January 2002, issue 9

Latest Forum Developments
Ealing Refugee Forum is growing. In the past month we have welcomed three new members. Heritage Ceramics which is a well established organisation based in Southall has accepted full membership of the Forum as it is a refugee owned and led organisation based around the Nigerian community. The Somali Community Regeneration Programme which is also based in Southall has also accepted full membership as despite its name it is structured as an organisation rather than a project and is refugee owned and led. Despite the fact that Ealing Refugee Forum has the most rigorous membership requirements of any refugee Forum in West London we now have seventeen full members which is not an insignificant number. In addition to these the well-known Federation of Information and Advice Centres (FIAC) has also joined as an Associate Member as it is now active in Ealing through the Ealing Advice Co-ordination and Development Project previously mentioned in this newsletter. This further demonstrates that Ealing Refugee Forum is genuinely representative of refugee communities in Ealing and their aspirations. Those interested in the new members of our Forum should contact Mr. Tony Ogogo at Heritage Ceramics on 8843-9281, Mr. Osman Ali at Somali Community Regeneration Programme on 8917-9309 and Mr. Wesley Harcourt at Ealing Advice Co-ordination and Development Project on 8896-9305.

Having acquired new members the Forum is now undertaking a major consultation exercise to decide the future shape and direction of our Forum. Each member organisation has been asked to comment on recent developments in refugee issues and how they would like to see the Forum proceed from here. The response so far has revealed a healthy variety of views on each subject with general consensuses emerging which will guide the Forum in future. The Co-ordinator has visited several organisations to obtain responses and those who have not yet responded should contact the Co-ordinator on 8992-4612 to arrange a visit or give verbal or written responses to the consultation document.

The Forum has also been active in a number of external bodies chief among which is the Local Strategic Partnership where the Forum sits as a voluntary sector representative body. It is also actively involved in the Ealing Community Network which has been formed to help groups participate in the Local Strategic Partnership and other generic networks such as the London Borough of Ealing Grants Review Steering Group and the Ealing Advice Forum. In this way the Forum tries to influence policy and service delivery in all aspects of life affecting refugees in this borough.

Other Refugee Forum
Hounslow Refugee Forum has elected new officers. Mr. Ali Abdi of the East African Youth Group is the new Chair with Mr. Hassan Isse as vice-Chair. Ms. Enas Fouad from the Arab Group in Hounslow is Secretary with Mr. Mohamed Khan of the Hounslow Afghan Society as Treasurer. The election was held at the first meeting of the new Management Committee on 19th December and was contested throughout with a healthy commitment encouraging in such a new organisation. A finance sub-committee has since met regularly to manage the Forum’s existing funds and expenses and to work on further funding applications including an application for a Co-ordinator. All those interested in the work of Hounslow Refugee Forum should contact Mr. Ali Abdi on 8577-3226.

Harrow Refugee Forum has completed the recruitment process for its new Co-ordinator. At the time of going to press the job has been offered and is awaiting acceptance. For more details contact the Chair Mr. Alex da Costa on 8427-5701.

West London Refugee Standing Committee (WLRSC) has finalised its draft co-operation agreement with the help of Mr. Roger Bronkhurst of Interchange Legal Services. It is now holding all its meetings two hours before the RENEWAL SRB6 Partnership meetings at the same location of Ealing Town Hall as many of the same personnel are involved in both. The servicing of WLRSC currently undertaken by Ealing Refugee Forum will now rotate amongst its members every four months to ensure that all take an equal responsibility for the success of this unique sub-regional strategic body. It has also been suggested that the staff of the various fora meet as a Co-ordinator’s group to discuss issues from a staff perspective and share good practice and this has already been discussed amongst existing postholders. For further information on WLRSC contact Mr. Rumwold Leigh on 8992-4612.

News from Members
On 11th November 2001 The Society of Afghan Residents in the U.K. (S.A.R.) launched an elderly project funded by the Bridge House Trust at its offices at West Acton Community Centre. This is a new service for Afghans aged 60 and over who are often very isolated in the U.K. At the other end of the age scale S.A.R.’s long established Afghan Football Club is performing well in the London Intermediate League Division Two where it plays exile teams from a variety of countries. For further details contact the Co-ordinator Mr. Zabih Popalzai on 8993-8168.

The Iranian Association which is based in Hammersmith but has many clients in Ealing has recently achieved the Quality Mark. It employs ten staff and continues to run a number of projects for its community including advice services for women and the elderly and disabled and specific advice giving on housing and immigration and education and training questions. It is also involved in health promotion and development and is about to appoint a Work Placement Officer to address crucial employment issues. For more information contact the Co-ordinator Mr. Reza Khiaban on 8748-6682.

The Somali Self-Help and Welfare Association which is a longstanding Forum member has organised a Women’s Group which meets every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 23 Kidlington Way in Colindale between 10 a.m. and 12 midday. The Women’s Group focuses on skills training such as machine sewing and English classes which enhances the employment and general life prospects of participants. A Toddlers Group is also being established to further assist participants and to give young children a structured play and learning environment. All those interested should contact the Co-ordinator Ms. Samsam Rateh on 8205-3007.

Black Londoners Forum
At long last the ethnic minority sector has an instrument for getting its voice known. Here is an edited article about the Black Londoners Forum written by its Development Officer Ms. Celena Nair.

