Promoting active citizenship among the BAME community

After the success of ‘Speaking Up’ with Sure Start centres in Exeter, Take Part Exeter extended this course to parents from BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) communities. The offer was taken up by Devon United Women, a newly established network of Muslim mothers, who enrolled on and completed ‘Speaking Up’ workshops and the accredited ‘Introduction to Training Skills’’ course. The courses have empowered this group to engage with the wider community. Equipped with new skills and confidence they are now able to influence decisions that affect their own and their families’ lives. Examples and outcomes include:

• Raising awareness of issues for BAME groups with the Police and Stagecoach (bus company), which led to an improved service provision
• Getting involved in decisions affecting their children’s education
• Forming a group that consults statutory agencies on how they interact with and provide services to the BAME community

Encouraging the group to progress through several learning programmes helped redefine the learners’ cultural norms around the value of learning for women. At the same time, some of the women’s husbands joined them in the accredited course. There are plans to deliver a joint course to parents from different communities, in order to break cultural barriers between the BAME and the wider community.