Gunner to go for good as regeneration plans unveiled
The mutli-million pound regeneration of Muirhouse and Pennywell has taken another significant step forward with the launch of a consultation exercise on Muirhouse Shopping Centre and the surrounding environment.Continue reading Muirhouse Shopping Centre to be demolished
Mondays, 12 – 2pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre
Hi folks,
Just to say the Chat Café is up and running again and looking for new people to get involved. It’s for people new to the area, who may be learning English and for longer term residents too who want a chance to get out of the house, meet new people and help new folk settle in. It’s a simple way to get people out of the house to make new friends and support each other.
There is a free creche, so it’s especially useful for young parents who can be very isolated, especially if they are recent arrivals and don’t have family support around them. We talk, share a meal, go on trips, share information etc. All very relaxed and informal.
Please find attached the agenda for the next meeting which will be on Tuesday 6th September in the Neighbourhood Centre. At this meeting you will be able to pick up nomination papers for election for the Community Council for the next cycle.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the last forum meeting. There was a good discussion and lots of good ideas to follow up on, including how we can make North Edinburgh an area of excellence in terms of diversity in employment. I’m attaching the minutes (below). The next forum meeting will be on Thursday 12th October from 10 – 12 noon.
I’m also including a summary of a recent report produced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission which Douglas Samuel shared. This highlights further the worrying inequalities present in many walks of life, employment being one of them.
Race Report: Healing a Divided Britain
Scotland’s Ethnic Minorities face overcrowding, poverty and unemployment, says equality and human rights body
A new report published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on race equality, has found that in Scotland, if you are born into an ethnic minority household today, you are nearly four times more likely to be in a household that is overcrowded and up to twice as likely to be living in poverty and experiencing unemployment.
The report is the biggest ever analysis of existing evidence into race equality in Scotland and focuses on poverty, education, employment, and housing.
Findings include:
In 2013 ethnic minority households were four times more likely than White households to live in overcrowded properties – 11.8% compared with 2.9%.
In 2013/14 people from ethnic minorities were more twice as likely live in poverty, both before and after housing costs, compared to ‘White-British’ people.
After housing costs, 36% of people from ethnic minorities were in poverty, compared with 17% of ‘White-British’ people.
Unemployment rates for people from ethnic minorities in 2013 were significantly higher than for White people – 13.2% compared with 6.9%.
In 2013, only 57.4% of people from ethnic minorities were in work compared with 73.8% of White people.
Unemployment rates for people from ethnic minorities in 2013 were significantly higher than for White people – 13.2% compared with 6.9%.
Just 2.1% of modern apprenticeships are filled by ethnic minorities although 5% of the target group for apprenticeships across Scotland are from ethnic minority groups. (Skills Development Scotland, Q1 2016).
Just 6% of Black school leavers from across GB attended a Russell Group university (Edinburgh and Glasgow), compared with 12% of mixed and Asian school leavers and 11% of white school leavers.
1 in 4 Scottish pupils said they were aware of peers suffering prejudice based bullying.
An overwhelming number of Scots – 96% – think that local people should be involved in making decisions about the design and delivery of their public services. The 2015 Scottish Social Attitudes (SSA) survey, published yesterday, also shows that 35% of people had either volunteered at, or help set up, a local community organisation, and well over half (61%) think improvements can be made.Continue reading Constance: ‘Huge appetite for community involvement’
Around fifty local people took part in the latest ‘Getting Together, Making a Difference’ event at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre last week. Taking place on ‘Living Life’ Day, the gathering offered an opportunity for people from diverse backgrounds to get to know their neighbours better, make new friends, learn new skills and create new artworks.
Workshop sessions followed introductions and the official opening of the Getting Together, Making a Difference’ photography exhibition.
The workshop aims:
Provide an opportunity for participants to get to know each other
through an activity
Introduce participants to songs, poems, art work which focus theme of
diversity and solidarity
Provide an opportunity for partiipants to create poetry, music and art
work which can be shared with other workshop groups after lunch
Create an opportunity to send a positve message on diversity, difference
and solidarity to the wider community
Workshop 1 : Poetry
Workshop led by Jim Aitken
Supported by Lynn McCabe and Fiona Manson
Workshop 2: Music
Workshop led by Jed Milroy
Supported by Hannah Kitchen
Workshop 3: Arts
Workshop led Mo Brand
Supported by Anna Baran and Lydia Markham
The event proved to be a great success and a lot of fun: creating new friendships, developing relationships, fostering greater understanding and producing some impressive artwork, a poem and a brand new song, too!
