner that does not directly challenge the young mum’s self image. For example, the young mums have been encouraged to work towards the Youth Achievement Award. The young mums view this as an interesting way to spend their time during the drop-in sessions, but, for the Better Together staff the Award provides an opportunity to address issues such as how to play and care for their babies in a non-threatening manner. The young mums are therefore actively engaged in learning, without feeling they are doing so. Learning social skills etc, become a game.
Outcomes
The project has helped link up the previously isolated young mums, with new supportive friendships being made. Increasing their feeling of self-worth and confidence in their own abilities
The gradual progress of achievement through the Youth Achievement Award has helped increase the confidence of the young mums. This in turn has lead to their aspirations being raised as to what they hope to achieve with their lives. The project staff are then ideally placed to point the young mums in the right direction, and support them in accessing other services. For example, the young mums have now started talking about getting back into education, and have requested that the Connexions PA attend a drop-in session.
Through regular contact with the young mums, the staff at the project have been able to build up a level of trust with the young mums. This has meant that the staff are able to support the young mums without appearing to intrude into their lives.
PAYP and Community Cohesion
(Revised)
CRG Research Ltd.
Introduction
A cohesive community has been defined by the Local Government Association[20] as one where:
• There is a common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities.
• The diversity of people’s different backgrounds and circumstances is appreciated and positively valued.
• Those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities.
• Strong and positive relationships are being developed between people from different backgrounds and circumstances in the workplace, in schools and within neighbourhoods.
As Britain becomes more culturally diverse, the need to achieve a cohesive community along the lines outlined above is increasingly important. Where there has been a failure to do so, the consequences have been grave, as illustrated by recent race riots in Birmingham and Oldham, and more worryingly the July 7th bombings in London.
If we are to achieve a cohesive community it is vital therefore that alienation from society is addressed, and addressed as early as possible as young people are both part of, and the future of our community. The objectives set for PAYP recognised this, with clear goals of promoting community cohesion built into those objectives.
It is possible to argue that nearly all of the work funded by PAYP falls under the remit of community cohesion due to PAYP’s targeted approach, working with young people aged 8-19 years defined as being most at risk of social exclusion, committing crime or being a victim of crime. By working with this client group PAYP was able to address inter-generational cohesion issues as well as work directly with young people with regard to their attitudes towards their own role in their community, and how they relate to other young people from different faiths or ethnic groups.
Methodology
Areas included in the case studies were selected based upon a review of PAYP Regional Manager Regional Reports, and CRG’s prior knowledge of activities delivered from the national evaluation of PAYP.
A qualitative methodology was adopted to assess the impact of PAYP on community cohesion, drawing upon interviews with staff from PAYP Lead Delivery Agencies (LDAs), Activity Providers, relevant statutory organisations (e.g. Local authorities) and local community groups. Much of the evidence presented in the case studies is anecdotal in nature partly due to the difficulty in collecting suitable disaggregated data (e.g. youth crime figures), and the additional difficulty in obtaining robust quantitative data that is able to appropriately measure changes in community cohesion relating to young people.
Case Studies
In the following section we present examples of the work conducted by PAYP and how it relates to the four elements of a cohesive community as defined by the Local Government Association. The case studies provide examples of how PAYP funds were used to help promote community cohesion through a variety of means e.g. by encouraging young people to participate in their community, challenging stereotypes of race and gender, reducing disruptive behaviour, and offering positive life opportunities.
There is a common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities.
To achieve a common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities it is essential that no community should feel that it is being persecuted or that it’s opinions are being ignored. PAYP has gone some way to address this through work conducted by the LDAs which have helped to reduce tensions between the Police and local youths (particularly relevant with recent concerns over the increased use of stop and search against Asians), and various projects that have focused on racism.
A PAYP project in Lambeth worked with 20 young people (11 Afro-Caribbean boys, 4 White boys, 4 Afro-Caribbean girls and 1 White girl) aged 8-15 years. Ostensibly the aim of the project was to tackle local concerns over bike crime and anti-social behaviour, but the LDA took this opportunity to also address issues around gangs, citizenship, and theft.
Lamonte Johnson, a community artist with extensive experience of working with similar client groups in the U.K. and the USA was chosen to deliver the programme. Lamonte drew upon his own life experiences as a Black man from the ‘projects’ of Chicago, facing issues of gang warfare, high unemployment and marginalisation to inform his work and approach with young people. Lamonte shared some of his stories with the group and through them, was able to challenge racist and gender stereotypes, destroy myths about the glamour of gang life and encourage the young people to think outside of their immediate reality in terms of goal setting and aspirations for the future.
Through good partnership work with the Police in Lambeth Sergeant Toby McDaniel from the Safer Neighbourhood Team delivered a session on bicycle theft, how best to respond to police stop and searches.
In Oldham, Kickstart offers young people the opportunity to complete motor vehicle courses, with a primary focus on 14 to 19 year olds. A partnership approach with Greater Manchester Police resulted in a youth liaison officer linking into Kickstart’s work, showing a human face for the police to the young people.
The youth liaison officer not only gave the young people an opportunity to ask questions about the police and address any concerns they might have, but also used his extensive experience in metal work to help the young people design metal sculptures and help in welding. The young people as a result enjoyed the activity and saw the police officer as a friend, rather than merely a uniform. According to the police officer, PAYP gave these young people new opportunities, it promoted good behaviour, and it helped in breaking down barriers between young people and the police, so “we now have a foot in the door.” The metal work activities have proved to be so successful that two young people from PAYP courses are now considering it as a career.
Another successful Oldham initiative that involved several delivery providers, was the ‘Kick racism out of football’ initiative, run by the Manchester FA and which involved Oldham Athletic football club. The initiative was based around a football tournament staged in October half term. According to a project worker in terms of getting young males from different ethnic backgrounds together successfully this tournament “stood out for me”. The tournament brought together children and young people from Asian, White and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds and allowed them to play together in a safe environment within a well organised, structured activity.
“If you ask me to define cohesion, just go there on a Saturday morning”
A sense of belonging to a community with a common vision has also been facilitated through work that engages the parents of participating young people. A number of LDAs have used “celebration events” to link up with parents. These are events where the achievements of the young people while on PAYP are acknowledged, typically with the handing out of certificates and awards. Fun family days have also been used in some areas such as Oldham and Stockton-on-Tees, with such an event in Stockton-onTees attracting over 150 people of various ages and ethnicities.
The importance of getting parents involved was emphasised by a Government Office North West representative for PAYP: not only do children and young people involved in PAYP activities report back to their parent(s) and describe their positive experiences, but it also leads on to parents becoming more involved and getting them to meet with other parents from various ethnic backgrounds in an environment that is positive and friendly.
The diversity of people’s different backgrounds and circumstances is appreciated and positively valued.
The way we dress, our music/dance and religious practices are clear examples of how different ethnic and faith groups differ. PAYP activities were able to tap into and explore these differences through the use of music/arts based activities and cultural days. That exposed the young people to a diverse range of cultural influences. By exposing young people to other cultures their understanding, awareness and appreciation of other cultures is increased and their ignorance of other cultures, often a cause for mistrust and tension, reduced. The work done in Brent, and Stockton-on-Tees provide good examples of such events.
The LDA in Brent used PAYP to fund a Dance Olympiada. This event saw teams from across London competing, with a diverse range of ethnicities, dance and cultural styles represented, including African, South Asian, Bhangra, and hip hop. Over 250 young people took part, with each dance team choosing their own music and choreography, supported by a professional choreographer. The event has been held each year to large audiences, with the last event held at Wembley Arena in front of 2,000 people. A day long event including rehearsals means the young people mix with each other throughout the day, learning from and influencing each other’s dance styles. The desire to do well encourages the young people to view each other’s performances with a critical eye, and develop a better appreciation of what different cultures have to offer.
Cultural events have also found to be very effective. The Stockton-on-Tees LDA supported a local Asylum Seekers Support Group (ASSG). The ASSG works with young people from a variety of countries, but mainly from the Middle East (Syria, Iran, Iraq), Africa (Angola, Congo and Somalia) and Pakistan. A particular highlight was participation in events at the Stockton Riversides International Festival, building on a previous dance workshop which not only gave expression to some of the different cultures the group could draw on, but gave status and a focal point for the whole group to engage with and support. These activities have continued, with more recent participation in an event at the prestigious ARC theatre in the town, and plans for a joint project (with PAYP involvement) around a ‘Bollywood/Breakdance’ theme.
In terms of community cohesion and asylum seekers and other groups, it is also worth noting an output from a separate PAYP 2006 summer project with asylum seekers run with the Corner House Youth project, close to the centre of Stockton. One output has been a video, a large part of which has young people from all sections of the community in Stockton talking freely and candidly about their feelings towards people from different backgrounds in the area.
Currently in its final stages of editing, the video is expected to provide a compelling picture of “how it really feels” for young people in the area, but also point out how multi-faceted some of the issues are. For example, young people from settled BME communities point to issues they face which they see as quite different by comparison with asylum seekers; white youths with more concerns about travellers than “people who live here”, widely different perceptions about job opportunities and possible competition for jobs. Crucially, the young people themselves point out that views of other ethnic groups become completely different “when you get to know people”.
Those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities.
On a very basic level, 35.0% of the young people aged 8-17 years participating in PAYP were classed as being from a BME background. This is in comparison to the 2001 Census national figure of 11%, i.e. the proportion of BME young people participating in PAYP was effectively three times higher than we would expect based upon the Census statistic.
For those young people that participated, PAYP provides access to a number of opportunities that would not have been possible otherwise.
“Travelling makes you open-minded. It encourages racial acceptance and appreciation.”
(PAYP participant)
The LDA in Oldham worked closely with the Pakistani Community Centre in Glodwick. As a result the Pakistani youth club participated in trips (Alton Towers, Science Museums, outdoor pursuits), football/ table tennis/ go-karting tournaments and music diversity programmes with other youth groups from various parts of Oldham.
“Without PAYP funding we would not able to deliver these activities…it gives young people something to do”
(Representative from the Pakistani Community Centre, Glodwick)
These activities were instrumental in increasing young people’s confidence and self-esteem, allowing them to mix with other young people from various ethnic backgrounds on visits to e.g. the countryside, whereas previously they were only aware of their own area within Oldham. As the representative from the Pakistani Community Centre explained, most young Pakistanis grow up and stay in Glodwick for most of their lives, with their only trip abroad being to Pakistan. PAYP allowed them to see other parts of Oldham, the countryside and other areas of England in the company of other young people from various ethnic backgrounds.
The PAYP activities helped young Pakistanis in Oldham by keeping these young people engaged and interested by giving them new experiences. PAYP key workers play a crucial role in ensuring that these young Pakistanis were constantly included in activities, courses and the referral system, thus providing a vital link between the young people, the community centre, local schools and PAYP delivery providers.
The Government Office North West representative for PAYP described how PAYP enables you to use simple, local facilities e.g. a football pitch, but the outcome can be tremendous. Not only does it encourage cohesion, but it also signposts young people on to agencies who may advise them on apprenticeships, returning to education and other opportunities, or to discuss concerns (drugs, alcohol) e.g. 2,623 clients visited the Oldham Connexions Centre in November 2006, and more and more young people are now using the internet facilities at the Pakistani Community Centre in Glodwick to look for jobs/ further education courses.
Strong and positive relationships are being developed between people from different backgrounds and circumstances in the workplace, in schools and within neighbourhoods.
The activity commissioning process itself, where used creatively, was found to be beneficial with regard to developing strong and positive relationships. In Bristol the Easton Multi-Agency Project (EMAP) was responsible for commissioning a number of PAYP activities. EMAP took the decision that all bids for activity funding needed to be joint bids. Organisations bidding for funds were also required to work with at least two other organisations and make available places on their activities to young people from other agencies. This approach was found to very useful in developing positive relationships between organisations, as well as the young people taking part in the various activities.
In addition, the design of PAYP placed an emphasis on ensuring that the impacts of PAYP should not just be short-term, but long-term. LDAs therefore looked to build in personal development when commissioning activities. As a result PAYP has been very effective in helping young people increase their confidence, boosting their self-esteem, raising their aspirations and challenge inappropriate behaviour and attitudes (such as racism). Many of the activities were built upon developing team working skills.
