Trishna Singh outside the new cafe at 122-4 Leith Walk [pictures Nick Gardner]
You can’t miss the Punjabi Women’s Kitchen. Sandwiched between fast food outlets in multicultural Leith Walk, the bright orange shop front promises home made traditional Punjab cuisine. Above the door a sign declares nothing less than empowerment for women.
Continue reading “Recipes for success in the Punjabi Women’s Kitchen”CHANGE – a theatre project during the General Election
Saturday 10th April 10am-1pm, Pilmeny Youth Centre, FREE
So what do we mean by change? Can we do more to change things than just voting every four or five years?
With questions like these, Leith-based theatre company ACTive Inquiry invites local people to help create a piece of real-life theatre exploring change for performance and debate – deliberately timed to coincide with the General Election campaign.
Continue reading “Defining change in the theatre of politics”
Racing for life: picture by Nick Gardner
What is an active citizen? If I was being very flippant I would say it is the kind of person who comes out on a Saturday morning to talk about the big news stories of the day. No, not just talk. Active citizenship in the ACTive Inquiry sense means moving, listening, looking, feeling and doing. At one point I found myself crouching on the floor connecting with the lives – and deaths – of people thousands of miles away.
Don’t let that image put you off. The Newsgroup – the inspiration of Gavin Crichton of ACTive Inquiry – is an extraordinary experience, by turns moving, humbling and liberating. I must admit on that particular Saturday morning I had second thoughts as I rushed through breakfast to get to Pilmeny Youth Centre on time. By lunchtime I couldn’t believe three hours had raced by.
The workshop combines drama techniques with open space process. So this morning’s group – aged 16 to 60 and representing people from Japan to Joppa – begin by choosing the most pressing news story of the moment and end by discussing what active citizens can do about it. In the process we begin to build a picture of Jo (or Joe) the active citizen. (see Ben Stollery’s notes below).
We choose Haiti (other topics on the list were bankers, Murdoch’s media domination, surveillance by satellite, and the Iraq inquiry). Although at times I feel uncomfortable – what right have I to imagine how it feels to live or die through that devastating earthquake – it is much more than a dramatic exercise. I am left with a lasting connection which makes each news story more real, more relevant, more personal (though of course writing this some weeks later, Haiti has already dropped from the headlines). [See Mercy Corps for latest]
Perhaps everyone should join a Newsgroup, not least every politician and every policy maker – anyone whose decisions shape other people’s lives. It is a wonderfully stimulating, liberating and humanising way of looking at the world.
If the idea appeals to you, why not come to the next Newsgroup workshop on Saturday 6 March at Pilmeny Youth Centre on the corner of Buchanan Street and Dalmeny Street.
We’ll come back to the subject of active citizenship in future blogs. Right now, here’s Ben Stollery’s notes from the January workshop.
BUILDING A PICTURE OF JO / JOE
We considered the situation in Haiti after the recent devastating earthquake, particularly in regard of the impact of the country’s international debt. What could Jo/e do?
It’s not just an exercise. Ben adds “I thought you might be interested in this update on Haiti’s debt situation (good news!) on the Jubilee Scotland “
This is an ‘Open View’ from Fay Young, co-ordinator Leith Open Space website and Opening Doors Shadow Scheme. Your views are welcome.
“Immigration is one topic that concerns everybody in the UK.” Mohammed Akram
Here is an organisation that is clearly not afraid to tackle a difficult topic. To celebrate 20 years of working for racial equality, the Council of British Pakistanis (Scotland) has chosen the thorny subject of UK immigration control for their conference on Tuesday 9th February. Speakers include representatives of the UK Border Agency in Scotland, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Places still available!
Continue reading “Edinburgh Pakistani conference on UK immigration policy”Are we really heading for a future of conflict between Islam and the West? Is faith a cause of conflict or can religions help to promote world peace? A very topical interfaith event at Annandale Street Mosque on at 7.30 pm on Saturday 30th January invites you to grapple with some of the most challenging questions of our age – not least the argument which led to the so called ‘War on Terror’.
Continue reading “Annandale Street Mosque: interfaith harmony or conflict?”
Don’t just get mad, join the Newsgroup.
Bankers narrowly lost out to Afghanistan in the first Newsgroup workshop when Gavin Crichton asked people what news stories were making them angry. What will be the burning issue for the second Newsgroup? Come and find out at 10 am on Saturday 30th January in Pilmeny Youth Club. Be sure to bring your cuttings with you!
Continue reading “Bad bankers lose out (if only)”A heartwarming glimpse of multicultural Edinburgh
There is a sound people make when they are pleased to be with one another. Stan Reeves called it “the difference between false gregariousness and authentic comradeship” and there was plenty of authentic comradeship when The Welcoming celebrated the confirmation of new funding which secures a new programme of events starting in January 2010.
Continue reading “The Welcoming returns”Where do you go for help when you are afraid to report a crime to the police? The answer is a surprisingly long – and growing – list of community groups working closely with police. Tomorrow’s Women’s Hate Crime discussion event provides a glimpse of police work which may be unknown to many of us. Here Police Sergeant Hazel Leslie explains how Third Party or Remote Reporting resulted from the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence.
Continue reading “Working with police to reduce hate crime”
Here’s a chance to make a difference. Muslim women are increasingly the victims of hidden crimes of hate – verbal threats and words of abuse hurled in public places – but the crimes are rarely reported for fear of making things worse. That is why the very enterprising charity, Amina-MWRC, is inviting police and women to meet, talk and strengthen a network of support, at a Women’s Hate Crime event in Edinburgh on Wednesday 9 December. [To register email: samina@mwrc.org.uk]
The aim is to encourage women to speak up without fear under the protection of third party reporting and the event is organised by Amina – the Muslim Women’s Resource Centre (MWRC) which has become a third party reporting agency in recent years. Samina Ansari, a young Pakistani Scottish mother, who is the MWRC Helpline Officer for South Scotland, describes the background of increasing harrassment behind the event:
“It has been noted from our development and helpline case work across Scotland that there has been a rise in Islamophobic and racist incidents and women are not likely to report these crimes.
“Sometimes a victim will not want police involvement for fear the problem may get worse. But they have an option of reporting to a third party reporting site.”
Amina-MWRC, which promotes the welfare and social inclusion of Muslim women, is one of the national agencies on a growing list of third party centres on the Lothian and Borders police website. The system enables victims from minority communities to report incidents of harrassment to a third party who can offer support and advice as well as passing information on to police and local authorities
The Women’s Hate Crime event in York Place, Edinburgh on Wednesday 9 December is an opportunity for women to discuss their experiences with police and victim support agencies. In a two-way conversation open to Muslim and other women (interpreters can be provided if needed), the idea is to raise awareness of third party reporting and provide the real life stories which will enable police to improve the service and support they offer. As always perhaps some of the most valuable discussion will arise over a shared lunch at the end of the morning.
As Samina explains in an email to Leith Open Space: “Amina – MWRC proactively wish to prevent repeat victimisation and reduce the fear of crime and harassment.”
Amina – MWRC offers a wide range of events and services including training and friendship groups, information advice drop in, helpline, and counselling services (see the website for more details – www.mwrc.org.uk). HELPLINE 0808 801 0301
helpline@mwrc.org.uk
Well, it looks like good news for the first News Group workshop anyway. Gavin Crichton says there’s good response for the first current affairs workshop from ACTive Inquiry at Out of the Blue in Dalmeny Street on Saturday 28th Noember 10-12. Meet in the cafe from 9.45 and bring a recent news story that has annoyed you in some way.
Continue reading “Shock horror, what’s the news?”