All posts in category Inclusive Growth

Superdiversity – keeping up with the pace of change

by Funchye

For public and private sector organisations a like it has been at a snail’s pace to make the policy and service changes needed to provide new communities with valuable  support.

Over the last decade there has been an unprecedented change in the UK population and the speed, scale, spread and diversity has exceeded anything previously experienced.

Birmingham is already set to be one of Britain’s largest minority-majority city, has seen change in the nature, complexity and distribution of its population as it enters a new age of superdiversity.

But adding to the city’s accolade of being a leader, Birmingham will be host to the first UK institute devoted to research focusing on superdiversity.

Following Birmingham Social Inclusion Process, Giving Hope Changing Lives, it has become clear that the opportunities and challenges associated with Birmingham’s rapidly changing and diverse population have not yet been fully realised.

The Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS) a University of Birmingham and Birmingham City Council partnership will be making its official launch in June 2013 at an invitation only event.

by Diamond Glacier Adventures

IRiS will bring researchers, policymakers and practitioners  together to make organisations more agile and responsive to the challenges and opportunities associated Birmingham’s transformation.

Both Birmingham City Council and IRiS will ensure that research in the city and across the world can answer important questions in relation to the connection of migration, faith, language, ethnicity and culture helping to shape the future of  Birmingham and other superdiverse locations while placing IRiS and Birmingham at the forefront of research into superdiversity.

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by sandviper1 on 8th May 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Wellbeing, Diversity of Place, Diversity of People, Inclusive Growth, Young People, Fair Brum
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Posted by sandviper1 on 8th May 2013

http://fairbrum.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/superdiversity-keeping-up-with-the-pace-of-change/

Hands-on Birmingham prepares for the impact of the welfare reform

Birmingham Mapping

Birmingham has not been sitting on its laurels when it comes to protecting those who will be most affected by the new welfare reform act.

As part of Birmingham’s Social Inclusion Process, “Giving Hope, Changing Lives”, a seminar was held in July 2012 for practitioners from a range of agencies to discuss and develop solutions to the welfare reform changes.

Following this, a Welfare Reform Multi-Agency Committee was established, to make is possible for agencies across the city to work together to prepare for the welfare reforms and ensure a co-ordinated approach to support services.

From this an action plan has been developed by the city council and key partners, covering eight workstream:

i) Communications and Multi-Agency Advice
ii) The Impact of the Welfare Reform on Individuals (data)
iii) Case studies
iv) Financial Inclusion
v) Digital Inclusion
vi) Discretionary Social Fund (Local Welfare Provision Policy)
vii) Employment
viii) Co-ordination of Crisis Support

To make sure that a cohesive and targeted response is provided, Birmingham has drawn-up a map drawn-up a map identifying crisis support for people affected across the city, as well has identifying areas that will experience multiple impacts of the welfare reform changes.

Chair of the Welfare Reform Multi-Agency Committee, Birmingham City Council Cabinet Member for Social Cohesion and Equalities, Cllr John Cotton said: “The city council is working closely with partners from across Birmingham – voluntary organisations, charities, community groups and others at the front line of supporting vulnerable people – to ensure that we have a properly coordinated response to these enormous changes.

“Many families and individuals will be hard hit by these changes. We want to make sure they get the help and support they need.”

The crisis support mapping is one of a number of initiatives carried out by Birmingham’s multi-agency welfare reform committee and identifies a number of organisations offering:

  • Clothing
  • emergency accommodation
  • financial advice
  • financial support
  • food banks
  • housing advice
  • legal advice

Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) is one of a number of organisations working closely with the city council and its Vice-Chair and Founder, Mohammed Al-Rahim, feels the co-ordinated approach will prove vital in the coming months.

Al-Rahim, who is also the President and CEO of Selly Oak charity Freshwinds, added: “This is an important opportunity for the voluntary sector to work cooperatively, together with the City Council and the local business community, to provide vital practical support to citizens of Birmingham in these challenging times, proactively sharing knowledge and resources to coordinate a truly effective response for all those experiencing crisis and hardship.

“The network has already achieved some important successes and this will increase as our membership grows in the coming weeks and months and beyond.”

With a can do attitude the Birmingham network has already achieved some important successes, but this can only be truly measured by the number of families that are supported through this difficult time.

Watch this space for updates on our progress …

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by sandviper1 on 18th April 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Diversity of People, Diversity of Place, Fair Brum, Inclusive Growth, Wellbeing, Young People
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Posted by sandviper1 on 18th April 2013

http://fairbrum.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/hands-on-birmingham-prepares-for-the-impact-of-the-welfare-reform/

White Paper Published!

