ANNUAL REPORT
SUPPORTING BME PEOPLE ACROSS WALES
Contents 04
Message from our Patron and President
05
Message from our Chair and CEO
06
Our Impact in 2019
08
Aim 1: Building Skills, Confidence & Participation
10
Aim 2: Improving Health, Wellbeing & Resilience
12
Aim 3: Providing Support & Advocacy, Accessing Rights & Entitlements
14 Aim 4: Promoting Diversity, Safety & Welcome 16 Aim 5: Increasing Representation 18
Financial summary
19
Funders & Supporters
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EYST
The 2
About us EYST Wales is a unique and award-winning organisation set up in 2005. Since then it has expanded its remit from supporting BME Young People to supporting BME Young People, Families and Individuals of all ages across Wales. Our aim is to provide BME people with opportunities to reach their full potential through a holistic, targeted and culturally sensitive programme encompassing education, employment, health, community safety and cohesion.
Family
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EYST Patron I am very pleased to send a message of strong support and appreciation to those working with EYST Wales. It is hard to think of work that is more timely just at present: the pandemic crisis has exposed in painfully direct ways the degree to which racial factors put people more at risk in our society, and the global outpouring of support for Black Lives Matter has shown that a new generation is not going to stay silent about these deeply ingrained injustices. Every community and every institution is being summoned to selfexamination and action.
EYST Wales is not only addressing these issues and helping people find a voice to challenge what we take for granted; it is creating the stories of change and hope which we so badly need to hear as we work to build a more truly welcoming and fair society. Diolch o galon i EYST Cymru am waith mor effeithiol a dychmygol, a phob llywyddiant a bendith am y dyfodol! Dr. Rowan Williams EYST Patron
President As the founder of EYST and having served as a Board Member as well as Chair for many years, I am honoured to have been appointed as the EYST President. I set up EYST because I believe in equality of opportunity and inclusion for all and I wanted to give something back to Wales. Since its inception EYST has gone from strength to strength and I am so grateful for all the hard work the EYST team have put in towards making a positive impact not only on so many individual’s lives but also on both the statutory and voluntary sectors in Wales. I was privileged this year to have received the WCVA Volunteer of the year award. Receiving this award has meant a lot to myself, EYST and the communities that it serves. For me personally it was validation for all the time and effort put into founding, growing, and sustaining EYST, so that it can continue to serve those in need of it. 4
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For EYST, it was recognition of the importance and scope of the work it carries out as well a vital profile raiser to aid its growth. And to those EYST serves it was proof that, despite the many structural and societal barriers that BAME people face, a woman from amongst that demographic was able to overcome them and receive acknowledgement for doing so. I hope EYST can continue to grow and deliver its vital work of tackling inequality as this has been a year like no other; from Windrush Scandal and Black Lives Matter to the global COVID-19 pandemic the need to provide support and a voice has never been greater. Momena Ali EYST President
Chair & Chief Executive’s message Welcome to our latest Annual Report for 2019, another year of important achievements and also challenges affecting EYST, our clients and the wider BAME sector in Wales. During 2019 we continued to consolidate our presence in locations across Wales. We established the new Cultures Youth Club in Wrexham, developed new projects in Cardiff and Newport, and continued to develop our work in Swansea. One new area of work was our partnership working with Citizens Advice Cymru to deliver the EU Citizens Rights Programme, supporting EU Migrants to register for the EU Settlement Scheme, as we prepare to leave the European Union. We also continued to support refugee families resettled in Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Powys through the Global Resettlement Scheme. 2019 saw us support record numbers of clients – 4693 individuals across our service areas, supported by 123 volunteers and a staff team of 40. We also hosted a growing number of 4-month work placements, providing a springboard to success for 19 individual BAME young people. During 2019, we were honoured to host a number of important conferences including the United We Stand conference, in partnership with Race Alliance Wales, which took place in the wake of the horrific
terrorist attacks in New Zealand, and the End of Project Conference for our Resilience Project which supported 825 young people in its final year. Another important achievement was delivering two successful rounds of the All Wales BAME Engagement Programme’s Public Life Mentoring Project, with almost 50 Mentees and Mentors having gone through the programme to date, with some notable success stories.
Although this report reflects the work during 2019, this welcome note is written during a time of a global pandemic with all the challenges that entails. Equally seismic has been the development of the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in America. Our work now looks set to become even more important than ever as Wales and the world takes stock of the impact of these two events.
