Inverness
2018-2019 Fort William
Scotland
Dundee
Oban Perth
Stirling
Edinburgh
Glasgow
West of Scotland Ayr
WE SEE AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY FREE FROM DISCRIMINATION
Dumfries
Hello
There West of Scotland Regional Equality Council (WSREC) is working towards a fairer society where people can live, learn and work free from discrimination or fear. WSREC has over 45 years experience of engaging with some of the most diverse communities in Scotland.
Our Aims •
To work towards the elimination of discrimination in all forms in the West of Scotland
•
To reduce inequalities and promote a culture of human rights
•
To promote good community relations between all people of all communities living in the West of Scotland
What We Do At WSREC we have a diverse range of projects promoting good relations, reducing isolation and challenging discrimination. We run a drop in service and advice surgery for Central and Eastern European residents. Through our training and consultancy we offer tailor-made community engagement packages, research in diverse communities within the West of Scotland and bespoke training on the Equality Act, diversity and human rights. A number of diverse organisations have accessed these services and highly praised the professionalism, quality of information and friendly staff.
Our Vision We see an inclusive society free from discimination
SQA Approved Centre
CONTENTS - Board Members 2018/2019 ................................................................03 - Board Members In Action ...................................................................04 - Chair’s Report ........................................................................................05 - Executive Director’s Report ...............................................................06 - Treasurer’s Report ................................................................................07 Projects - Connected Communities Challenging Hate ..................................09 - Good Community Relations Project .............................................10-12 - Hate Crime ..................................................................................10 - New Migrants ..............................................................................11 - Renfrewshire ...............................................................................12 - Cook, Grow, Sew - Branching Out ....................................................13 - Living Equality ..........................................................................................14 - Minority Ethnic Advocacy Project ......................................................15 - Minority Ethnic Silver Surfers...............................................................16 - Qurbani Food Initiative .........................................................................17 - Step-Up (Empowering Women Project) ............................................18 - Roots Scotland.........................................................................................19 Other - Equality-Performance Observed in the Workplace .............................20 - Admin Report ..........................................................................................21 - WSREC User Statistics .........................................................................22 - WSREC Training and Consultancy ....................................................23 - Equality Training for Rescue 1122 Lahore .......................................24 - Quality Standards at WSREC..............................................................25 - SAREC Report ........................................................................................26 - Future Development ............................................................................27 - Staff Health .............................................................................................28 - WSREC Staff............................................................................................29
33
Board Reports
BOARD MEMBERS 2018/2019
Cllr Hanzala Malik
Dr. Malcolm Green
Syed Jafri
CHAIR
Vince Chudy
VICE CHAIR
Harriette Campbell
TREASURER
CHAIR OF PERSONNEL
Cllr Anne McTaggart
Cllr Rashid Hussain
Onkar Singh Jandu
Tunweer Malik
Sharon Schlesinger SECRETARY
Haji Mohammed Munir
Antony Kozlowski
CO-OPTED MEMBERS
Sheela Mukherjee
John Service
Munir A. Choudry
Dr. Javed Gill
2018-2019 Annual Report
BOARD MEMBERS IN ACTION
Antony Kozlowski with WSREC staff at the EFQM Self Assessment Workshop
WSREC Chair Hanzala Malik and Vice Chair Malcolm Green at the EFQM Self Assessment Workshop
Harriette Campbell, Mohammed Razaq and Hanzala Malik at the Cook, Grow & Sew Fashion Show Sheela Mukherjee at the Minority Ethnic Women’s Participation training
Hanzala Malik giving a speech at the 2018 WSREC AGM
(Left to Right) Vincent Chudy, Mohammed Razaq, Hanzala Malik, Malcolm Green and Harriette Campbell at the 2018 WSREC AGM
4
55
Board Reports
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT Welcome to WSREC’s annual report for 2018/19. It has been another exciting year for us as we have continued to deliver existing projects and developed new initiatives to fill the gap in services. We have consecutively achieved every outcome we have set within our delivery and in many cases these were surpassed, exceeding even our own expectations. Innovative new project work and delivery is the hallmark that we at WSREC are now accustomed to, whilst maintaining previous years’ services. The mission continues with our positive journey towards achieving the goals of WSREC by identifying inequality and discrimination and working towards the elimination of these. Keeping WSREC’s Vision – to work towards a society free from discrimination - in mind, this year, we initiated a training division within WSREC to provide bespoke training on equality and diversity, all forms of hate crime, antisectarianism, community engagement and capacity building for private, public and voluntary sector organisations. As an organisation we have been successful in sustaining core services and developing new and innovative projects. This is in the face of austerity and against a backdrop of reductions by grant making bodies, including local councils, national governments and charitable foundations. I have the pleasure to report that WSREC has responded effectively by meeting challenges and has made excellent progress towards its organisational objectives and the needs of its client group. A new initiative this year saw our delivery being supported by the Scottish Government and European Social Fund. Working in partnership with Govan Community Project, we have successfully delivered an advocacy project supporting more than 800 individuals in accessing equality and much needed services through one to one support and group work. We have continued to support our European communities with advice and information on many local services and issues including the possible effects of Brexit and what that will mean for many in relation to residency rights, employment and financial obligations like mortgages. As reported last year WSREC achieved the ‘Gold’ standard from Investors in People and this year we added further
quality standards by successfully achieving the Scottish National Standards on Advice and Information along with the European Foundations ‘Committed to Excellence’ Award via Quality Scotland. This highlights that WSREC is an organisation committed to developing its staff as well as maintaining quality service provision. During the year, we have provided 2,196 individuals with advice and information alone. Through community engagements, social and online media, events, activities, one-to-one and dissemination, this figure is in the region of 10,000 individuals from diverse communities. A breakdown and analysis of advice and information is on page 22 of the annual report. We continue to represent WSREC and participate in a broad range of forums and networks which enables us to be the voice of our communities, raising awareness of barriers and participating in positive action that can be taken. WSREC has been consistently and at every opportunity raising awareness of equality issues at grassroots and strategic policy level such as local councils, Scottish and Westminster governments. This has also been evident as members of the Scottish Alliance of Regional Equality Councils (SAREC) and through the Scottish Governments Cross Party Groups on Racial Equality and Tackling Islamophobia. Our proposal is to continue challenging discrimination and hate crime by seeking additional partners/resources in view to providing practical support for victims. It is a privilege to work with such a talented and dedicated team of staff and volunteers, without whom the work that we deliver for our communities would not be possible. Finally, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Board of Directors, our many funders, partner organisations and individuals for their support and assistance in making it another successful year.
