Edrissa Touray – A Rare Community Gem

EDRISSA TOURAY A Rare Community Gem - By Pa Modou Faal

Completing secondary education in the late 1990s in The Gambia when the first and still the only university was at its every formative stage, limited Edrissa’s opportunity for higher academic education. Realistically, the asking tuition fee and the limited government entry scholarship positions puts it beyond his reach. Luckily, the Gambia College offered him a three-year Advanced Diploma in Education graduating a ‘Qualified Teacher’ with the Higher Teachers’ Certificate. The diploma guaranteed him employment as a secondary school teacher of English language and Agricultural Science. Upon leaving the shores of the Gambia in 2003, Edrissa enrolment at Leicester Business Academy to study Business Management and became an associate member of Association of Business Executive (ABE) after a successful attainment of Levels 5&6 qualifications in 2008. He returned to the classroom as a student from 2015 to 2017 at Central College (Nottingham) to undertake a CACHE Levels 2 and 3 qualifications in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools. While working as a Classroom Practitioner at Windmill L.E.A.D in Sneinton, Mr. Touray enrolled at Nottingham Trent University to study a BA (Hons) Education – Policy and Practice and was a member of the university’s class of 2020. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in education at Nottingham Trent University. Edrissa’s professional teaching career started at Ndungu Kebbeh Basic Cycle School in The Gambia as a subject specialist teacher of English Language and Agricultural Science for students in Grades 7-9 (School Year 7-9). Upon retraining in the UK, he embraced the educational cultural differences and adjusted to the change in pedagogical approaches when he was fist given an opportunity at Windmill L.E.A.D Academy in 2015 as a student volunteer on classroom contact work experience. Acknowledging his appreciation to Ellie Green (then headteacher), he recollected the speed at which the school confirmed his longerterm contract just a month into his probation where he remained January 2021. As a Teaching Assistant, he supported Special Needs children (including those on the Autism Spectrum) and high behaviour profile children requiring tailored support. A vital experience that will become an essential tool in his locker as he took up a more challenging job in February 2021 with Fearless Youth Association (FYA) as a Youth Development Manager. FYA engages young people on the dangers of knife crime and awareness training and delivers employability skills development training for young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEETs). Addition to his management functions, Edrissa is a tutor of

Recognizing and Safeguarding Against Knife Crime

and Business Administration Skills Level 1. Both Qualifications are Open Award accredited. He is also an Internal Quality Assurer at the training centre. As part of FYA’s youth employability skills development drive through the UK government Kickstart Scheme, Mr. Touray coordinates a holistic employability support program for running cohorts of youths (16 – 24 years) to enhance their skills levels. The scheme enables them secure and retain jobs. He also sits in Voluntary Sector Organizations (VSOs) and Government Statutory Body meetings including Employment and Skills for Area 4 subgroup and Nottingham (Central). He also provides support through a referral partnership between FYA and East Midlands Probation Services to young offenders of knife crime who serve custodial sentences in knife related crimes. He delivers a 6-week knife crime awareness training with the objective of providing them with opportunities as well as to reflect on their lived experiences and environmental factors. He also provides training for professionals and organisations working with young people and knife crime victims at trauma units of QMC, youth workers of Nottingham City Council and other organisations. Edrissa is leading an FYA – Child Protection Alliance (CPA) partnership project in The Gambia which is a skills transfer project that will see CPA design and deliver a Safeguarding and Child Protection training content to all children and young people practitioners in The Gambia. Aside his professional life, Edrissa believes in collective positive action through community and continues to offer voluntary services to the Gambian Community in Nottinghamshire as Secretary. He is one of the pioneers of the popular annual Gambian Community

Fundraiser event at Forest Recreational grounds in Nottingham.

Volunteering brought him much closer to young people hence his interest in welfare and development. This prompted him to start ‘weekend community academic intervention help scheme’ that provides supportive tuition in English Language and Math across KS1 -KS3 at Greenway Centre in Sneinton since 2016. This scheme grew into what is now registered with the Company’s House as Tailored Education and Community Consulting Service Ltd (TECCS) from 2020.

HIDDEN VOICES – Is the Housing Crisis Affecting

our Community? - By Henry Baptist Pathway Housing Solutions

There are more and more people struggling to access housing, and increasing numbers of people sofa surfing, in precarious housing, living in poor conditions, or at constant risk of becoming homeless. For vulnerable people, young people and children, this can have serious negative effects.