The poem:
Getting Together
Getting together, making a difference
Getting together, making a difference
For future families, and our community
Solidarity
Binding you and me
From wartime to Thatcher
The taxes, the cuts
We fought against it
For a better place for us
We’re getting together
For ceilidhs and meals
For visits and trips
It’s turning the wheels
Into the future
Our community
Our children, their children
Will be running free.
And the song? Well, It goes something like this … :
The latest Getting Together, Making a Difference event takes place at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre tomorrow.
We are kicking off at 10.00 am with coffee and scones in the cafe and an opportunity to look at our new exhibition which includes photographs from previous getting together making a difference events, last year’s Burns Celidh, the Spring Chickens and this year’s adult summer programme.
We will then have a number of activities taking place in different parts of the building. People can chose to take part in either music, poetry or arts workshops. Each activity will start at 10.30 and will run until approximately 12.20. A free lunch will be served in the cafe from 12.30 – 1.15 and this will be followed by entertainment. We are aiming to finish by 2.00 p.m.
A crèche has been organised to allow parents with pre-school children to take part. If people require a creche place, they should call the centre tomorrow if possible to book a place as the crèche is likely to be busy (tel 552 5700).
The event is open to everyone – the more the merrier!
I’m writing to give you some information about upcoming events in the area, and to outline a plan for the next forum meeting on Thursday 18th August, 10-12 at Pilton Community Health Project.
Forum meeting
As the last meeting was very busy, it would be good for everyone to have a chance to update each other and to plan for the coming year. I suggest we talk about:
– Inequalities in employment – what can we do to respond in North Edinburgh?
– Community integration activities – updates and plans for the coming year
– Living in Harmony – topics for upcoming forum meetings; training sessions we could organise in the future
– Hate crime reporting – how do we increase understanding of hate crime and enable people to report a crime? Plans for Third Party Reporting training.
Please RSVP and feel free to suggest other items for the agenda by replying to this email.
Diversity in Public Life event, 11th August
Celebrating Diversity in Community Councils. Date & time: Thursday, 11 August 2016, 6.00pm – 8.30pm Venue: Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, 11 Pilton Drive North, Edinburgh EH5 1NF.
The key aim of the event is to increase the representation of BME communities in community councils. It is hosted jointly by ELREC- Diversity in Public Life project and the Granton & District Community Council. See below.
Kind regards
Hannah Kitchen
Development Worker, Living in Harmony,
Pilton Community Health Project, 73 Boswall Parkway
The next Forth Neighbourhood Partnership Public Meeting is on Wednesday 31 August 2016 at 7pm in The Church Hall, Granton Baptist Church, 99 Crewe Road North. See below for further details.
Forth Neighbourhood Partnership
Public Meeting
At 7pm on Wednesday 31st August 2016
Granton Baptist Church, 99 Crewe Road North
Come along and hear about:
Progress on the move to Locality Working by City of Edinburgh Council and Partners – and what this means for residents of North Edinburgh
Potential changes to flight paths at Edinburgh Airport
Improvements at West Pilton Park
Progress on the Regeneration of North Edinburgh
There will also be a short period during the meeting for Neighbourhood Partnership business.
An agenda and papers will be available nearer to the meeting. For further information contact Jim Pattison, 529 5082 – jim.pattison@edinburgh.gov.uk
ELREC (Edinburgh & Lothian Regional Equality Council) and Granton & District Community Council have organised an event to encourage more BME residents to get involved in neighbourhood activities through Community Councils …
You are invited to an event:
Celebrating Diversity in Community Councils
Thursday, 11 August, 6 – 8.30pm
Royston Wardieburn Community Centre,11 Pilton Drive North
The key aim of the event is to increase the representation of BME communities in community councils and hosted jointly by ELREC- Diversity in Public Life project and the Granton & District Community Council.
Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC) has been working on Diversity in Public Life project since last year, aiming to increase the participation of the BME community in public life and in the democratic process. The project works with the diverse communities and it is funded by the Scottish Government. Under this project, a special scheme, Public Life Champion (PLC) has been launched to provide advice, training and mentoring to BME individuals who live/work across Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Community council triennial elections will take place in Sept-Oct 2016. In the wake of oncoming election, the event will provide useful information (i.e.: nomination/registration process) and practical advice for those who are interested to stand as a community councillor. This event will also help establish a link between community councillors and the prospective BME candidates.
If you are interested to represent the views of your local community to the local authority and other public bodies, then joining the community council would be an ideal vehicle as well as an entry point to get into public life.
The event is open to BME residents lived across Edinburgh & Lothians and community council members. Tea/Coffee and refreshments will be provided. Booking is required to give us an estimate for the catering service. Please let us know if you have any special requirements. Please circulate among your contacts/networks who might be interested on this.