JAR Good Practice Case Study Evaluations of Community Cohesion Initiatives

There has been a wide range of evaluations and reports evidencing the impact of Oldham Community cohesion Initiatives. These are listed below and the reports are included as individual attachments.:

National Reports and Evaluations

Page 2-5: Institute of Community Cohesion; Review of Community Cohesion in Oldham Final Report; Briefing for CYPF Directorate - Click here

Page 5- 7: Report on Diversity and Citizenship' January 2007 (Sir Keith Ajegbo, DCFS) - Click here

Page 7: Bangladesh Photo activity Pack: Geography Association

Page 7: Citizenship: An Oldham Focus

Page 8-25: Oldham Secondary Curriculum Project

NB The LA will be receiving by the end of June the Report on the recent OfSTED Inspection of Community Cohesion and by the end of August the University of Newcastle Evaluation Report on the Oldham Philosophy for Children and Communities Project. The LA is also awaiting receipt of two regional/national community cohesion projects in which we have collaborated with the School Development Support Agency: The Northern Young Muslim Conference funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government and The Cultural Understanding through Science Project funded by the DCSF.

Local Reports and Evaluations

Page 25-29: Ability Sport Roadshow

Page 29-31: Community Cohesion Sports Day

Page 31-33: Kick it out Report

Page 33-51: PAYP and Community Cohesion

Page 51-57: Revised PAYP and Community Cohesion

Page 57-61: Report on the 4^th Oldham Borough Games

Page 61-67: Report on Youth Peace Building and Leadership Programme 2007

Page 67-72: Shared Future Residential Weekend March 2008

Page 72-76: Oldham School Linking Project and Shared Future Project

Page 76: 2008 Youth Service Fusion

Page 77: Young People Excel Youth Service Project

INSTITUTE OF COMMUNITY COHESION REVIEW OF COMMUNITY COHESION IN OLDHAM FINAL REPORT

CHALLENGING LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO CHANGE OLDHAM

Briefing for The Directorate of Services to Children, Young People and Families

1.Introduction

1.1 The Chief Executive has prepared a brief report for elected members on the Review which is attached as Appendix A. The Report highlights four key issues from the Review which need to be fully addressed in the Council's response to the Review. It is important to stress that these issues cut across all departments. The Department will need to consider these areas carefully when formulating our response, particularly as the section in the report on Education and Learning is somewhat light in terms of content, and in particular, recommendations.

Leadership

There is a need to develop and widen leadership on community cohesion.

There is a need to develop a wider shared responsibility for championing change, involving a greater number of people across all sectors, and the development of future leadership- particularly in relation to developing the involvement of women and young people.

Communication

There is a need to strengthen communications on community cohesion. Only a fairly narrow limited group of people are currently aware of the overall vision for the Borough and what we are trying to achieve, and there is a need to build a much wider awareness and understanding of this - both within organisations and with the wider public. People feel threatened by change, and effective communication is key to overcoming this.

Integration

The approach to this has been somewhat cautious, and there is now a need to develop a much more proactive approach to developing integrated communities based upon a programme for mixed communities, for example through the opportunities provided through investment in new schools and housing.

Engaging communities

The single biggest message in the report is about challenging communities to change Oldham, and the need to develop a “bottom up” approach to community cohesion in which communities are engaged and mobilised to make change happen.

1.2 The report also sets out the following tight timeframe for responding initially to the Review :

“ The response to the recommendations, and the initial version of the refreshed Community Cohesion Strategy will be produced by the end of September ”.

1.3 Bruce Penhale and Councilor Stretton are leading on the preparation of the Response and would wish to be included in discussions in the different Council departments.

1.4 In terms of articulating the Departments response it may be useful to bear in mind the following excerpts from the Executive Summary and Key Recommendations which stress the need to be bolder and more urgent in what we do:

“We found that the Oldham Partnership and the Council tended to be cautious

in their approach to tackling segregated communities, ever minded of the potential

`political cost' of more radical initiatives being exploited by far-right groups.”

“Oldham is at the cusp of real change and now needs to demonstrate sustained progress in tackling what are extremely difficult issues. In place of a borough associated with riot and ethnic strife, Oldham needs to further transform itself into the borough that defeated segregation and ethnic conflict - a beacon for best practice in building cohesion across all its communities. If this new Oldham is to become a reality, accelerating the pace of change is critical”

2 Education and Learning ; Findings and Recommendations

2.1 Findings

Section IX of the Report focuses on Education and Learning and highlights the fact that, “in terms of promoting positive approaches to cultural differences, the educational establishments are playing leading roles.” The Report makes particular reference to the following areas of successful projects, initiatives and services:

2.2 Recommendations

The review references the fact that there is evidence that the degree of segregation in Oldham's primary and secondary schools in overall terms is changing for the better as a result, it would appear, of shifts in the pattern of settlement within the Borough. In order for this trend to continue, the Report sets out the following recommendations:

The ultimate aim must be to create more mixed intake schools in which there is a sustained programme to tackle conflict and division in addition to building bridges between schools dominated by a single ethnicity with particular emphasis on the potential contribution of children and parental networks.

The Report also makes the following recommendation:

attention to increasing the representation of BME governors on School

Governing Boards and also in challenging existing Boards on how they

can contribute to building community cohesion in the future.

teachers in Oldham's schools and colleges.

3. Omissions in the Report

Much of the good work that the Dept is engaged in is referenced in the Report. However, there are also gaps and omissions. It is important that these should be referenced here (particularly those that relate to the four key issues above) in order to ensure we have the full picture of current practice to inform future working and our response to the report. Gaps and omissions include :

4. Responding to the Recommendations : Action Planning

As stated above Bruce Penhale is the corporate lead on preparing the response. He has proposed the following initial sequence :

`Report on Diversity and Citizenship' January 2007 (Sir Keith Ajegbo, DCFS)

`The review group found some trailblazing examples of good practice on diversity. Sir Keith's team want schools across the country to follow the good example of communities in Oldham and Bradford …primary schools forged links by twinning between schools representative of different communities…'

Schools and education for diversity

Education for diversity in the curriculum

Linking Schools

Bangladesh Photo-Activity Pack: Studying Communities in Sylhet and Oldham (KS2)

This pack was developed from the needs of teachers in Oldham who wanted a locality to study with the many pupils with a Bangladeshi background. As there was nothing available, they started developing the pack themselves in 1997. The aftermath of the 2001 riots in Oldham gave further impetus for the work to be published on a wider scale. However, this pack should not be regarded just as a pack to use if you have pupils from a Bangladeshi community in your class. It is one that can be used with any class as an alternative to, for example, Chembakolli.

A number of the activities have a wider remit than simply geography, and a particular emphasis on PSHE and citizenship. The authors should be applauded for tackling racism and inter-community rivalry head on through a range of sensitive activities. This alone makes this resource stand out from the rest. Consequently, an argument could be made for all key stage 2 schools to use this pack to support PSHE and citizenship work alone.

The 29 A4 photographs are supported by an excellent 68 page teachers' book which contains a range of active learning opportunities, many photocopiable, and including, for example, simulations and card sorting activities. The activities are challenging and thought-provoking and extension activities are provided for more able children. Three families are the focus of the photographs and activities, enabling pupils to identify with children of their own age. There is also a list of other resources available to support the pack, including a range of websites. A CD-Rom of the photographs and activities would have helped make this more useful in a multi-media classroom, but that is a small point against this excellent locality pack.

This pack is a worthy award winner. It certainly deserves a wide audience. Buy it!

Citizenship: Culture and Diversity - An Oldham Focus KS3/4

This teaching pack was developed by a “Citizenship Working Group” over the course of 2002/03. The pack has now been successfully used in a number of Oldham secondary schools.

In addition the pack has been very favourably reviewed nationally with reviews / articles in the journal “Citizenship Today” and The Times Educational Supplement.

The activities are grouped together as unit for each year group as follows:

Year Seven: Diverse Oldham: Diverse Britain

Year Eight: Migration and Settlement

Year Nine: Segregation; Conflict; Developing a United Oldham

Year Ten: Understanding and Tackling Racism

Year Eleven: Racism: A Wider Dimension

Oldham Secondary Curriculum Project

1) The Preface: Reverend Phil Sumner

2) The Foreword: Richard Gore

3) The report

4) The recommendations

5) Conclusion

6) Postscript: Desmond Herlihy

7) Appendices

1. PREFACE

Oldham's Community Cohesion Advisory Group has challenged all service providers in the borough to address the cohesion agenda under three headings, “Equality”, “Engagement” and “Identity”. Whereas sometimes the last of these is forgotten, this report will show how our secondary schools in Oldham, by addressing identity, are actually enabling equality and engagement. There has been much talk in this borough about “Community Cohesion” being a cross cutting theme that, like the writing in the Blackpool rock, runs through every aspect of service provision. The project reported on here, for one, seeks to achieve this objective within education; addressing identity is seen to be the task of every teacher and not just of those delivering religion or PSHE. In this project too we see a strategic approach in which all our Secondary school teachers are given a real opportunity to engage with the process. Energetic and capable practitioners have shared actual lesson plans as “off the peg” examples of nurturing community cohesion through the delivery of every curriculum area. Sadly, as the report will show, not every school was represented at the voluntary workshops so the principle of universality has inevitably suffered in this respect. However, with that proviso, this project has been and is a wonderful example of people working in partnership to “mainstream” community cohesion and to great effect. I thank Maurice Coles for his report and wholeheartedly support his recommendations.

(Rev.) Philip T. Sumner

(Chair of Oldham's Community Cohesion Advisory Group)

2. FOREWORD: RICHARD GORE

I was on holiday in the south of France for the May half term 2001. My thoughts were dramatically returned to work considerations by the coverage by the international media of the civil disturbances that were rocking Oldham. I was saddened and shocked by the images, and the commentaries that accompanied them, that filled the television news programs and Internet websites. Oldham was big news in the global village for all the wrong reasons. It was a very uncomfortable feeling!

Since 2001 a great deal has been achieved by schools and the Education Department working in partnership to achieve community cohesion through promoting cultural diversity and race equality. As a result perceptions are changing and Oldham is now achieving recognition for its commitment and achievements. I feel confident that the curriculum development project described in the report will consolidate and enhance Oldham's growing reputation for developing best practice and providing models for others to follow at both a local and national level.

Richard Gore,

LEA Lead, School Development Service, Oldham Local Authority.