Mohammed Razaq Executive Director
2018-2019 Annual Report
6
CHAIR’S REPORT
The last twelve months has again illustrated clearly just how vital the work of the West of Scotland Regional Equality Council is, at a time of so much uncertainty. The work of those fighting for equality seems endless and, of course, 2019 has also marked 48 years since WSREC was set up as an organisation. It’s a great pleasure and privilege to introduce the 2018/19 annual report giving me the opportunity to give you a snapshot of the vital work that WSREC did this past year. There has been a great deal of activity at WSREC, much of which has been looking to make sure that WSREC’s vision of ‘a society free from discrimination’ is delivered by supporting different work programmes that focus on: the role of women, the environment and climate change, housing, education and challenging hate crime. Our future challenges include tackling Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and supporting its victims. We will continue to challenge negative media portrayals of all faith groups in Scotland and work to increase independent support for victims of all hate crime and discrimination. I am sure you like many others are fed up of hearing about Brexit which as an issue lends itself for additional concerns, challenges and what that means in the wider context including the important question of our European migrant communities here in the West of Scotland. Consequently, we must not forget that the issue of investment in harmonising new and old communities in terms of employment education and integration. We’ve also continued to highlight the need for ‘equality for all’ through our policy work by consultation responses i.e. Lord Bracadale’s review of hate crime legislation, and through engaging with other equality organisations across the country to support the equality and rights for all agenda. Partnership working with other like-minded organisations for advancing an organisation’s vision is more important than ever. I am pleased to report that WSREC Board of Directors and its staff have been working with Scottish Government, local authorities, the private sector and many third sector organisations to take this forward. It goes without saying that we keep working within fora and ongoing membership of other organisations to support and enhance our vision. Once more, as in all my previous reports, WSREC’s Board of Directors and our team of staff have taken great
satisfaction in the achievement of our existing and new projects; successful delivery of our projects reflects well on the organisation. These achievements reveal the positive result of ‘teamwork’ involving WSREC’s Board of Directors, staff, partners and WSREC affiliated organisations. I look forward to working with the Board, our staff, volunteers, the communities and organisations out there that genuinely wish to make a difference and engage with us in the field of equality for all. In conclusion, my sincere thanks to the board, staff and our partner organisations in making this a successful year.
Hanzala Malik WSREC Chair
77
Board Reports
TREASURER’S REPORT This is my ninth year as treasurer and it is my pleasure to report an income this year of £618,289 from £577,883 last year, an increase of £40,406 (7%). We have maintained financial stability by securing funding for some ongoing and new projects. The income and expenditure statement shows income for the year as £618,289 whereas total expenditure was £612,155. Staff salaries and related costs account for £458,806 (75%) of total expenditure with the balance of £153,349 (25%) being administrative and running costs. This represents a decrease of £13,361 (10%) from £139,718 last year. This decrease is due to some project funding being reduced or coming to an end within the year.
Summarised Statement of Financial Activities for the Year End 31st March 2019
WSREC successfully completed its first year of the two year grant from the Climate Challenge Fund totalling £294,010 (2018-2020) for our Cook, Grow, Sew - Branching Out project
Income Grants Other Income
2019(£) 610,092 8,197
2018(£) 575,451 2,432
Total Income
618,289
557,883
Expenditure Charitable Activities
(612,155)
(604,454)
I am pleased to advise members that we were successful with grants for two new projects. An advocacy project (MEAP) with a grant of £221,793 for 15 months to work in partnership with Govan Community Project to develop and deliver a new and innovative community-led advocacy service to vulnerable and harder to reach minority ethnic (ME) communities in Glasgow and Renfrewshire and the Equality Performance Observed in the Workplace (EPOW) project, £38,000 for 9 months by the Scottish Governments workplace Equality Fund to work with mainstream private employers and their employees to improve knowledge, skills and practices to address employment inequalities within the workplace whilst creating a more inclusive working environment. Our existing Connecting Communities and Challenging Hate Project (3CH) received funding of £25,000 for a further one year. There are also a number of live applications awaiting a decision. The organisation is always looking at ways to improve and expand its funding base as is required for a progressive organisation like WSREC.
Total Expenditure Net Movement in Funds Acturial gains on defined benefit pension scheme
(612,155) (604,454) 6,134
(26,571)
(26,000)
(16,000)
56,598 36,732
99,169 56,598
Funds Balance brought forward Balance carried forward
Abbreviated Balance Sheet at 31st March 2019 1
1
Current Assets
130,503
110,461
Current Liabilities
(40,772
(23,864)
Also I wish to report that WSREC continues to be fully compliant with auto enrolment legislation for pensions.
