NICEM Launches North West Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

11 December 2012

 

The Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (NICEM) today celebrated the opening of their new North West Regional Office, based in Derry/Londonderry.

NICEM North West office has a Development Officer dedicated to building the capacity of minority ethnic communities in the region and supporting communities to develop sustainable community groups, which will provide leadership and greater participation in decision-making mechanisms. The office will also offer advice on issues like welfare rights and immigration, and support to victims of race related hate crime.

“It is crucial that minority ethnic communities are empowered to become their own advocates on issues of importance to them, and have their voices heard at the highest levels of decision-making,” said NICEM’s Executive Director, Patrick Yu.

“The establishment of regional offices allows us to work more closely with communities to better understand and communicate local issues to decision makers.”

As part of NICEM’s Strategic Advocacy Project, the North West Office will also assist communities to carry out community-based action research on issues they identify as important – providing a strong evidence base from which policy recommendations will be made.

NICEM will work to ensure all government agencies and BME stakeholders are meeting their obligations regarding race legislation and will work to monitor performance throughout Northern Ireland as the project is implemented.

 The North West Office will be open Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:00 – 16:30, Thursdays 9:00 – 17:00 and Fridays 9:00 – 16:00. The advice clinic is open on Wednesdays from 13:00 – 20:00.

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

 

NICEM’s vision is of a society where equality and diversity are respected, valued and embraced, a society free from all forms of racism, sectarianism, discrimination and social exclusion; where human rights are guaranteed. NICEM works in partnership, to bring about social change through partnership and alliance building, and to achieve equality of outcome and full participation in society.

The Strategic Advocacy Project aims to identify and address issues of socioeconomic disadvantage and systemic discrimination through a targeted programme of advocacy and lobbying focusing upon human rights and equality. The ultimate goal is to guarantee actual access to rights and the equality of result for BME communities in Northern Ireland.

For interviews and further information, contact Aggie Luczak on +44(0)2871372235 or Elizabeth Nelson on 07730747861