3. THE PROJECT

3.1 This report is designed to outline the genesis, the processes, and the outcomes of the community cohesion aspects of the cross borough-training day held on the 31^st October 2005. It has been compiled by Maurice Coles, the external consultant, following his active involvement in many aspects of the project, his reading and interpretation of a large number of documents supplied, and his interviews with a cross section of participants. It aims to extrapolate and evaluate the critical learning factors, and to suggest a number of recommendations for further discussion and resolution by the borough's secondary heads and the Local Authority. The preface by the Chair of Oldham's Community Cohesion Advisory Group; the foreword by Richard Gore and the postscript written in behalf of the Excellence in Oldham Partnership are clear testimony to the collective and collaborative efforts of so many to build a harmonious and cohesive environment for all Oldham's young citizens.

3.2 Community Cohesion has been catapulted into prominence by the disturbances that took place in several Northern towns during 2001. Oldham was one of those towns that witnessed inter community tension erupting into violence on the streets. Significant segregation of immigrant, and mainly Muslim, communities from previously settled, mainly “Christian” or secular communities had enabled many myths to circulate that were further destructive of the wider community. Even after the actual disturbances had ceased the tensions continued and where the different communities met across the religious divide there were occasional problems. It was in response to one of these problems in a local Secondary school that the Head teacher invited several partners in the wider community, together with advisors from the Local Authority, to help. A task group was put together to address, amongst other things, the provision of “inter Faith” assemblies, of positive role models for each child, of different teaching and learning styles and of a curriculum that would nurture identity. Curriculum area consultants were given the task of coming up with ideas for nurturing identity within their curriculum area. The result was a piece of work that was so effective that the task group felt it must be expanded and made available across the Authority. At that time, as it happened, one of the “teacher days” was being developed by the Secondary Heads in the Borough to gather all the local teachers according to their curriculum area. This day was seen by the task group, the Head Teachers and the Authority alike to be the perfect medium for developing a diversity curriculum that responded to the community cohesion agenda for the whole borough.

3.3 Curriculum development and change is a dynamic process influenced by a range of drivers including key personnel in senior positions, available funding streams, conceptual clarity and commitment. In addition, on occasions, changes in education are galvanised by external events that are not necessarily directly related to schools and the education service. All these factors influenced the secondary heads' decision to fund and hold a collaborative cross borough-training day, part of which was dedicated to developing a curriculum that would advance community cohesion. For some time the secondary heads themselves had been committed to a curriculum designed to address inequalities, and promote respect and understanding between Oldham's different and relatively segregated ethnic and faith groups. The disturbances of 2001 and the reports that followed them, and the importance given to community cohesion by the council, gave an added impetus and urgency.

3.4 The project itself consisted of a number of well thought out steps that were designed to raise awareness of the issues in all secondary schools. (See Appendix One). Two Stages were envisaged. The first and most detailed stage developed the concept, the materials and the delivery of the workshops on the 31^st October 2005. (See Appendix Two). The second includes this review and the recommendations contained within it. Throughout, a key principle has been the proactive participation of secondary practitioners including the lead professionals and the volunteer subject curriculum leaders for community cohesion. Most, but not all subject specialisms were covered. (See Appendix Three for a list of personnel and schools involved) Although some interest was expressed, volunteers could not be found to develop the areas of ICT, Art and MFL. The overall programme, designed by Richard Gore included one full and one half-developmental day, and two twilight sessions. The first half day was dedicated to exploring the `big ideas' (see Appendices Four and Five) and preparing subject specialists to undertake a major curriculum audit against the 13 criteria outlined in the `big ideas'. These were taken and adapted from the SDSA's Curriculum Related to the Needs of Muslim and African Caribbean (CREAM) pupils' report, which was major piece of work undertaken on behalf of the DFES. (The full report is available from the sdsa website, www.sdsa.net). Throughout the following month, the curriculum leaders carried out the audit in their own schools and began to identify the specific focus for development in their area. The full developmental day consisted of sharing the outcomes of the audit, outlining plans for the training day and developing materials, approaches and resources. A twilight in September brought some of the leaders together to finalise their planning for the workshops. The final twilight was designed for post workshop analysis.

3.5 All subject specialists were invited to attend the relevant subject cross - LEA training day in the host school organised by the lead practitioner. Each Headteacher host customised a common community cohesion script that had been prepared by two of their peers. (See Appendix Six) All teachers, therefore, heard a common message. In Geography, all participants followed the programme devised and run by the specialist volunteer. In other subjects, colleagues chose their workshop from a range of choices. Most workshops ran twice during the day. At the end of the day, most community cohesion leads orchestrated a discussion about the possible ways forward with at least one-person from each of the participating schools. During the day, Richard Gore, Maurice Coles and Phil Sumner attended a number of the workshops.

3.7 What were the key success factors?

3.8 Areas for improvement:

During discussion and via their written comments, colleagues identified the following areas for improvement:-

4. Recommendations

4.1 The following recommendations are designed as key discussion points for the Secondary Heads and Local Authority. They are based upon the simple but demonstrable premise that the project's many successes must be enhanced and built upon as a key plank in schools and the council's drive to promote community cohesion. It is recommended that:-

4.2 The secondary Headteachers, working closely with the local authority, agree in principle to progress to the project's second stage. This will be structured to develop further and to embed the concepts, the practices and the curriculum materials designed to promote community cohesion

4.3 A very precise project brief be developed and costed. Realistically, to finance teacher and Local Authority time, the development of curriculum and resources, and further implementation, £50,000 will be required

4.4 These funds be sought from a range of finance streams, as it is unlikely that any single party will be able to find the total amount. These streams might include contributions from the Local Authority, Oldham's Local Area Agreement, the secondary schools themselves, the recently formed Institute of Community Cohesion, the DFES, the Home Office and other charitable funders

4.5 Subject to funding, HEI's be approached to conduct a longitudinal project impact evaluation

4.6 The secondary heads and local authority approach Ted Cantle and the Institute of Community Cohesion directly outlining the success of the first stage and requesting close collaboration with his institute on the second

4.7 Mick Waters, the recently appointed Director of Curriculum at QCA be informed of Oldham's excellent curriculum development with a view to enlisting his and his subject specialists' support for further development

4.8 The stage two of the project be included in the local authority's statutory Children And Young People's Plan and in the authority's Local Area Agreement

4.9 The curriculum materials so far developed be collated and edited with a view to commercial publication

4.10 The staff involved in the detailed project work be encouraged to seek external accreditation for their efforts possibly via GTC Learning academy or HEI links

4.11 Staff involved receive letters of commendation signed by the Chair of the secondary heads and the Director of Children's Services

4.12 The final report be circulated widely in Oldham and elsewhere as this will help raise the borough's profile.

5. CONCLUSION

Oldham secondary Headteachers and their staffs, the Local Authority's officers and elected members should feel rightly proud of this project. Much of the work is innovatory and pioneering. After many years of central government, control of the secondary curriculum the grip is loosening and schools are increasingly encouraged to develop a curriculum that better suits the needs of their pupils in their locality. In addition, recent events related to `extremist' activities and their repercussions have made central government all the more aware that schools have a major duty to create and promote community cohesion. This is perhaps an auspicious time to be seeking funding for further development of this crucial project.

6. POSTSCRIPT

Secondary Headteachers welcome this report and its recommendations.  Maurice has taken the time to advise, offer suggestions and then observe the processes and events that led to our successful Borough-wide Training Day.  We should be in no doubt that the day and its contents were a mark of the commitment of Secondary Schools and the LEA in Oldham to learn the lessons of the Ritchie Report in the wake of the disturbances of 2001.  We recognised that while children attended different schools, there was much we could do to promote Community Cohesion.  We know that the curriculum drives learning and attitudes, and that an effective way to contribute to the welfare of Oldham is to bring Teachers and Support together to develop a shared view on the future of the town.  We also recognise that Secondary Headteachers have an important strategic role to play with our colleagues in schools and the LEA.  We therefore collaborated in planning the format and content of the day and found the funding through the Leadership Incentive Grant.  This is an example of how effective the Excellence in Oldham Partnership is and Maurice has correctly identified the Partnership as a key success factor.  The presentation that launched the day was written by two Headteachers, Richard Gore and then transformed into a high quality product by a Secondary Deputy Headteacher.  Our aim was to ensure that Teaching and Support Staff understood the Oldham context, our responsibilities as educators and the fact that we are all responsible for our contribution to the future of Oldham.  This report recognises that the event was successful and it gives clear and helpful guidance on how we can continue this vital work.

Desmond Herlihy
Headteacher
Royton and Crompton School
On behalf of the Excellence in Oldham Partnership   

7. APPENDICES

Appendix One : Project Timeline

Appendix Two : Workshop format for 31^st October

Appendix Three : Curriculum Leaders Contact Details

Appendix Four : The Curriculum's `Big Ideas'

Appendix Five : Secondary Curriculum Development Project - Curriculum

Leaders for Community Cohesion

Appendix Six : Headteacher PowerPoint Presentation - Raising Standards & Promoting Community Cohesion

Appendix Seven : Contact Details

Community Cohesion Secondary Curriculum Development Project.

Project Timeline

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Curriculum Leaders for Community Cohesion

Workshop 31^st October: Suggested Format

N.B To include pupils evaluation

Practical Issues: Things to Consider

Curriculum Leaders for Community Cohesion

Contact Details

THE CURRICULUM'S `BIG IDEAS'

The CREAM project team identified 13 overarching criteria that can be used to underpin race equality and community cohesion. They are:-

Does the curriculum stress, at the same time that it depicts diversity of culture and experience, that all people share common aspirations, needs and concerns by virtue of their humanity? For example, does it teach about similarities and common humanity when depicting aspects of Black-British culture and experience?

Does the curriculum teach that, with regard to every event, there is a variety of perceptions, interpretations and perspectives? For example, does it teach about perceptions, outlooks and experiences of Black-British people?

Does the curriculum counteract over-simplified, stereotypical views by teaching that, within every cultural tradition, there is a diversity of viewpoints, lifestyle and beliefs? For example, does it show that there are many differences within Muslim culture and experience?

Does the curriculum teach that every culture interprets its history and learning through certain grand narratives and that these, in turn, contribute to the identities of individuals? For example, does it depict key narratives in African, African-Caribbean and Black British cultures?

Does the curriculum teach that most people have a range of affiliations, loyalties and sense of belonging? For example, does it illustrate that all of us, and maybe especially pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds, assume different roles and behaviour patterns within different settings and readily switch between them?

Does the curriculum give status to the experiences and achievement of people from all backgrounds and cultures in terms that pupils value? For example, is the point of comparison just with the dominant `anglo' culture or does the curriculum also acknowledge black, Muslim and other perspectives?

Does the curriculum teach about issues of racism, for example distinctions between colour racism and cultural racism and between personal and institutional, and about ways of preventing and addressing racism?