Net Current Assets
89,732
86,598
Less: Pension Reserve Fund (53,000)
(30,000)
I am delighted to note the support of WSREC’s Board and our staff in seeking improved and better avenues of support and development to enhance the organisations financial standing.
Net Assets/ (Liabilities)
36,732
56,598
This is the 5th successive year that WSREC has been subject to a ‘full audit’ of its financial accounts due to its income threshold of having annual income in excess of five hundred thousand pounds.
Fixed Assets
Harriette Campbell Treasurer
PROJECTS
99
Project Reports
Connected Communities Challenging Hate (3CH)
Cornerstone Centre, Edinburgh
Over the past year, this project has provided training to a wide range of individuals and organisations about mainstreaming anti-sectarianism into their equalities work. This training was based on the ‘Mainstreaming Anti-Sectarianism in Equalities’ toolkit, which was previously developed in collaboration with Glasgow Women’s Library (GWL). The toolkit considers the challenges and potential for mainstreaming anti-sectarianism work into wider equalities frameworks. This was a key recommendation made by Dr Duncan Morrow’s 2017 review of efforts to implement recommendations from his 2015 report, ‘Tackling Sectarianism and its Consequences in Scotland’. Over the period, the project has delivered the following:
69 individuals from over 25 different organisations have received training or presentations on the toolkit. This has brought together practitioners from a wide range of fields including: arts, business, communication support needs, criminal justice, education, equalities, health, housing, law, learning support, local authority service provision, policing, policy, social work and youth work. Glasgow City Council
130 organisations have been provided with hard copies of the toolkit, which is also available in a digital format both from WSREC’s website and the Action on Sectarianism portal.
13 individuals participated in a workshop to test how the toolkit could be adapted for use in community settings. Various parts of the toolkit were developed into alternative formats and disseminated online as part of this outcome.
40 organisations and 3 networks have worked with WSREC to promote the toolkit nationally.
Funded by
The Lighthouse, Glasgow
Ben Williams Training and Consultancy Manager
2018-2019 Annual Report
10
Good Community Relations Project Hate Crime
GCRP (Hate Crime) provides advice, assistance and advocacy in relation to hate crime and discrimination. It aims to advance a clearly articulated evidence-based case as early as possible in order to avoid the need for legal proceedings or to provide a strong foundation in the event that legal proceedings become necessary. The support given has included: • • • •
providing advice about hate crime and discrimination; holding multi-agency meetings to seek resolutions; drafting complaints and pre-action correspondence based on prohibited conduct under the Equality Act 2010; presenting cases at hearings.
In addition we continue to actively participate in the Scottish Alliance Against Prejudice and Hate Crime (SAAPaHC), the Hate Crime Working Group (HCWG) and the Third Party Reporting Network.
Everyone is different....
TRANSGENDER IDENTITY
RACE
From July 2018 to March 2019, this project has delivered the following:
25 individuals have been supported with advice, assistance and / or advocacy in relation to hate crime and discrimination.
RELIGION
DISABILITY
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
...so why would this be acceptable...
VERBAL ABUSE
SPITTING
ONLINE ABUSE
82 individuals from British Red Cross groups have participated in hate crime and discrimination workshops, learning about the legal protections that exist and analysing possible interventions.
...help put an end to it.
1 volunteer
www.hatecrimescotland.org
individual has been supported and trained to work in this area.
Working in partnership for a safer Glasgow
Funded by
Ben Williams Project Co-ordinator
1111
Project Reports
Good Community Relations Project New Migrants Brexit Information Event for Polish and Lithuanian Clients
It has been an exciting yet very challenging year for our service which provides bilingual, holistic and culturally sensitive support to Central and Eastern European communities in areas such as housing, welfare, financial inclusion and settlement. We have also delivered workshops on topics such as Universal Credit which was rolled out this year and employment rights as, through our outreach, it became apparent that a large proportion of the communities still did not recognise their rights which results in financial hardship due to no contracts, salaries less than minimum wage and no annual leave entitlement. There is growing concern on the EU settlement scheme post Brexit, therefore our aim in the coming year is signposting individuals to apply for settlement and residency. Currently the application service is only offered by regulated organisations, which will be challenging and costly to our service users, therefore we are working towards becoming OISC registered so that we can support the communities through the application process ourselves.
Universal Credit Event
Our advice and information services have supported in excess of:
200 service users by providing linguistic support in Polish and Lithuanian. Universal Credit Event
Funded by
Joanna Kieran Project Co-ordinator
2018-2019 Annual Report
12
Good Community Relations Project Renfrewshire
Celebrating volunteering, diversity and integration at the Equality in Practice event
GCRP Renfrewshire project has continued to develop its capacity to positively influence and support diverse minority groups in Renfrewshire. During this year we delivered weekly drop in sessions to develop career goals; delivered 2 soft skill courses in IT and building interview skills; held a job & volunteer fayre and input into Renfrewshire’s Equality and Diversity Alliance. The highlight of GCRP is project activities was the job café held on the 27th of November at St. Ninians church hall, Ferguslie Park in Paisley. The job café was conducted in an informal and interactive manner. There were bespoke as well as Question & Answer sessions led by facilitators in the areas of CV Development and Interview skills, Volunteering (the benefits and available opportunities) and Employment (the employer’s perspective and available job opportunities).