As always, we are hugely grateful to our hardworking staff team, volunteers and board for all their efforts and sacrifices in making our vision of a Wales where everyone is welcomed, valued and can contribute, a reality.
Solidarity, health and peace to you all. Rocio Cifuentes Chief Executive Dr. Shehla Khan Chairperson
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Our impact in 2019
2
Refugees & Asylum Seekers
BME Families
We supported
4,693 3
1
We delivered
clients
66%
64%
National Conferences
of our clients said that taking part in EYST activities helped them increase their Skills ‘A lot’ or ‘A Huge Amount’ of our clients said that accessing EYST support had increased their understanding of their Rights ‘A lot’ or ‘A Huge Amount'
BME Young People
A Wales where BME people can contribute, participate and feel they are valued members of society.
Our Vision
Of our clients...
55%
were female 6
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Gender
45%
were male
21% were Christian 23%
were Other
Religion
56%
were Muslim
53% were British Citizens 10% were Refugees
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Supporting BME Community Groups
56%
of our clients said that accessing EYST support had helped them access their Entitlements ‘A lot’ or ‘A Huge Amount’
5
72%
said accessing EYST support had helped them feel more welcome in Wales
Challenging Racism in the Wider Community
123 We hosted
Our Mission
to provide quality services which empower BME Young People, Families and Individuals to work effectively with mainstream partners to influence policies and practice to positively promote diversity and improve public attitudes towards ethnic diversity in Wales.
10% were Asylum-Seekers 6% were EU Citizens
23%
were aged 26-40
33%
were Other
AGE
44% were aged 12-25
We hosted
19Job
Volunteers
Placements
We published
6
Evidence Papers
12% were Arab
11%
were Black or Black British
42%
were Other
ETHNICITY
35%
were Asian or Asian British
Aim
BUILDING SKILLS, CONFIDENCE & PARTICIPATION BME Skills Project
The BME Skills Project has been highly welcomed by the ACC board, particularly because of how it has guided the organisation in ensuring best practices across its operations.” 8
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During 2019, in its second project year, the BME Skills project worked with 17 BME community groups in Swansea, Wrexham and Cardiff, recruited 52 volunteers to support these groups, held a successful conference and several training seminars. This is a 3 year partnership project led by EYST and delivered in partnership with SCVS, C3SC and AVOW, and funded via the National Lottery Fund’s Third Sector Skills Programme. Participating groups included: Polish Integration Support Centre, Rhos Inclusion Café in Wrexham, Renew Mind Centre, African Community Centre and Chinese in Wales Association in Swansea and WSSAG Wales, South Riverside Community Development Centre and Butetown Community Association in Cardiff.
BME Youth Invest Project We were very grateful to receive funding from the European Social Fund via WCVA’s Active Inclusion Programme to deliver the BME Youth Invest Project in Cardiff and Swansea. This enabled us to offer paid supported 16-24 week jobs to 12 young people during the year who were hosted by a variety of BME organisations including SubSaharan Advisory Panel, Chinese Community Centre, Citizens Cymru, African Community Centre, Rumba Café, Women Seeking Sanctuary Group and EYST! Individuals gained skills, confidence and experience, and the organisations have gained increased wo/man power helping to deliver their own services to the community! Of the 12 people place, 6 got full-time jobs, 2 went into HE, 1 into SelfEmployment and one got a Welsh Government Apprenticeship!!
Progression Project This was the fourth and final year of the Queen’s Young Leaders- funded Progression Project, a partnership project with Tanyard Youth Project and Cwmbran Centre for Young People. During the year, we supported 27 young people to progress towards employability, of these: • 25 (93%) of these young people increased their confidence • 18 (67%) reduced their isolation • 21 (78%) gained a qualification • 24 (89%) progressed into education, volunteering or training
“
'M’ has gained confidence all the time and with encouragement will now take part in activities. He is feeling less isolated and more positive about his future prospects." Project worker
An end of project celebration event was held in the Senedd in November 2019, sponsored by Lynne Neagle AM.
Refugees Contribute In 2019, the Refugees Contribute project completed its 3rd year, we recruited 36 new volunteers who between them contributed 2428 hours over the year. These volunteers represented 17 different nationalities across 4 continents including Afghanistan, Albania, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Zambia. Huge thanks to all the volunteers, the project officer Jami and the funder Lloyds Foundation.