In Oldham the PAYP activities enabled boys and girls from all ethnic backgrounds to mix, learn from one another and develop team building. PAYP participants came from all over Oldham, and were introduced to new experiences that helped “break down boundaries” by making them work as a team.
“On one activity trip one group of young people got on so well they called themselves the ‘PAYP crew’….they forgot which areas of Oldham they were from, they just gelled”
Project workers observed that the young people’s attitudes changed through PAYP, becoming more willing and more interested to learn about different cultures. PAYP helped to build up young peoples self-esteem, and become more aware of opportunities in other parts of Oldham which were previously ‘no go’ areas.
“PAYP allows us to do things we normally couldn’t do…taking these young people away from Oldham on activity days…even though they were from different ethnic backgrounds they were interested in each other, they interacted with one another…there was no trouble at all, it was very positive…some young people from Asian backgrounds have since invited youngsters from white backgrounds into their areas, and vice versa.”
(Greater Manchester Police youth liaison officer)
Summary
The material presented above provides strong evidence to support the claim that PAYP has contributed significantly to community cohesion. Project workers and community representatives interviewed were effusive about the positive effect of PAYP.
For example, a project worker in Oldham described how PAYP has had a “massive impact” on community cohesion. Before PAYP, and in the wake of the race riots, there were “no go areas” for young people from both white and Asian backgrounds, exacerbated by a serious lack of communication between wards in Oldham. This situation, thanks in large part to PAYP, has improved.
“PAYP has a massive role to play in the town, getting hundreds of young people from all ethnic backgrounds together for day after day has to have an impact.”
In Oldham in particular, those interviewed agreed that PAYP has done fantastically well in improving community cohesion, with barriers being broken. One person commented how Oldham used to be in the newspapers and media for the wrong reasons e.g. the 2001 race riots, more recently however, and thanks in large part to PAYP, Oldham, and its young people in particular, are in the newspapers for the right reasons. Young people in Oldham now have a better understanding of what cohesion is all about.
“If two young people from different ethnic backgrounds see each other on the street and acknowledge each other then that, for me, is a result”
(Groundwork worker)
Report on the 4th Oldham Borough Games 2008
Background
Oldham Borough Games was a pilot event that ran in 2005 as the Area Games with the six wards of Oldham. These six wards are: West Oldham, East Oldham, Failsworth & Hollins, Saddleworth & Lees, Royton & Shaw, and Chadderton. Due to the success of the first Area Games, its was decided that the event name would change to Oldham Borough Games as it had more of an attachment for Oldham, and also that the events would run on an annual basis.
The aim of the Borough Games is to give:
1. Community cohesion for all involved from community, schools and clubs
2. To give young people an opportunity to participate and compete in their favourite sports, with an opportunity to meet other children from the community, and an opportunity to meet club representatives
3. A chance to have fun and compete locally where we provide transport support and team managers for a positive experience.
4. To raise awareness of and improve community to club links.
5. Introduce young people from different backgrounds and cultures to sports clubs within Oldham.
6. To allow local clubs to have the opportunity to recruit young people to their clubs.
7. Provide Leadership opportunity and develop applied experience for people under going Sports Leadership Awards
Overview and Format of Event
A Steering group was set up to help put the Oldham Borough Games on the Sport Development map. The steering group consisted of representatives from the Sport Development team, mainly Community Sport Development Officers from the following fields of work, Club Development, Community Coach Programme, Sports Provisions for Young People, Oldham Sport & Recreation, and the Assistant Sport Development officer for Events.
It was decided that teams were to be recruited via schools unlike the previous years, via community sessions. It made sense to take the school approach as it was also helping build exit routes for the new and existing Inschool Coaching programmes, Community Coach Programmes and the Extended Schools programme. In doing this, it helped raise both the standard and quality of competition at the Borough Games.
The volunteer recruitment for the Borough Games this year followed a timeline plan with a mapping exercise, where key recruiting mile stones were identified. These mile stones and recruitment drive were: Oldham Sport Development Step Into Sports conference and mentoring scheme, Level 2 Sports Leaders Award, and Hathershaw and Radclyffe School Level 1 Sports Leaders. On top of this Club Volunteers were invited along with both Oldham and Oldham 6th Form College for volunteering opportunities.
The Clubs were approached for volunteers and also invited down to the event for an opportunity to Talent ID potential players as well as to publicise their clubs and training sessions. The following clubs helped work in partnership with the community club coaches in facilitating the various sports events, these clubs were as follows: Uppermill and Failsworth Dynamos Football club, Hathershaw, Royton and Saddleworth Netball club, and Oldham Rockets were present and helped out at the event.
The Borough Games this year targeted children in school years 3-10 as this was the focus development age range identified by local clubs and National Governing Bodies. This years Borough Games saw competition in the following community sports and school years;
• Athletics – boys and girls for school years 3 - 6
• Cricket – girls only for school years 5&6
• Dance – boys and girls for school years 4 - 10
• Football – boys only for school years 5 & 6
• Netball – girls only for school years 7 & 8
• Rugby – boys and girls school years 5 & 6
Each ward had a team representing each of the above sports, in total we had 36 teams compete this year with a total number of 315 participants taking part.
In the morning all the wards came together for a massive Borough warm up, and then followed by a sport specific warm up that was delivered by the Oldham Sport Development Team, Community and Club volunteers. The purpose of the session was to provide participants with skill development and allow them to meet participants from different communities in a fun and enjoyable environment. The rest of the day was all sport specific competition between each of the wards.
Compared to the previous the borough games event, this year saw more parents make a visit and support their children and area awards in the competitions.
The following VIPs were invited and attended a VIP tour of the Borough Games event,
• Mayor of Oldham Councilor Ann Wingate
• Sam Ellis GB Squad 800 metres runner
• Jill Beaumont - Director Support and Extending learning
• Neil Consterdine – Head of Sport and Extended Learning
• Mohammed Rahiem – Sporting Equals
• Jim Collis – Sports Leaders UK
• Paul Clarke – Counthill school Partnership Manager
• Lorna Philips – Director of Sports - Hathershaw
• Andrea Atkinson – Director of Sports - Failsworth
The Mayor of Oldham Councilor Ann Wingate was present during the final presentation and helped present the certificates and awards to participants. Sam Ellis 800 metres runner from the Great Britain Athletics squad made a special appearance and also helped in the distribution of medals and the closing presentation. All participants enjoyed a dance performance for the final presentation by all the area wards which they had been practicing earlier in the day.
Key Achievements:
1. For the first time in the Oldham Borough Games history, we have had full representation of sports teams for all the wards
2. 90 volunteers engaged from various institutions and programmes (Oldham college, Oldham 6th Form college, Hathershaw and Radclyffe School, Sport Development Mentoring scheme, Step into Sports and Club volunteers)
3. 315 participants
4. 249 visitors
5. 9 VIPS
6. 6 Sports Events
7. A Grand total attendance of 663!
Evaluation
Overall the event was really successfully; this was backed up recorded by both the participants and VIPs who attended the event. For the first time we have had full team representation from all 6 wards. Compared to the previous years, this year we had 6 sports, a bigger competition.
The event successfully ran according to plan, from the area wards warm up to the sport specific warm ups and then to the main competitions.
Following the feedbacks and evaluations from the previous borough games event of the lack of competition time and the inconsistency in some of the sport matches and times, we decided to plan a lot earlier this year and improve on it. I am glad to say, that we managed to overcome this barrier, and ensured in this years borough games had plenty of consistency in the time length and frequency of matches played of matches.
Overall all participants were able to join in for a longer period of competition time and enjoy it a lot better. The positive feedback from a wide range audience is testimony of this year’s huge success.
It really does come down to good leadership and direction from management (Community Sport Development Manager – Emma Jenks) who made a push for teams to be recruited via schools, and the positive co-operation from the sport development team members.
Recommendations
1. Have clubs involved more for each of the sports – may be they can take a lead or at least help support and work in partnership with each of the sport.
2. Invite a wide range of school, college and university volunteers via the leadership awards, to help at the events.
3. Unlike the previous years, there were more parents and guardians present at the event, may be approach them prior to the event and identify if they would like to help out at the event as First Aiders and match officials etc.
4. Also continue with the schools approach as we have had a full representation of teams from all wards unlike the previous years.
5. Give an open invitation to schools if they would like to send a teacher or a member of staff to the event to help manage the school team.
6. Also look at linking in the some of the mini games cluster tournaments for sports like Basketball, Hockey and Tennis Etc. This can run along side the Oldham Borough Games.
7. Organise a celebration or ceremony for all the helpers/volunteers as a form of recognition and a thank you, and then link these helpers to the Great Manchester Youth Games volunteering.
8. Lastly, it was known as the Area Wards games, to presently the Oldham Borough Games. The next step for the event is to build on its current success, become even bigger and better. The event name should be replaced to the Oldham Borough Games Festival.
9. Oldham Borough Games Festival – will continue with existing competitions but also work with other agencies like, PCT, Positive Steps, Connexions to promote and raise positive awareness and well being young people.
Positive comments:
Participant – Purple teams (Royton and Shaw) are doing very well, my area East Oldham are in 2nd place up to yet
Participant – I think its brilliant and I want to come again!
Participant – it was fun and I enjoyed it
Participant – I think it is a very positive event and that’s why my team and I played well, thank you
Participant - it was a really good day, I liked it because everybody on our team and helpers were really supportive and we worked as a team.
Participant – Good team managers who were supporting and encouraging us, it was a fun day
Volunteer - Great experience! Very well supervised, good turn out and lots of enthusiasm really enjoyed it.
Volunteer – This event has been brilliant, great turn out of young people from all over Oldham as well as volunteers. I have enjoyed myself and will happy to join in again.
Volunteer – I enjoyed it, encouraging the teams to do well, really enjoyed it
Volunteer – Excellent venue, lots of willing helpers and a good friendly atmosphere. The young people taking part all seemed happy.
Volunteer - I think the day went well and the kids enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the event.
Parent – Kids enjoying it, it’s a good event, and should run more!
Mayor -Cllr Ann Wingate – VIP - Mayor of Oldham Borough – It is so wonderful to see young people from all areas of our borough taking part and enjoying themselves so much!
Volunteer – A fantastic day, great to see so many young people having a wonderful time in sports
Parent –All the children well behaved, all the teams are playing well against each other together.
Volunteer - Went very well, a pleasure to work with children, everyone worked as a team and tried their best
Mohammed Rahiem –VIP - Sporting Equals – excellent organisation, good to see diverse people come together, well done
Parent – absolutely fabulous, thank you for all your effort, they are much appreciated
Volunteer - The games were well organised and played in good spirit. A very enjoyable event. Thank you.
SHARED FUTURE PROJECT
REPORT ON
YOUTH PEACE BUILDING AND LEADERSHIP
SCHOOL FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAINING
VERMONT USA
JULY 2007
Youth Peace Building and Leadership
Monday 2nd July – Saturday 14th July
From Monday 2nd July to Saturday 14th July a group of 10 students from Oldham took part in the Youth Peace Building and Leadership Programme in Vermont USA.
The aims of the programme were to:
← Develop leadership qualities and provide opportunities for the participants to use their leadership
← Allow participants to explore and challenge stereotypes and preconceptions they and others may have
← Increase levels of awareness and knowledge of different cultural and social perspectives
← Discuss controversial topics that are relevant to young people living in Oldham
← Enable young people to form genuine friendships with people from various backgrounds
← Develop a core group of young people who have the skills and knowledge to work with future participants
←
SCHOOL FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAINING (SIT)
The campus is located in 200 acres of forest in Southern Vermont, two hours from Boston Logan Airport. Campus facilities include extensive hiking and orienteering trails, softball and soccer fields, computer labs, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, a post office and a bookshop. There are plenty of lawn and quite spaces with magnificent views. There is a health centre facility on campus and there is access to full health care facilities in the town Brattleboro, just 2 miles away.