Does the curriculum teach that all learning and human achievement are dependent upon the prior learning/achievement of others and often build upon and borrow from other cultural traditions? For example, does history teaching recognise how much scientific knowledge commonly attributed to Renaissance discovery was actually an evolutionary development of earlier Islamic thinking?

Does the curriculum depict people from a range of cultures and backgrounds achieving eminence as inventors, entrepreneurs, leaders and artists, and demonstrating creativity, initiative and moral courage? For example, black pioneers and achievers given a place of significance?

Does the curriculum show that diversity is an aspect of contemporary experience and ordinary, daily life, not merely a feature of distant lands?

Does the curriculum teach that excellence is not restricted to the achievements of people within dominant cultures, but that people in all cultures, today and in the past, achieve excellence?

Does the curriculum specifically promote a culture of inclusion, teaching that all people of all cultures and backgrounds are or equal value and their ideas equally worthy of consideration?

Does the curriculum teach that societies and the cultures within them are constantly changing and developing? Does it teach that there is not a fixed, static view or perspective for a cultural group in any time or place?

Secondary Curriculum Development Project

Curriculum Leaders for Community Cohesion

Headteacher PowerPoint Presentation

Contact Details

For more information about the curriculum project please contact Richard Gore, School Improvement Adviser, by telephone 0161 911 3670 or email [email address]

For more information please contact the Fluid website please contact Dave Gibson on [email address]. The website can be accessed through the following link www.fluid-oldham.co.uk.

Ability Sport Road Show - Report

22^nd - 25^th May 2007

Overview

The Ability Sport Road Show was a concept developed through a partnership between Oldham Disability Sport Group and Oldham Sport Development. It was identified that there was a lack of sport and physical activity opportunity for young people who may have a disability or an additional need, particularly in mainstream school. This group of young people is often excluded from sports activities in the school and may not have had an enjoyable sporting experience in the past.

The aim of the Ability Sport Road Show was to provide an opportunity for the young people identified to take part in a range of appropriate sporting activities with other young people across the borough.

The purpose of the Road Show was to:

Format

The Ability Sport Road Show ran over a week- long period with sessions run at 3 venues. A morning session and an afternoon session were run on each day to allow maximum number of young people to access the activities. Host schools ran activities as follows:

Each School Sport Partnership was allocated 1 Road Show, with a third Road Show being joint hosted between Kaskenmoor and New Bridge. Every School Sport Cluster was allocated places on the Ability Sport Roadshow, and schools were invited to nominate young people to take part.

The Road Show primarily targeted Year 5, 6, 7 & 8 pupils (although this was flexible depending on what was appropriate for the individual).

The Road Show itself adopted circuit- based approach where participants took part in 5 taster sessions in:

Participants were allocated a group number according to their ability/ additional need and after a warm up session spent 30 minutes taking part in the introductory sessions. Sessions were based on simple skills and enjoyment. Participants and school support workers received information on where they could take up these activities on a more long- term basis.

Partners

The Road Show involved a number of key partners including:

Outcomes

199 young people from across Oldham took part in the event.

26 Primary and Secondary schools took part in the event (17 schools in Counthill Partnership, 9 schools in the Failsworth Partnership).

Young people with a wide and diverse range of needs were involved in the event. Some of these needs included:

4 JSLA Leadership students with learning difficulties supported sessions at Kaskenmoor School and carried out voluntary leadership experience.

As a result of the Road Show a number of young people have been identified to represent Oldham in this years' Greater Manchester Youth Games. There have also been a large number of young people identified to join the Oldham Ability Counts elite squads at Borough and County level.

All young people have been offered the opportunity to progress onto appropriate weekly target sessions. The number of young people moving on to access this provision is not yet known.

There have been a number of schools who have asked about how to access further activity of this nature including the Wheelchair Basketball. This has raised awareness of sports activities available to these young people and the work of the Oldham Disability Sport Group and Oldham Oldham Owls Disabled Sports Club.

Evaluation

Feedback from participants, support workers and teachers was highly positive. A selection of comments are shown below:

“You can see the confidence building in the children”

Broadfield Primary

“Great to see different children being involved in sport and given the chance”

St Paul's Royton

“An excellent opportunity for pupils to develop their skills in a friendly environment”

North Chadderton

“A fantastic spectacle. Need to continue this type of opportunity”

Head of PE, Hathershaw College of Technology and Sport

“Students all had a fantastic time. They are all keen to join clubs in the evening”

Hathershaw

“Our children have had a great time, and built up confidence throughout the afternoon”

Higher Failsworth Primary

“Great chance for children to meet other children outside of school”

South Failsworth CP

“Wow! A wonderful morning. All children have got so much out of it”

Burnley Brow

“Everyone has smiled all morning! We have discovered a star in the long jump as well. It has made them all feel they have and can achieve in PE”

Radclyffe

“Excellent - I brought not just SEN students but students with low ability - they got a chance to enjoy sport in a different environment. No pressure placed on them, just fun. Two of the students don't like PE but had a fantastic time - real confidence boost for them. All seemed to enjoy the challenge - barrier free learning and enjoyment”.

Radclyffe

“Today proved it doesn't matter if your good at sport, you can still enjoy and have fun”

Christ Church

The overwhelming feeling was that the event had provided an opportunity for young people who do not normally engage in sport and physical activity (for varying reasons). There were numerous instances of teachers saying they couldn't believe that the students were taking part in sport and enjoying it. One of the key factors for the participants was that it provided an environment where participants felt comfortable to take part, mix with other young people and try out new skills. They felt confident and not afraid to engage in activities as they were pitched at the correct level.

As a result of the feedback the partnership will look at the feasibility of running such an event on an annual basis.

Community Cohesion Sports Day

16^th April 08

Overview

On Wednesday 16^th April, Oldham Sport Development ran a Community Cohesion Sports Day at Manchester Tennis Centre, Sports City. 13 Primary Schools from across Oldham brought pupils together to take part in various sports sessions.

The purpose of the day was to:

Format

The Community Cohesion Sports Day ran as a one day event and was broken down into 6 main sessions, Team Building, Multi Skills, Skipping, Athletics, Sensory Games, and Anti Bullying. All sessions were identified to use various sports- related disciplines to address topical social and educational issues. Sessions were delivered by Sport Development staff. On arrival all pupils were split up into 6 integrated groups with pupils from each of the participating primary schools, and allocated a group leader. The purpose of the sessions was to provide participants with skill development and allow them to meet participants from different communities in a positive and stimulating environment.

The event targeted children in school years 3 and 4. All participants enjoyed a dance warm up at the start of the day and then split off into their individual groups.

Outcomes

Evaluation

Feedback received from participants and teachers was very positive, a selection of comments are shown below:

Teachers Feedback;

`Great day, the children seem to have really enjoyed themselves and are all boasting of their new friends - organisation excellent, staff extremely friendly.'

Jo Hankinson, South Failsworth C.P School

`Really good day, activities enjoyable, kids have enjoyed mixing with other schools.'

Liz Wilkinson, Limehurst Primary School

`Been a great day - Really well organised, lots of fun, skills based activities. The kids have really enjoyed it, made new frinds and learnt new skills. Thank You.'

Bill Thomas, Christ Church Denshaw

`Children loved it and soon lost all their shyness and met other children.'

Gill Pursey, St Hilda's School

`Excellent - extremely well organised. The children have all had an absolute ball, they're really excited about all the activities and proudly told me about the new friends they have made. The Sports Leaders were all skilful and very enthusiastic. Thank you!'

Lisa Carter, Friezland School

Participants Feedback;

`It doesn't matter about their skin - they're great'

`I thought I was left behind but I was not.'

`I feel different now'

`I had fun, I wish I could come again'

`I never normally meet new friends'

`I thought it would be hard because there would be lots of schools'

`First it was scary then it wasn't'

`I learnt a new language and made friends'

`It was fun and I met a friend called Courtney'

`I was nervous but I'm not now'

`I have made new friends and met new people'

`It is nice making new friends'

`It was fun having more friends'

Kick Out Racism - Report

Monday 1^st Oct - Tuesday 23^rd Oct 07

Overview

The `Lets Kick Racism Out of Football' campaign is an international campaign, which was established in 1993. Kick It Out works throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge racism and work for positive change. The campaign is supported and funded by the game's governing bodies, including founding body the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), the FA Premier League, the Football Foundation and The Football Association.

Oldham Sport Development supported this years' Kick It Out campaign by delivering its own localised programme of events.

Format

Oldham Sport Developments' Football Development Officer and his team of coaches delivered the `Kick It Out' programme for Oldham. The project ran borough wide for a four- week period and involved 13 primary schools. Through the School Sport Partnership each secondary school nominated 1 cluster primary school that they felt would benefit from taking part in this project. Each nominated school received 3- weeks of in school football coaching and a morning's educational talk on the issues of racism in football, using `Kick It Out' resource packs. This culminated in a tournament on Tuesday 23^rd October with all the schools coming together to take part in a cohesion- based festival of football.

The purpose of the project was to:

The following schools were involved in the project:

Greenacres Primary, St Hildas, Crompton Primary, Corpus Christi, New Bridge School, Medlock Valley, Alexandra Park, Woodhouses, St Aidens & Oswald, St Pauls CE, Mayfield Primary, Burnley Brow, St Margarets CE.

Partners

Manchester FA

Kick It Out

School Sport Partnerships

Local Football Clubs and community groups

Outcomes

Evaluation

Feedback from participants, support workers and teachers was highly positive. A selection of comments are shown below:

The overwhelming feeling was that the event well and it is hoped that funding can be found to help sustained the concept of the programme all year round.

As a result of the feedback the partnership will look at the feasibility of running such an event on an annual basis, dependant on future funding.

PAYP and Community Cohesion

CRG Research Ltd.

Table of Contents

Introduction

A cohesive community has been defined by the Local Government Association as one where:

As Britain becomes more culturally diverse, the need to achieve a cohesive community along the lines outlined above is increasingly important. Where there has been a failure to do so, the consequences have been grave, as illustrated by recent race riots in Birmingham and Oldham, and more worryingly the July 7^th bombings in London.

If we are to achieve a cohesive community it is vital therefore that alienation from society is addressed, and addressed as early as possible as young people are both part of, and the future of our community. The objectives set for PAYP recognised this, with clear goals of promoting community cohesion built into those objectives.

It is possible to argue that nearly all of the work funded by PAYP falls under the remit of community cohesion due to PAYP's targeted approach, working with young people aged 8-19 years defined as being most at risk of social exclusion, committing crime or being a victim of crime.

The following case studies provide examples of how PAYP funds were used to help promote community cohesion through a variety of means e.g. by encouraging young people to participate in their community, challenging stereotypes of race and gender, reducing disruptive behaviour, and offering positive life opportunities.