CV training and job interview skills session
The discussions were lively and very informative and of the:
25 participants that came on the day, there were 9 engagements from clients that needed follow ups and this varied from CV help, volunteering and applying for jobs.
Employability and employment opportunities session
Funded by
Johannes Gonani Project Co-ordinator
13 13
Project Reports
Cook, Grow, Sew - Branching Out branching out
Energy Workshop Lanarkshire Carer Centre (Polish Group)
Cook, Grow, Sew – Branching out (CGS) is in its 5th year of Scottish Government funding through the Climate Challenge Fund. The project supports individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds across Glasgow, Renfrewshire and North Lanarkshire to increase awareness of climate change and support the individual’s environmental journey. Fun, Food & Fashion 18/19 Facts & Figures:
The project delivered one to one sessions, home visits, surgeries, workshops and events on climate related activities to individuals and community groups.
support partner organisations to create their own permanent gardens and home growing where we support individuals to establish edible gardens at home.
people actively engaged with the project.
Our activities
46
Energy Efficiency: delivered home visits, surgery and workshops. Supported 71 individuals to access Warm Home discount saving a whopping £9,940.
All things Food Waste: with ‘What’s in your fridge’ workshops and ‘Food Friday’ with ‘no waste’ cooking workshops, saving 108.5 tonnes of Co2e over the expected life-time impact of the project.
1812
block sessions on energy, waste and travel.
55 one-off workshops and events so far.
1239
kilograms of household items diverted from landfill over the 5 swap shops.
Fuel Efficient driving: in partnership with Drive Sense supporting individuals to reduce their carbon footprint while driving. Community Gardening at WSREC: outreach gardens such as the Multicultural Elderly Care Centre (MECC) where we
Zero Waste with up-cycling: re-cycling sewing classes at WSREC and partner organisations such as Woodfarm Educational Centre and our Furniture upcycling workshops delivered in partnership with Rags to Riches and the ever popular Swap Shops where we diverted over 1,239kg of clothing and textiles from landfill.
100
garden sessions delivered.
945
hours of volunteer support.
99
tonnes Co2e saved in year 1 of the project.
1187
Model wearing upcycled clothes during Fashion Show
Harvest time at the Napiershall Street Garden
CGS Team at an event
followers on facebook.
Funded by
Linsay Taylor Project Co-ordinator
2018-2019 Annual Report
14
Living Equality
MEWPP members’ capacity building training with GCVS
The project has been addressing the under representation of minority ethnic (ME) women across public and voluntary sector platforms such as Boards, Committees, and Fora’s that make important decisions at local and national levels. This work has been resourced by the Scottish Government and comprises a number of developments i.e. the recruitment of ME women from diverse backgrounds, their needs assessment and a capacity building programme for Minority Ethnic Women Participation Project (MEWPP) members who then cascade their learning to other ME women.
Achievements:
23
External Network Outcomes 8 civic awareness sessions provided increased understanding of civic participation to over 100 ME women. 9 MEWPP member’s capacity built via various training sessions in partnership with public and voluntary sector organisations such as the Procurator Fiscal Service, Glasgow City Council and GCVS. 7 members who cascaded their learning have gained further skills in planning and delivering their own sessions. 4 members joined the management committees and boards of public and voluntary sector organisations. 7 members attended consultation forums and felt confident in participating in public meetings.
5
Partnership Opportunities Contacts have been made for MEWPP members to engage with the following organisations: Glasgow City Council HR Department, GCVS, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Scottish Enterprise, the National Library of Scotland, British Muslim Association, the Young Workforce, and Community Councils.
23
new women recruited and MEWPP member’s individual development plans improved.
new MEWPP members and 10 previous members have advanced through capacity building.
new members trained by experienced MEWPP members.
23 members have been mentored in civic participation.
Through project negotiations, opportunities have been provided to ME women to take part in public platforms and community development services offered by GCVS. The organisation was very keen to have ME women participating in their training and at meetings, as this group is particularly under-represented. The British Muslim Association has given an opportunity for women to join their management committee by admitting a MEWPP member as an observer until their next election after which she will be a candidate herself.
2 members shadowed project staff.
7 MEWPP members trained and empowered to cascade their learning to 100 ME women in communities.
Pachedu women’s group after civic awareness session
Funded by
MEWPP member’s capacity building training with GCVS
Bushra Iqbal MBE Project Co-ordinator
15 15
Project Reports
Minority Ethnic Advocacy Project (MEAP)
Community Cafe organised by MEAP
The Minority Ethnic Advocacy Project (MEAP) commenced on the 1st of April 2018 and is being delivered in partnership with the Govan Community Project (GCP) and Pachedu. The project has been providing advocacy in all its forms ensuring that people, particularly those who are most vulnerable in society, are able to: • • • •
Have their voice heard regarding issues that are important to them Defend and safeguard their rights Have their views and wishes considered when decisions are being made about their lives Have increased awareness of public services available to them.
Total client registrations as of March 2019:
861 clients have been registered and supported with a myriad of issues including but not limited to -
Through our diverse staff who also have language skills in Arabic, Urdu and Punjabi, we have been working to increase the confidence of clients through inter-cultural dialogue and capacity building them to be able to do things for themselves.
• • • • • • •
The main goal of the project has been to connect vulnerable and isolated individuals with mainstream services they require by supporting them to understand their situation and helping them make informed decisions. We help individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds to build confidence and enable empowerment.
• • •
Employability Financial issues Education Accessing ESOL provision Benefits Medical appointments Completing forms / understand letters / making phone calls Housing Health and wellbeing Utilities
The project is currently funded until the end of June 2019 and will continue to support some of the most vulnerable members of the minority ethnic community in order to address inequalities and promote independence.