PROGRAMME DIRECTOR AND MANAGER
Dr. John Ungerleider Programme Director and SIT Professor in Peace Studies and Intercultural Communication
Simon Norton Programme Manager, Ed.M In Global Education, Harvard
FACILITATION
The Shared Future Project member and a member from The Spirit of Enniskillen Trust delivered the programme. Both are highly experienced in delivering “Dealing with Difference Together” workshops and one is highly experienced in delivering Youth Peace Building and Leadership programmes. Both facilitators are past participants of the Youth Peace Building and Leadership programme and have undergone training.
Participants
The 10 participants were drawn from across seven institutions across Oldham. There were five boys and five girls aging from 16 to 18 years old and four were from ethnic minority background. The group comprised of Muslims, Hindu, Protestants, Roman Catholic and atheists.
PROGRAMME - YOUTH PEACE BUILDING AND LEADERSHIP
Dialogue Sessions
The dialogue sessions were planned and delivered by the facilitators. The initial sessions focused on developing the self-awareness and self-identity of the “home group.” Honesty, trust and communication were deeply explored, as they are central to the workshops. The workshops explore pre-conceptions and biases that the participants may have bought with them to camp. As confidence builds the group is encouraged to challenge other participants and essentially challenge themselves. Participants are given opportunities to communicate their perceptions of each other and of each other’s culture backgrounds and religion. Over time sessions lead to an increased awareness of each cultures and religion. Over the course of the programme the group realised that there cultural difference within ethnic minorities e.g. between Bangladeshis, Indians and Pakistanis just as there are differences within Christianity. The workshops covered many different topics that are relevant to young people living in Oldham such as the 7/7 bombing, extreme political parties, peer pressure and sexuality. A joint workshop with the Northern Ireland student’s explored the issue of nationality and identity. The dialogue sessions are the most emotionally and intellectually challenging part of the programme.
Topical Workshops
The topical workshops are led by SIT facilitators which help the students broaden the focus from a local context to global issues such as Poverty, Gender, HIV and Youth Activism. Through presentations and structured debates the students learn about these issues. These workshops are attended by all, the Americans, the Northern Irish and the Oldham students therefore the students have the opportunity to question and analyse a wide range of views.
Programme
Presentations and Talks
There is a series of talks and presentations for all the participants. Guest speakers who have a considerable expertise in areas such as Conflict Transformation, Global Health Issues and Current affairs deliver these. President of Vermont's Senate Peter Shumlin and Bernie Sanders who is the next US Senator from Vermont were two of the guest speakers. These sessions are inter-active and provide students with an invaluable opportunity to share cultural perspectives and learn about American Politics. These sessions often over–run due to the enthusiastic response of the students and the many questions they wish to ask.
Social and Recreational Activities
Social and recreational activities take place both on SIT campus and off-site in the near locality everyday. These activities are specifically designed to establish group camaraderie through teambuilding and co-operation. As all the participants are involved it offers an invaluable opportunity for the young people to build trust and form friendships through shared discovery. The students learn about each other’s culture and country in a more informal and relaxed setting. The activities are wide and varied including Afro-Cuban dancing, canoeing, volleyball, high rope course, strawberry picking, African drumming, barn dancing and many more.
Students Evaluations and Sample Comments
What have you learnt about yourself over the course of the programme?
- I am capable of being completely honest and open minded without hurting other people’s feeling or having a feeling disloyalty to those of my background
- I learnt many things but more importantly I learnt about myself
- I put myself down quite a lot and I have learnt how to overcome that
- That maybe I am not always right and that perhaps I am too blunt for my own good
- I feel strongly about some subjects that I previously thought I had no opinions about
- I have learnt that I do have a passion for this work and clarified the need in my life to make a difference
What have you learnt about people that are different to you?
- That people have different yet valid points on all the issues explored
- I learnt about different cultures and how people feel towards my own culture
- I have learnt that every person, culture, religion, country is unique meaning that there is going to be a difference in opinions. However these difference in opinions on key issues does not mean that people can not get along
- That although I may not agree with their opinions it doesn’t mean I cant get on with them
- If you take away skin colour and religion we are very alike individuals
- That even people who follow the same religion have very different opinions
How have you changed in the last two weeks?
- I have developed a lot as a person in terms of my ability to be honest and deal with problems instead of ignoring them or being too subtle.
- I have changed in quite a few ways; the main way is my confidence. Being able to voice my opinions freely and being listened to has really helped my self-belief.
- I have improved my listening skills and my body language so that people know that I am listening to them through my body language
- My communication skills have grown, because I have realised that sometimes it is difficult to put your point across. Some people have stronger personalities and will usually take charge but you have to make sure who are being listened to and are strong enough to do so.
- I think I may have re-found my religion as I am thinking of returning to my Church
- I think I have definitely become more patient and to perhaps learn when to bite my tongue. I have realised that I need to be more sensitive towards other people
How did you participate in the workshops?
- I am a good listener therefore I listened well but my participation as a speaker has grown throughout the two weeks as my confidence grew
- I feel that I was very honest and was constantly involved
- I think I was one of the most involved in most of the discussions as I do not shy away from giving my side of the story
- I would sometimes go against my own views and argue the opposite view to challenge myself and others
- I feet I contributed fully, I would not only consider my view but I would encourage the group to think about views that others may have
- I felt I participated well, providing lost of personal accounts and opinions as well as encouraging others to speak.
What have you learnt about leadership and communication?
- I have improved my speaking skills and my ability to take control, I have learnt how hard it can be to make sure everyone is listening to me
- Communication is a fundamental factor for the group to work. If we can not talk and listen effectively nothing would be achieved
- I have learnt that although it is important to have leadership qualities these qualities are nothing without good communication skills
- There are different types of leaders and sometimes you need to vary your method and approach depending on the situation
- I learnt that good leaderships needs to be a balance of being a good role modal and the organisational aspect of it.
- Good communication is more effective when everyone makes an effort
Comment on how you will use these skills?
- The leadership skills and communication skills gained here will follow me throughout my life and be drawn upon at times in my future
- I have learnt to listen because normally I would most of the talking but now I am able to listen and make points
- I have a Community Sports Leader Award and often coach children sport. This would be an ideal place to use my communication and leadership skills to effectively control the group and speak to them
- The communication skills will assist me in talking and challenging people about their views and perceptions
- I will use these skills to be an example to other young people and hopefully do my part to help make Oldham a better place
- I will give people the opportunity to make their own decision rather then making it for them. I also realise that a leader has to take responsibility for everyone in the group, not just for yourself.
- I can use this in everyday life when I am dealing with people and challenging opinions in the ways we have discusses. Especially as I am head girl they will be vital in discussion making.
What have you enjoyed the most?
- I have enjoyed the workshops thoroughly. The “perceptions” workshop stood out for me as the most powerful topics raised. The discussion was energetic, challenging and extremely thought provoking
- Making friends and having a laugh but the fact that everyone was different made it even more enjoyable
- Every single thing! I have been myself, spoken the truth about myself. I loved all the outdoor activities and all the workshops because they were serious and interesting to do. It has been the best part of my life
- The recreational activities have been great and vital for the group to bond together
- I enjoyed the “perception” workshop as it was a great opportunity to be totally honest about come misconceptions about Asians and also see what the community thought of the white community and then talk about these
- Most enjoyed learning about different cultures and religions because this will help me combat ignorance in society. I also find it very interesting and they fit in with my academic subjects
What was the most important aspect for you?
- The most important thing for me is that now I have the enthusiasm, commitment and determination to do all the things we have discussed because I have realised my true passion for all things related to peace-building and helping to make a difference in Oldham.
- The honesty that the group expressed was very important to me as I felt we could share anything with each other. Personal stories were constantly related to the group abolishing any boundaries.
- The discussions were intense and could get heated but after the discussions the group went back to being friends
- How people did not judge after sharing personal things in the workshops
- The nightly reviews because these gave us the chance to discuss problems and successes within the group.
- Constantly interacting with different people in both work and social time. This gave us the chance to learn and understand about others
What will you take from this experience?
- New and improved social skills such as listening skills. I think I am a better listener as it has made me realise that things become much more interesting if you are willing to listen to others
- Many things such as knowledge on culture and religion, more ideas on my personal beliefs on controversial issues
- I will never forget what has happened here. I have improved my social skills especially my confidence. It has emphasised the fact that these residential are vital to teaching young people for so may reasons
- I have discovered things about myself I believe will help shape my future being. This project had created a more rounded me.
- Not to judge a book by its cover. People are different to the perceptions and stereotypes associated with ones look
- The memories, this is a one in a lifetime opportunity. I will never forget the workshops and the recreational activities.
Conclusion
The 10 participants had the opportunity to go to America and take part in a Youth Peace-Building and Leadership programme, which was facilitated by highly skilled facilitators from the Shared Future Project and The Spirit of Enniskillen Trust. Through a shared experience of honest and open dialogues and debates, students reflected on their perceptions of other people. They discussed their opinions and views on controversial issues and through a process of questioning and challenging they looked at how those opinions were formed. They had to look deep within themselves, acknowledge their prejudices, and voice these prejudices. They challenged each other and shared personal stories increasing the groups’ knowledge on different cultures, religions and lifestyles. This process broadens minds and encourages the young people to look and think outside of the box.
The students had two opportunities to be the “Leader for the day,” in which they would be paired up with another person and those two would be the leaders for the day. Being leader for the day meant that students had the opportunity to use and develop their leadership skills in an official capacity. Some of their responsibility would include making sure that everyone was awake, everyone knew were to be at what time, make sure everyone was involved. This was an opportunity to use their initiative and take on as much responsibility as they felt they could. At the end of the day the leaders would talk about their experience and what they learnt. The group and the facilitators will review the leaders giving constructive feedback. This meant that the leaders knew what they had done well and what they could improve on. This opportunity allowed the students to use their leadership style and experiment with other styles and to learn from others.
Through our own observation and “Leaders for the day” there is considerable leadership potential within the group. All students have gained a lot from this programme; they have developed and learned new skills. Many of the students’ confidence levels have grown and all have better understanding of other cultures and religion.
All the students want to use their learning and experience and are highly committed to making a contribution, both to their own and wider community. They have a real wish to make a difference. All have expressed their interest in continued involvement in the Shared Future Project and working with new participants.
Shared Future Residential Weekend March 2008
RESIDENTIAL WEEKEND
FRIDAY 1ST FEBRUARY – SUNDAY 2ND MARCH 2008
A group of year 11 students from Oldham were invited to take part in a Shared Future Residential weekend in North Wales at the Ozanam centre.
The aim of the weekend was to bring together a group of young people from various backgrounds across Oldham to work with facilitators from the Shared Future project and The Spirit of Enniskillen Trust, which is based in Northern Ireland.
The aims of the programme were to:
← Enable young people from various backgrounds to build relationships by sharing their experiences of living in Oldham
← Increase levels of awareness and knowledge of different cultures and social perspectives
← Increase levels of awareness and knowledge of commonality of interest and life experience
← Encourage young people to explore and challenge preconceptions and stereotypical views
← Reflect on their learning
← Promote attitudinal change at a personal level
FACILITATION
Members of the Shared Future Project and The Spirit of Enniskillen Trust who are highly experienced in delivering “Dealing with Difference Together” workshops facilitated the programme. Facilitators are either past participants of the Shared Future Programme or the Spirit of Enniskillen “Citizenship for a Shared Future” programme which takes place in Northern Ireland.
Working alongside the facilitators were two past participants who went through the Shared Future Programme in 2006/2007. These students are developing their own skills and experience as future facilitators.
PARTICIPANTS
Participants were drawn from 11 secondary schools across Oldham. The group comprised a balance of girls and boys and backgrounds. Therefore there were 12 boys and 12 girls and 12 of those young people came from ethnic minority backgrounds.
DEALING WITH DIFFERENCE TOGETHER
Workshop 1 – Setting the scene
Setting the scene of the residential by creating a safe and honest participative learning environment. Student’s fears about the weekend are alleviated and hopes are shared, a working agreement is drawn ensuring every participant gets the most they can from the weekend. Students share their experiences highlighting significant events of their lives.
Workshop 2 – Who do we think we are?
To encourage the group to open up by sharing their own personal views, talking about themselves and their own background. To ease the group into discussions around what it means to be different and exploring some of the consequences these differences lead to.
Workshop 3 – Dealing with Difference and Division in our Society
To move away from personal differences to look at difference between different communities and different types of people in Oldham. Exploring the effects of prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes on us personally and within society.
