Diversity Exchange 25 th October 2007 Liz Hanney Diversity Exchange Manager

Bradford District Population 485,000 (2005) 5 th largest metropolitan area in the UK 4 th largest LA in the UK (in terms of population) Growing population (increasing youth pop) Approx 22% BME population 16.1% pop Muslim compared to an average of 3.0% 50% of 5500 babies born annually are of South Asian origin Large number of recent immigrants 300,000 live in main city area 2/3 rds of District is rural

Bradford District 2 nd highest infant mortality rate in the UK Evidence that inequality gap increasing 8 th most deprived health community in the UK 27% secondary school pupils eligible for free school meals 30% children live below poverty line 5 th most employment deprived LA in England In lowest 5 th of all LA’s in the UK for English, maths and science

Bradford District % of people who feel other people can be trusted and mix well continues to increase 90 council seats of which 2 are BNP, 39 Labour, 32 Conservative, 14 Lib Dem, 3 Green Major city centre regeneration plan underway Several schools nationally recognised for value added achievement No recent major civic disturbances/ unrest

Community Cohesion LSP led on Cohesion from LA took lead for Cohesion in 2006 Since 2006 lack of clear direction on Cohesion In 2006 new LA leadership, Chief Exec and Deputy Chief Exec Future of LSP under negotiation Independent review of Cohesion under LSP 2006 Shared Future paper produced in 2006

Community Cohesion Under LSP project-based approach Limited impact on key players and agendas Limited strategic support Narrow understanding of cohesion as ‘race’ issue Unwillingness to engage with equalities agenda Emphasis on multicultural/ integrationist approach and unwillingness to acknowledge difference Lack on engagement with White communities, minority BME communities Lack of expertise/ flexibility to address changing communities ie EU migration

where are we now? Review of Sustainable Communities Strategy/ LAA underway  Fairness to all  Civic Action  Community relations  Confident Communities

2007 – where are we now? Lack of civic resilience No conflict prevention strategy Lack of coordination of activities/ support for practitioners = duplication and gaps Little knowledge of impact of current interventions Policy not informed by practice Lack of commitment to cohesion agenda Separateness between LA and external partners

2007 – the challenges Needs of new migrant communities ie. EU migrants/ African asylum seeker and refugee communities Young Men (all communities) – lack of engagement and opportunities Perceptions and levels of understanding Separateness of communities – lack of opportunities to mix Little willingness to debate and discuss Territorialism – claiming of space and issues Religion vs secularism – clashes and tensions PET and PVE agendas Economic/ Health/ Education challenges

Diversity Exchange What is it?  The Diversity Exchange supports creative and innovative work to build better connections between different communities in the Bradford District Why does it exist?  The aim of the Diversity Exchange is to create a District which is better able to deal with difference

History Ouseley Report Centre of Excellence Diversity and Dialogue District-wide Resource Not direct delivery LSP support NRF funding

Why? Clashing of world views Clashing of values and beliefs How deal with difference? How agree baseline? What’s good enough? Need to create culture of open and honest debate

Priorities Strong project focus  Linking Communities  Dialogue/ Safe Spaces  Good Practice  Advice and Guidance  Information and Research

Case Study - Linking Communities Project developed in 2005 following focus groups and needs analysis 3 rounds of activity since 2005 Linking Communities aims to link groups together who they otherwise would not have the opportunity to meet Linking Communities helps groups build friendships and develop better understandings of the different communities living in the Bradford District, through meeting, talking to each other, sharing activities and common interests. Over 340 local groups have linked together and over 4,500 individuals have been involved. Link-ups supported by development worker and small grants £50-£300 Recent evaluation indicates positive impact of project

Linking Communities Learning more about why some communities have limited opportunities to meet and what the long-term impact of this is for the District and what interventions may be effective in addressing this  Continuation of Stage 1 – aimed primarily at under-developed, single-identity and isolated groups  Development of Stage 2 - support work that develops relationships and builds understanding between groups and organisations that share a common goal, aim or interest  Currently piloting and evaluating Stage 2  Linking Work appears to be standard cohesion approach for Bfd District but little knowledge of impact

What’s Next? Creating framework  Engagement with communities through increasing membership  Capacity Building  Strengthen partnerships and links  Develop website and resources  Strengthen research and learning opportunities  Create more opportunities for learning to inform policy, practice and service delivery  Develop expertise around Dialogue and Safe Spaces and Linking Work