MEAP staff visiting the team at Migrant Voice
Employability training at East Renfrewshire Council
Funded by
Information session at the Hindu Mandir
Nadeem Hanif Projects Manager
2018-2019 Annual Report
16
Minority Ethnic Silver/Super Surfers (MESS)
Teaching client at the Hindu Mandir
Our MESS (I.T project) has been running since 2014 with various funders involved. This year the project evolved into two new projects, funded for 6 months by two new funders. Each year the project has been evolving due to new technological advances, new funders and the demands of technology on our modern lifestyles. Our main focus has, been getting the most out of individuals when delivering our IT training, helping their confidence grow and showing they can learn. reduce isolation, improve mental health and to support marginalised groups so that they are able to access vital Project Aims: To services. Previously, the project focused more on teaching older Minority Ethnic (ME) individuals but this year with help from Maryhill Housing Association we were able support M.E individuals from the age of 16, living in the Maryhill Corridor of Glasgow. This particular piece of work was named Minority Ethnic Super Surfers. With the support from Glasgow Clyde Colleges we continued with the Minority Ethnic Silver Surfers project, which focused on supporting M.E individuals over the age of fifty with I.T, who lived within the Glasgow area. Our focus has been more on teaching individuals on smart-tech, such as smart phones and tablets. This is due to the
changes in society and how technology is being used by individuals and large organisations. For example most of us would take for granted how much we use technology, like accessing vital information, communication, shopping and even filling out forms online. This year we saw more people use our 1-2-1 service rather than take part in our classes. This was due to people having varied skill levels and wanting a more personalised experience. WSREC would like to thank staff involved and a special thanks to one of our service users (Mrs. Gandhi), who helped promote our services, within her community.
MESS Project Statistics:
>40
people supported.
80%
of service users engaged with the one-to-one service, more then once.
65%
identified as female.
7.5% were either a refugee or an asylum seeker.
13% of service users were non UK nationals.
One-to-One IT session with a client
Teaching clients on how to book flights
Funded by
Mohith Lakhanpal Project Co-ordinator
1717
Project Reports
Qurbani (sacrifice) Food Initiative F O O D I N I T I AT I V E
Glasgow Central Mosque
The project continued its work with Lodging House Mission (LHM) in Glasgow and Fusion Scotland in Edinburgh to help the destitute communities during the celebration of Eid Ul-Adha “Festival of Sacrifice”. Successfully running for 9 years in Glasgow and for 5 years in Edinburgh, Muslim communities have come to support some of the most vulnerable and excluded individuals with donations since the project begun. Total donations to date stand at:
2248
kilo’s of meat in Glasgow alone.
Qurbani means sacrifice in Arabic and the celebration of Eid Ul-Adha commemorates the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son (Ismail) as an act of obedience to God. In his devotion to God, Ibrahim agreed to follow his dream and perform the sacrifice. But God intervened and sent a ram to be sacrificed in Ismail’s place. This celebration takes part during the month of Hajj when millions of Muslims make pilgrimage to Mecca. The meat from the sacrifice is mostly given away to others. One-third is consumed by immediate family and relatives, one-third is given away to friends, and one-third is donated to the poor.
11,240
meals provided.
The aspiration for next year is to encourage the setting up of a similar initiative in Aberdeen. A wonderful achievement! “Feed the hungry, visit the sick, set free captives” Prophet Mohammed “You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. This is how prayer works” Pope Francis “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity; it is an act of justice” Nelson Mandela
Partnered by
Qurbani volunteer Adam Razaq assisting with collection and delivery of Qurbani donations
Funded by
Mohammed Razaq with LHM Staff taking delivery Farrah Malik of AWAZ FM of the donated meat promoting the QurbaniMother Initiative Teresa
Mohammed Razaq Executive Director
2018-2019 Annual Report
18
Step - Up Empowering Women Project
Scottish Police Muslim Association Workshop
Step-Up Empowering Women Project came as a result of funding secured from Awards for All. The project was set up to develop and organise a number of social engagement opportunities and activities for diverse minority ethnic (ME) women in Glasgow over a 6 month period within a safe environment to discuss issues prevalent to them. The regular activities were opportunities to make new friends and join the fabric of society. We have successfully supported women through building capacity and confidence to improve wellbeing. This has been achieved via the facilitation of weekly coffee mornings providing the women a platform to meet up, socialise and learn about opportunities and available services. The coffee mornings have proved to be very successful. The group meets up every Thursday morning to address issues and barriers affecting them. These workshops were delivered in partnership with both statutory and voluntary sectors. Examples of workshops delivered were; Hate Crime (in partnership with Scottish Police Muslim Association), Health and Mental Wellbeing (in Partnership with NHS and Amina Women’s Aid) , Employability, Skills and CV workshop (in partnership with Mentor, Clyde College and Skills Scotland) and Domestic Abuse (delivered by Amina Women’s Aid).
and raised £1200 for the charity. This activity was a huge success and had boosted the confidence of the group. All in all the project resource has been very helpful in increasing the capacity of Minority Ethnic women and has provided an excellent platform for the women to meet up thus reducing isolation and building capacity. The project funding had reached its end in March 2019 however, the group continues to meet up as a self-help group. WSREC continues to support them and arrange inhouse workshops where applicable to increase awareness and provide informed choices to improve wellbeing.