Workshop 4 – the wider world: Conflict and Difference
To take the focus away from Oldham by exploring difference and conflict in the wider world; looking at America and in particularly Northern Ireland. This will help gain a global perspective that Oldham is not the only place struggling to deal with difference, widening how the groups thinks. Looking at how others deal with conflict and that hopefully we can take something back to Oldham. It also puts into context the involvement of The Spirit of Enniskillen Trust.
Workshop 5 – Exploring a Shared Future and Our Contributions
The final workshop ties the weekend together by looking at a Shared Future and a Divided Future. It moves away from looking at divisions and differences to focusing on what personal contribution we can make in helping to reduce the divisions and barriers that exist. Focusing in four key areas; communities, schools, friends and families.
Teambuilding
Active teambuilding demonstrates that young people from various backgrounds can communicate and work together as a team outside the workshops. It allows the young people to use the skills and learning that they have learnt during workshops.
STUDENTS EVALUATIONS AND SAMPLE COMMENTS
How effective were the facilitators in achieving the aims of the programme?
- They got everyone involved and were really friendly towards everyone
- Explained the activities well and made us really think about our opinions
- Very funny, always there when you need them, they are good people who deserve a lot of credit for what they do
- Easy to talk to and encouraging
- Kept it serious but always up for a laugh
- Incredible, they were all so friendly and I think they were approachable because of this the residential went great
How effective were the different workshops in achieving the aims of the programme?
Workshop One
- I found the activities great for us to know each other, especially the life maps, in just a few hours we all bonded so well
- It got us all involved and it made us all comfortable with the group, it was really friendly and set the mood
- I liked the fact we got to know each other very quick
- We all began to trust each other really quickly due to this workshop
- Helped us bond really fast, it was scary how much experience there was just in one room
- The contract made sure everyone knew what was acceptable and talking about the fears meant everyone was on the same level
Workshop Two
- The questions were challenging but interesting to see what other people thought
- Really got me to realise that people have different opinions
- The question circle made us really think before answering the questions
- It helped me to learn more about myself
- Everyone was heard and got their views and opinions across even though some people were shy
- Excellent debate, made us
Workshop Three
- “Four corners” was great, learnt loads and heard many different opinions and my knowledge grew
- “Four Corners” exercise was a really good debate session
- Was interesting to look at society from a different persons point of view and see how they would be treated in Oldham
- It made us aware that what we do everyday affects people and ourselves and how people make judgements about people before knowing them
- Made you think of things you normally wouldn’t, they clarified my own views
- It was an eye opener seeing other peoples opinion, it really challenged me and I liked the fact I was challenged
Workshop Four
- It was really good and emotional watching the video about Gordon Wilson. It made you think about how problems are dealt with in different areas and ways.
- It made you really look at yourself and think what would you do in that situation. It taught me about leadership, courage and forgiveness
- I really enjoyed learning about other places and it made me realise that all conflicts are different but I found it hard to really understand the details about Northern Ireland’s conflict
- I learnt a lot about Northern Ireland, I really did not know about the IRA and the Catholic/Protestant split
- Made us really think about the wider world
- It made me think of my past, similar situation in my country Kosovo
Workshop Five
- Good! But made us a little uncomfortable
- The role-plays were really good, showed me different ways of what I can do to help Oldham. The political party made me realise that you do not have to agree to get your point across
- I enjoyed the political party, at first it was hard to argue against my own personal views
- The hardest workshop for me, I enjoyed it
- I loved the personal contribution, made you feel valued
- This was very interesting and I learnt a lot about what could be achieved if we all come together
Teambuilding
- Really made me realise that teamwork is important in life
- It showed that we must co-operate with each other and compromise
- We got better and worked better as a team as time went on
- Helped the group understand and build on each other
- Even though we did not complete them I felt we worked good as a team but could have done better
- They were great, even though our group did not complete many of the exercises we still learnt different skills which we can use in the future
How do you think you will use the learning gained from the workshops?
- It will make it easier for me to deal with difference and conflict I encounter in the real world
- I will think about what I have learnt when I find myself in a difficult situations and try to use the skills and learning that I have learnt
- I will inform people about what I have learnt, how peoples views are different but still valid and that segregation is nit right
- I have begun to look at views in a different way. I have also learnt some amazing skills
- I will be more open minded and I realise that I can talk to people from other races and religion, not to stereotype people
- I will able to tell friends and families what I have learnt and hopefully educate them
- This really helped me with my confidence
- Let people know by doing assemblies and talking to people
Additional comments
- Thank you for a great weekend, an interesting residential
- Can I come again?
- Very unforgettable and enjoyable experience, left me confused
- Thanks everyone for a great eye opening weekend, met some great facilitators and some amazing people
- Thank you for the opportunity to do all of this
- Made me realise making friends from different backgrounds is not such a difficult thing
CONCLUSION
The current group of 24 Year 11 students in the Shared Future Project have had the opportunity to work with highly skilled facilitators from the Shared Future Project and from the Spirit of Enniskillen Trust. This is reflected in the students’ evaluations, which are extremely positive. Through a shared experience of honest and open dialogues and debates, students have begun to reflect on their perceptions of other people, to question their own views and to challenge those of others. This process broadens their minds and encourages the young people to look and think outside of the box. They have started to examine the ways in which conflict between different beliefs, values and cultures can arise.
Through our own observation and feedback from the Spirit of Enniskillen it is clear there is considerable leadership potential within the group. All students have improved or devolved new skills whether this is expressing their opinions clearly, gaining a better understanding of other cultures or improving their confidence. A number of students want to use their learning and are highly committed to making a contribution, both to their own and wider community. They have a real wish to make a difference. Many have expressed their interest in their continued interest in the Shared Future Project.
Some of these students will be taken forward for facilitation training and will be able to apply for the international Youth Peace-building and Leadership Programme in Vermont USA in July of this year.
Katharine Rhodes April 2008
Shared Future Project Co-ordinator
Oldham School Linking Project and Shared Future Project
OLDHAM SCHOOLS LINKING PROJECT (PRIMARY)
SHARED FUTURE PROJECT (SECONDARY/COLLEGES)
NATIONAL CONTEXT
The Government has commissioned a number of reports in recent years in order to explore how best to promote social cohesion and tackle extremism.
Most recently, the Commission on Integration and Cohesion were tasked with analysing the current state of integration and cohesion across the country. The subsequent report ‘Our Shared Futures’ was published in June 2007.
One of the key recommendations was that there should be ‘a national programme of school twinning…. and opportunities for links between young people from different faiths and backgrounds.’*
LOCAL CONTEXT
The Oldham riots of May 2001 resulted in OMBC commissioning a report ‘Oldham Independent Review’ December 2001 (David Ritchie) in which one of 12 recommendations was the development of the Oldham Schools Linking Project.
Since then the Linking Project has been one of the central planks of Oldham’s Community Cohesion Strategy, representing the Council’s work on community cohesion at local and national level.
The key function of the Linking Project and the Shared Future Project is to co-ordinate the development of opportunities, which help children and young people to build relationships and better understanding. Programmes of activity allow young people, who would not normally have a chance to mix, to meet and share a range of positive experiences both within the schools and off site. The process of coming together allows young people to gain an understanding of each other’s culture, faith and identity – their differences and their similarities.
AIMS
▪ Enable children and young people to build relationships through the process of sharing experiences
▪ Promote attitudinal change at a personal level
▪ Increase levels of awareness and knowledge of different cultural and social perspectives
▪ Increase levels of awareness and knowledge of commonality of interests and life-experience
▪ Challenge children and young people to reflect on pre-conceptions and stereotypical views
NUMBERS INVOLVED
▪ An average of 2000 children and young people are involved in project activity per year
▪ 50 primary schools
▪ 15 secondary schools
OUTCOMES AND IMPACT
The impact of the projects has been praised in a number of reports both local and national.
▪ ‘Report on Diversity and Citizenship’ January 2007 (Sir Keith Ajegbo, DCFS)
‘The review group found some trailblazing examples of good practice on diversity. Sir Keith’s team want schools across the country to follow the good example of communities in Oldham and Bradford …primary schools forged links by twinning between schools representative of different communities…’
▪ ‘Challenging Local Communities to Change Oldham’ June 2006 (Institute of Community Cohesion, Professor Ted Cantle)
‘Schools and pupils are highly positive about the opportunities the project provides …… this could well be emerging as an area of best practice’
▪ Ofsted Reports 2007/8
❑ ‘Pupil’s cultural development is also strong, being promoted very well by the school’s work in the ‘Oldham Linking Project’ in which pupils receive a…multicultural and international approach to their work’
(Mills Hill Primary April 2007)
❑ The strong links the school has with a local school that has a very high proportion of pupils of Asian heritage makes an important contribution to pupils' understanding of different cultures.
(Rushcroft Primary School Ofsted Report October 2007)
❑ Cultural development is excellent as is the school’s work to promote racial harmony, tolerance and respect. The Linking Project …… involves pupils working with other pupils from different ethnic heritages who attend a neighbouring school. In pupils’ words, “ let’s learn about others, their faith and beliefs and how to get along together”…..’
(Mather Street Primary School Ofsted Report May 2008)
❑ ‘The strong links with another school do much to foster community cohesion and to teach all pupils about religions and cultures different from their own…’
(Freehold Primary School Ofsted January 2008)
LEARNING OUTCOMES
▪ The impact of the Linking Project on children and young people in Oldham has been highlighted in a number of primary school Ofsted Reports.
▪ Inspectors have noted that children involved in linking activities demonstrate a greater understanding and awareness of dealing with difference and a more comprehensive understanding of other cultures than would normally be expected.
▪ Linking opportunities support schools and young people in the implementation of the Citizenship curriculum
▪ Linking opportunities support the recommendations of the Diversity and Citizenship Curriculum Review (DCFS 2007)
▪ Linking Opportunities support all aspects of ‘Every Child Matters’
EXAMPLES OF ACTIVITY
▪ Curriculum based linking
▪ Drama, Art, Music, Dance workshops
▪ Educational visits
▪ Outdoor/environmental activity
▪ Assemblies, celebrations
▪ Residential experience
▪ Philosophical Enquiry
▪ Joint schools’ choir
▪ Joint schools’ council
▪ Joint governor and staff training
▪ Cross- cultural dialogue workshops
▪ Residential programmes on ‘Dealing with Difference’
▪ International Youth Peace-building and Leadership programme
▪ Training in development of Leadership and facilitation skills
EVALUATION COMMENTS FROM STUDENTS (WORKSHOPS AND RESIDENTIAL JANUARY- MARCH 08)
‘Learned how racism is such a major issue in Oldham and I think I can make a difference by treating people with respect’
‘I thought that it was good way to find out people’s views and opinions’
‘I learned that not everyone in Oldham areas know about each other and things going on around them e.g. people from Saddleworth didn’t seem to know much about the racist issues’
‘I realized that some people don’t have any idea what is going on around them and I really enjoyed and learnt from other people’s views!!’
‘Workshop 2 made me realise that I was actually quite ignorant as to what was going on in Oldham. Also I enjoyed putting my point of view across and hearing others.
Interesting hearing people’s opinions on racial views’
‘I learnt from the dealing with difference workshop that it does not matter if you are different!! I felt that this was a good topic as you saw other people’s views on different types of people’
‘I think I will use it to widen my perspectives on prejudice and stereotypes and I will try not to use as many stereotypes’
‘I will try and confront prejudice and discrimination of my own and my family’
‘I think that it will help me make new friends and influence me to mix more and make a wider variety of friends’
‘I will use it by putting forward my ideas at the Youth Forum meetings and I will be able to say that other people around Oldham want to change it for the better’
REPORTS FOR REFERENCE
▪ The Oldham Independent Review (Dec 2001)
▪ Community Cohesion in Oldham Primary Schools (May 2003) Maureen Haddock.