“
I am proud to have met the people working very hard behind the scene to make EYST flow smoothly. The door is open to all sort of help, with professional advice from education/jobs/social and health to family life /migration advocacy and sign postings. I feel am ready to give back to society and community as a whole”
Homework Club This year, we continued to run a successful homework club in both our Swansea and Cardiff offices. We recruited 28 new volunteers across Swansea and Cardiff as youth tutors, with all volunteers receiving safeguarding training. Between them our Homework Club Volunteers completed 612 hours of volunteering and 174 hours of training. Volunteers, enabled by this Volunteering Wales Grant, supported 278 beneficiaries through volunteering!
“
I enjoy Homework Club. It provides good help towards my grades and how I perceive things. I enjoy all my tutors, they are wonderful, kind and helpful." Homework Club Tutee
RCP Volunteer
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Aim
IMPROVING HEALTH, WELLBEING & RESILIENCE Resilience Project EYST has helped me a lot with my confidence, working with different people from different backgrounds, and with my communication skills. Also, whenever I needed help, the staff members of EYST have been there to help and support me.� Homework Club Tutee
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The National Lottery-funded Resilience project had its 3rd and final year during 2019, and ended with its busiest ever project year we engaged with 825 young people across South Wales across the 3 project strands, increasing their understanding and resilience to Far Right Extremism, Islamist Extremism and Child Sexual Exploitation. Of these, 76% reported increased understanding and confidence to discuss the issues. Across the 3-year project, 46 organisations referred young people to the project and we delivered training to professionals from 23 organisations. We also held an end of project conference in November 2019 at which both Deputy Minister Jane Hutt AM and South Wales Police & Crime Commissioner Alun Michael were keynote speakers.
BME Sports Project Thanks to funding from Sports Wales and Swansea Council, we continued to support a range of BME individuals and organisations to increase their participation in sport through 2019, including working with African Community Centre to run Zumba lessons, Chinese Community Centre to access Squash and Badminton sessions, Congolese Development Project to apply for Community Chest funding; Swansea Mosque to run indoor football sessions, and St Helens Primary school to run a cycling project! We also worked with governing bodies including the Royal Yachting Association to help them increase their access to BME groups! Over 600 participants supported to be active during 2019!!
Family Link Project The Family Link Project, funded via Swansea Council’s Families First programme, has continued to support families and young people in need of additional support as part of the wider Team around the Family approach in Swansea. Over the year, over 30 families and over 60 young people have been supported through a Team around the Family approach, working with over 16 different partner organisations. Cases supported have included Mental health needs, Homelessness and Safeguarding issues, impacting on the wider families’ wellbeing. In the coming year, this work will be replicated in Cardiff, Newport and Wrexham via funding from the Sustainable Social Services Third Sector Grant from Welsh Government.
Belonging The Belonging Project, funded by Children in Need has continued to go well and increase the participation, aspirations, and sense of belonging of children and young people from minority ethnic backgrounds including refugees and asylum seekers. Led by Shahab Miah, the project has continued to offer three after-school youth club sessions per week, as well as one-to-one support, trips and activities. Around 180 young people benefitted from the project during the year, and 33 young people received one to one support. Highlights this year included a residential in the Gower, where 14 young people enjoyed some teambuilding in the great outdoors, and a youth-led family fundraiser day which raised over £300 for the homeless of Swansea.
2SC We were thrilled to receive funding from Children in Need to support Children affected by Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia, the first project of its kind in Wales. This project is run in partnership with Cardiff Friends of Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia, Diverse Cymru, and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. During 2019, it supported 39 children through a monthly fun and friendship club run every second Saturday of the month at Butetown Community Centre as well as trips, activities and one to one support.
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I like the 2SC because I meet other people and, in all honesty, I have a place to go and don’t have to just sit at home. I like the art and crafts best of all because I like drawing and painting. The food is also a plus"
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Aim
PROVIDING SUPPORT & ADVOCACY, ACCESSING RIGHTS & ENTITLEMENTS
All Wales BAME Engagement Programme
89% of service
users
80% of service
users
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said that taking part in EYST activities/ accessing EYST support has helped them understand their rights more 29% said ‘Yes, a Huge Amount’; 35% said ‘Yes, a lot’; 25% said ‘Yes, a bit’. said that taking part in EYST activities/ accessing EYST support has helped them access their Entitlements - 23% said ‘Yes, a Huge Amount’; 33% said ‘Yes, a lot’; 24% said ‘Yes a bit’.
