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Ethnic Minority Women's Network
The Capacity Building Team together with Training and Education Team has
undertaken specific work with ethnic minority women and ethnic minority
women's organisations during the year. Race and gender is one of the core
priorities in NICEM's crosscutting work. We spent nine months engaging
minority ethnic women in number of focus groups in various locations in
Northern Ireland in order to identify the key issues facing minority ethnic
women from different community backgrounds.
Based on this valuable engagement process and despite it being very time consuming, we now have a stronger grasp of the issues, and we also have had more grassroots involvement in the organising process of the conference. We were very proud of the success of the Visible Women Conference, thanks to the active participation of so many women form our member organisations and others which was held on 2nd October 2001 at Wellington Park Hotel with around 120 participants.
NICEM is now preparing the Report of the Visible Women Conference, which will become the cornerstone of NICEM's future Race and Gender Programme bringing together women from different ethnic minority community organisations to tackle issues of common interest and concern in a collective process.
For further information contact Gabrielle Doherty or Karima Zahi at NICEM
NICEM with support from the Community Fund has developed a volunteering
programme for ethnic minorities, asylum seekers and refugees in Northern
Ireland. Through volunteering at NICEM in the particular areas of expertise,
we hope to offer capacity building opportunities to individual members
of the minority ethnic communities in Northern Ireland in areas such as
advice giving, anti-racism training, working with Asylum Seekers and Refugees.
These opportunities should enhance individual's work within their own
community organisations and bring new skills to those organisations, improve
employability for those seeking work; develop confidence building and
many other skills for those individuals wishing to take part in NICEM's
volunteering programme.
For further information of if you are interested in volunteering please contact Gabrielle Doherty at NICEM or download & complete a Registration form here and e-mail to [email protected]
NICEM, Save the Children and the Children's Law Centre (NI) with support
for the Youth Council (NI) are currently proposing a piece of research
on young people from ethnic minority groups in Northern Ireland, what
common issues effect them and how the minority ethnic community organisations
and NICEM can work collectively to tackle some of these issues. The second
stage of this programme is to be a training programme for young leaders
from minority ethnic communities tackling issues of racism, identity and
developing youth leadership and youth programmes within their own communities.
This project is currently at a very early stage and NICEM will consult
with our members on how to take this research forward in an appropriate
manner for each community.
Contact Patrick Yu or Gabrielle Doherty at NICEM
NICEM has used our expertise in the Section 75 Equality Duty to promote
the consideration of s. 75 in the broader policy context to promote true
mainstreaming of equality. An increasingly wide range of organisations
and groups has actively sought to implement policies driven by a spirit
of non-discrimination and the promotion of equality and diversity as a
norm. NICEM has developed a programme of training entitled 'Anti-racism
and Equality in Action', which is a structured programme of training examining
discrimination and racism. It is ideal for organisations developing racial
equality programmes in their own organisations.
For further information on NICEM's anti-racism training manual and programme contact Karima Zahi at NICEM
A group of Trainers, around 15 people, from our member ethnic minority
community groups and/or working with ethnic minorities have been following
an extensive and on-going training programme covering equality, human
rights, training skills, legislation and computer skills. This group of
Trainers form the basis of the Black Trainer's Network, which plays a
key role in the delivery of NICEM's training manual "Anti-racism
& Equality in Action" and who have used theses skills to deliver
programmes of cultural awareness and anti-racism training for and on behalf
of their own community organisations.
For further information contact Karima Zahi at NICEM
CEJI & NICEM European Project
to Combat Discrimination
The Centre Europeen Juif d'Information (The European Jewish Information
Centre) and NICEM were successful in stage one selection of the Community
Action Programme to Combat Discrimination under Article 13 for the above
Project. The Project has now completed the stage 1 phase and is awaiting
further funding from the European Commission to continue the process.
The Project is to establish a new training framework for anti-discrimination
to cover all grounds under Article 13 with a focus on multiple discrimination.
By providing trainers training to other sectors such as age, disability,
religious, race and sexual orientation, it will empower the sectors. The
crucial part is to provide the new training programmes from various sectoral
backgrounds to the local health and education authorities. The three cities
selected for the project are Belfast (Department of Education is main
partner) and two other cities to be confirmed (either Brussels, Antwerp,
Amsterdam, Berlin or Vienna).
If the Project
is successful in stage two it will then run for a two-year programme from
the date of the contract signed and possible an additional six months
for the dissemination of results at European level.
For further information contact Patrick Yu or Karima Zahi at NICEM
NICEM & Disability Action
EQUAL Project
The Equality Coalition has sets up a consortium of Section 75 groups to
develop a new training framework on anti-discrimination. Since NICEM and
Disability Action have extensive knowledge and experience in equality
training, we will play a crucial role in developing the idea and will
be heavily involved in this Project.
For further information contact Patrick
Yu or Karima Zahi at NICEM
NICEM works in partnership with key black organisations in the UK focusing
on capacity building, race equality, human rights, asylum seekers and
refugees, etc. We are involved with the following organisations in the
UK:
- Commission for Racial Equality
- UK Race Europe Network
- 1990 Trust
- Runnymede Trust
- Project Fullemploy
- CEMVO
- Refugee Council
- National Refugee Forum (co-ordinated by Refugee Council)
- National Refugee Integration Forum (Chair by Minister of Immigration)
- UK Secretariat of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia
- Race Equality Unit of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations
- NICEM still plays an active role in the transposition of the two Directives at the EU level. As part of the UKREN involvement, we also work with our key partner at EU level- the European Network Against Racism.
NICEM has also been involved in the European preparatory process of the
UN World Conference Against Racism in Durban. The Executive Director is
the member of the NGOs Resource Group, which represents the NGOs which
organised the 'NGOs Forum' prior to the official Conference. The Executive
Director also spoke on behalf of the NGOs Resource Group at the opening
of the NGOs Forum. NICEM also received financial support from the Home
Office to attend the UN World Conference.
For further information contact Patrick Yu at NICEM
Drop in for Asylum Seekers & Refugees
NICEM holds a drop in session for Asylum Seekers and Refugees every Tuesday
in Kingham Hall, Botanic Avenue, Belfast from 12.00 - 2.00pm. Those visiting
can meet new people, practice English conversation, go on outings and
get information on health, training and education. Lunch is provided.
For further information contact Moira McCombe or Glen Phillips at NICEM
English as a Second or Other
Language (ESOL) classes
English classes for Asylum seekers are held every Thursday at the NICEM
office, 3rd Floor Ascot House, Shaftesbury Square Belfast from 10.30-12.30pm.
These classed are free of charge and at the classes asylum seekers can
learn basic English, meet the Asylum Advice Workers, go to workshops and
lectures, etc.
For further information contact Moira McCombe or Glen Phillips at NICEM
Arts Project with young Asylum
Seekers
NICEM and Wheelworks -a community based arts organisation working with
young people- are currently developing an arts based project with a number
of young asylum seekers aged 16-25. The participants will be creating
pieces of work using a number of techniques including digital film, digital
stills photography and music.
For further
information contact Gabrielle
Doherty at NICEM
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