Methodology

Areas included in the case studies were selected based upon a review of PAYP Regional Manager Regional Reports, and CRG's prior knowledge of activities delivered from the national evaluation of PAYP.

A qualitative methodology was adopted to assess the impact of PAYP on community cohesion, drawing upon interviews with staff from PAYP Lead Delivery Agencies, Activity Providers, relevant statutory organisations (e.g. Local authorities) and local community groups. Much of the evidence presented in the case studies is anecdotal in nature partly due to the difficulty in collecting suitable disaggregated data (e.g. youth crime figures), and the additional difficulty in obtaining robust quantitative data that is able to appropriately measure changes in community cohesion relating to young people.

Case Study 1: Kirkby Stephens

Kirkby Stephens is a small, rural Market Town lying at the head of the Upper Eden Valley (within the Eden District) in Cumbria, North West England. In 2005, 10% of the total Eden population was between the ages of 14 and 24 years old. The area has relatively low indices of deprivation in comparison to other areas within the North West, although there are significant barriers to Housing and Services within the Eden District. Specific ward data for Kirkby Stephen indicates there is a higher than average number of people aged 60 years and above and the key issue for the town is significant rural isolation, with a population density of 0.2 person per hectare.

Interviews also indicated a range of other social issues within the area, including:

In 2004, Connexions Cumbria (LDA) and its local partners identified that, while crime rates in Kirby Stephen were not high in comparison to other areas within Cumbria, the continuing lack of opportunities and low aspirations meant that young people were persistently involved in anti-social behaviour and petty crime resulting from boredom and a lack of youth provision. This anti-social behaviour, combined with under-age sex and alcohol-abuse was beginning to have an effect on the local community with negative press leading to - often older - members of the community becoming increasingly frightened of the young people within the town and increasing levels of complaints to the Local Community Police Officer.

Intervention

PAYP funds were allocated by Connexions Cumbria to Kirkby Stephen to target the young people living there and develop a sustained and integrative approach to engage them with their local community. the approach relied heavily on the use of partners comprising voluntary and statutory agencies, including Connexions and the local community Police officer. A targeted three day residential, outward bound programme (delivered in conjunction with Cumbria Outdoors) was delivered with a group of 14 young people aged 14-15 years. The criteria for selection were:

The residential programme was given a strong theme (Freedoms and Responsibilities) to help develop self-esteem, highlight the need for social responsibility and to build relationships with the various partner organisation key workers and the Local Community Police Officer.

Outcomes

Since the initial PAYP intervention, the partners have provided ongoing support to the young people involved to ensure the sustainability of the original PAYP work.

One of the biggest impacts is that the young people decided that they wanted a venue in the town where they could meet regularly, and with the help of the youth workers, formed their own formal management group responsible for planning and organising fundraising events. Over the past two years, the management group have set up their own constitution, terms of reference and policies. The group is formed from a range of young people, from those who are more academic, to those who have previously displayed at-risk behaviour.

The management committee has developed strong links with the Town Council and produced a partnership agreement with the local cricket club to use its facilities and renovate them for use as a youth centre, which will be run by the young people. The young people are actively encouraged to participate in their local community and have provided presentations to the Town Council, local voluntary organisations and neighbourhood forums to raise awareness of the group and the proposed youth centre, as well as engaging with the local town improvement scheme.

The PAYP funding provided the opportunity for youth workers “to build relationships with the young people; without it the rest of the work couldn't have started... the most important is building relationships with young people, if you get that wrong then nothing happens” (Kirkby Stephen Youth worker), and enabled the young people to access their community, consolidating links between youth work and other representative bodies within the town. It has “... given the young people more kudos in the community and... gives them a bit of a boost to think that the Town Council wholeheartedly supports them. The young people get a lot out of it, rather than being left in isolation” (Kirkby Stephen Youth worker).

Case Study 2: Lambeth

Background

The Moorlands Estate sits within the Coldharbour Ward, a ward with one of the highest crime rates in the borough of Lambeth. Identified as a priority area, PAYP focused its Key Worker support on the Coldharbour Ward and the Moorlands Estate in particular. In response to rising community, professional and police concern about the anti-social and sometimes criminal behaviour of some of these young people, PAYP Key Workers designed a programme with these young people specifically in mind.

Bike theft was prevalent in the area and the police were responding by confiscating bikes if the young people could not prove ownership. This led to increased conflict between the police and young people, serving to heighten tensions within the community.

Intervention

Given the obvious interest in bikes and riding, the LDA felt that a bicycle art workshop would allow its workers to engage with these young people as a group to explore issues about ownership, community and belonging, crime and how it impacts on the community. Along with this, young people were given the opportunity to learn about recycling, bicycle maintenance, different artistic techniques, a history of art throughout the world and team work in a community setting.

20 young people (11 Afro-Caribbean boys, 4 White boys, 4 Afro-Caribbean girls and 1 White girl) aged 8-15 years took part in the project.

Lamonte Johnson, a community artist with extensive experience of working with similar client groups in the U.K. and the USA was chosen to deliver the programme. Lamonte draws upon his own life experiences as a Black man from the `projects' of Chicago, facing issues of gang warfare, high unemployment and marginalisation to inform his work and approach with young people. Lamonte shared some of his stories with the group and through them, was able to challenge racist and gender stereotypes, destroy myths about the glamour of gang life and encourage the young people to think outside of their immediate reality in terms of goal setting and aspirations for the future.

The Police donated 23 unclaimed bikes to the project, and Metropolitan Housing Trust, the landlord for the Moorlands Estate, allowed the LDA to use their hall free of charge. The LDA invited colleagues from the Youth Inclusion Programme to jointly staff the project, as some of the young people were signed up to the YIP programme. Sergeant Toby McDaniel from the Safer Neighbourhood Team delivered a session on bicycle theft, how best to respond to police stop and searches, consideration of how they would feel if their bikes were stolen after all their hard work to clean, repair and decorate them, and property marking.

Outcomes

With the exception of two boys excluded for one day, the young people attended the project for the whole duration, a measure of their enthusiasm and engagement with the activity. Parents and local residents dropped by, some supporting staff for short periods and all commending the work and commitment to the children. Several local residents commented that the streets were quieter and that it was good to see these children engaged in constructive activities.

Families, community members, police and other young people from the estate were invited to celebrate the last day with the project participants, who were presented with their newly repaired and decorated bikes by Lamonte. Requests from other young people for further workshops poured in during the two weeks, and a second project has been run on the estate, funded this time by Lambeth Crime Prevention Trust which targeted another group of young people.

In summary the project achieved:

Future projects of this kind are planned for other areas in Lambeth.

Case Studies 3 & 4: Stockton-on-Tees

Background

The Tees Valley sub-region has been described as “an area of fascinating contrasts, on the one hand, it has nearly 1,000 hectares of derelict land… and some of the neighbourhoods with the highest level of social deprivation in England…. On the other hand it has large areas of high landscape value along the coast and along the fringes of the North Yorks Moors National Park and some of the most affluent communities in the North East…”.

Key characteristics of the Tees Valley sub-region include:

Like most areas, the position on crime and other indicators of community well-being within Stockton varies appreciably. In a number of areas (e.g. Mandale and Victoria ward, and Hardwick ward) rates of NEET school leavers are well over twice the Stockton average; for the neighbourhood renewal areas of Norton Grange and Ragworth/Little Ragworth NEET rates are well over 3 times the Stockton average.

In community cohesion terms, Stockton has had to face a mix of challenges including rivalry between different estates, disengaged and demotivated young people causing tensions with older people, and isolation associated with worklessness and low incomes.

Whilst the proportion of ethnic minority residents has traditionally been low, this has not always precluded racial tensions - and recent arrivals of appreciable numbers of asylum seekers have been associated with tensions, not only with the white majority, but with residents from some of the more established BME groups.

Intervention 1: Primrose Hill Football Club

The Primrose Hill Football Club was formed in 1989, around a time of riots and serious community unrest in parts of Stockton. Although football for Primrose Hill boys remains a major focus of the club, its scope has become much wider so that:

PAYP supported a residential event, locally-based football events, and further work to engage parents. The programme engaged 61 young people, 37 attending regularly. A key role for PAYP has been working with the people running the club, who have strong local community connections and a clear understanding of “what it's like to live there.” In turn, the club has proved its capabilities for addressing community cohesion issues effectively. Its generally `inclusive' approach engages with different areas and different kinds of young people. Attention to specific issues - for example, race relations - has been delivered in imaginative ways. Exchange visits with `street-wise' inner-London black footballers challenged a number of preconceptions - both groups mixing well and starting to appreciate each others' points of view.

PAYP funding for the summer of 2006 (£2,396) was provided in a context of rising concerns about estate-based rivalries, particularly targeting potential recruits to the `Bluehall massive' and its counterparts. Here, the local knowledge of club members has been invaluable, “we've known most of them since they were born”, along with increasing acceptance of the merits of the Ward policing initiative “the lads come along and play football with the kids. A change from when you'd only see blue flashing lights and someone's door getting kicked down”.

Intervention 2: Asylum Seekers Project

PAYP contributed £5,154 during the summer of 2006 to support a range of activities promoted by the Asylum Seekers Support Group (ASSG) - in partnership with a range of other agencies, voluntary groups, and informal networks.

The activities encompassed swimming, cinema, various sports, `family fun days,' dance workshops - and links into other PAYP-supported projects. 28 activities, with 7 activity places attracted 55 young people on a regular basis; the `family fun day' attracted 150 people of various ages. ASSG young people came from a variety of countries of origin, but mainly came from the Middle East (Syria, Iran. Iraq), Africa (Angola, Congo, Somalia) and Pakistan.

A particular highlight was participation in events at the Stockton Riversides International Festival, building on the dance workshop and some of the other activities - not only giving expression to some of the different cultures the group could draw on, but giving status and a focal point for the whole group to engage with and support. These activities have continued, with more recent participation in an event at the prestigious ARC theatre in the town, and plans for a joint project (with PAYP involvement) around a `Bollywood/Breakdance' theme.

In terms of community cohesion and asylum seekers and other groups, it is also worth noting an output from a separate PAYP 2006 summer project with asylum seekers run with the Corner House Youth project, close to the centre of Stockton. One output has been a video, a large part of which has young people from all sections of the community in Stockton talking freely and candidly about their feelings towards people from different backgrounds in the area.

Currently in its final stages of editing, the video is expected to provide a compelling picture of “how it really feels” for young people in the area, but also point out how multi-faceted some of the issues are. For example, young people from settled BME communities point to issues they face which they see as quite different by comparison with asylum seekers; white youths with more concerns about travellers than “people who live here”, widely different perceptions about job opportunities and possible competition for jobs. Crucially, the young people themselves point out that views of other ethnic groups become completely different “when you get to know people”.