▪ Select Committee: Report on Social Cohesion (May 2004) ODPM
▪ Oldham Local Education Authority Inspection Report (May 2004) Ofsted
▪ Interim Report on Oldham Schools Linking Project (Dec 2004) Manchester University
▪ Challenging Local Communities to Change Oldham (March 2006) Professor Ted Cantle
▪ Report on Diversity and Citizenship January 2007 (Sir Keith Ajegbo)
▪ Our Shared Futures June 2007 (Commission on Integration and Cohesion)
2008 Youth Service Fusion
SUCCESS FOR COMMUNITY COHESION AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN OLDHAM
Fusion 2008 was a major success. This year not only did nearly every secondary school in the Borough taking part in this project but for the first time a group of young people from Rochdale also participated. Over 90 year 10 students spent a week of their Easter holidays in Wales, on the exciting ‘Fusion’ Community Cohesion project organised by Oldham Council’s Youth Service.
Every secondary school in Oldham was invited to nominate four Year 10 students to take part in Fusion, which won the Youth Category in the 2006 Oldham Equality and Diversity Awards.
Through a variety of activities ranging from Performing Arts to rock climbing, young people were given the opportunity to develop personal confidence, self-esteem, social skills as well as learning about and celebrating cultural diversity through the new friendships they make.
Following the week in Wales, weekly meetings on a Sunday afternoon will be held at Cannon Street Youth Centre so that the friendships can continue to flourish, thus bringing together young people from across the whole of the Borough on a regular basis.
One of the young people who attended ‘Fusion’ said: “It was the best week of my life. I learnt so much about other cultures and disabilities. I would thoroughly recommend Fusion to any Young Person.”
Jayne Taylor, Assistant Head of Oldham Youth Service commented: “This year’s ‘Fusion’ was a major success. All the young people who attended have learnt something valuable from the experience. Projects such as Fusion really do help to put young people at the forefront of Oldham’s progress towards community cohesion.”
For any further information on this project, please contact Oldham Youth Service on 0161 770 3168.
| |What have you enjoyed during Fusion? |
|A |I have enjoyed all of the activities for example high rope and canoeing also I have enjoyed getting no all of the people at Fusion and |
| |the disco. |
| |All the people, new, old were all amazing and also the activities were great too. All staff were so supportive and helped me a lot. |
| |Meeting people I wouldn’t have met without Fusion. Doing activities such as high ropes, that I might not have ever have the chance to do |
| |again. Making new friends and even arranging to meet them after this, without Fusion I wouldn’t have met some different, amazing and |
| |extraordinary people. |
| |I have enjoyed doing all the different activities, high ropes best, I have enjoyed the most meeting all the new people that I never would|
| |have met if it wasn’t for this and also exchanging numbers to speak in the future. |
| |New mates, the activities, Disco’s. |
| |I have enjoyed meeting new people and doing the high jump. |
| |Meeting new people, working together as a team, taking part in different challenges. |
| |I enjoyed meeting new people, working with them and being able to call them friends together, I enjoyed doing the high ropes, jumping |
| |into the sea after rafting and partying with mates every night. |
| |Meeting new people and doing new things that I thought I would never do. |
| |Canoeing. |
| |People, activities. |
| |Meeting people, doing activities and having a laugh. |
| |I have enjoyed mixing with people and seeing this year’s fusion enjoy themselves and go through the same experience as I did last year. |
| |Meeting new people and new friends especially the guys and girls in group A including Paul he’s a mint guy and fun. If I had chance I |
| |would definitely come back. |
| |I have enjoyed everything but definitely enjoyed the rock climbing. |
|B |Meeting new people. Talking to people who I normally wouldn’t, doing all the activities. |
| |Meeting different people and doing different activities. |
| |Most of it especially the raft building and at night. I loved meeting new people. |
| |Most of it yes! |
| |I have enjoyed meeting new people and the activities. |
| |All the activities, Disco. |
| |Everything. |
| |I have enjoyed all the activities and also I have enjoyed having a great laugh wit my new mates. |
| |Meeting new people, learning about different races, cultures and religions. |
| |I have enjoyed the high roping activity. |
| |Making new friends. The show, Evening activities. |
| |Working as group, sharing dorm, meeting new people, stepping over the line in activities. |
| |Everything. |
| |My dorm, canoeing, high rope, disco’s, 1st night, meeting new people, black jack. |
| |My dorm, canoeing, high rope, disco’s, 1st night, meeting new people, black jack. |
| |I really enjoyed meeting new people and new friends. I also enjoyed canoeing and overcoming my fear of the water. |
|C |Everything has been good but I definitely enjoyed the high rope and trapezium the most. I also really enjoyed canoeing and rafting was a |
| |laugh. |
| |I have enjoyed meeting new people. I also enjoyed all the activities and trying new things. |
| |The high rope, climbing and the free time. |
| |I’ve enjoyed everything about Fusion! especially meeting new mates, mixing with different races. Also the challenges were great fun. |
| |All the activities we have done. High ropes – one of the best. Disco – cool. |
| |I enjoyed meeting all the new people know called friends. I enjoyed all the activities and mixing with other cultures. I thought the |
| |whole thing was awesome, I’m glad I came! |
| |All the day activities, disco, meeting new people, having the peer mentors to talk to in general and about Fusion, Getting wet. |
| |I have enjoyed most of Fusion my best bit was canoeing and the raft building. |
| |Meeting new mates, doing new things, experiencing mixing with different races. |
| |The high rope activity and the disco (especially on the last day – Friday). |
| |I have enjoyed doing all the activities and also meeting new friends. |
| |Meeting new people! High roping and other activities, trying new things. |
| |I have enjoyed all the activities on Fusion and have enjoyed fusing with other young people. |
| |I have enjoyed all the activities while my stay. I liked meeting new people and I had so much fun. |
|D |I enjoyed the support that this group have showed to each other and the self-belief and determination in themselves. |
| |I enjoyed everything especially meeting new friends and being with them. I also enjoyed being part of group D because everyone was |
| |brilliant. |
| |Everything. I enjoyed challenging myself and meeting new people and especially my room mates and meeting the staff 9Jodie) and doing rock|
| |climbing, I liked the disco’s every night and some of the food but some of it was horrid and there are some nice people and nice looking.|
| |I enjoyed the whole thing but specifically the fact that all these strangers have all come together and shown us the true meaning of |
| |Fusion. |
| |I was really not happy at first I was determined to go home but after talking with the youth workers I started to open up and really |
| |really enjoyed the whole week. |
| |Jumping in the water, canoeing and rafting, the group. |
| |Meeting new people – people from different religions, doing the activities, finding new things out about myself, the support from the |
| |groups. |
| |I have enjoyed during Fusion is making new friends and getting to know other cultures. Fusion works so well because in the first day you |
| |think you know everyone for years. |
| |Everything. I enjoyed challenging myself and knowing all the support that was there. I enjoyed canoeing… even though it took sometime. |
| |Thank you Sarah. The raft building has been an experience just like high rope so thank you Greg and Jordanne. I have mostly enjoyed |
| |meeting all these amazing people. |
| |I have enjoyed all the activities, some are once in a lifetime opportunity. I have also enjoyed the amount of effort the team has put |
| |into the activities and getting to know each other. |
| |I have enjoyed everything from the first day all the boys in my room gelled together. All the group enjoyed each other’s company. |
| |The activities such as canoeing and the high ropes. |
| |I enjoyed everything. Getting to know other people. Rock climbing, raft building, Disco’s, Worlds greatest, I hated the food and of |
| |course canoeing. |
| |I have enjoyed absolutely EVERYTHING! Except food! I loved jumping in the sea after raft building and canoeing, I loved the group all my |
| |new friends and even high roping. I liked being Tarzan for a few hours and jumping out of trees. I even loved Greg’s Disco music Ha Ha! |
|E |I have enjoyed everything about Fusion from when I first came. I have loved every minute of it. |
| |There is nothing I have not enjoyed on Fusion. I loved every second apart from leaving Fusion. |
| |During Fusion I have enjoyed everything apart from getting up in the morning. |
| |I have enjoyed everything in Fusion all the activities and I enjoyed making new friends from different places. |
| |Meeting new people, making friends, the food, the disco, meeting girls, gaining trust, rock climbing. |
| |The things I have enjoyed the most is doing the high ropes and the raft building. |
| |The things I have enjoyed during Fusion are rock climbing, canoeing/sailing, the show, Basically all of the activities. But the one thing|
| |that has made the trip Fusion worth while is making new friends especially with the people in my room who I didn’t know before I was told|
| |I was sharing a room with them. I really got to know them and I am sad to leave after only a short period of time. |
| |I have enjoyed the adrenalin from all the activities and making so many new friends and becoming so close to everyone in a short space of|
| |time. The disco’s were well good! I feel as if part of a family. |
| |I have enjoyed meeting new people and experiencing other people’s cultures, it’s really helped me gain a better prospective of things and|
| |why people disagree, also the activities were great and pushed me to the limits! It’s been an extraordinary experience for me and I would|
| |recommend it to everyone who is lucky enough to have the opportunity. |
| |I have almost enjoyed everything during Fusion except the food other than that I have enjoyed the disco, high ropes, raft building and |
| |especially the show since I learned some dance moves from my friend and it was really fun working with Eddy. |
| |As a peer mentor I was excited to meet all the new people like I did last year and telling them about my experience and if they are upset|
| |helping them. Also jumping off the trapeze, which I didn’t do last year. |
| |Making new friends. Learning that everyone is the same but different. Learning about what others believe and points of view on things. |
| |Doing high rope, rock climbing, canoeing and raft building, making new friends, learning more about different races and religions. |
| |I enjoyed meeting new people from different town and doing all the activities specially the high rope. I mostly enjoyed the disco because|
| |I like dancing. I also enjoyed sleeping in a room with the rest of the people it was good fun! |
|F |Everything was fantastic!!! I loved the activities and the company of group F! |
| |EVERYTHING! I have really enjoyed it all-like everything it was amazing, everybody is lovely, don’t want to go! |
| |I have enjoyed everything. All the hard working sports, shows, games and all the others along it. Loved meeting all the people especially|
| |group F made good friends. |
| |I have enjoyed the whole experience! Its been an absolute blast! enjoy every second of it! Its been and amazing blast! |
| |EVERYTHING! making new friends and doing everything together. |
| |EVERYTHING! |
| |I have enjoyed everything! |
| |All the activities and bonding with my group, also meeting people I wouldn’t normally talk to. |
| |Meeting everyone and jump off a 50ft tree taking part in everything and doing everything. |
| |Everything, its been awesome. |
| |I have enjoyed all of the activities and everything. Group F are the best. I enjoyed nearly everything raft building, canoeing, rock |
| |climbing, high ropes and even the disco. My new mates gave me a lot of support and help. The leaders and peer mentors have been great and|
| |they deserve a lot of credit. |
| |Meeting so many fabulous young people, taking part in a range of activities which I would never normally be able to do, eg, canoeing and |
| |high ropes, conquering my fears and feeling proud of myself and my team members. |
| |I’ve enjoyed meeting people on Fusion, People like Mark, Dec, Lei I’m close with them now and I hope to keep in touch with them. I |
| |enjoyed all the activities im an active person and I like a challenge. |
| |What has been the highlight of Fusion for you? |
|A |When I faced my fears of heights and did the trapezium, which was 45ft high on the high ropes. |
| |Meeting all my new friends especially my group ones. |
| |The highlight of Fusion for me has been pushing myself to do the 55 ft high rope. I can safely say that I did push myself out of my |
| |comfort zone at Fusion. |
| |I have feared my cancer of heights because I was really scared and once I did the high ropes I did all the rest. |
| |Meeting new people and the disco’s. |
| |Meeting new people, high jump and the shows and not moaning. |
| |New friends, completing challenges, pushing myself to do the best I can do. |
| |The highlight of Fusion was the final nights, disco because everyone came together as friends and had a good time. |
| |Helping my new mates to overcome tasks. |
| |Being with friend. |
| |People, Team A is the best! |
| |Canoeing, raft building and meeting new people. |
| |The highlight for me was seeing some of the people enjoying themselves so much that they didn’t want to go home. I liked how they blended|
| |and made friendships in a way that people who haven’t been on Fusion could not understand. |
| |The highlight for me is meet new people and achieving new goals most of all doing solo in show. |
| |The disco, I liked my staff. |
|B |Meeting new people. |
| |Doing the show. |
| |The last night and new people. |
| |Meeting new friends. |
| |Meeting new people. |
| |The disco. |
| |The Disco’s. |
| |Making lots of new great friends. |
| |DJ’in in front of 80 people. |
| |Meeting new people and making good friends. |
| |Making new friends. |
| |Canoeing or the show… lots of teamwork and I’ve pulled it together (Ah-hoo :p). |