The Step Up group had also pledged to raise funds for charity and had chosen the charity Amanat Education Trust. Along with the help of the group coordinator Rabeea Qureshi, they successfully held a charity bazaar
50 participants benefited from the various training provided.
50 individuals from diverse backgrounds received holistic support to improve their communication skills and reduce their feelings of isolation in addition to gaining an insight on how to make informed choices in relation to improving their well-being.
8 successful workshops were delivered at the coffee mornings.
2 outdoor activities were successfully arranged; a family trip to Balloch Castle & Country Park and a Summer Community Barbecue in Pollok Country Park.
Balloch Castle and Country Park Group Photo
Funded by
Rabeea Qureshi Project Co-ordinator
19 19
Project Reports
Roots Scotland
SUP Workshop at the Mitchell Library Archives
What an exciting year for our Roots Scotland Project. Funded through Historic Environment Scotland (HES), we have made strides with connecting communities to the heritage sector. This year we launched our ‘Roots Scotland’ App (https://rootsscotland.app/) which allows members of the communities to upload their heritage experiences for others to see and explore. We also worked with Scotland’s Urban Past, capacity building minority ethnic individuals which resulted in Napiershall Street Centre welcoming wider communities to Glasgow Doors Open Day for the first time in the building’s history.
Doors Open Day Tour - September 2018
Our project was chosen as one of the Ambassadors advocating of behalf of Historic Environment Scotland (HES) for their 20192020 Corporate Plan under the outcome: The historic environment makes a real difference to people’s lives. We also planned an end of year community café event bringing together community led and heritage focused organisations around partnership development and funding opportunities.
SUP Workshop - Measuring and drawing a building
Community Cafe - March 2019
We look forward to delivering more activities Scotland wide in the project’s final year.
VISIT
ROOTSCOTLAND.APP Funded by
Doors Open Day Tour - September 2018
Ghzala Khan Project Co-ordinator
Suzanne Bingham Development Officer
2018-2019 Annual Report
Equality-Performance Observed in the Workplace (E-POW)
We have been successful in obtaining a grant from the Scottish Government’s Workplace Equality Fund. Administered by Impact Funding Partners, our exciting project E-POW focuses on reducing inequalities and discrimination within the private sector. This 9 month project has enabled us to make connections with mainstream private organisations through consultations and training to increase awareness of prevalent topics such as Unconscious Bias, the Equality Act 2010, Enhancing Equal Opportunities and Community Engagement. The project is now in its phase of making direct contact with companies offering these opportunities and working with groups to make longer term changes within their workplace.
Ghzala Khan Project Co-ordinator
20
21 21
WSREC Reports
Admin Report The Admin Team consists of the Office Manager, 2 Administrative Assistants and a Resource & IT Officer. We also have a number of volunteers supporting the team including volunteer placements from HMP Greenock. This year the Team continued to support all the projects within WSREC and the day to day running of the office. This includes projects with HR, IT and general administration support. The main highlights for this year have been the installation of fibre optic within the building through GCC IGF local area funding and this has resulted in much better internet performance allowing staff the opportunity to work efficiently, especially when creating marketing material and videos. We also developed a WSREC database to enable us to be consistent with our service user information across all projects taking into consideration GDPR Guidelines. The team were involved in obtaining the EFQM award by developing communication tools and supporting WSREC’s Healthy Working Lives Award and maintenance of Investors In People (IIP). Volunteers are always welcome in addition to WSREC’s Admin Team and there has been a continuous flow over the last year, with some volunteers moving on to paid work with one of the many WSREC projects.
Farrah Rashid Office Manager Experience of a Community Jobs Scotland employee I am very grateful for Community Jobs Scotland for giving me this opportunity, to work again with WSREC. Community Jobs Scotland is an employability programme delivered by SCVO and is a working partnership with the Scottish Government and Scotland’s third (charity) sector. The programme provides young people (aged 16 to 29 years) living in Scotland with paid jobs in the third sector. I have been working for WSREC since 2013, working on various roles and projects and I have loved every minute of it. I am currently the Fundraising Assistant until October 2019. The role has provided me with a range of new learning opportunities such as: an in-depth view of the recruitment process, gaining more experience in the fundraising process, the opportunity to apply for funding, furthering my experience in marketing and improving my administrative skills. Why did I choose to apply for a position with the West of Scotland Regional Equality Council again? The main reasons were: I wanted to expand my knowledge and gain more experience in applying for funding. I felt I lacked that experience and wanted to be a more rounded Marketer in the charity sector. The main reason is I adore the whole ethos of WSREC and what they stand for; they are colourful, diverse, ambitious and always wanting to improve and evolve. Hopefully with my expertise in marketing and social enterprise I can help WSREC grow. WSREC is a welcoming and encouraging environment and I would recommend anyone to apply or volunteer for WSREC.
Mohith Lakhanpal Fundraising Assistant
2018-2019 Annual Report
22
The data we gather within WSREC looks at how diverse our service users are and how we can improve on engaging with the wider community.
User Statistics
Within our data we look at: ethnicity, nature of enquiry, gender and age within the West of Scotland. Scottish
6%
Central & Eastern European
129
Chinese
<1%
36%
TOTAL
18
2196
791
Other
6% 138
Caribbean
<1%
Pakistani
18
Indian
4%
ETHNICITY Middle Eastern
24% African
16% 351
The majority of service users were seeking â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Advice and informationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. This can be attributed to the fact that WSREC continues to run successful projects (Minority Ethnic Advocacy Project, the Cook, Grow Sew project and the Good Community Relations Project) which apart from settled ethnic minority includes the provision of advice and information to Eastern European communities in the West of Scotland.