The  White Paper, Making Birmingham an Inclusive City, containing the final recommendations from the Birmingham Social Inclusion Process, Giving Hope Changing Lives has now been published.

These recommendations have now been approved by the city council’s Cabinet and the Bishop of Birmingham is writing to key leaders in the city to invite them to help turn the recommendations into action.

Thanks to everyone who has commentated, given evidence and contributed to the process!

We would welcome hearing from you about how you or your organisation can influence or deliver any of the recommendations in the White Paper.

Please contact us by email to fairbrum@birmingham.gov.uk, visit our blog at www.fairbrum.wordpress.com or join the conversation on Twitter @fairbrum #fairbrum.
DOWNLOAD IT HERE

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by fairbrum on 25th March 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Diversity of People, Diversity of Place, Fair Brum, Inclusive Growth, Wellbeing, Young People
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Posted by fairbrum on 25th March 2013

http://fairbrum.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/white-paper-published/

Fairbrum – 2012 in review

See below for WordPress’s annual report into our blog!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 10,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 17 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

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by fairbrum on 31st December 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Diversity of People, Diversity of Place, Fair Brum, Inclusive Growth, Wellbeing, Young People
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Posted by fairbrum on 31st December 2012

http://fairbrum.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/fairbrum-2012-in-review/

The Parable of the Good Brummie!

The Good Samaritan

At the recent Social Inclusion Summit there was a clear sense of eagerness, one could almost say enthusiasm, to put the commitments and recommendations of the Green Paper into action, along with a strong mandate from those present to proceed on to the creation of the White Paper and the Action Plan.

However, despite the enthusiasm there was also at times a frisson of uncertainty, and an underlying sense of bewilderment as to how we could make the recommendations a reality.

There is no doubt that it is a challenge, a real challenge. The task from now on is to come up with solutions to the problems that have been so clearly articulated.

Now, one response to this could be to become despondent and overawed by

One approach to the challenge

the clear enormity of the task, and ostrich-like bury one’s head in the sand.

Another would be to try and run head-long at it and, like some super-hero, set out to save the world.

Another is to keep working hard to find solutions, setting up the conditions to bring about the necessary change, and working through each obstacle as it arises.

It is this last method that seems most likely to succeed and I have a quiet confidence that the people of Birmingham can bring this about.

Let me tell you a story…

Amid the storms that lashed the country on Thursday night (22.11.12), leaning at a very steep angle to the universe, I made my way to my bus-stop against a fierce, relentless wind. Rain was bouncing of my clothing and the cold was lacerating my face as if I was being flayed by a razor-sharp icicle.

I could see the bus I was after in the distance but, as I drew closer, it uped its platform and drove off. I was now first in the queue; soaked, cold and miserable. Time passed. Eventually a bus from a rival company arrived. Sadly, my pass was not valid and I was reluctant to pay the top up fee which would enable me to use this service.

Suddenly an inspector approached informing the now swelling crowd that the bus was now loading further down the stop. I informed him that I could not travel on that bus as my pass was not valid. He said, “Come on. It’s cold and wet. Just get on. I’ll sort it.”  Flustered, I repeated my rather limp excuse about the wrong pass but he was insistent. “It’s freezing cold, just get on the bus and go.”

He escorted me down to the waiting bus, where three or four other passengers with the wrong passes were hanging around. Extending his beneficence he ushered all of us onto the bus, repeating his desire to get us out of the cold.

He then spoke to the driver and using some discretionary fund he had access to, waived the additional fees. We climbed on board and a few moments later, sitting in the warm, soothing comfort of the dry bus, we set off.

Here we have a clear example of the Brummie spirit! We know Birmingham is a welcoming city,  and I am sure there are many of you who, like me, have had a strong, vital, direct experience of how caring, compassionate and generous a city it is too.

It is because it is full of people like this bus-inspector, who is willing to use his discretionary power for good, that gives me the confidence to believe that we can make the commitments and recommendations of the Green Paper, and the emerging Action Plan and White Paper, work!

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by johnbbrum on 26th November 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Diversity of People, Diversity of Place, Fair Brum, Inclusive Growth, Wellbeing, Young People
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Posted by johnbbrum on 26th November 2012

http://fairbrum.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/the-parable-of-the-good-brummie/

Typewriters, computers, innovation and change!