The Welsh Government-funded All Wales BAME Engagement Programme entered its 3 year during 2019, with the project team busier than ever in the 4 corners of Wales. Lee continued his great work in North Wales running the ever-popular Cultures Youth Club in partnership with BAWSO, while Rahila in Newport developed a deepening focus on the needs of BAME Older people. Chisi and then Jalal worked on the issues of BAME people in relation to racism, Islamophobia and hate crime. The team completed the All Wales Survey of BAME people, providing insights into the experience of BAME living in Wales, and also held a successful conference in March entitled ‘United We Stand’ highlighting the need for solidarity in these politically divided times.
Refugee & Asylum Advice Project
Asylum Rights Project
This year we were thrilled to be awarded funding from Henry Smith Foundation to continue our Refugee and Asylum Advice project for 3 years. During 2019 we supported an incredible 756 clients through more than 2600 advice sessions. The project workers offered support with accessing NASS support & Migrant Help, providing advice around financial & benefits system, housing advice, help with legal support and their asylum claim, help to access employment, education and health care, and much more including providing food vouchers.
With continued funded from Welsh Government, via Welsh Refugee Council, we continued to run the Asylum Rights Project offering specific advice to Asylum-seekers via one-to-one advice sessions in Swansea. This enabled us to continue to support individuals seeking asylum and living in Swansea to access their rights and entitlements. During 2019, through this programme, we supported clients from over 62 Nationalities! We are looking forward to relocating this service to a bespoke Refugee and Asylum Advice Hub in 2020!
EU Citizens Rights Project This year we launched the EU Citizens Rights Project, a project led by Citizens Advice Cymru and funded by Welsh Government. The project works across Wales, in partnership with local CABs to engage with EU Citizens living in Wales and support them to register for the new EU Settlement Scheme. Project workers Lucy, Elis, Lee and Assia have been busy delivering and supporting a range of outreach and information events to ensure that all EU Citizens in Wales understand and can access their rights and entitlements following the new Brexit arrangements.
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Aim
PROMOTING DIVERSITY, SAFETY & WELCOME
Syrian Resettlement Programme Swansea, Carmarthenshire & Powys
During 2019 we continued to support families resettled in Wales via the Home Office’s Resettlement Programmes in the 3 local authority areas of Swansea, Carmarthenshrie & Powys. Families were positively welcomed and supported by our respective teams in each area working closely with the Local Authorities in each area including Housing providers, Schools, Colleges, Health services and Employability services. Individually, there were many success stories including achievements in education and employment, as well as sporting successes! From 2020, the programme will be known officially as the Global Refugee Resettlement Programmes, welcoming and resettling refugees from all corner of the world.
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‘Milk & Honey’ Windrush project With a small grant from Cardiff Council, over the summer of 2019 we employed 2 local young BME people for 3 months to become Windrush Ambassadors – interviewing, filming and photographing Windrush elders in their local communities and putting together a mobile pop up exhibition, for use in schools, colleges and community settings across Cardiff. The project interviewed 8 Windrush elders, and produced a film, photos and a mobile pop up exhibition. The completed film entitled ‘Milk and Honey’ can be seen here:
Don’t Hate Educate Don’t Hate Educate is a brand new project designed to tackle the increase in racist attitudes towards ethnic and religious minorities in Wales. It builds on the previous successes of the Think Project and Resilience Project using a similar open dialogue and contact theory-based approach to breaking down barriers and misconceptions about denigrated groups including Muslims, migrants, asylum-seekers and gypsy travellers. It launched in October 2019, and is funded for 18 months, by Welsh Government through their Hate Crime Minority Community Fund. Its first phase is a Train the Trainer phase, training volunteers with lived experience of discrimination, who will then support the delivery of awareness workshops in Schools in Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Powys during 2020. Watch this space!!!
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Aim
INCREASING REPRESENTATION
Race Alliance Wales Emerging from the gap identified via the All Wales BAME Engagement Programme, Race Alliance Wales is a newly established initiative which aims to act as a collaborative and self-directed platform for individuals and organisations interested in achieving race equality in Wales. RAW had a busy year, holding more than 5 meetings attended by over 30 organisations, organising a meeting with the Future Generations Commissioner, and having its official launch event in the Welsh Assembly Senedd building on Human Rights Day on 10th December 2019. We are thrilled that in late 2019 EYST was awarded funding by Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust to further develop RAW through employing a full-time development worker hosted by EYST‌ watch this space!
