New Era for Race Relations Across England (17/08/2005)
18.04.2006
An Oldham based charity working to reduce racial tension has been given nearly
£1 million by Futurebuilders England – the new investment scheme for the voluntary and community sector – to expand its programme of work across the UK.
PeaceMaker currently runs community cohesion projects in schools and communities across Britain, encouraging young people to promote race equality. The charity’s work includes:
• helping new arrivals in the community positively interact with mainstream society
• running citizenship and diversity training in schools for 8 – 11 year olds
• taking teenagers abroad to experience different cultures
• helping the government develop its national community cohesion strategy
• working with the government’s Home Affairs Committee on the impact of terrorism on community relations
The Futurebuilders’ funding will help PeaceMaker expand over the next five years so that 65 other local authorities across the North of England can buy the charity’s services for their communities.
Speaking at Peacemaker’s ‘breaking down the barriers’ workshop in Oldham today, Pasha Shah, PeaceMaker’s chair, said: “This event is about older teenagers, who have already benefited from the scheme, mentoring and supporting younger ones so they too can develop a stronger sense of cultural identity.
“The money from Futurebuilders is enabling us to open the door to a new era in race relations, positive identities and community cohesion in the North. I’ve seen so many children broaden their horizons and develop a better understanding of other cultures, and I’m sure this will have lasting effects on their communities in years to come.”
Promoting community cohesion is one of Futurebuilders’ key aims. Its Chief Executive, Richard Gutch, said: “PeaceMaker is exactly the type of project that Futurebuilders can help, using our new type of funding for the voluntary and community sector. It’s one of a range of projects that have applied for a Futurebuilders loan to improve community cohesion across England. And we want to hear from more. So far we have agreed investments totalling £2.64 million for ten organisations across the North West.”