148
80
As shown in the above graphic the majority of service users were from either Central / Eastern European, African or Middle Eastern backgrounds. WSREC continues to receive high numbers of enquiries from these groups of people, which can be attributed to the successful projects that we run which support local communities in Scotland.
NATURE OF ENQUIRY
7%
Info on External Services
3% 77
Advice & Information
81%
Info on WSREC Services
1789
7%
Other
8%
153
177
5% (112)
AGE As seen in the pie chart to the right the highest proportion of service users who chose to disclose their age were from the 30-44 age bracket which accounted for 46% of service users. This was followed by the 45-59 age bracket which accounted for 26% of service users. In comparison to the same period last year the 30-44 age bracket remained the most prominent. The 25-29 age and 45-59 age group were in joint second place last year.
>65
3% (74) 60-64
523
GENDER In comparison with the last year, (17/18) the number of females increased by 3% from 46% to 49% and the number of males decreased by 3% from 54% to 51%.
51% 1119
49% 1072
< 1% 5
MALE
FEMALE
NOT DISCLOSED
0
<1% (8) <17
6% (136) 18-24
12% (274) 25-29
26% (580) 45-59
46% (1012) 30-44
23 23
WSREC Reports
WSREC Training and Consultancy
WSREC’s highly experienced training and consultancy service spans: • • • • • • • •
The Equality Act 2010: What equality law means for you Equality good practice: Doing more than equality law requires Equality, diversity and discrimination issues more generally Community engagement Hate crime Mainstreaming anti-sectarianism in equalities The design and delivery of equality policies and projects Providing advocacy and support as a non-lawyer
Our service draws on a wealth of experience from practice in community development, education and law. We have experience in providing training and consultancy services both across Scotland and internationally. Your bespoke package will be tailored to meet the specific needs of your organisation or business, whether you operate in the public, private or voluntary sector. Your package can be as general or specific as you choose and can cater for any size of organisation. WSREC has provided training for individuals and / or teams from a wide range of organisations, including: African Caribbean Women’s Association, BBC Scotland, British Red Cross, City of Edinburgh Council, Creative Scotland, East Dunbartonshire Council, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, Glasgow Housing Association, Glasgow Life, Historic Environment Scotland, Impact Funding Partners, Jobs and Business Glasgow, Police Scotland, SACRO, Scottish Labour Party, TRC Media, Turning Point Scotland, Youth Scotland, Ypeople
For further information, please contact: advice@wsrec.co.uk Ben Williams Training and Consultancy Manager
Quotes: “Great training, very participative, self reflective and organisationally reflective. Really enjoyed it.” “[The trainers] were excellent and I really enjoyed the training. This will be invaluable in my work going forward.”
2018-2019 Annual Report
Equality Training for Rescue 1122 Lahore
Mohammed Razaq WSREC CEO, receiving shield for providing equality training from Rizwan Naseer, Director General of Punjab Fire and Rescue Services 1122
WSREC, joined by a team of trainers, travelled to Glasgow’s twin City of Lahore on March the 12th 2019. On the request of the Punjab’s Fire and Rescue Service (1122), Mohammed Razaq, WSREC’s Executive Director, joined a team to provide equality training with 2 medics and an education and social worker in Lahore to provide training in their own fields. Equality training, and in particular focusing on faith and gender, was provided to 200 staff of which 40 were senior personnel of the service including the Director General. The training was centred around Pakistan’s equality legislation and the obligations Rescue 1122 was under and also how to improve equality for minority faiths and women within the service itself. The service was very grateful to WSREC and its Board of Directors for providing this invaluable training.
Training session with senior staff
Delegation from Glasgow outside Punjab’s Fire and Rescue Service Training Academy
24
25 25
WSREC Reports
Quality Standards at WSREC
Endeavouring to be the best it can be, WSREC has over the years been looking at ways to improve its effectiveness, accountability, sustainability and service delivery while having a healthy and happy staff team. One way of making this a reality for WSREC staff has been looking towards equality standards to drive this improvement. 2018-19 has been a productive period for this through the acquisition of the following quality standards:Investors In People (IIP) WSREC was successful not only in retaining IIP but has moved two places from a bronze to being awarded Gold status this year. European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) WSREC has been awarded EFQM after successfully completing 3 projects and the audit which took place in February 2019. Scottish National Standards on Information and Advice (SNS) After a rigorous audit WSREC was awarded this quality standard supported by the Scottish Government. Health Working Lives (HWL) This will be the 4th Year that we have been awarded this quality mark in supporting WSREC staff to be healthy by providing information and opportunities to keep and improve their health. Registered centre for Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) WSREC has now been registered as SQA centre for last three years and has successfully put a number of its volunteers through the programme. Board, staff and clients have been instrumental in WSREC achieving these excellent and sought after quality standards.
WELL DONE TO ALL
2018-2019 Annual Report
Scottish Alliance of Regional Equality Councils (SAREC)
WSREC is one of the four founder members of this national organisation. Others include Grampian, Edinburgh & Lothian and Central Scotland. The main activities of SAREC include: •
Offer assistance to individual Regional Equality Councils to ensure they are well resourced and support them in raising funding for specific projects
•
Influencing policy and establishing relationships with the UK and Scottish Governments as well as with key stakeholders in the public, private, voluntary and community sectors.