Outcomes

Stakeholders suggest that PAYP in Stockton has worked well, overall. A high emphasis on active key working has characterised delivery so far, and young people have been able to participate in many different kinds of group-based activities.

PAYP has drawn carefully on established community resources, addressing community cohesion through partnership with a range of groups, initiatives and agencies. Resources made available through PAYP for summer projects in Stockton in 2006 amounted to a total contribution of £17,400 (including £7,089 for activities) leading to the regular participation of 259 young people, and a total of 1,171 activity places.

PAYP in Stockton has helped to:

The positive influence of PAYP was noted by the local community, with responses from police and community groups stating that “PAYP is a very positive thing for cutting back problems with young people”, “PAYP definitely makes a difference”, and “PAYP is very beneficial for the community”.

Case Studies 5 & 6: Oldham

Background

Oldham is situated in the Greater Manchester area of the North West with a population of 218,332. Oldham has a growing population, unlike the North West region and England as a whole, with the overall population predicted to rise by 2.8% by 2021. Oldham's population is also a relatively young population with 28.2% under the age of 20 compared with a national average of 25.1%.

Over a quarter of Oldham's youth population are BME (26%), with the remainder White (74%). As with other towns and cities across England, mono-cultural areas form part of Oldham's demographic fabric, with Chadderton, Failsworth & Hollinwood, Royton & Shaw and Saddleworth & Lees being predominantly white, and West Oldham having the highest BME population (65.3%).

Oldham has a diverse BME population: with large Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities (13,754 and 9,817 respectively), but also comprising of Eastern Europeans (especially from Poland and the Ukraine), Afro-Caribbean's, asylum seekers from Iraq and a small Chinese community. A large Pakistani population reside in the Glodwick area of the city, scene of the 2001 race riots.

Crime remains a considerable problem in Oldham: in the January - March 2006 period there were 29.7 offences per 1,000 population, compared to a national average of 24.9. Crime-related problems associated with young people include anti-social behaviour, underage drinking, motor vehicle crime and minor criminal damage.

To address the issues presented by young people in Oldham, the Lead Delivery Agency Positive Steps Oldham (PSO) has worked in partnership with several local trusts, charity organisations and community groups such as: the Pakistani Community Centre, Oldham Fire Service, Greater Manchester Police, Kickstart and Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale.

Intervention 1: Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale

In terms of community cohesion, Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale have completed several PAYP activities with considerable success. Groundwork works toward a 'sustainable community' which is vibrant, healthy and safe and which respects the local and global environment enabling individuals and enterprise to prosper.

Groundwork has linked PAYP activities with Youth Works, a national partnership which exists to help 'at risk' young people play a creative role in regenerating their community and creating safer environments for everyone. Groundwork has hosted regular meetings to discuss PAYP in order to discuss how best to promote cohesion, delivery improvements and ensure that all ethnic groups in Oldham are included.

Groundwork activities include outdoor pursuits, horse-riding, working with farmyard animals, road safety projects and mosaics/ sculptures in e.g. parks. More specific examples include the Groundwork `End of Summer Celebration events', which not only bring together young people from different ethnic backgrounds, but also encourage their parent(s) to become involved as well.

The importance of getting parents involved was emphasised by a Government Office North West representative for PAYP: not only do children and young people involved in PAYP activities report back to their parent(s) and describe their positive experiences, but it also leads on to parents becoming more involved and getting them to meet with other parents from various ethnic backgrounds. Furthermore, if a young person is absent from PAYP, then the youth workers then contact the parent(s), thus forming an important link with them.

These PAYP activities have been instrumental in increasing young people's confidence and self-esteem, allowing them to mix with other young people from various ethnic backgrounds on visits to e.g. the countryside, whereas previously they were only aware of their own area within Oldham. As the representative from the Pakistani Community Centre explained, most young Pakistanis have grown up and stayed in Glodwick for most of their lives, with their only trip abroad being to Pakistan. PAYP allows them to see other parts of Oldham, the countryside and other areas of England in the company of other young people from various ethnic backgrounds.

A Groundwork worker described how PAYP has had a “massive impact” on community cohesion. Before PAYP, and in the wake of the race riots, there were “no go areas” for young people from both white and Asian backgrounds, exacerbated by a serious lack of communication between wards in Oldham. This situation, thanks in large part to PAYP, has improved.

Intervention 2: Kickstart

Kickstart is another organisation that has played an important part in delivering PAYP activities in Oldham. Kickstart offer young people the opportunity to complete motor vehicle courses, with a primary focus on 14 to 19 year olds. Young people involved with PAYP are referred to Kickstart through PSO, Kickstart then work with these young people and sometimes in partnership with other delivery providers, such as Groundwork.

Most of Kickstart's PAYP activities occur during the summer, further activities include metal works and welding, water-sports at Salford Quays, graffiti art, DJ sessions and activity trips e.g. a four day trip to the Lake District. Although most of Kickstart's participants are from white backgrounds, the ethnic backgrounds of participants are “always changing”. These participants then mix with other providers with “PAYP adding the cohesion”.

The PAYP activities encourage boys and girls from all ethnic backgrounds to mix, learn from one another and encourage team building. PAYP participants come from all over Oldham, and as they are introduced to new experiences they “break down boundaries” by working as a team.

Kickstart have also experienced considerable success in bringing together young people from all parts of Oldham to work with a Greater Manchester Police youth liaison officer, who provides a human face for the police, informing the young people of what they can and cannot do and why most laws are there for their protection.

The youth liaison officer not only gives the young people an opportunity to ask questions about the police and address any concerns they might have, but also uses his extensive experience in metal work to help the young people design metal sculptures and help in welding. The young people as a result enjoy the activity and see the police officer as a friend, rather than merely a uniform. According to the police officer, PAYP gives these young people new opportunities, it promotes good behaviour, and it helps in breaking down barriers between young people and the police, so “we now have a foot in the door.” The metal work activities have proved to be so successful that two young people from PAYP courses are now considering it as a career.

Another successful initiative that involved several delivery providers, was the `Kick racism out of football' initiative, run by the Manchester FA and which involved Oldham Athletic football club. The initiative was based around a football tournament staged in October half term. According to a Groundwork worker in terms of getting young males from different ethnic backgrounds together successfully this tournament “stood out for me”. The tournament brought together children and young people from Asian, White and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds and allowed them to play together in a safe environment within a well organised, structured activity.

“If you ask me to define cohesion, just go there on a Saturday morning”

The Pakistani Community Centre in Glodwick has also become involved with PAYP activities in Oldham. The youth club has participated in trips (Alton Towers, Science Museums, outdoor pursuits), football/ table tennis/ go-karting tournaments and music diversity programmes with other youth groups from various parts of Oldham.

PAYP Community Cohesion activities have helped young Pakistanis in Oldham by keeping these young people engaged and interested by giving them new experiences; which is vitally important in the fight against radicalism. PAYP key workers play a crucial role in ensuring that these young Pakistanis are constantly included in activities, courses and the referral system, thus providing a vital link between the young people, the community centre, local schools and PAYP delivery providers.

“Without PAYP funding we would not able to deliver these activities…it gives young people something to do”

(Representative from the Pakistani Community Centre, Glodwick)

Outcomes

By providing new and exciting activities these young people are less prone to being manipulated, and allowed them to share their own religious practices and beliefs with young people from other faiths in a constructive manner. PAYP also encouraged these young people to “get back on track”; some left the education system, but PAYP activities encourages them to return to it.

The Government Office North West representative for PAYP described how PAYP enables you to use simple, local facilities e.g. a football pitch, but the outcome can be tremendous. Not only does it encourage cohesion, but it also signposts young people on to agencies who may advise them on apprenticeships, returning to education and other opportunities, or to discuss concerns (drugs, alcohol) e.g. 2,623 clients visited the Oldham Connexions Centre in November 2006, more and more young people are using the internet facilities at the Pakistani Community Centre in Glodwick to look for jobs/ further education courses.

Those interviewed agreed that PAYP has done fantastically well in improving community cohesion, barriers have been broken. One person commented how Oldham used to be in the newspapers and media for the wrong reasons e.g. the 2001 race riots, more recently however, and thanks in large part to PAYP, Oldham, and its young people in particular, are in the newspapers for the right reasons. Young people in Oldham now have a better understanding of what cohesion is all about.

“If two young people from different ethnic backgrounds see each other on the street and acknowledge each other then that, for me, is a result”

(Groundwork worker)

“PAYP allows us to do things we normally couldn't do…taking these young people away from Oldham on activity days…even though they were from different ethnic backgrounds they were interested in each other, they interacted with one another…there was no trouble at all, it was very positive…some young people from Asian backgrounds have since invited youngsters from white backgrounds into their areas, and vice versa.”

(Greater Manchester Police youth liaison officer)

Young people's attitudes have changed through PAYP; they're now more willing and more interested to learn about different cultures. PAYP helps to build up young peoples self-esteem, they're now more aware of opportunities in other parts of Oldham which were previously `no go' areas.

“PAYP has a massive role to play in the town, getting hundreds of young people from all ethnic backgrounds together for day after day has to have an impact.”

“On one activity trip one group of young people got on so well they called themselves the `PAYP crew'….they forgot which areas of Oldham they were from, they just gelled”

The Government Office North West representative for PAYP and PSO officer described how re-offending rates have dropped considerably in recent years; this is not exclusively because of PAYP intervention, but there is no doubt that PAYP “has had a considerable effect on reducing youth offender rates”. Indeed, youth crime in Oldham fell by one third during one summer. The evidence suggests that staging PAYP activities during the summer holidays has contributed immensely towards this statistic.

Case Study 7: Leicester

Background

Greenhill is a housing estate located in north west Leicestershire near Coalville, and is one of the most deprived areas in the region. As such it suffers from a range of issues such as:

Leicestershire has a large BME population, however, the different ethnic communities have tended to congregate into distinct pockets, with little or no communication between the various populations. The growing BME population has meant that in many wards, particularly in Leicester city, the white population is in effect the minority population. This has created an `under siege' mentality among the white population with a resultant increase in tension and racial prejudices. The Greenhill estate is predominantly white, but due to an influx of Somali asylum seekers into the area, tension between the different ethnic populations have become apparent.

Intervention

To engage the young people living on the estate Connexions contracted In 2 Sport, a local activity provider, to deliver a programme of activities. In 2 Sport specialise in engaging young people through sport, employing professional coaches that have youth work experience to train and develop the young people. In 2 Sport use a model based around the Sport Leadership Award which spans two weeks. Young people aged 10-13 years are enrolled on the Youth Sport Leaders Award, while young people aged 15 plus years enrol on the Junior Sports Leader Award.