| |Meeting new people, doing the activities. |
| |Meeting new people and 1st night. |
| |Meeting new people and the 1st night. |
| |Meeting new friends and “stepping over the line”. |
|C |Meeting new people and making new mates from different places and backgrounds. |
| |The highlights have been the disco’s and the show at the end that every group does. Meeting new friends. |
| |The high rope. |
| |My highlight of Fusion was meeting all y new mates or Yaqub. |
| |Meeting new people, danced with different people in disco, when me and Chris fell out of the canoe – Cold. |
| |I think the best bit was the water ones, meeting everyone. |
| |When me and Yaqub fell out of the canoe. All the activities were a once in a lifetime opportunity. |
| |My highlight has been Yaqub getting cramp and canoeing with Shannon. |
| |Yaqub a great friend and funny guy, Ryan, Laura, Kayla, Suzie, Awais, Chris, Ollie, Paul, Rob, Marc, Heather and Graham. |
| |Ryan, Laura, Shannon, Yakub, Chris, Christy, Ollie, Mark, Paul, Mckayla, Suzy, Ben. Graham & Heather. |
| |Meeting new friends and making new mates. |
| |High roping, Disco’s, Meeting new people, E.G Suzie, Kirsty, Laura, Shannon, Awais, Ben, Yakub, Chris, Rob, Ollie, Marc, Paul. |
| |The highlight of Fusion for me was meeting all the new people and mixing with the staff and different races from Oldham & Rochdale. |
| |The highlight has been the opportunity to do so much with people who are top. |
|D |The highlight of the week were the group activities due to the support this group is willing to offer. |
| |Meeting new friends and canoeing. A lot of new friends have been from different communities to mine. |
| |My highlights for this week was doing rock climbing, raft building and the disco’s and meeting lovely people its been a fantastic time. |
| |My highlight was all the friends I made. |
| |The high ropes, rock climbing. |
| |Food and water sports, Group D members, being in the show, meeting new people. |
| |The highlight of Fusion was helping people succeed and feel confident in themselves. I also loved to see a smile on Stevens face all the |
| |time. |
| |My highlight of Fusion is being in the room having fun with the people (Ryan) and making them my friends. |
| |I have had many highlights on Fusion 08 but my main highlights have been watching everyone “step over the line!”. I feel we all bonded |
| |together well and quickly and really enjoyed my time. Experiencing new things have also been a highlight. |
| |My highlight would be meeting new people who I think would remain friends for a long time. |
| |The people who I met and I now I will never forget it in my life. |
| |Getting to people from different cultures, religions and races. Losing worlds greatest. |
| |Fusion has changed me. It is a time you can remember all your life. This week is an life remembering experience. I wont forget it and |
| |will miss it loads. |
| |The highlight of Fusion for me has been meeting all y new friends who I love to bits especially Gary, Jordanne, Eddy, Greg, Sarah, Beccy,|
| |Steven even Sahba Ha. Also a highlight of Fusion for me was all the activities. I enjoyed all of them even though I would have never |
| |bothered with them ever!!! |
|E |The highlight of Fusion for me was when I went on the high rope because I over came my fear of heights. |
| |I have been able to make loads of new mates I wouldn’t normally talk to from different cultures and backgrounds. |
| |Meeting new friends and becoming more confident towards people. |
| |The best thing for me is living in a big family and making new friends. |
| |The disco’s were awesome! Dancing with new friends like ive known them all my life… im going to miss them so much. |
| |Jumping off the trapeze, which is 60ft up in the air because I am scared of heights. |
| |The highlight of Fusion for me was being able to be put into a room with strangers that you have never spoken to and at the end of the 4 |
| |days not wanting to leave Fusion as you realise you may not see them again. |
| |The highlight of Fusion for me has been the people, everyone gets along no matter what race or culture. And I have become great friends |
| |and love everyone to bits. |
| |High roping, I found it awesome, it really tests you and you achieve so much from it, it gives you so much confidence to try things new |
| |and a sense of achievement when you complete the course. |
| |For me, the show would have been the best. It was so much fun working with Lixon, Accky and Eddy. We had a good laugh throughout the day.|
| |Jumping off the trapeze and knowing that all my group were supporting me even though I was really scared. |
| |Meeting all the wonderful people that I have and high roping, Meeting everyone in my room they are all amazing people and everyone in my |
| |group I am going to miss. |
| |For me it has been making some great new friends like Joe, Oti, Josh, Edward, Riton, Mark, Matty, max, Paul, Patric, Emma and Rucksana. |
| |The best thing was the show and the disco because I like performing and also meet lots of girls!!! |
| |Raft building and the show and the people. |
|F |All the fantastic friends I’ve made!!! |
| |The people, Fusion Rocks. |
| |Climbing the trapeze, canoeing, meeting all these friends that I’ve made rock climbing. |
| |Meeting new people and trying out different activities and going pass what I’d think id achieve. Learnt loads of new things. Ive learnt |
| |to step over that line that stops me from excelling. |
| |Facing my fears and making friends. |
| |Meeting new people, having fun, trying new things and overcoming fears. |
| |Developing a close relationship with my group. |
| |Jumping off a 50ft tree and everything else. |
| |Jumping off a 50ft tree. |
| |Meeting new people who normally I would probably not socialise with them. Also the team building activities were really good. |
| |The highlight for me has been canoeing and it was my first time and I loved it. My team members Rabbie and Tony did great and our team |
| |communication well that’s why we did so good. |
| |Coming back as a peer mentor and being able to pass on all of my support to my team knowing that I have helped so many people and made so|
| |many life long friends. |
| |My highlight of Fusion is being in the rooms at night. We bond really well and have become great friends. Last night was my favourite, |
| |Mark slept in our room and it was dead funny, we taped a bedsheet to a door frame at 4am and it was hilarious! I have loads of pres of |
| |last night and I will keep them forever to remind myself of how good these people really are. |
| |What have you learnt on Fusion? |
|A |I have leant it does not matter what colour or background your from we are all the same inside. |
| |That there is no black race, white race or any other race there is one race which is human race. |
| |I have learnt that no matter you skin colour, religion, race, culture, hobbies, interests everyone can get along in someway, shape or |
| |form. |
| |I have learnt hat everybody is the same and it doesn’t matter because everybody can get along in someway. |
| |That I can mix with other religions. |
| |I have learnt you can get along with every race no matter where they came from. |
| |That I can almost do anything if my mind is in gear one. How easy it is to make new friends. |
| |I have learnt that everyone is different and that stereotyping different cultures is a waste of time. |
| |Teamwork and a sense of other race and religion. |
| |Working together. |
| |Everybody bleeds the same blood and that everybody is different yet still the same. |
| |You should always try no matter what! and you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. |
| |I’ve learnt that you have to make the best of situations that you find yourself in and put as much effort in as possible to making it |
| |what you want it to be. |
| |To try new things and don’t be scared and I can do new things. |
| |Everyone’s equal. |
|B |That people are not stereotypes and everyone should be given a chance. |
| |I have learnt about community cohesion. |
| |Team work, How to build a raft, you can concur your fears if you put your mind to it, step over the line! |
| |How to canoe, how to high rope and that if you give people a try they’re nice people. |
| |Teamwork. That you can do anything if you put your mind on it (stepping over the line). |
| |That we are all one big family :) |
| |How people aren’t what they seen by what race they are. |
| |That we are all different but the same. |
| |To stick with your team through everything no matter what. |
| |Teamwork is valuable and supporting each other helps people a lot. |
| |You can overcome fears, Have fun. |
| |How to work better as a team and how to play great games and activities. |
| |People from different backgrounds and cultures can get on aswell. Stereotypes didn’t matter in the end. |
| |How to get on with others. |
| |To get along with people with different religions. |
| |That I can overcome fears with the help and support of others. |
|C |Not to judge a book by its cover. That no matter what colour or religion you have/are we are the same and we can get along with each |
| |other if we try. |
| |I have learnt that everyone is different and have their own thoughts. Also it doesn’t matter what race, colour you are. |
| |That different races and cultures can live in harmony. |
| |Cultural diversity, everyone’s the same. We are all the human race! |
| |I have learnt more about myself and other people. |
| |That all cultures are the same” there are no coloured race, magic race, but just the human race” and more about myself. |
| |More about myself, be more confident, some handy skills. |
| |That I can get along with people I normally wouldn’t. |
| |I have learnt that everyone is the same. |
| |That everyone is the same. |
| |To have ago at everything and don’t be scared. |
| |That everyone is the same no matter what race, religion etc. |
| |On Fusion I have learnt not to judge a person through hoe similar people act. |
| |About all sorts of cultural diversity. |
|D |Well another year on Fusion and I have learnt about what it means to be a group and becoming close to so many different unique people. |
| |That everyone is an individual and should not be judged by their race. |
| |I’ve learnt to get on with different people and not to be scared about meeting them and to relax when I get upset and just to chill and |
| |calm down and that I’ve met some nice people, pretty bonnie and lovely people, Hope it doesn’t finish here. |
| |I learnt that all races, religions are nothing compared to the power of friendship. |
| |Not everyones the same and I have learnt a lot about different races and cultures. I have also learnt a lot about people with |
| |disabilities. |
| |How to canoe, rock climbing, people like me. |
| |I have learnt that I can mix with people with totally different likes. |
| |I have learnt that people can just bond really well. |
| |During Fusion I have learnt a lot. I have learnt to “relax-take it easy” and enjoy everything. I have learnt that there is no need to be |
| |homesick and when I was/am there is support there and everyone is so helpful. Mostly I have learnt to have more confidence in myself. |
| |I have learnt about different cultures, races and backgrounds and I have also learnt about conquering fears. |
| |That Fusion works because it really brings people together and nobody is scared to express their feelings. |
| |How to look through other people eyes and to see how the world stereotypes them and treat them because of it. |
| |If you want you can do anything. Different cultures, What true teamwork and communication is. |
| |At Fusion I have learnt a lot about myself especially theres no such thing as I cant do it, I have learnt to be friendly and how to bond |
| |with people over a short space fo time. I have learnt to try anything even if I think I cant do it, I have learnt how Jordanne does her |
| |ribbons in her hair. |
|E |I learnt to not talk myself out of things and that if I am going to do something to just do it. I have also learnt to mix with different |
| |people form different backgrounds and people with a different culture to mine. |
| |I have learnt that everyone is different but also the same and people are nice even though you may think differently and you must not be |
| |swayed by how they look or dress. |
| |Not to stereotype people, Everyone is equal, How to sail a boat. |
| |I have learnt that everyone is the same, we are all the same race. |
| |That you can get along with people that are different… that you can dance to different music. |
| |That heights are not that bad also I have learnt that I have to step back and let other people have a chance. |
| |I have learnt not to judge people by the colour of their skin or even their religions beliefs or what they wear. Because at Fusion |
| |everyone gets along no matter how different you think you are. |
| |I have learnt to take a risk when it came to the activities and that there are so many different people around to get to know. |
| |Never to judge people by their cover, also everyone is the same no matter what colour skin they have. I have gained so much and its been |
| |such an amazing highlight of my life so far. |
| |I have learnt about community cohesion and how we are all just the same but just think we are different. Apart from the serious stuff I |
| |have learnt how to build a raft, how you use the safety stuff and the annoying helmet to help you when doing the high ropes or any other |
| |activity. |
| |I have learnt that no matter what race, size, gender anybody is it doesn’t make them or me better or less than anyone else. |
| |Everyone has equal rights and everyone is at the same level people aren’t higher up than others. Step across the line get out of your |
| |comfort zone. |
| |I learnt about other peoples beliefs and more about their races and religions. Also I’ve learnt how to canoe. |
| |I have learnt how to mix with people from other cultures and religions, Thanks Fusion! |
|F |To not be scared of getting involved with different activities and step over the line. |
| |Conquered fears, stepped over the line, confidence. |
| |That each and every individual is different and come with their own story. The colours, shapes and form don’t give you all you need, the |
| |cover gives you a brief of the book yet its still the cover. |
| |I’ve learnt about how people from different cultures act towards each other clichés that I probably would never talk to, I have found out|
| |that really they aint that bad but great people. |
| |Respect and be confident. |
| |To be confident and face fears. |
| |To mix with different cultures and races, to step over the line, to kinda dance. |
| |That we can achieve anything with our friends. |
| |Everybody is the same and don’t look at somebody and say they look evil are somebody because everyone is nice to everyone. |