SOME FACTS ABOUT RACE AND HOUSING

of the market, and as the housing crisis worsens, and the cost-of-living spirals out of control, the disproportionate impact on the BME community remains hidden.

WHAT WE HAVE REALISED

From our work in the community, Pathway Housing Solutions has observed housing inequalities and barriers to housing services in Nottingham’s BME Community. We have come across people ‘temporarily’ staying with family and friends, sofa surfing, living in unsuitable housing such as garages, allotments, or on a friend’s floor! We have also found that many BME people are choosing not to access housing advice and support services.

RESEARCH

Few studies have been conducted that explain why this is the case, and so we have decided to investigate the housing crisis from the perspective of BME people, and to seek solutions to the housing challenges facing the citizens of Nottingham. Working with University of Nottingham, and supported by national and local partners, we are launching a 10-month research project, and a series of topic-specific community events and webinars including Alternative Routes to Accessing Affordable Housing.

RESEARCH LAUNCH EVENT

The launch event (online and in-person) will take place at the University of Nottingham on the morning of Thursday 14th July, where preliminary findings from a scoping study will be presented. The event is open to anyone with an interest in housing, and in finding housing solutions. Keynote speakers on the day will come from Nottingham City Council, BME National, Shelter, and Nottingham Arimathea Trust. For booking details contact info@ pathwayhousingsolutions.org.uk

Research Survey – Ethnicity Housing Disadvantage &

Homelessness: We are inviting people to complete this survey https://forms.office.com/r/VynPfNPG8G and it only takes a few minutes. The survey’s aim is to investigate the opinions of Nottingham’s BAME population on the issue of housing inequalities within the city. We acknowledge that BAME is a contested term, but the survey is interested in the experiences of people of colour living in Nottingham. All information will remain anonymous and will be analysed by Pathway Housing Solutions to inform strategy and reports. All participants must be aged 18 or over and be a resident of a Nottingham City Council ward.

• In the last five years, there was a 22% increase in statutory homelessness. Among white households it rose 9%, whereas homelessness among black, Asian and minority ethnic (BME) households rose 48% (Shelter, 2017). • 11% of homeless people applying for help are Black, even though Black people make up just 3% of households in England. • A person who is from a BME background becomes homeless or is threatened with homelessness every eight minutes. • People from BME backgrounds are more likely to live in overcrowded conditions. • In Nottingham, two thirds of approaches for housing assistance were from single people and one third from families. Of the single people, 2/3 were males but only ¼ were from a BME background (Nottingham City Council, 2017). • With the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise evictions after the amnesty expiration, the effects on the BME community are unknown.

THE PROBLEM

The housing system is confronted with several challenges including increasing homelessness, not enough new housing being built by Councils, more people waiting on the housing register for years with little chance of being offered a home, rising rents, tenants struggling to pay their rent, people living in cramped and overcrowded housing, and so on. At the same time student housing is appearing all over the city, the cost of buying a house is pricing local people out

THE PONDERER

By Ben Adeniji

Why you should be happy that you’re feeling sad.

What’s your idea of happiness?

The absence of challenging emotions? Of hard times? the absence of all our genocides, atrocities and evil acts?

I certainly used to think happiness laid in the removal of certain emotions and thoughts. The truth is everything in this world, most importantly us humans possess the yin and yang at the core of our beings. So, when striving to improve ourselves our goal isn’t to remove the bad, instead it’s to achieve harmony between the good and the bad.

Without that spot of black in the yang you wouldn’t know what white is. It’s in the contrast between the two that black and white find their definitions.

From this I started to understand that darkness is the SOURCE of light and hate is the source of love. The night leads into the sunrise, a trespass comes before forgiveness. I used to wish and strive for a life of just the yang, just the good, something looking like this:

Ignore the black outline because we’re removing the yin, how would you know that there’s a circle there at all? The white would just fade into the background of the page. You would have nothing. A life which is ALL good is a logical contradiction. the yin is like expecting your body to function with half its organs. Instead of running from the parts of ourselves we don’t like, we need to turn around and give all of it a big bear hug.

Achieving Harmony

Some heavy stuff I know but stay with me tehe.

Instead of saying “go away fear!” Say “hello fear, how are you today?” Treat that fear and any other negativity like it’s part of who you are because it is. Use mindfulness to comfort the feeling like a mother taking care of her crying baby.

When you sit with that feeling, comfort the baby until they’re calm, then you can look deeply into its roots and what the cause of your suffering is. If you’re always rejecting these parts of yourself, it’s just going to lead to more confusion.

Good vs Bad?