In the first week the young people aged 15 years or older take part in a 30 hour activity programme. This includes sessions covering career opportunities, and a three day training course designed to provide them with skills in leading groups in sporting and recreational activity.

A requirement of the Junior Sports Leader Awards is that the 15 plus age group coach a cohort of younger people. In 2 Sport's programme is designed so that in the second week, the 15 plus age group work with the 10-13 years age group taking part in the Junior Sports Leader Awards. The young people from the older age group, with the support of In 2 Sport's professional coaches, take responsibility for coaching and mentoring the 10-13 years age group. The second week's activities are run Monday - Friday from 10am to 4pm.

Throughout the programme, the young people are engaged by In 2 Sports staff drawing upon their youth work experience to offer positive role models, develop the young people's self-esteem and confidence, raise their aspirations, inspire them to participate and challenge their preconceptions on issues such as racism.

Outcomes

The programme has been very successful with the young people responding well to the coaches. The young people are keen to participate, as the programme offers them the chance to take part in an activity that is interesting and relevant to them, and the opportunity to develop their football skills, learning from professional coaches.

This enthusiasm and desire to participate by the young people offers the coaches a way in to modify the young people's behaviour and beliefs. For example, the need to be healthy to perform well allows the coaches to introduce topics of healthy diet and the need to refrain from substance abuse. While the team nature of football naturally promotes team-working and a sense of engagement. Young people who previously felt they were underachievers because they did not succeed academically in school, or who were isolated, are able to engage, and gain confidence and a sense of worth from their peers as a result of their ability to play football well.

“Sport can offer young people credibility. Team sport can help young people engage in a group, and feel good about themselves as they can get positive feedback from their peers”

The programme has also motivated participants to re-engage in training or education. For example, the desire to become a coach, motivated one young person, who prior to joining the programme could not read and write, to successfully pass an NVQ Level II. The trust developed between the young people and In 2 Sport has also meant that the coaches are able to assist the young people in advising on career opportunities and assisting the young people in pursuing them, through signposting to relevant organisations or helping fill in application forms.

Crime on a Saturday night was also noted to have dropped on the estate, as young people on the estate went on to form a football club that played on a Sunday morning. The desire not to let team mates down by performing badly due to hangovers etc, meant that young men on the team refrained from drinking the night before, with a resultant drop in alcohol related crime.

Initially supported by In 2 Sport to set up the football club, the young people are now running the club themselves, managing the finances and other day-to-day running of the club, a sustainable output that promotes a sense of community.

As part of the In 2 Sport desire to challenge racial stereotypes, young people from the estate were taken to play in a football tournament with teams from different ethnic groups. As a result of this interaction, and without the prompting of In 2 Sport, the Greenhill estate team invited an Asian football team to play them in Greenhill.

Case Study 8: Nottingham

Background

Educational achievement in Nottingham as a whole is poor. Nottingham Local Education Authority (LEA) was ranked second-worst in the country at primary level, and third from bottom at secondary level in terms of GCSE results attained. Historically schools in and around Bulwell have been among the worst-performing in the UK, with the North Nottingham region having the lowest level of students progressing to higher education in the UK. This has meant that the entire Bulwell area was designated an "Education Action Zone" in 1999.

Crime statistics in Nottingham are very high, with many crime categories several times higher than the English average. A national survey in 2006 noted that Nottingham topped the crime rankings for police statistics on murders, burglaries, and vehicle crime, and "had almost five times the level of crime as the safest town in the rankings". As with education, the crime figures for Bulwell are very high in comparison to both Nottingham and national levels, with gun and gang-related crime a particular problem.

Young people in the target areas have been categorised as being:

Intervention

Connexions Nottinghamshire in partnership with four local schools from the north of the city, Nottingham City Youth Service, and a local activity provider Progress Fitness built upon an existing model of engaging young people via basketball known as the midnight basketball project.

The programme consisted of 1 evening session per week per school over 10 weeks, with a skills clinic in week 11 and a tournament for all the schools in week 12. The basketball sessions were run on the school premises by Progress Fitness' qualified basketball coaches, and supported by youth workers and school staff in some schools.

As well as a basketball coaching the sessions also included a 40 minute youth work section, which covered issues such as life-skills, healthy lifestyles/eating, citizenship, and knowledge of community. The young people were required to attend the youth work element to be allowed to take part in the basketball coaching. Staff from both the youth service and Progress Fitness attended each other's sessions to promote a group approach. The young people became very involved in these sessions often talking past their allotted time.

“It was important to have a combination of youth work sessions and sport activities, the combination was very powerful.”

Clear ground rules were set for the young people's behaviour (i.e. no swearing, or bullying), and a consistent approach from both Progress First and the youth workers emphasised, with a three strikes and your out policy enforced. Youth workers and coaches met regularly to discuss any behavioural issues identified. Only six young people were asked to leave because of their behaviour.

The tournament run in the 12^th week was run at a neutral venue for all the young people, requiring them to travel across the city, a considerable challenge for some young people who had never ventured outside their own estate before. Initially young people played within their own teams, but in the afternoon session the young people were mixed up according to ability to force them to play alongside players from other areas.

“It was incredible to see the amount of teamwork where a few weeks before they had been dispirited”.

Outcomes

The response from the young people was very positive with over 70 young people attending, 35 attended every session. School staff interviewed noted improvements in the young people's behaviour, focus and discipline carried over to their school life. For example, one young man who had consistently exhibited aggressive and disruptive behaviour in school, changed his behaviour completely due to his participation, and has now been talent spotted by the local professional team.

32 young people received an AQA Level I Certificates, and 10 young people are to receive a Duke of Edinburgh Module Award.

55 young people received a positive outcome (details to be forwarded).

The youth work sessions built into the programme helped improve the young people's awareness of their role and responsibilities in their community, “all areas now have a group of young people that upbeat about being part of that community”.

The young people's view of what is their local community was also expanded beyond their housing estate, with cross-estate friendships developed.

The young people's aspirations were raised, and a cohort of young people who could now easily go onto complete a Level I Coaching qualification has been created. With many of the young people requesting the opportunity to do so.

By running the basketball sessions in the evening, a positive side-benefit has been a reduction in offending behaviour, as the participating young people were too tired after the end of the session to cause any mischief.

For the schools participation in the project was very positive, offering their pupils an opportunity to take part in a positive activity and opened their eyes to the opportunities offered by a career in sport and coaching. The programme was also considered to mesh well with the Healthy Schools programme and could potentially be used as part of the Key Skills curriculum, in addition to helping their pupils to develop a portfolio of activities and achievements. One school was so impressed by the effectiveness of the programme, that it decided to use the money it was paid by Connexions for the use of its premises to pay for the programme to continue after the PAYP funds ended.

Case Study 9: Tower Hamlets

Background

Tower Hamlets is located in central London to the east of the City of London. The borough has a large BME population at 58%, with Bangladeshi's accounting for 33%, and is one of the few local authorities in the UK to have a minority white population. The number of Bangladeshis under the age of 18 is almost double the proportion for London. The borough therefore has the largest percentage of 20-34 year olds of any Local Authority in the country. However the age profile for Bangladeshis and White British differ considerably, with 70% of the Bangladeshi population under 30 years, compared to 40% for White British.

Male life expectancy is very poor, with the Brorough ranked fifth lowest for all local authorities. Tower Hamlets is ranked as the second most deprived local authority in England. Crime in the borough is high, with crime rates consistently higher than the national and London average.

Intervention

On the One is a local activity provider that provides and supports young people to develop their musical ability using modern studio equipment. Run by professional sound and video engineers, staff at On the One engage with young people through their interest in music production. This allows the staff to use their youth work experience to tackle a range of social and developmental issues, such as life skills, sexuality and self-confidence.

On the One applied for PAYP funds to work with a group of NEET young people (2 girls aged 17-20, White British and Afro-Caribbean; and 6 males 17-20 years, 5 Bangladeshi and 1 Chinese) to produce a music video. The aim of the project was to help the young people develop the skills necessary to plan, produce and take part in a professional music video. The project required a great deal of commitment and skill from the young people, with the young people responsible for setting up and using the necessary video gear such as lights and cameras. To further challenge the young people the On the One team opted to film the video on location in Devon, requiring the young people to travel outside their home borough for the first time.

A gruelling professional timescale was set for the project, forcing the young people to work together as a team, testing their ability to work with people from different cultural backgrounds or genders, and learn responsibility for their own actions. In addition to writing and performing their own music, the group were expected to location spot, choreograph and costume the video. Shooting three videos over five days, meant there was very little time to make mistakes, placing significant pressure on the group to get it right first time.

Outcomes

Each element of the project allowed the On the One staff to work with the young people to help them assess their own behaviour, and what they wanted to do with their lives. For example, by using the need to write their own lyrics for the music video, On the One staff were able to explore with the young people their perceptions of celebrity personas and how these influence the young people's own behaviour within their community. Taking the young people away from their comfort zone and peer group assisted in the developmental work, giving the young people more freedom to express themselves.

In addition to learning a number of hard technical skills, such as how to set-up and use lights, cameras and sound equipment, the project developed the group's soft skills e.g. communication and negotiation skills, timekeeping and organisational skills.

Prior to taking part in the project the team skills of the group were poor, to the extent that one of the Bangladeshi boys would not work with girls, but the tight timescale forced the young people to work as a team irrespective of race or gender.

The confidence achieved through producing their own music video has given the group a new focus to their lives, and now have a clear idea as to what they want to do.

Feedback from the young people themselves offers good evidence of how the project changed the young people's perceptions and approach to dealing with others.

“When you don't dismiss someone's idea it makes them feel confident and feel part of the team.”

“Travelling makes you open-minded. It encourages racial acceptance and appreciation.”

“I have learnt to include people's ideas and compromise. I learnt how to bring forth an argument without starting a fight.”

“I have realised that people will listen to me if I listen to them.”

“I have realised that people are interested in learning about my experiences if I have the confidence to talk about them. I feel that I have gained in confidence.”

Case Study 10: Bristol

Background

The Lockleaze Young Mums project is based in the Lockleaze and Upper Horfield districts of Bristol. These areas are currently receiving assistance under the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, and SRB6. The areas are typified by:

Due to the numbers of single teenage mums in the area, and concerns that these mothers are at risk of being isolated from the community, the PAYP Lead Delivery Agency in partnership with the local authority to support these young mums through the Lockleaze Young Mums project.

