Increasing Diversity – working with BME and faith sector organisations

workshop

There was a good response from members of the BME and minority faith sector to the invitation to a round table event hosted by Cyfanfyd with a view to exploring and expanding BME involvement in, and capacity to deliver, ESDGC. The event took place at the Norwegian Church in Cardiff, speakers included Vipin Chauhan, who gave an overview of BME involvement in ‘development education’ throughout the UK, highlighting some of the barriers to engagement and the importance of building relationships and trust between the sectors, and Charo Lanao-Madden who is the coordinator of Making Connections: The Global Dimension and Minorities – a new project being developed by the Centre for Global Education in Belfast, also looking to engage with the BME sector and to increase access to training and bespoke resources.

There were lively case study presentations from Nathan Evans (BVSNW), who described the One World: Our World project and Rocio Cifuentes and Momena Ali who talked about their work with the Ethnic Youth Support Team in Swansea to support young people from ethnic minority backgrounds.  The audience were challenged to consider how their own work links to ESDGC and how these links might be strengthened.  Training needs and areas for mutual development and support were identified.  Cyfanfyd has applied for DAF funding to develop a project working in partnership with the BME sector and faith groups to increase their representation within ESDGC and to reinforce aspects of ‘development education’ within ESDGC in Wales.   It is hoped that this meeting will form the basis of a period of cooperation and collaboration that will allow relationships to be formed and will lead to an enrichment of the work that is currently being carried out, both within the BME / faith sector and by ‘mainstream’ ESDGC practitioners.

These aspects of ESDGC are often not acknowledged but they can be clearly seen within other areas of work in Wales.  WAG has been consulting on their Community Cohesion strategy with consultation events being held in both North and South Wales during March.  Representatives from educational and BME organisations were amongst the participants at the events which explored the contribution organisations were making to community cohesion.  Cyfanfyd’s role is linked to the education and communication aspects of this policy.  Cyfanfyd has submitted a formal response to the consultation.