Get Your Voice Heard!

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PRESS RELEASE 1st October 2007:

During 2006 and 2007, a small, committed group of people came together to ask tough questions of whether Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) people in North Edinburgh and Leith can 'get their voices heard'.

They joined a pioneering project in local participation. It was also an experiment in how we might build communities - and a nation - that enables all to feel included and have a real stake in building our common future.

For a start, the group was comprised about equally of local BME residents, and professionals working in the Council, Health Service and Police. We recognised the issues we were addressing meant everyone had to be around the table.

Secondly, it drew heavily on Training for Transformation and action research approaches pioneered in Scotland by Edinburgh's Centre for Human Ecology ( www.che.ac.uk ). This is an approach to creating trust and authentic inquiry into the things that most concern us. It doesn't flinch from conflict and issues of racism, identity, belonging and power. At its heart, it is about 'research with people, not on them'. We found inspiration in our common humanity and became friends.

We looked carefully at the community planning process as it was being put in place in Edinburgh. We decided that one practical place for action was in transforming the ways community councils work. With community planning structures giving community councils more power, it's vital that we don't just carry on with business as usual. Down this road only means more democratic deficit and split communities as BME voices continue to be excluded from local decision-making.

It's not just about community councils. We want our public institutions to take seriously the potential for projects like ours to foster genuine learning and dialogue that breaks down barriers between professional silos; between different local communities; and seeks to address democratic deficit... and inequalities... all at the same time.

These recommendations and more are spelled out in the report. Please help us spread the word about our work...