Intervention

The Lockleaze Young Mums project operates a weekly drop-in in a local nursery/children's crèche, staffed by Better Together workers. Better Together is part of the local authority, receiving line management from Social Services, but is externally funded by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Children's Fund and SRB6.

The young mums on the project have been referred onto the project by their Health Visitors or recruited onto the project by Better Together staff tasked with working with young people that have been identified `at risk' by a multi-agency Youth Inclusion Programme (YIP) panel. To avoid any risk of stigmatisation and to encourage their participation, role of Social Services has not been made explicit to the young mums.

The project currently works with 12 young mums aged 15-18 years, three of which are BME. All the young mums are out of education, and none are working. Most of them have little or no qualifications. Some of the young mums attended Pupil referral Units (PRUs) prior to the joining the project. Isolation from their peers is common as the young mums typically don't mix with other young people if they aren't also young mums. 7 of the 12 young mums are living independently.

The project's objectives are to supplement the young mums education, support the health and well-being of the mum and baby, improve links for the young mums in the community as well as pathways in education, and help develop the young mum's key skills.

The project has adopted an informal approach to working with the young mums as the young mums have issues with confidence and self-esteem, despite presenting an appearance of confidence. The informal approach allows the Better Together staff to address the issues faced by the young people in a manner that does not directly challenge the young mum's self image. For example, the young mums have been encouraged to work towards the Youth Achievement Award. The young mums view this as an interesting way to spend their time during the drop-in sessions, but, for the Better Together staff the Award provides an opportunity to address issues such as how to play and care for their babies in a non-threatening manner. The young mums are therefore actively engaged in learning, without feeling they are doing so. Learning social skills etc, become a game.

Outcomes

The project has helped link up the previously isolated young mums, with new supportive friendships being made. Increasing their feeling of self-worth and confidence in their own abilities

The gradual progress of achievement through the Youth Achievement Award has helped increase the confidence of the young mums. This in turn has lead to their aspirations being raised as to what they hope to achieve with their lives. The project staff are then ideally placed to point the young mums in the right direction, and support them in accessing other services. For example, the young mums have now started talking about getting back into education, and have requested that the Connexions PA attend a drop-in session.

Through regular contact with the young mums, the staff at the project have been able to build up a level of trust with the young mums. This has meant that the staff are able to support the young mums without appearing to intrude into their lives.

PAYP and Community Cohesion

(Revised)

CRG Research Ltd.

Introduction

A cohesive community has been defined by the Local Government Association as one where:

As Britain becomes more culturally diverse, the need to achieve a cohesive community along the lines outlined above is increasingly important. Where there has been a failure to do so, the consequences have been grave, as illustrated by recent race riots in Birmingham and Oldham, and more worryingly the July 7^th bombings in London.

If we are to achieve a cohesive community it is vital therefore that alienation from society is addressed, and addressed as early as possible as young people are both part of, and the future of our community. The objectives set for PAYP recognised this, with clear goals of promoting community cohesion built into those objectives.

It is possible to argue that nearly all of the work funded by PAYP falls under the remit of community cohesion due to PAYP's targeted approach, working with young people aged 8-19 years defined as being most at risk of social exclusion, committing crime or being a victim of crime. By working with this client group PAYP was able to address inter-generational cohesion issues as well as work directly with young people with regard to their attitudes towards their own role in their community, and how they relate to other young people from different faiths or ethnic groups.

Methodology

Areas included in the case studies were selected based upon a review of PAYP Regional Manager Regional Reports, and CRG's prior knowledge of activities delivered from the national evaluation of PAYP.

A qualitative methodology was adopted to assess the impact of PAYP on community cohesion, drawing upon interviews with staff from PAYP Lead Delivery Agencies (LDAs), Activity Providers, relevant statutory organisations (e.g. Local authorities) and local community groups. Much of the evidence presented in the case studies is anecdotal in nature partly due to the difficulty in collecting suitable disaggregated data (e.g. youth crime figures), and the additional difficulty in obtaining robust quantitative data that is able to appropriately measure changes in community cohesion relating to young people.

Case Studies

In the following section we present examples of the work conducted by PAYP and how it relates to the four elements of a cohesive community as defined by the Local Government Association. The case studies provide examples of how PAYP funds were used to help promote community cohesion through a variety of means e.g. by encouraging young people to participate in their community, challenging stereotypes of race and gender, reducing disruptive behaviour, and offering positive life opportunities.

There is a common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities.

To achieve a common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities it is essential that no community should feel that it is being persecuted or that it's opinions are being ignored. PAYP has gone some way to address this through work conducted by the LDAs which have helped to reduce tensions between the Police and local youths (particularly relevant with recent concerns over the increased use of stop and search against Asians), and various projects that have focused on racism.

A PAYP project in Lambeth worked with 20 young people (11 Afro-Caribbean boys, 4 White boys, 4 Afro-Caribbean girls and 1 White girl) aged 8-15 years. Ostensibly the aim of the project was to tackle local concerns over bike crime and anti-social behaviour, but the LDA took this opportunity to also address issues around gangs, citizenship, and theft.

Lamonte Johnson, a community artist with extensive experience of working with similar client groups in the U.K. and the USA was chosen to deliver the programme. Lamonte drew upon his own life experiences as a Black man from the `projects' of Chicago, facing issues of gang warfare, high unemployment and marginalisation to inform his work and approach with young people. Lamonte shared some of his stories with the group and through them, was able to challenge racist and gender stereotypes, destroy myths about the glamour of gang life and encourage the young people to think outside of their immediate reality in terms of goal setting and aspirations for the future.

Through good partnership work with the Police in Lambeth Sergeant Toby McDaniel from the Safer Neighbourhood Team delivered a session on bicycle theft, how best to respond to police stop and searches.

In Oldham, Kickstart offers young people the opportunity to complete motor vehicle courses, with a primary focus on 14 to 19 year olds. A partnership approach with Greater Manchester Police resulted in a youth liaison officer linking into Kickstart's work, showing a human face for the police to the young people.

The youth liaison officer not only gave the young people an opportunity to ask questions about the police and address any concerns they might have, but also used his extensive experience in metal work to help the young people design metal sculptures and help in welding. The young people as a result enjoyed the activity and saw the police officer as a friend, rather than merely a uniform. According to the police officer, PAYP gave these young people new opportunities, it promoted good behaviour, and it helped in breaking down barriers between young people and the police, so “we now have a foot in the door.” The metal work activities have proved to be so successful that two young people from PAYP courses are now considering it as a career.

Another successful Oldham initiative that involved several delivery providers, was the `Kick racism out of football' initiative, run by the Manchester FA and which involved Oldham Athletic football club. The initiative was based around a football tournament staged in October half term. According to a project worker in terms of getting young males from different ethnic backgrounds together successfully this tournament “stood out for me”. The tournament brought together children and young people from Asian, White and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds and allowed them to play together in a safe environment within a well organised, structured activity.

“If you ask me to define cohesion, just go there on a Saturday morning”

A sense of belonging to a community with a common vision has also been facilitated through work that engages the parents of participating young people. A number of LDAs have used “celebration events” to link up with parents. These are events where the achievements of the young people while on PAYP are acknowledged, typically with the handing out of certificates and awards. Fun family days have also been used in some areas such as Oldham and Stockton-on-Tees, with such an event in Stockton-onTees attracting over 150 people of various ages and ethnicities.

The importance of getting parents involved was emphasised by a Government Office North West representative for PAYP: not only do children and young people involved in PAYP activities report back to their parent(s) and describe their positive experiences, but it also leads on to parents becoming more involved and getting them to meet with other parents from various ethnic backgrounds in an environment that is positive and friendly.

The diversity of people's different backgrounds and circumstances is appreciated and positively valued.

The way we dress, our music/dance and religious practices are clear examples of how different ethnic and faith groups differ. PAYP activities were able to tap into and explore these differences through the use of music/arts based activities and cultural days. That exposed the young people to a diverse range of cultural influences. By exposing young people to other cultures their understanding, awareness and appreciation of other cultures is increased and their ignorance of other cultures, often a cause for mistrust and tension, reduced. The work done in Brent, and Stockton-on-Tees provide good examples of such events.

The LDA in Brent used PAYP to fund a Dance Olympiada. This event saw teams from across London competing, with a diverse range of ethnicities, dance and cultural styles represented, including African, South Asian, Bhangra, and hip hop. Over 250 young people took part, with each dance team choosing their own music and choreography, supported by a professional choreographer. The event has been held each year to large audiences, with the last event held at Wembley Arena in front of 2,000 people. A day long event including rehearsals means the young people mix with each other throughout the day, learning from and influencing each other's dance styles. The desire to do well encourages the young people to view each other's performances with a critical eye, and develop a better appreciation of what different cultures have to offer.

Cultural events have also found to be very effective. The Stockton-on-Tees LDA supported a local Asylum Seekers Support Group (ASSG). The ASSG works with young people from a variety of countries, but mainly from the Middle East (Syria, Iran, Iraq), Africa (Angola, Congo and Somalia) and Pakistan. A particular highlight was participation in events at the Stockton Riversides International Festival, building on a previous dance workshop which not only gave expression to some of the different cultures the group could draw on, but gave status and a focal point for the whole group to engage with and support. These activities have continued, with more recent participation in an event at the prestigious ARC theatre in the town, and plans for a joint project (with PAYP involvement) around a `Bollywood/Breakdance' theme.

In terms of community cohesion and asylum seekers and other groups, it is also worth noting an output from a separate PAYP 2006 summer project with asylum seekers run with the Corner House Youth project, close to the centre of Stockton. One output has been a video, a large part of which has young people from all sections of the community in Stockton talking freely and candidly about their feelings towards people from different backgrounds in the area.

Currently in its final stages of editing, the video is expected to provide a compelling picture of “how it really feels” for young people in the area, but also point out how multi-faceted some of the issues are. For example, young people from settled BME communities point to issues they face which they see as quite different by comparison with asylum seekers; white youths with more concerns about travellers than “people who live here”, widely different perceptions about job opportunities and possible competition for jobs. Crucially, the young people themselves point out that views of other ethnic groups become completely different “when you get to know people”.

Those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities.

On a very basic level, 35.0% of the young people aged 8-17 years participating in PAYP were classed as being from a BME background. This is in comparison to the 2001 Census national figure of 11%, i.e. the proportion of BME young people participating in PAYP was effectively three times higher than we would expect based upon the Census statistic.

For those young people that participated, PAYP provides access to a number of opportunities that would not have been possible otherwise.

“Travelling makes you open-minded. It encourages racial acceptance and appreciation.”

