Agenda item

Sue Lister of the Older People’s Assembly will outline project proposals discussed at a meeting of community representatives the notes of which are attached in Annex 1.  The Group is asked to consider the proposals and decide which to take forward and who will lead their development.

The Group were asked for their views as to the projects they would recommend were funded through the SIWG budget for 2008/9. 

Consideration was given to the notes from an informal meeting of SIWG representatives that had been held on 22 October 2008 at which suggested projects had been discussed.  The proposals put forward were:

1.                  A Diversity Exhibition – each group would create its own part of a diversity display and the display boards could be used at festivals and events or split up for small events held by individual groups.  They could also be displayed at libraries or put up at Council or public events.

2.                  A Diversity Garden – a shared garden where everyone would feel welcome.  It would be fully accessible and would also be a sensory garden for people with sight impairment.

3.                  Diversity Fun at Festivals – putting on events, workshops, speakers, displays, presentations, performances and stalls at festivals run by partner groups eg Pride Picnic in the Park, 50+ Festival, International Women’s Week, One World Week, YUMI etc.

4.                  Diversity Day – have a special day in York each year to celebrate diversity.  This could include stalls, the diversity display, balloons, picnic, performances, crafts activities, food, games, quizzes and dancing.

A further two outline project proposals were tabled at the meeting as follows:

• An application for £500 had been put forward by the representative from CANDI (Item 2 on the agenda).

• Steve Rouse and Rita Sanderson put forward a partnership bid to enable them to engage more BME young people with the Young People’s Service and assist them in accessing its services.

The Group agreed that the priority for projects as outlined in the written report circulated before the meeting should be:

• The Diversity Exhibition Boards
• The Diversity Day. 

It was noted that there was a need to obtain costings for these projects before decisions could be taken.  It would also be necessary to ensure that a suitable storage place could be found for the exhibition boards should the decision be taken to purchase them.

Views were put forward that the groups represented on SIWG should each receive an amount of funding to assist with costs associated with their attendance at the meeting, eg travel, the costs of circulating information arising from the meeting and other associated expenses.  It was noted that although £250 had previously been allocated to groups represented on SIWG, this had been a one-off grant to help groups hold extra events to help identify issues that community groups wanted to be considered in the drafting of the Council’s Equality and Inclusion Strategy 2009-12. The only funding that was available in relation to meetings was to meet expenses such as room hire and refreshments for SIWG meetings.

The Group were reminded that, at their meeting on 12 March 2008, principles had been agreed as a guide for the distribution of  SIWG funding.  It had been agreed that projects funded by SIWG project budgets should:

1.                  Contribute to Social Inclusion Working Group objectives and agreed yearly work plans

2.                  Support the engagement of the widest audience in each of the six Equality Strands i.e. Gender, Race, Disability, Sexual Orientation, Religion and Belief, and Age

3.                  Aim to engage hard-to-reach groups within each strand

4.                  Explore new or emerging issues

5.                  Be innovative and not previously tried

6.                  Not be main running costs, which would not be funded

7.                  Receive priority when brought forward by a number of community groups and covering a number of Equality strands

RECOMMENDED:  (i) That a report be prepared for the next meeting, detailing costings for the diversity display and diversity day, together with other funding options.

(ii)               That those interested in putting forward application about Diversity Exhibition Boards and the Diversity Day would send costing details to the Equalities team to be incorporated into the report.

REASON:               To enable the Group to make recommendations regarding

                                 project expenditure for 2008/09.