Agenda item

 

Representatives from Rotherham United Sports Trust, Rotherham Yemeni Association and Rotherham Ethnic Minority Alliance will also be in attendance to speak about their projects.

The Scrutiny Panel offered a warm welcome to Carol Adamson and Ruth Bastin, Community Engagement Officers, who gave a presentation on the progress of One Town One Community initiative, which also incorporate presentations from Rotherham United Sports Trust, Rotherham Yemeni Association and Rotherham Ethnic Minority Alliance about their own projects.

 

The presentation by Carol Adamson drew specific attention to:-

 

·              Rotherham One Town One Community Project.

·              Proud Theme Board – Cohesion Priorities.

·              Partners Working Together.

·              Key Initiatives.

·              Living in my Community Courses for New Migrants.

·              Young People’s Services.

·              Young People’s Conference.

·              Crowden Visit – Residential Trip.

·              “Our Choices” – New Careers for Women Roadshow – 3^rd November, 2009.

·              LGBT Community Engagement.

·              Safe Spaces Discussion.

·              Rotherham School Linking Project.

·              Schools Taking Part – 17 on the Programme.

·              Community Base Projects:-

 

§            Roma Khamoro.

§            One Town One Community Diversity Festival.

§            Activities/Events.

§            St. George’s Day and Armed Forces Day.

§            Ramadan Event Raising Funding for Flood Victims in Pakistan.

§            Rotherham Council of Mosques.

§            BME Women’s Leadership Programme.

§            “Have Your Say” Small Grants Scheme.

§            United 4 Communities.

 

Rotherham United Community Sports Trust

 

Mike Cummins from Rotherham United Community Sports Trust reported that the Trust was a community football programme that worked across the borough in disadvantaged areas with different communities and age groups, delivering under the four main themes of the Football League Trust of education, participation, inclusion and cohesion.  Through football the Trust aimed to promote physical and emotional wellbeing, healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, learning, confidence building, social integration and community cohesion.

 

Further information was provided on the projects taking place which included:-

 

·              Then and Now (Inspire Rotherham).

·              Future Jobs.

·              Duke of Edinburgh scheme.

·              Soccer Schools.

·              After School Club.

·              School Development Programme.

·              Breakfast Clubs/Wake Up Shake Up.

·              School Packages.

·              Penalty Shoot Outs.

·              Children and Young People’s Festival at Magna.

·              Magna Event.

·              Rotherham Ambassador Awards.

·              Maltings Youth Centre – Sports Leaders.

·              Mowbray Gardens.

·              Sports Unlimited.

·              Rotherham North Sports Festival.

·              Fun in the Park Ferham.

·              Youth Forum.

·              Eastwood Funfest.

 

The project was eighteen months into its three years of funding and would continue its work in areas where there were high levels of community tension.

 

Rotherham United Community Sports Trust were thanked for the excellent work carried out in the Rotherham North area.

 

Rotherham Yemeni Association

 

The presentation by representatives drew specific attention to:-

 

·              “One Extreme to Another” Event – Wingfield Comprehensive School.

·              Young People’s Community Engagement Event.

·              Young People’s Realising Aspirations Event.

·              Young People’s Confidence Building and Assertiveness Event.

·              Second Adult Community Engagement Event.

·              Young People’s visit to Parliament and the House of Lords.

·              Young People’s Second Confidence Building and Assertiveness Event.

·              Celebrating Achievements Event.

·              Community Engagement/Eid Event.

·              Understanding Extremism Event.

·              Third Adult Community Engagement Event.

 

A question and answer session ensued and the following issues were raised and clarified:-

 

-        Sustainability of the projects and whether any further funding post March, 2011 had been secured.

 

Rotherham Minority Ethnic Alliance

 

The presentation by Taiba Yasseen drew specific attention to:-

 

·              Engaging and Strengthening Rotherham’s Diverse Communities.

·              Review and Key Objectives.

·              Future of One Town One Community Initiative.

·              Key Themes.

·              Objective 4 – Increasing the Capacity of Communities to Resist Violent Extremism.

·              Objective 5 – Addressing Grievances.

·              Highlighted Areas Relevant to Each Objective.

·              The Future – Future Policy informed by Local Communities.

 

A question and answer session ensued and the following issues were raised and clarified:-

 

-                 The need for community cohesion education in schools with a lower diverse population to prevent problems surfacing in the future.

 

The presentation by Ruth Bastin drew specific attention to:-

 

·              Commissioning, Policy and Performance – Structure of the Community Engagement Team.

·              Community Engagement Team Priorities.

·              Strategic and Regulatory Compliance.

·              Community Cohesion.

·              Community Engagement

·              Voluntary and Community Sector.

 

A question and answer session ensued and the following issues were raised and clarified:-

 

-                 The need to recognise and acknowledge when there was a community tension problem.

-                 Links between the Engagement Team and the seven Area Assemblies.

-                 Priorities for the voluntary and community sector.

-                 Mapping tension hotspots.

 

Resolved:-  That Carol Adamson, Ruth Bastin and all the representatives from the various organisations be thanked for their very informative presentations.