Afghan Action, Linking Communities - Leeds, Tuesday 19 October 2010

Event on 19 October 2010, Shine Business Centre, Harehills Road, Leeds

AA Present: CEO Chris Beales, Yorkshire Coordinator David Redman, London-based Outreach Officer Hashim Alavi

Present Participants: 31 including an Afghan female MP presently studying at York University plus mostly heads of community centres, educational centres and cultural centres from the cities of York, Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Doncaster, Wakefield, and Hull. (Please see list of participants for details.)

Apologies:None

The event agenda was to discuss the work of Afghan communities in the region (Yorkshire) and discuss the problems that exist in the communities. Community Cohesion, Big Society and Building Bridges of trust amongst the wider community were of the main topics that were discussed.

To ensure efficient utilization of the participants and their active presence, the workshop was split into three groups for each of which there was an allocated Afghan Action member that facilitated the discussions, orienting them towards the matters of concerns. There were refreshments offered in the middle of the workshop.

Group A, B and C highlighted the following issues as important:

To improve and better organize in the communities, they emphasized three things as unity, unity, unity and respecting the law of the land (there is a debate whether or not settled residents in the UK should abide by their own customary regulations and traditions or stick to the existing local laws and customs). Also, integration: learning how to live together, establishing one single community centre for the entire Yorkshire region or in each of its cities, networking and communicating well, socializing and providing awareness and training (getting to know each other), improving management, and finally lobbying were of the mostly significant issues.

Problem of various (unknown) community centres were listed as the lack of funding to meet the community needs, coordination and others. Participants reported that no actual services (advice, health, solicitation, housing, and so on) were delivered by the existing centres and that at least the community workers should meet up to get know these truths and realities.

All present in the workshop agreed upon the creation of a single community centre (with constitution & member fee) that can address the needs of both families and individuals as well as most, if not all, of the above-mentioned matters.

All Groups agreed upon the following:

Communities lack motivation, need for meaningful solutions, future pathways, management, committees to be created in a big centre, the challenge of unity vs identity (Yorkshire), Umbrella organization, opinions in agreement.

Funds:

Afghan Action offered to provide advice, assistance and information concerning the process of application for the funds below. Award for All, Big Lottery, Sweat Equity. There were community workers who had worked tirelessly but had never heard of or known about the available funds. For instance, in Sheffield, a differently-abled man, Aman, who had come all the way to Leeds for this cause/AA workshop, was offered a separate session as a follow up. 

The event ended with an announcement of the performance of an Afghan Muaythai sports champion in South Leeds Stadium in the same month. Champion Jawad was introduced to the event participants as a model to exhibit sound activities, projecting a positive image of Afghans in the UK. 

The event’s follow up was determined to take place in Leeds, tentatively scheduled for December 5th at 1pm.