“As many of you may know the Black Londoners Forum was launched at the GLA in September of last year. Since then the development team behind the Forum has been busy with the practicalities of developing a new organisation. We now have Dawn Stephenson the Director, Celena Nair the Development Officer and Catherine Okoth the Office Manager in post together with a new Policy Co-ordinator.

The intention behind the BLF was to create one organisation which expressed the views of Black Londoners across the board at strategic level. We use the term ‘black’ in its inclusive sense to describe people of any Non-European community who may be discriminated against on the basis of their race, ethnicity or colour.

The Greater London Authority Act 1999 ensures that the GLA has powers to do anything it considers will promote the development of London. In exercising these powers it is required to consult with a number of bodies which represent various racial, ethnic or national groups. BLF has been set up as the recognised interface between the GLA and London’s Black communities.

BLF currently has a membership of over 900 organisations and individuals and brings together people from business, the arts, faith groups, youth groups and the voluntary and community sectors. Our chief aim is to ensure a black representation in all areas of London governance. We will achieve this by providing members with regular information about the Mayor’s Strategies and the GLA and its functional bodies from a black perspective. We will also provide access to a membership database and a regular member’s bulletin and networking events. We give practical support around the consultation process and also facilitate access to the London Civic Forum and give support for issues you feel should be addressed by the GLA.

We recently launched the BLF website and newsletter which can be used by members to exchange information. The website has links to member organisations and local authority and funding sites. We are also identifying member organisations to take part in the ‘Reconnecting London’ project which aims to support the involvement of the traditionally excluded through pilot group working. We also intend to hold a black arts event for Black History Month in October 2002.”

Forthcoming Events
As many of you will have heard a major conference will be taking place on Wednesday 6th February at Ealing Town Hall between 10 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. It is entitled Renewing West London and is organised by the RENEWAL SRB partnership in association with the Evelyn Oldfield Unit and Michael Bell Associates. The morning session will consist of the launch of the RENEWAL mapping and baseline report entitled Renewing West London - Refugee Communities: Their Hopes and Needs while the afternoon event is a consultation on the future priorities of RENEWAL. It is important that as many people as possible working with refugees attend this free conference which will determine future priorities of the first and most successful sub-regional partnership for all those working in our sector. Those who have not already done so should book immediately by phoning Mr. Iain Easdon at Michael Bell Associates on 7978-4997.

Another important conference is taking place on Saturday 9th March at the Institute of Education in Bedford Way London WC1. This is capitalwoman 2002 which is the second annual cross-London conference for women and will be hosted by Ms. Nicky Gavron the Deputy Mayor of London and Ms. Diane Abbott M.P. It is important that refugee women attend this conference as refugee organisations are not always equipped to address women’s issues and women’s organisations are not always equipped to address the issues of refugee women. It is beneficial to all concerned if refugee women can make this conference an arena where they can make their views and needs known. Those who have not yet registered should contact the organisers on 7983-4100 or e-mail capitalwoman@london.gov.uk.

Training Opportunities
The Monitoring Group which is based in Southall has kindly sent us details of its Training Programme for Spring 2002. The Monitoring Group has been a leading anti-racist casework and campaigning agency for many years and has played an important part in nationally well-known cases such as the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. Many of its training courses are particularly relevant to refugee community organisations and their members and include training days on the Race Relations Act Amendment, preparing against detention and deportation and the procedures relating to school exclusions. The trainings are facilitated by leading lawyers and activists in the particular area and take place at the prestigious Peel Institute at Perry Circus, London WC1. It is highly recommended that refugee groups attend these courses. For further details contact Mr. Suresh Grover at the Monitoring Group on 8843-2333.

Funding Opportunities
The Ealing Children’s and Young People’s Strategic Partnership is holding an event at the Telfer Room at Ealing Town Hall on Tuesday 5th February between 5.30 and 9 p.m. to invite involvement in one element of the operation of the Children’s Fund in Ealing. The Children’s Fund is a government initiative which any group supporting

disadvantaged children and young people with at least three volunteers can apply for. Ealing’s Children’s and Young People’s Strategic Partnership is co-ordinating services for this client group in Ealing and drawing up a strategic plan for provision of these services. . Another way of accessing Children’s Fund grants is through Ealing Voluntary Service Council which has two dedicated workers able to see groups through the application process before the committee deadline of 7th March. Those wishing to attend the partnership event should contact Mr. Adam Spencer at Ealing Social Services on 8758-5255. Those wishing to obtain an application form before attending the event should contact the Children’s Fund National Application Line on 0845-113-0161. Those wanting help with an application should contact Mr. Stephen Blann or Ms. Polly Eaton at EVSC on 8579-6273.

The Quality Development Initiative (QDI) which we reported on in the September Newsletter has announced a new deadline for making applications for assistance. The project offers guidance in assessing development needs with bursaries of up to ?5,000 to put plans into effect and is a more credible option for groups than most development initiatives as its staff understand how community organisations work. The QDI bursary could be used for training to achieve the Quality Mark or some other standard which enables organisations to fulfil their aspirations in service provision. Those seeking further information should contact Ms. Sam Parnaby on 7375-0480 who will soon be visiting various Ealing based groups in person.

This newsletter is funded by the Camelot Foundation.
Ealing Refugee Forum is funded by RENEWAL, the London Borough of Ealing,
Comic Relief and the Trust for London.