Community Development and Youth Work in response to individual BME people, their groups and communities. This involves continuing to provide:-
- Information and advice. We will offer a wide range of publications, both to our clients and other stakeholders, to enable them to promote race equality. We will continue to publish and circulate widely our monthly newsletter. Wherever practical we shall make publications available in appropriate languages and signpost translation and interpretation services.
- Intensive support, advocacy and case work. Delivered through client-centred work in a safe and welcoming environment. We will strive to build client confidence and will advocate and represent them to ensure their rights are protected and promoted.
- Capacity and awareness-building to enable the empowerment of BME people and their communities. Through a community development approach we will encourage the celebration of cultural diversity and inter-dependence. We will support the development of initiatives and structures that further representation, democratisation and accountability within and across Plymouth and Devon’s distinctive BME communities and groups.
Public relations, communications and events designed to:-
- Celebrate the richness of Plymouth and Devon’s increasingly diverse cultural and faith mix. We will achieve this through organising and delivering the annual Respect Festival and other similar events and through supporting local BME groups to facilitate their own faith and cultural events.
- Support the development of BME networks and wider awareness of their traditions and contributions. We will work in partnership with specific Refugee and Asylum Seeker agencies and BME community groups to protect the importance of their cultural heritage.
- Highlight race equality, as well as religious or belief issues, that are impinging on local BME communities. By striving to create better understanding of these issues by statutory and non-statutory bodies and the wider community.
Work with Organisations to help them build their capacity to:-
- Meet the challenges of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act and the Equality Act in regard to race, religion or belief. We will do this by continuing our relationship with the Equality and Human Rights Commission who inform and update us with regard to relevant legislation and by monitoring the Race Equality Schemes of statutory and voluntary agencies; continuing to offer advice and guidance to those organisations.
- Respond more effectively to issues concerning Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities and develop a strategic approach to developing policies, monitoring and training in this regard.
© Plymouth & Devon Racial Equality Council