My Neighbour Action Day 

Community Foundation worked in partnership with IFE to organise My Neighbour Action Day in July. Dozens of volunteers and local residents helped to clean up an estate next to an elderly peoples home in Lozells, Birmingham. They cleared up rubbish on the street, removing graffiti, encouraging residents to dispose of bulky goods using council services and not fly tip. 

Nozmul Hussain from Community Foundation, said: “through this project we are seeking to create awareness and promote the rights and responsibilities we all have as neighbours.  People are more connected than ever, thanks to the rise of the internet and mobile communications, yet the neighbour remains strangers.  We hope this initiative will bring about better understanding and increase friendship between neighbours living in same street or the same estate.”

The event was featured in ITV Central News and the news video can be seen by clicking the link.

Unity Festival

Community Foundation helped organise the Unity- loving the difference festival in Birmingham Town Centre, with other community organisation following the riots of August 2001 to celebrate the diversity of the City. The free event aimed at people of all ages had stalls and activities as well as a stage with contributions from local bands, DJ’s and performing artists. The event also hosted a variety of fringe activities including face painting, mendhi painting, Bollywood dance workshops and turban tying workshops.

Police Partnership Work

Community Foundation took the lead in organising a number of meeting with the West Midlands senior police command team, to discuss the threat posed by the EDL demo planned for Birmingham City in October.  We collectively agreed a working arrangement to minimise disruption and tension building amongst vulnerable sections of the community.  In August we organised a workshop with the police and 20 young people, to look at improving relationship between the police and youths.  Seven Police officers attended the event to inform the youth of the police role and the Criminal Justice System in dealing with crime.

Community Meetings

Community Foundation supported in organising a number of meetings with various sections of the community,  to hear from the community and reassure the community about what the authorities and community leaders were doing to combat the growing fear of racism and the demonstration planned in Birmingham City Centre.

Following the August riots and killing of 2 young men from Birmingham, Community Foundation organised a youth seminar, attended by 30 young people to discuss the riots and its impact on local community and to call for calm.

Youth Camp

In October we took a groups of 20 young people from Birmingham inner cities Estates to Great Hucklow, Derbyshire for a week to enjoy the British countryside and work on identifying and exploring ways to address issues of importance to them as young people.   The opportunity was very unique for all the children, who had previously never visited the countryside.