•
Building effective links between minority and majority communities across all equality dimensions
Partnership: following from the previous year’s research into ‘hate crime’ and its reporting (or lack of) and funded through Awards for All, the report was disseminated widely all over Scotland. I am pleased to report that it was utilised by Lord Bracadale for his hate crime legislation review. SAREC is looking to work towards accessing funds to take forward the report’s recommendations and are looking at ways to bring in resources to support victims of hate crime. The Secretariat function for SAREC has been with CSREC since November 2017.
Mohammed Razaq Executive Director
26
27 27
WSREC Reports
Future Development
Over the last few years, the Board of Directors and staff have gathered to recognise achievements within service delivery and identify gaps that could be reduced further. Development needs were recognised in the following areas: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Providing further support to tackle poverty and low income An increase in faith related work i.e. tackling Islamophobia Support individuals victims further within hate crime and discrimination Advocacy support to empower and enable ethnic minority individuals Support individuals into employment Equality Training provision to meet our aims and raise core funds
WSREC has worked hard to bring resources to address the above issues over the years and we have been successful in obtaining some resources to work towards addressing issues mentioned above however, funding has come to an end for 1 and 5. Through 2018-19 we have applied for diverse funds to support areas of work across a number of strands. Many of our existing projects have been given further opportunities and we look forward to reporting the results next year. Staff and WSREC Board members have again been looking at areas of concern or development for the coming year and the following has been identified:a. b. c. d.
Continue to seek increased resources to support victims of hate crime & discrimination and Minority Ethnic Employment Training and Support Focus on seeking resources to support victims of Islamophobia Market our Equality Training to a wider audience Look for alternative funding for Advocacy support to empower and enable ethnic minority individuals as presently the project comes to an end in June 2019
WSREC Board and staff remain committed in providing equal opportunities to all communities and we will continue to endeavour bridging the gap in service provision by meeting regularly and focusing on community needs and barriers. One of the ongoing concerns is not about direct service delivery but the WSREC offices and main venue for delivering our services. The landlord City Property is close to making a decision soon to either re-furbish or sell the building. The Board has been working with staff to identify other venues for this so that any disruption to services is minimal.
Mohammed Razaq Executive Director
2018-2019 Annual Report
Staff Health
Over the course of the past year we have actively organised and delivered various challenges and fundraising events to champion ‘Healthy Working Lives’. We have managed to maintain our Bronze award through our activities which raise awareness on topics such as healthy eating, physical activity, positive mental health and overall wellbeing. An example of one activity included ‘BNF Healthy Eating Week’ where staff were giving a different theme to focus on and complete every day such as drinking enough water, having a healthy breakfast and exercising. Where possible, we have tried to makes the activities interactive and fun and in August there was a staff treasure hunt organised where staff were divided into 4 teams and were instructed to search the building for different objects. This activity encouraged movement as most of our roles are behind desks and team work although the groups did become very competitive towards the end! There was a lot of laughter and the staff remained animated for the rest of the day. Going forward, we will continue to maintain bronze and look into obtaining the silver award.
Ghzala Khan Deputy Director
28
29 29
WSREC Reports
WSREC Core Staff 2018/19
Mohammed Razaq Executive Director
Ghzala Khan Deputy Director
Farrah Rashid Office Manager
Nadeem Hanif Projects Manager
Ashleigh Alexander Project Assistant
Maymoona Awan Activities & Engagement Officer
Aneel Bhopal Development Officer
Suzanne Bingham Development Officer
Dr. Manal Eshelli Advocacy Worker
Johannes Gonani Project Co-ordinator
Ambreen Hussain Advocacy Worker
Bushra Iqbal Project Co-ordinator
Robina Khan Advocacy Worker
Tauseef Khan IT, Resource & Administration Officer
Joanna Kieran Project Co-ordinator
Mohith Lakhanpal Fundraising Assistant
Choi Tin Lee Clerical Assistant
Faisal Mohammed Outreach & Activities Officer
Karla PĂŠrez Portilla Project Co-ordinator
Rabeea Qureshi Advocacy Worker
Linsay Taylor Project Co-ordinator
Dilraj S. Watson Project Co-ordinator
Ben Williams Training & Consultancy Manager
2018-2019 Annual Report
30
Project Support Staff
Khadiga Abdelwahab
Zain Ahmed
Umair Akthar
Shabana Ali
Ghazala Ansar
Ian Gallagher
Jamilah Hassan
Anana Kayani
Anna MacKenzie
Jurate Piepolyte
Mira Waligora
Janet Woodburn
WSREC Volunteers Our work would not be possible without the work of our dedicated volunteers. Volunteers have helped out in a great many ways; assisting our media team, providing translations, liaising with the public on our behalf, and many other tasks. Because of this invaluable contribution, we’re eager to say a big public “Thank you volunteers! We salute you!” to our volunteers - some of whom are listed below. Fakhriya Abdulkadir Norma Ahmed Douglas Cape Danya Djamous Richard Fedorko Donna Gallagher Dinna Gwedeza
Nahla Hamad Marwa Kaanan Ramute Lagunaviciute Marc Mazoyer Leanne McAllister Izabella Merkowska Svenja Meyerricks
Lola Owoeye Rita Pacheco Noemie Cherqui Percebois Alix Rothnie Deniz Uster Paul Watson
Thank you to our Partners & Funders THIRD SECTOR R FORUM FORU The voice of Glasgowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Third Sector
THE ENDRICK TRUST
West of Scotland Regional Equality Council The Napiershall Street Centre, 39 Napiershall Street, Glasgow, G20 6EZ
0141 337 6626
0141 339 2647
www.wsrec.co.uk
Scottish Charity No: SC025038 Scottish Company No: SC292009
admin@wsrec.co.uk