Učesnici: Moderatorica Jlenia Destito, Ipres Institute, Puglia, Italija, Gill Claydon, Devonshire, Velika Britanija, Jarmila Ćendić, općina Kovačica, Srbija, Ljubica Kiselički, Gradska uprava Subotica, Srbija, Nandor Kohari, gradska uprava Szeged, Mađarska iPredrag Šupljeglav, Gradska uprava Mostar
Gill Claydon presentation:
Municipal (Parish and Town) service provision in culturally diverse communities.
Citizen Participation in policy decision making at local level.
Citizen participation in England relies on the belief that citizens help themselves and their communities, as they can articulate their own needs and often find the best solution to address them, making them active participants rather than mere recipients of government processes. In England this is considered a 'bottom up' rather than 'top down' form of participation where citizens across all cultures and ethnicities are best placed to articulate their needs and create appropriate local workable solutions. I work for a tier of local government in England which is the closest to the people called Parish or Town Councils which seek to support all ethnic groups and act as the facilitator to achieve local projects with either direct advice, signposting or bringing together all such groups and gathering views and aspirations.
Considering participation of ethnic minorities in local self government.
My experience is that all ethnic or minority groups have a common thread.
A community group identifies a need for a service or have an issue they wish to address.
They often have come up with an idea of how to solve or provide this.
And they then seek guidance, acknowledgement or support in taking their idea forward.
Our municipality tries to act as an enabler to support varying ethnic and minority groups. This support can also assist local government efficiencies and have a more positive effect if we understand what people want and in turn people are more content if they think they are listened to. I will explain some of the services and projects supported and run by local volunteers in my community so you can see how without this local input my community would be lacking:
Business - Local Food Awards
Local food outlets and businesses were identified, from a consultation, that could benefit from working together.
Local representatives and councillors (six) came together to formulate a plan and decided to enter a regional competition to give an aim.
Focus was on encouraging people to use local providers and produce - school dinners, luncheon club discount, B&B/hotels leaflets on suppliers.
Food festival held to involve the surrounding community, showcase and sample all local provision.
Some funding from national funders to pay for advertising and administration added to businesses and volunteers time.
Reached finals. Festival repeated twice by businesses. New networks set up.
Health - Community First Responder Schemes
Local people across all ethnicities volunteer from within the community they live or work in.
Trained by Ambulance Service to provide potentially life-saving 'on the spot' first aid and reassure patients awaiting emergency ambulance.
Important in a very rural cut off area where there is a large influx of holidaymakers that also hampers access along roads.
Use own cars, are not paid and the community raised initial monies to purchase the pack of lifesaving equipment. They now have six life saving packs across the community.
The First Responders co-ordinate between themselves who is on duty and when but receive an alert via a pager from the Ambulance Service, an ambulance is always sent but can take considerable time. Some volunteers leave work, some only spare time. All are important.
Wellbeing - Luncheon Club
To provide hot meal and social contact across all ethnic groups for older people in the community.
Providing cooked food and transport.
Transport - Coleridge Bus
Over 30 years have provided a 22 seater bus service run entirely by volunteers.
Began with bus on loan from local bus company and volunteer drivers.
Now self-supporting from local fund raising.
All volunteers drivers must train and hold Public Service Vehicle licences.
Very rural communities with no other form of public transport.
Health - Patient Transport
Volunteers use their own cars to transport patients to any medically associated appointment.
Brings patients to doctors so gives doctors more time to see more patients.
Hospitals are over 44Km26 miles away.
Appointment booking service with no set charge but those using can donate. Other fund raising is undertaken.
Working in Partnership with the next tier of government:
Environment - Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership
National designation with a duty to provide a five year plan and oversee management of special ecological areas but no structure paid for, for such management.
Partnership made up of public administration across the County of Devon, Natural England and Environment Agency (both Government bodies with duties) and 5 elected volunteers from the community representing farmers, municipalities, environment organisations, businesses and the community.
A strategic role for volunteers being involved in shaping 5 year management plan and making very local environmental decisions to guide officers by setting goals to protect the areas while understanding the community needs in living and working alongside such protection.
Parish Paths Partnerships Scheme
Funded by a higher tier of Government with officers professional advice support and a small grant towards maintenance equipment repair.
Volunteers check all paths regularly and where necessary carry out general strimming, hedge maintenance and ensure landowners do not close off access.
Grants can be applied for to deal with major works such as land slip, erosion or drainage issues.
Supports works of higher tier of government but provides voluntary local knowledge and an annual report.
Assistance given to local communities and voluntary organisations:
Voluntary Support - Community Council of Devon
An independent non-political voluntary body who are a charitable company founded in 1961. Part of a network of community councils that exist in each county of England.
Supports voluntary organisations and small businesses across Devon.
900 members include local public administration, voluntary organisations and other local organisations.
Managed by a voluntary governing body elected by members at general meetings with some appointed as representatives from organisations.
Work to a business plan with main areas of work at present; community structure, community planning, community regeneration, social inclusion and influencing policy which includes assistance for community halls funding, management and excellence awards.
Funding is drawn from higher tiers of government or income from current projects.
So what tools do the municipality use to inform, consult and seek participation at the local level?
Provide quarterly newsletters telling people what we do, want to achieve or want feedback on.
Put articles in the local community magazine and local newspaper - trying to put out the positive messages rather than just waiting for complaints.
Update the website regularly with information on what is happening in the community on a social and governmental basis.
Wellbeing - Community Plans
The most important and productive tool has been the community plan.
Set the aims and policy for the municipality and with such a clear mandate allowed nearly all tasks to be achieved.
Volunteers together with municipality representatives (the steering group) brought together all local voluntary organisations to collect their views on their community. They put in ideas of what to keep, what to change and what was needed in the future. Explain how this was done.
From these thoughts and ideas themes were created and further meetings took place in the local school, business meetings and around the community.
All of this information was drawn together and the 'group' then sat down to set the questions. (No more than 60 - groupings).
All questionnaires were delivered by volunteers to every household and all were collected by the team. 61% response.
The Action Plan for all the community views were fed back in a leaflet delivered to every household.
Advice from my experience and perhaps mistakes along the way:
Always build into every project a way forward (people in the community have done the Parish plan and now we cannot update because they feel they have already done it. One extra question asking for names to contact to update would have given us a way forward.).
If you want to involve local people make a list that breaks the tasks down to one off commitments so people can include what they can do in a busy life and know when it will end.... or perhaps if you are lucky they will continue! (People will volunteer if they know when they can step back. Does not stop you encouraging important contributors to continue in another duty but too big a project people cannot visualise!)
Look at whatever you do and say how will they (the group) take this forward? (The businesses ran a further two Food Festivals but with no specific team set up business people are too busy or struggling to survive to arrange a meeting without incentive).
If a group has a single issue that challenges your organisation encourage them to set themselves up as a properly constituted body and support them to represent those views democratically.
Volunteers are special and need parties. They give their personal time and commitment and whilst they enjoy what they do they need to be recognised in what goals they achieve or there will be no one doing the necessary work they do if no one says thank you.
An angry person needs support or they become more angry. Whether they are right or wrong just including them and listening can often be the most important support they need.
Local public administration is an important recognised body that can give ethnic and minority communities support and acknowledgement through all these people and volunteers who in turn help to provide what the community expects or needs.
Governance has been defined as 'rules, processes and behaviour that affect the way in which powers are exercised.... particularly as regards openness, participation, accountability, effectiveness and coherence'.
In every community whether culturally diverse or not there are always different opinions, its the way we support and manage them that counts.