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Mentoring Programme As part of the All Wales BAME Engagement Programme, the BAME Routes to Public Life Mentoring Programme successfully delivered its first round of the programme during 2019, with a cohort of 25 ambitious mentees matched with 25 high-flying Mentors including a number of Assembly Members and Ministers including Vaughan Gething, Suzy Davies, John Griffiths, Jane Hutt, to name but a few.
Headline Findings from the First Round Evaluation found that:
55% 83% 62%
of Mentees stated that the programme had had a ‘Significant’ or ‘Huge’ impact on their Aspirations of Mentees stated that the programme had had a ‘Significant’ or ‘Huge’ impact on their Understanding of Public and Political Life in Wales of Mentees stated that the programme had had a ‘Significant’ or ‘Huge’ impact on their Skills for Public and Political Life in Wales
The second round launched in October 2019 with another 25 mentees and 25 mentors on board.
The scheme has made me more ambitious and more confident. I now realise that I can use my voice to help others and be a voice for the voiceless” (Round One Mentee)
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FINANCIAL SUMMARY EYST Accounts - Year ended 31 March 2019
Ethnic Youth Support Team Company Limited by Guarantee Detailed Statement of Financial Activities
Detailed Statement of Financial Activities (continued) Year ended 31 March 2019
Year ended 31 March 2019
Income Income and endowments Donations and legacies Donations type 1 Big Lottery Grant Swansea Development Fund WCVA City & County of Swansea Families First Active Inclusion - BME Youth Invest Henry Smith Foundation Home Office Heritage Lottery Fund Queens Awards - Progression Project ABMU Grants BBC Children In Need BME Voice Project SCVS City AS Health Project Esmee Fairbairn BME Sports Clothmaker Grant Youth Support Trust - Connecting Communities Children & Young Peoples Fund Syrian Vulnerable persons' Resettlement Scheme - Swansea Syrian Vulnerable persons' Resettlement Scheme - Carms Syrian Vulnerable persons' Resettlement Scheme - Powys Welsh Government - Equality Grant Big Lottery - BME Skills Welsh Refugee Council - Asylum Rights Project Other grants Lloyds Foundation
Expenditure £ 429 167,336 12,928 19,982 45,548 24,740 25,500 4,963 27,139 – 46,387 3,648 8,000 40,000 19,858 – 1,790 2,500 129,956 113,855 74,162 120,000 130,726 18,518 3,500 25,000 1,066,465
Charitable activities Training Income Other Income
1,700 10,557 12,257
Total income
1,078,722
2019 £
2019 £
2018 £
Expenditure on charitable activities Wages and salaries Pension costs Operating leases Rent Rates and water Light and heat Repairs and maintenance Insurance Other motor/travel costs Legal and professional fees Telephone Other office costs Depreciation Other interest payable and similar charges Direct charitable activity 1 - other Direct charitable activity 1 - sundry expenses Direct charitable activity 1 donations & sponsorship Direct charitable activity 1 - training & tuition fees Direct charitable activity 1 - visits & events Direct charitable activity 1 refreshments Direct charitable activity 1 - film production Direct charitable activity 1 beneficiary payments Direct charitable activity 1 - SVPR scheme expenditure Direct charitable activity 1 translation & interpretation costs Website costs External providers
682,436 8,963 2,938 45,439 1,836 4,784 14,679 4,625 41,999 15,698 12,588 16,261 12,892 176 5,517 2,035 720 23,565 29,924 1,072 3,150
Fixed assets Tangible fixed assets Current assets Debtors Cash at bank and in hand
26,068 173,796 362,644 536,440
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
22,192
Net current assets
514,248
Total assets less current liabilities
540,316
Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year
250,000
Net assets
290,316
Funds of the charity Restricted funds Unrestricted funds
88,166 202,150
Total charity funds
290,316
80,697 23,982 5,278 4,166 71,414 1,116,834
Total expenditure Net (expenditure)/income
1,116,834 (38,112)
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Grateful acknowledgement of our funders & supporters
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Swansea Head Office Units B & C, 11 St Helens Road, Swansea, SA1 4AB Tel no: 01792 466980/1
Cardiff Office 1st Floor, St Paul’s Church, South Loudoun Place, Cardiff, CF10 5JA info@eyst.org.uk /eystwales /ethnicyouthsupportteam /eyst_wales Reg Charity No: 1152486
Company No. 6709767
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