| |I have learnt that just coz someone looks different doesn’t mean they are. |
| |To mix with people you wouldn’t normally because we are all just the same. |
| |I have gained confidence and I have learned that people should mix with each other. |
| |To always support people through anything as everyone will do what they want, always be proud of what you have achieved as long as you |
| |put in 100% effort. |
| |I’ve learnt that no matter what differences we have our similarities, were all human and as long as we are were all unique in our own |
| |little way. |
| |What do you think community cohesion is? |
|A |Where you bring people from a community or more communities together and make new friends. |
| |Working together, support, in unity and as one. |
| |Working together in harmony and helping people. |
| |I think it is mixing with all different people and to all work together. |
| |Working together. |
| |Working together. |
| |Coming together, meeting new people from different race, religion, backgrounds, etc. |
| |I think community cohesion is everyone without regard to colour or culture coming together, working together and enjoying each other. |
| |People working together no matter what hair colour eye colour race and religion, talents or years. |
| |Good, new friends, new ideas. |
| |A group of people working together in harmony and unity. |
| |Meeting people from different backgrounds, cultures, religions etc. |
| |Community cohesion is where different religions, races and cultures are brought together to mix with each other. Understand and respect. |
| |Working together. |
|B |Everyone having a shared responsibility to get along. |
| |Getting along with different people. |
| |A community of all different religions / culture and ethnicity getting along with each other. |
| |Not a clue! |
| |Getting along with everyone. |
| |Everybody together. |
| |Bringing everybody together and working as a team. |
| |Where everyone comes together. |
| |Peoples different lifes, e.g. culture, age etc. |
| |Community cohesion is people of different age, race, colour, culture, religion etc, coming together and accepting their ways and |
| |traditions. |
| |Mixing with different type of people. |
| |Mixing. Getting people to work together and appreciate each other. |
| |People from different backgrounds/cultures getting on as one and not as individuals. |
| |Where the community comes together. |
| |Where a community comes together. |
| |Community cohesion is mixing with people from different backgrounds, ages, cultures, etc. |
|C |Coming together as different communities and joining together. |
| |I think it means bringing different races and colour together. |
| |The merging of two or more different races or communities to get along and make friends. |
| |I think community cohesion is everyone getting on with each other no matter what race. |
| |Different races living together in peace. |
| |Bringing people together from all cultures to different backgrounds learning were all the same in our own unique way! |
| |People in the community coming together equally, no matter what race, colour, religion they are! |
| |Everyone can get along. |
| |Bringing different cultures together. |
| |Bringing different cultures and colours together. |
| |Were all different kinds of people mix together. |
| |The community coming together! |
| |I think that community cohesion is equality between different races and religions. |
| |Getting together all races, skin colours and having fun. |
|D |Working together and adapting to each other’s way of life. |
| |Working together with people from different communities. |
| |I think community is everyone coming together and talking about what we are and when we are going to do something. |
| |When all races, religions coming together and helping the community. |
| |Talking, listening and understanding. |
| |Meeting new people. |
| |Working together and adapting to each others way of life. |
| |I think community cohesion is where all different races come together and live and get on well. |
| |I think community cohesion is coming together as one forgetting our differences. We are all the same in our own unique way. |
| |Community cohesion is I think about all different races, cultures, backgrounds and genders all coming together. |
| |I think community is bringing people together different people who you probably never would have talked to. |
| |When people from different communities come together, work together and have fun together. |
| |I think it is bringing different races and religions together. Learning about different cultures that you haven’t learnt about and mixing|
| |with different people. |
| |Community cohesion is bringing young people of all cultures, skin colour and attitudes together to be friends and to learn about each |
| |other. |
|E |I think community cohesion is about everyone coming together and mixing with people with different cultures to your own and just getting |
| |on. |
| |It is people from all over joining together to become one loving group of people whether black or white. |
| |Were we bring people together to mix and get to know each other. |
| |I think community cohesion is bringing people together and noticing no one is different. |
| |The mix of races and bringing different communities together! |
| |I think community cohesion is all races of people coming together from different backgrounds all meeting in one place. |
| |The coming together of people from different backgrounds, ages, religions, ethnicities etc and being able to treat each other the same |
| |putting all their differences aside. |
| |Community cohesion is about everybody in the community coming together and stopping the divisions. |
| |Mixing with people who have different backgrounds and sharing equality throughout the borough. |
| |When I was in Pakistan, we used to learn about WW1 & WW2 and both were caused by European countries and we thought that people here were |
| |very violent but when I came to the UK the vision completely changed and thanks to Fusion I have learnt more and more about other races. |
| |Community cohesion is getting along with everyone in your area no matter who they are and spreading equality throughout the borough. |
| |Getting to know other people, we are all the same but individual, different races/background/isms, mixing together becoming 1. |
| |Community Cohesion is when people in communities etc come together and overcome their problems and unite. |
| |I think community cohesion is bringing people together and nothing is different. |
|F |Yes it is to get involved with different people from different cultures. |
| |Respect other cultures. |
| |It is when people from different backgrounds can mix, live and share with you and your community where everyone is equal. |
| |I think CC is where people from all different backgrounds of life come together as one and really all the differences kind of disappear |
| |and its more about the person rather than their skin colour or culture. |
| |Respect to different culture, background, everybody mix together. |
| |Respect others! |
| |Different races, religions and people mixing together and living together in one community. |
| |Bringing young people of all races, religions and disabilities together. |
| |Were a mix of people come together and get to know each other. |
| |Including everybody black & white. |
| |I think that people from different backgrounds of life coming together as one. |
| |All the community coming together no matter what colour, race, religion they are, they should all come together and bond. |
| |Bringing everyone together including everyone in the community no matter of race, colour or ability. |
| |Community cohesion is the bringing together of drifting communities to provide the area with a positive outcome. |
| |How will you improve community cohesion in the future? |
|A |Bringing more communities into Fusion and community cohesion. |
| |I will mix with other people no matter what culture and will try to do more things like Fusion. |
| |Mix with others not regarding skin colour etc. |
| |In the future I will mix with all different people no matter how they look. |
| |Not moan. |
| |By meeting new people. |
| |Don’t judge people before you get to know them properly. |
| |In the future, If I heard someone criticising or being aggressive to a member of a different culture then I will definitely say something|
| |to stop them. |
| |Stay in touch with all my mates. |
| |Learn about it and each other. |
| |Mix with other cultures and religions, be a better person. |
| |Talk to loads of people and get to know them. |
| |Challenge racism – speak up about what you believe in. |
| |Get to get to learn about each other. |
|B |I will give everyone a chance. |
| |Not to judge people. |
| |By not judging people by their colour, race, religion. |
| |More fusion trips. |
| |Telling more people about my experience. |
| |Make more mates with other cultures. |
| |By listening to other people and taking there religion into perspective. |
| |To minimise stereotyping and keep an open mind to change and individuality. |
| |In future I will mix with all sorts of different people. |
| |Be more open-minded on people’s beliefs and opinions. |
| |Take part in more activities like fusion and try to meet as many people from different cultures as possible. |
| |Become friend with people from different races. |
| |Make friends with people of other races. |
| |I will talk to and make friends with different people. |
|C |By not stereotyping people just because they are a different colour or from different places. |
| |Do more activities that involve people more and make sure no one is left out. |
| |N/A. |
| |I wont use any of the ism’s. |
| |Be more welcoming to everyone of all colour and cultures! |
| |Don’t be nervous talking to people from other cultures. |
| |Try and make different people get along. |
| |Mix with other people of different cultures more often. |
| |No racism, more activities, everyone treated the same. |
| |I would not treat people different because of the colour, race or religion. |
| |By putting more events on for people. |
|D |Don’t judge before you know people. |
| |Have more events like this. |
| |I will improve community cohesion and by including everyone and my like new mates from my room. |
| |I will try and bring those people together. |
| |Do be be so in your shell let yourself go abit. |
| |More activities like Fusion. |
| |Don’t judge people before you meet them. |
| |I would recommend Fusion to others because its really fun and you get to meet new friends. |
| |I will improve community cohesion in the future by including everyone, no matter what. |
| |I think that more projects like Fusion needs to be introduced. |
| |Talk to people don’t be shy and don’t judge people by what they look like. |
| |Try to meet more people from different communities. |
| |By mixing in with other races and religions, Learning more about cultures. |
| |I will not judge people by their cultures, shape of size etc. Don’t be shy to talk to people with different skin colours. |
|E |In school I will mix with other people and an effort with them. |
| |In school I will make effort to mix with others rather than the usual people I know. |
| |I will not stereotype other cultures and races. |
| |We need to organise more of these trips to bring the people together. |
| |Bring more people in. |
| |By going out and meeting other people from other backgrounds. |
| |I wont judge anybody before I know them whether it be for the clothes they wear what they believe in or their religion. |
| |Show that whatever race/religion/culture you are that it doesn’t matter and mix more with other people. |
| |Tell people of my experience and about the fantastic people I met from different cultures and that stereotypic people are wrong. |
| |I will make people aware of other religion and how they are all the same. |
| |Get more towns to come on Fusion and get the people who have already been on Fusion to tell people what they have learnt and say everyone|
| |is equal. |
| |Tell people that everyone is the same and tell them all about Fusion. |
| |If I see people talking about other races & religions in a bad way I can tell them how they are the same but different. |
| |To improve this I think they should do more of these and organise trips and reunions. |
|F |Just to respect peoples cultures and religions. |
| |I will respect them. |
| |Yes. |
| |I will talk to everyone regardless of culture or colour. |
| |Respect everybody. |
| |Talk to people and be more confident. |
| |I will be friendly to absolutely everyone and try and get different people to be friends. |
| |Try to mix with other groups. |
| |Talk to everyone and just people that I already know. |
| |Give people a chance instead of judging someone. |
| |I will talk to everyone and not just my friends. |
| |I will talk to all kinds of people and get to know them and hopefully I will make lots of friends. |
| |Have equal respect for everyone of every culture and background. Try to talk to more people of different backgrounds. |
| |Im going to be a lot more acceptant of people no matter how hard it may be. |
| |Why would you recommend Fusion to others? |
|A |Because it is a trip of a lifetime you do things you would never would have also you make a ton of friends. |
| |I would say if you go you will change for the better, meet loads of new friends and enjoy it. |
| |To have a once in a lifetime experience! Love it! |
| |It is really good and would enjoy all the activities and you also make lots of new friends. |
| |Coz it has helped us make new mates. |
| |Because it is a one in a lifetime thing. |
| |A chance to participate in different challenges, Meet new people! Friends for life! |
| |Because you meet and make friends with people you wouldn’t normally meet. |
| |Because it is really fun and the people are just brilliant. |
| |YES. |
| |Because it gives you a realistic and substantial insight into what community cohesion and fusion mean. |
| |Because its brilliant as you get to make new friends and do things you never thought you would do. |
| |Because you will not find a place where you will see the change in young people like you do on Fusion. It changes the way you look at |
| |things, life and yourself and you came on a journey that will stick with you forever. |
| |Yes!!! |
|B |Because it gives you a chance to do things you wouldn’t normally do. |
| |Because its fun and you meet different people and different youth workers. |
| |Its fun and you learn a lot! |
| |Because it is an opportunity that you will hardly ever get to meet new people. |
| |Because it is fun and you get to meet new people of other cultures. |
| |Its fun, great meeting new people and its fun. |