(PAYP participant)

The LDA in Oldham worked closely with the Pakistani Community Centre in Glodwick. As a result the Pakistani youth club participated in trips (Alton Towers, Science Museums, outdoor pursuits), football/ table tennis/ go-karting tournaments and music diversity programmes with other youth groups from various parts of Oldham.

“Without PAYP funding we would not able to deliver these activities…it gives young people something to do”

(Representative from the Pakistani Community Centre, Glodwick)

These activities were instrumental in increasing young people's confidence and self-esteem, allowing them to mix with other young people from various ethnic backgrounds on visits to e.g. the countryside, whereas previously they were only aware of their own area within Oldham. As the representative from the Pakistani Community Centre explained, most young Pakistanis grow up and stay in Glodwick for most of their lives, with their only trip abroad being to Pakistan. PAYP allowed them to see other parts of Oldham, the countryside and other areas of England in the company of other young people from various ethnic backgrounds.

The PAYP activities helped young Pakistanis in Oldham by keeping these young people engaged and interested by giving them new experiences. PAYP key workers play a crucial role in ensuring that these young Pakistanis were constantly included in activities, courses and the referral system, thus providing a vital link between the young people, the community centre, local schools and PAYP delivery providers.

The Government Office North West representative for PAYP described how PAYP enables you to use simple, local facilities e.g. a football pitch, but the outcome can be tremendous. Not only does it encourage cohesion, but it also signposts young people on to agencies who may advise them on apprenticeships, returning to education and other opportunities, or to discuss concerns (drugs, alcohol) e.g. 2,623 clients visited the Oldham Connexions Centre in November 2006, and more and more young people are now using the internet facilities at the Pakistani Community Centre in Glodwick to look for jobs/ further education courses.

Strong and positive relationships are being developed between people from different backgrounds and circumstances in the workplace, in schools and within neighbourhoods.

The activity commissioning process itself, where used creatively, was found to be beneficial with regard to developing strong and positive relationships. In Bristol the Easton Multi-Agency Project (EMAP) was responsible for commissioning a number of PAYP activities. EMAP took the decision that all bids for activity funding needed to be joint bids. Organisations bidding for funds were also required to work with at least two other organisations and make available places on their activities to young people from other agencies. This approach was found to very useful in developing positive relationships between organisations, as well as the young people taking part in the various activities.

In addition, the design of PAYP placed an emphasis on ensuring that the impacts of PAYP should not just be short-term, but long-term. LDAs therefore looked to build in personal development when commissioning activities. As a result PAYP has been very effective in helping young people increase their confidence, boosting their self-esteem, raising their aspirations and challenge inappropriate behaviour and attitudes (such as racism). Many of the activities were built upon developing team working skills.

In Oldham the PAYP activities enabled boys and girls from all ethnic backgrounds to mix, learn from one another and develop team building. PAYP participants came from all over Oldham, and were introduced to new experiences that helped “break down boundaries” by making them work as a team.

“On one activity trip one group of young people got on so well they called themselves the `PAYP crew'….they forgot which areas of Oldham they were from, they just gelled”

Project workers observed that the young people's attitudes changed through PAYP, becoming more willing and more interested to learn about different cultures. PAYP helped to build up young peoples self-esteem, and become more aware of opportunities in other parts of Oldham which were previously `no go' areas.

“PAYP allows us to do things we normally couldn't do…taking these young people away from Oldham on activity days…even though they were from different ethnic backgrounds they were interested in each other, they interacted with one another…there was no trouble at all, it was very positive…some young people from Asian backgrounds have since invited youngsters from white backgrounds into their areas, and vice versa.”

(Greater Manchester Police youth liaison officer)

Summary

The material presented above provides strong evidence to support the claim that PAYP has contributed significantly to community cohesion. Project workers and community representatives interviewed were effusive about the positive effect of PAYP.

For example, a project worker in Oldham described how PAYP has had a “massive impact” on community cohesion. Before PAYP, and in the wake of the race riots, there were “no go areas” for young people from both white and Asian backgrounds, exacerbated by a serious lack of communication between wards in Oldham. This situation, thanks in large part to PAYP, has improved.

“PAYP has a massive role to play in the town, getting hundreds of young people from all ethnic backgrounds together for day after day has to have an impact.”

In Oldham in particular, those interviewed agreed that PAYP has done fantastically well in improving community cohesion, with barriers being broken. One person commented how Oldham used to be in the newspapers and media for the wrong reasons e.g. the 2001 race riots, more recently however, and thanks in large part to PAYP, Oldham, and its young people in particular, are in the newspapers for the right reasons. Young people in Oldham now have a better understanding of what cohesion is all about.

“If two young people from different ethnic backgrounds see each other on the street and acknowledge each other then that, for me, is a result”

(Groundwork worker)

Report on the 4^th Oldham Borough Games 2008

Background

Oldham Borough Games was a pilot event that ran in 2005 as the Area Games with the six wards of Oldham. These six wards are: West Oldham, East Oldham, Failsworth & Hollins, Saddleworth & Lees, Royton & Shaw, and Chadderton. Due to the success of the first Area Games, its was decided that the event name would change to Oldham Borough Games as it had more of an attachment for Oldham, and also that the events would run on an annual basis.

The aim of the Borough Games is to give:

Overview and Format of Event

A Steering group was set up to help put the Oldham Borough Games on the Sport Development map. The steering group consisted of representatives from the Sport Development team, mainly Community Sport Development Officers from the following fields of work, Club Development, Community Coach Programme, Sports Provisions for Young People, Oldham Sport & Recreation, and the Assistant Sport Development officer for Events.

It was decided that teams were to be recruited via schools unlike the previous years, via community sessions. It made sense to take the school approach as it was also helping build exit routes for the new and existing Inschool Coaching programmes, Community Coach Programmes and the Extended Schools programme. In doing this, it helped raise both the standard and quality of competition at the Borough Games.

The volunteer recruitment for the Borough Games this year followed a timeline plan with a mapping exercise, where key recruiting mile stones were identified. These mile stones and recruitment drive were: Oldham Sport Development Step Into Sports conference and mentoring scheme, Level 2 Sports Leaders Award, and Hathershaw and Radclyffe School Level 1 Sports Leaders. On top of this Club Volunteers were invited along with both Oldham and Oldham 6^th Form College for volunteering opportunities.

The Clubs were approached for volunteers and also invited down to the event for an opportunity to Talent ID potential players as well as to publicise their clubs and training sessions. The following clubs helped work in partnership with the community club coaches in facilitating the various sports events, these clubs were as follows: Uppermill and Failsworth Dynamos Football club, Hathershaw, Royton and Saddleworth Netball club, and Oldham Rockets were present and helped out at the event.

The Borough Games this year targeted children in school years 3-10 as this was the focus development age range identified by local clubs and National Governing Bodies. This years Borough Games saw competition in the following community sports and school years;

Each ward had a team representing each of the above sports, in total we had 36 teams compete this year with a total number of 315 participants taking part.

In the morning all the wards came together for a massive Borough warm up, and then followed by a sport specific warm up that was delivered by the Oldham Sport Development Team, Community and Club volunteers. The purpose of the session was to provide participants with skill development and allow them to meet participants from different communities in a fun and enjoyable environment. The rest of the day was all sport specific competition between each of the wards.

Compared to the previous the borough games event, this year saw more parents make a visit and support their children and area awards in the competitions.

The following VIPs were invited and attended a VIP tour of the Borough Games event,

The Mayor of Oldham Councilor Ann Wingate was present during the final presentation and helped present the certificates and awards to participants. Sam Ellis 800 metres runner from the Great Britain Athletics squad made a special appearance and also helped in the distribution of medals and the closing presentation. All participants enjoyed a dance performance for the final presentation by all the area wards which they had been practicing earlier in the day.

Key Achievements:

Evaluation

Overall the event was really successfully; this was backed up recorded by both the participants and VIPs who attended the event. For the first time we have had full team representation from all 6 wards. Compared to the previous years, this year we had 6 sports, a bigger competition.

The event successfully ran according to plan, from the area wards warm up to the sport specific warm ups and then to the main competitions.

Following the feedbacks and evaluations from the previous borough games event of the lack of competition time and the inconsistency in some of the sport matches and times, we decided to plan a lot earlier this year and improve on it. I am glad to say, that we managed to overcome this barrier, and ensured in this years borough games had plenty of consistency in the time length and frequency of matches played of matches.

Overall all participants were able to join in for a longer period of competition time and enjoy it a lot better. The positive feedback from a wide range audience is testimony of this year's huge success.

It really does come down to good leadership and direction from management (Community Sport Development Manager - Emma Jenks) who made a push for teams to be recruited via schools, and the positive co-operation from the sport development team members.

Recommendations

Positive comments:

Participant - Purple teams (Royton and Shaw) are doing very well, my area East Oldham are in 2^nd place up to yet

Participant - I think its brilliant and I want to come again!

Participant - it was fun and I enjoyed it

Participant - I think it is a very positive event and that's why my team and I played well, thank you

Participant - it was a really good day, I liked it because everybody on our team and helpers were really supportive and we worked as a team.

Participant - Good team managers who were supporting and encouraging us, it was a fun day

Volunteer - Great experience! Very well supervised, good turn out and lots of enthusiasm really enjoyed it.

Volunteer - This event has been brilliant, great turn out of young people from all over Oldham as well as volunteers. I have enjoyed myself and will happy to join in again.

Volunteer - I enjoyed it, encouraging the teams to do well, really enjoyed it

Volunteer - Excellent venue, lots of willing helpers and a good friendly atmosphere. The young people taking part all seemed happy.

Volunteer - I think the day went well and the kids enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the event.

Parent - Kids enjoying it, it's a good event, and should run more!

Mayor -Cllr Ann Wingate - VIP - Mayor of Oldham Borough - It is so wonderful to see young people from all areas of our borough taking part and enjoying themselves so much!

Volunteer - A fantastic day, great to see so many young people having a wonderful time in sports

Parent -All the children well behaved, all the teams are playing well against each other together.

Volunteer - Went very well, a pleasure to work with children, everyone worked as a team and tried their best

Mohammed Rahiem -VIP - Sporting Equals - excellent organisation, good to see diverse people come together, well done

Parent - absolutely fabulous, thank you for all your effort, they are much appreciated

Volunteer - The games were well organised and played in good spirit. A very enjoyable event. Thank you.

SHARED FUTURE PROJECT

REPORT ON

YOUTH PEACE BUILDING AND LEADERSHIP

SCHOOL FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAINING

VERMONT USA

JULY 2007

Youth Peace Building and Leadership

Monday 2^nd July - Saturday 14^th July

From Monday 2^nd July to Saturday 14^th July a group of 10 students from Oldham took part in the Youth Peace Building and Leadership Programme in Vermont USA.