I’ve already used the words “good” and “bad” a few times, but I hope you’re starting to see that they’re one and the same.

We may label different emotions as “positive” or “negative” but the word “negative” implies the feeling is something to be avoided, something that is inherently WRONG.

No, it’s just the other half of who you are. You wouldn’t survive walking around with half your body, so you can’t survive with half your emotions.

Chasing Happiness

The word “positive” implies the feeling is something to be sought and chased after. But when you chase after happiness it becomes more elusive and since you’re running from sadness, it becomes harder to understand it.

In my own life when I’ve just been a pleasure seeker, it’s not long before I need bigger and more extravagant pleasures to feel the same level of satisfaction.

With porn for example, it’s not long before the “normal” stuff just doesn’t do it for you. I get used to whatever I’m polluting my mind with and then I find myself searching for some new type of content to achieve the same feeling.

Pleasure seeking pulls you into this vicious cycle where you’re continuously seeking a new high whilst you slowly deteriorate.

Let the Pendulum swing

Understand that life is a pendulum swing. The swing left to right, happy to sad, good to bad, is inevitable and natural.

Remember that the swing left is the measure of the swing right, so however bad you may be feeling, is also how good you’re going to be feeling one day.

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News & SportsNottingham connected Female Genital Mutilation FGM – FACTS, HELP & ACTIONS

Facts

• FGM is any procedure that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. • FGM has been illegal in England and Wales since 1985. • FGM is a form of child abuse and violence against women and girls. • • FGM is Non-Islamic, against the teachings of Islam and brings Islam into disrepute. • FGM is putting the health of our daughters, sisters, mothers and wives at great risk. • • Over 200 million girls and women worldwide have undergone FGM. • 103,000 women aged15 to 49 are living with consequences of FGM in England & Wales. • In the UK, an estimated 20,000 girls under the age of 15 are at risk of FGM each year. • 1,230 cases have been reported in the Midlands from April 2020 to March 2021

Taking The Taking The City To the Farm Taking The City To the Farm Help

Free Sessions:

Tuesdays Saturdays

Activities include:

Fruit Harvesting Tree Management Weeding for Pumpkins & Feeding the animals Form https://g Woodland Management Sessions Apr-Sep ‘18 Mojatu Foundatio Woodland Management Sessions Apr-Sep ‘18 E EDIBL WOODLA Ecocentre, Home Farm, Scre www.farmeco https://goo.

Mojatu Foun T: 0115 784 6666 | M: 0751 366 1176 | E: angela@mojdation | 167 Alfreton Roa

@mojatu.foundation @T: 0115 784 6666 | M: 0751 366 1176 | E: angela@moj @mojatu.foundation @ mojatuf @mojatu_foundation

Free Refugees & Sessions: Seeker Tuesdays Saturdays ADOPT

Activities include:

Fruit Harvesting Tree Management Weeding for Pumpkins & Maize Feeding the animals Form online @ https://goo.gl/WyH9sz Woodland Management Sessions Apr-Sep ‘18 Eco EDIBLE WOODLAND centre, Home Farm, Screveton, NG13 8JL www.farmeco.co.uk https://goo.gl/pEK1AC

Mojatu Foundation | 167 Alfreton Road, NG7 3JR T: 0115 784 6666 | M: 0751 366 1176 | E: angela@mojatu.com

Are you concerned a girl or woman is at risk or need of support?

• • Join the Community FGM Steering Group: Contact us • For emotional & peer support for survivors in Nottingham, jointhe FGM Survivor’s club: Contact us • Refer survivors needing medical attention to FGM medical specialist in Nottingham: Contact us Refugees & Asylum Seekers Welcome Free Sessions: • Drop in sessions at Mojatu Office Unit 7, Howitt Bldg, Lenton Blvd, Lenton, Nott`s NG7 2BY • • Call 0808 028 350 for a 24/7 anonymous FGM helpline or email: fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk • Call Nottingham City Council Children and Families Direct: 0115 876 4800 • Ring the police on 999 Tuesdays if FGM has just happened or about to happen Saturdays ADOPT A TREE

Actions

Activities include:To help end FGM and support survivors, join one of our campaigns or projects • • • FGM Survivors Club FGM Steering Group FGM Global Faith Ambassador Fruit Harvesting Tree Management Weeding for Pumpkins & Maize • FGM Global Young Ambassador Feeding the animals • Request for training • Volunteer with us • ‘Adopt a tree’ project • Donate to support our work • Fundraise to support our work • Women Skillshare Group

For more information, contact Mojatu Foundation

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