| |So that they can have the same experience as me. |
| |Because it is great fun and a un miss able opportunity. |
| |Because its great and a fun learning curve. |
| |It’s a brilliant experience. I think I’ll always remember it. |
| |Others need to mix up with different types of people and enjoy with the activities. |
| |Fun, friendly, lots to learn, fun. |
| |Get to meet new people and have the time of your life. Amazing experience. |
| |It is an enjoyable experience. |
| |You meet new friends and its well funny. |
| |I would recommend fusion to people who need confidence and want to make new friends. |
|C |Because it is an experience I believe everyone should do and will show others what we have learnt. |
| |It’s a chance to meet new friends and people from different backgrounds, its also a chance to try new things and face your fears. |
| |Because it is a new experience. |
| |It’s a great way of meeting new people and doing wicked challenges. |
| |Because it is good and it will give people a chance to know about other races. |
| |Because its awesome you meet new friends conquer your fears you have a really great time. |
| |Its really good fun and an amazing experience. The groups you get put in are scary at first but you all blend so well. |
| |Tell them it as good and not to be scared of making friends. |
| |Definitely it brings all races together and you get to meet new people. |
| |Because it brings every individuals talents out. |
| |Shannon, Ben, Awais, Laura, Mark, Paul, Oli, Yakub, Rob Chris (All these people I have met and become mates with that’s why I would |
| |recommend Fusion Mint People!). |
| |I would recommend Fusion to others as I enjoyed it and it was fun. |
| |I would recommend Fusion to others because it is a really good experience and is the most fun I have had on a residential. |
| |Because its fantabbytastic. |
|D |Yes, Deffo |
| |Yes 100% because it is an experience of a lifetime and it makes you a better person. |
| |I would recommend Fusion to others like changing you soooo much. |
| |Because I made friends who I will hopefully stay. |
| |Because it really helps your confidence and self esteem. |
| |Activities, supportive group. |
| |I would recommend Fusion because it helps with confidence and it is a really good experience. |
| |I would do nothing it’s the best as it is. |
| |I would recommend Fusion to others because it is a “life changing experience” you will learn soooo much about yourself and others and |
| |will start to look at people and situations in a different way. |
| |You meet great people and also it makes you realise that no matter how different people are everyone is the same. |
| |I would recommend Fusion because Fusion is something for people to bring people together. |
| |Yeah! So they are not one minded about certain cultures, races and religion. |
| |Fusion is a week full of enjoyment. You will love it! You can’t miss your chance to come to Fusion. |
| |It brilliant! it’s a once in a lifetime experience it brings people together and its so enjoyable! Fusion Rocks! |
|E |I would recommend it because you learn so much about yourself and gain so many skills and make loads of friends. |
| |Because you learn soooo many life skills and meet other people and you enjoy the activities! |
| |Because you gain a lot e.g friends, confidence, a sense of equality. |
| |Because Fusion helps a lot and makes you notice no one is different. |
| |Its an amazing experience this lets you realise this there are more people in Rochdale and Oldham than you hang out with. |
| |Because it is a life changing experience for anyone that comes on it also if you enjoy it you can come back on it as a peer mentor. |
| |Before coming to Fusion I thought that everybody had their places in society and I am not afraid to admit that I used to be a little |
| |racist but now I have realised that non of that matters everybody is equal. |
| |Fusion is a fantastic opportunity and life experience to get to know new people and do crazy activities. All fun! |
| |As it’s a great opportunity to do also it helps you understand different cultures, how to make friends and experience activities which |
| |help you overcome fears and achieve many aspects to help you along in the future. |
| |I would recommend Fusion to others because in Fusion you not only learn stuff but you have the fun of the lifetime. |
| |Because it is such an amazing opportunity to try new activities and conquer your fears. It also helps you make new friends and forget all|
| |the bad things they have heard about race. |
| |Because you make loads of new friends its fun, you gain confidence and you learn new things about other people lives. |
| |I would tell them about all the cool things that I did all the things I learnt all the new mates I made and how fun it all was. |
| |Because you can enjoy it and you learn lots of stuff from Fusion. |
|F |Yes!!! Definitely. |
| |It’s the best experience of my life so far – I have loved it. |
| |Coz I loved it. |
| |Because its an enjoyable experience and it helps bring people together and learn about other people and their ‘thing’. |
| |Yeah! Fun you learn lots stuff and make new friends. |
| |Because its brilliant and really fun. |
| |Because it is awesome, you meet so many new people and try so many different things. |
| |It is a good way to meet new and exciting people you wouldn’t normally talk to. |
| |Because I have had a mint time and meet lots of new people. |
| |Because its awesome. |
| |Because it is a unique experience that allows people to become closer and meet new people in a fun way. |
| |Because it’s a ‘buzz’ its great fun and you get to try new things and make a lot of new friends. |
| |Its Brilliant. You’d be daft not to come, Its great to try so many new things and to meet so many new and fab friends. |
| |Fusion is a great way to learn about how similar we all are. |
| |What would you do to improve Fusion? |
|A |More activities, longer stay at Fusion, better rooms and showers also better food. |
| |I would ask to bring in new cooks/chefs and improve the sleeping arrangements, e.g. sheet and size of beds. |
| |Better quality food. |
| |To improve Fusion I would like to get better food and to have more choices. |
| |The food, showers, toilets, beds, rooms, shop open more and to sell coke. |
| |To stay a bit longer and the food also to stay up a bit later. |
| |Wider choice of meals, comfier rooms. |
| |TURN THE HEAT ON!!! LESS STAIRS!!! |
| |Do more activities that include other people like puzzle solving. |
| |Good as it is. |
| |Keep working with Fusion, stay in touch with friends, and extend to 5 nights, 4 days of activities. |
| |Encourage people to join in everything (even at the disco!). |
| |When you are on Fusion you tend to stick in the groups you are put in so I would improve how well different groups mix. |
| |More. |
|B |Better food. Not as busy schedule. Bed earlier, make rooms warmer. |
| |Better food. |
| |Better food and rooms. |
| |Bedtimes – you can go to bed when you want before 11.00 or 11.30, Food! Rooms. |
| |Better food, rooms, and radiators. |
| |Better food. |
| |Have better food. |
| |Absolutely nothing. |
| |Make it longer. |
| |The food. |
| |Better food. Showers in girl’s rooms. |
| |Better food, longer week. |
| |More people invited on fusion that is it really. |
| |Food, plug sockets. |
| |If I could come again I would want better food. |
| |I would have at least 1 person you know in your room, better food. |
|C |Nothing, it was mint :) and Heather and Graham were top :) |
| |I would improve the showers, the food and better activities. |
| |Cancel ‘the show’, have less water activities, improve accommodation and food. |
| |Better food!!!!!!!! Please!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| |Better food, long sleeping hours. |
| |Better food! Longer sleep! |
| |Shorten down/remove the activities at night. Longer sleeping hours, better rooms. |
| |Make the nights better because they wasn’t that good it be better if you could walk about. |
| |Nothin! Well warmer showers would be nice:) |
| |Getting up in the morning later! |
| |Better food and more sleeping hours. |
| |Nothing except better activities than canoeing. |
| |Less people to a dorm, bigger amount of food, more toilets. |
| |Make it two weeks. |
|D |Nout! |
| |Nothing! (Food) |
| |Nothing. P.s. thanks for everyone for being nice to me and for being there when I got upset – like last night. |
| |Better meals, wake up at 9.00. |
| |Have more activities for people who don’t want to dance. |
| |Happy with everything. |
| |Maybe the food. |
| |Nothing. P.S thank you to everyone (especially all of group D) for being so supportive. |
| |I don’t think Fusion needs improving. |
| |No Youth Worker walking around outside and in all honesty I would not change anything. |
| |Nothing! Oh the food. |
| |Make sure the food is nice and being able to stay up late and wake up late., No teachers patrolling. |
| |Nothing! |
|E |Change the food and make it longer. |
| |Change all the food!!!! And nothing else. Also more time at Fusion. |
| |The way I would improve Fusion is to make the trip longer. |
| |Get better food and add on more days, make bedtime later. |
| |Have more nights, as they were great chances to meet people. |
| |I felt the food could have been better by having a wider choice of food. |
| |I would improve the food. |
| |Better food and I would hope for the stay to be longer so we could get to know each other even better. |
| |Maybe put people in the room with one friend so they feel abit more comfortable and not so left out as it was really hard trying to |
| |settle in and if a friend was there maybe people maybe more confident with others. |
| |There is nothing much but definitely food, except that its almost perfect and I would enjoy being a peer mentor next year. |
| |Get more people to come and improve food abit. Apart from that nothing- Fusion is Awesome! |
| |Nicer food but its great. |
| |Make it much longer! Apart from that it was the best experience of my life. |
| |Have more time for disco and the food. |
|F |Just nicer food!!! |
| |Nothing, better food, better bed. Loved it! |
| |Better food, better bedding, do up the toilets. |
| |Better Food! Let us go to bed whenever we want! Better showers, better bedrooms. |
| |Food and bed. |
| |The food and the beds. |
| |Nothing, its awesome. |
| |Nothing. |
| |Better beds and better food. |
| |Longer activities. |
| |Better food. |
| |Improve the cooking and also add a couple more activities to do and get more snacks. |
| |Ask me another time (let me sleep) Make it Longer! |
| |There isn’t any need for improvement, I’ve had one of the greatest times of my life this week, it’s been fantastic. |
Young People Excel With Oldham Youth Service
Friday 7th March will be a night to remember for the young people of the Borough and their families, as Oldham Council’s Youth Service present the ‘YPXL3 Celebration – Young People Excel’ event at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. This hugely successful event is in its third year.
The event will be a fun packed, exciting spectacle that showcases how young people from across all the diverse communities of Oldham contribute positively to their communities. It will include performances from over 250 children and young people from schools, youth centres, Oldham College, Sports development and dance groups across the Borough, with experienced performers coming together with young performers making their debut.
Family, guardians and key dignitaries from a range of organisations have been invited to be part of the audience for this fantastic event, which will be introduced by Andrew Kilburn, Chief Executive of Oldham Metropolitan Council, and officially opened by the Mayor of Oldham Councillor
Gerri Barry, Assistant Head of Youth Service and organiser of YPXL3 said: “YPXL provides us as adults with an opportunity to recognise and celebrate and remind ourselves of the importance of our children and young people in terms of the future of our communities. Today’s children and young people are our future employers, residents and community leaders.
YPXL provides children and young people from 5 years of age upwards with an opportunity to display to their parents and leading decision makers within the Borough the phenomenal potential of our children and young people, which we need to nurture and support.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
1. You are invited to a photo opportunity on Friday 9 February at the Queen Elizabeth Hall at 6.40pm
2. For further information please contact Gerri Barry, Assistant Head of Youth Service, on 0161 911 4206 or e-mail xxxxx.xxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx.xx
For further information, please contact Karen Coles, Communications Officer or Vikki Hodges, Senior Communications Assistant for Children, Young People and Families on 0161 770 3514 or by e-mail at xxxxx.xxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx.xx or xxxxx.xxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx.xx
[pic]
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[1] Local Government Association. (2004). Community Cohesion – An Action guide. London. p.7.
[2]Kirkby Stephen and the Upper Eden and Lune Valley Villages – Healthcheck Report (2002), see:
[3] Eden Population Profile, see:
[4] Index of Deprivation 2004, see:
[5] 2001 Census Data
[6] Kirkby Stephen 2003 Ward Data, see:
[7] Tees Valley PAYP Delivery Plan 2006-07
[8]
[9] .
[10] .
[11] .
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
[18]
[19] Reform, (2006). Urban Crime Rankings.
[20] Local Government Association. (2004). Community Cohesion – An Action guide. London. p.7.
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I defy naysayers of citizenship education to engage with these materials and not revise their pessimistic thinking about the status of citizenship within the school curriculum. Both sets of resources take as their starting point emphatically local circumstances and issues but in the process open up debates with much wider national and global resonance. They highlight the diversity and richness of possibilities open not only to teachers in the north west of England (where the projects are rooted) but also elsewhere in the country.
Both books provide students with exciting and engaging opportunities to discuss and address real life issues and to see that they can participate in activities that make a difference in their wider communities. If Citizenship education is about exploring what kind of future society do we want, it is resources like these that will provide a route map for young people in search of their own answers.
Peter Brett: DfES Citizenship Adviser
APPENDIX FIVE
APPENDIX FOUR
APPENDIX THREE
APPENDIX THREE
APENDIX TWO
APPENDIX ONE
APPENDIX SIX
APPENDIX SEVEN
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