Typewriters

Watching the BBC TV news on Tuesday  (20th November 2012) I was struck by several items. The first, at around 6.15 am, was a short ‘magazine’ piece on the end of the typewriter, which showed the very last Brother typewriter being produced at Brothers’ factory in Wrexham.

What a remarkable device the typewriter turned out to be from the very first successful commercial model produced by Remington way back in 1870 to the last one produced on Tuesday. (Not many products can boast of a 142 year life cycle or produce such an amazing production curve.)

In our attempt to increase the level of Economic Inclusion the Green Paper made the following recommendation:-

1.5 Foster and develop the entrepreneurial spirit of our young people and our migrant communities

In promoting this we are also promoting the need for innovation that lies behind it.

Sometimes It’s Hard To Think Outside The Box

Would it not be truly wonderful if, as a result of the Green Paper initiative (soon to be White Paper), someone from Birmingham went on to invent and develop the next device which will revolutionise our world in the way the typewriter did (and to some extent continues to do)?

A second news item, later in the day (about 6 pm) was the announcement by Hewlett  Packard (HP) the American computer and printer giant, that it was reporting a $6.85bn net loss.

Here we see the speed of change our world is subject to. On the same day that the typewriter becomes obsolete, we also begin to see the dark clouds of  obsolescence  hovering around the laptop and the computer, as smart phones and tablets begin to ‘elbow’ them out.

Strangely enough yesterday morning (21st Nov) we learn that plastic electronics, also known as organic and printable electronics, is an emerging field, which some experts say will revolutionise the electronics industry. (As one printer dies an new one is being born!)

It is in this new, rapidly changing world, that our young entrepreneurs and innovators will have to live and breathe. So we need to consider not only what kind of skills an individual requires to be able to operate in this way, but also what kind of ‘person’ they need to be, to be flexible and adaptable enough to cope with such speed of change.

Innovative organisations and market leaders like Google and Facebook have introduced radically new work environments and management methods to foster the creativity they need to help drive their business.

[Check out the Google office at CA  with its gym, idiosyncratic work spaces, amazing restaurants etc.]

Is this the model our schools and colleges should be looking at to help foster the level of confidence, creativity, and courage required to deal with the rapid speed of change in the modern business world?

At the end of the recent Social Inclusion Summit the Bishop urged us to

let the radical change begin!

Are we ready to be this radical?

Let us know!

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by johnbbrum on 22nd November 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Fair Brum, Inclusive Growth, Young People
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Posted by johnbbrum on 22nd November 2012

http://fairbrum.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/typewriters-computers-innovation-and-change/

Community Asset Transfer in Shard End

Is your organisation interested in taking occupation of some excellent facilities in Shard End?

Hodge Hill District Office are ready to start the CAT (Community Asset Transfer) process for Moorfield Hall. This small tenant’s hall is located in the heart of Shard End, close to shops and the main bus route which leads to the city centre.

Through consultation this site has been identified as a prime location for facilities for older people.

The hall is currently undergoing refurbishment; once this is completed we would like to transfer this to an organisation who’s primary focus is to work with older people.

If you are interested in finding out more about this exciting opportunity, please do not hesitate to contact Sharon Thompson on 0121 303 9211.  Alternatively please download the attached documents:

should you wish to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI), this needs to be done by Monday 3 December 2012 by 12.00pm and submitted via email to Sharon Thompson (Sharon_Thompson@birmingham.gov.uk).

For information on Community Asset Transfers in Birmingham please visit:

www.communityassettransfer.com

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by richardbrowne on 20th November 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Diversity of People, Diversity of Place, Fair Brum, Inclusive Growth, Young People
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Posted by richardbrowne on 20th November 2012

http://fairbrum.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/community-asset-transfer-in-shard-end/

Let’s not waste open spaces and community assets!

by johngarghan

The Social Inclusion Process Green Paper also focuses on the development of more open spaces and community assets, which are part of commitment 4.3 – connect people and places.

In Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s report ‘The social value of public spaces’ identified that there are six key features to successful social spaces, based on a study in 2005. These are:

  • access and availability – good physical access, welcoming spaces and extended opening hours;
  • invitations by peers and others – embedded in social networks to encourage use;
  • exchange-based relationships – moving beyond consumerism to participation in the exchange of goods and services;
  • choreography of spaces by discreet good management while also leaving room for self organisation;
  • moving beyond mono-cultures – encouraging diverse groups and activities to share common spaces; and
  • avoiding over-regulation of design and space, as security and well-being are more likely to grow out of active use.

Other examples include:

  • Urban communities in Scotland could be given powers that would allow them to take over unused land and grow crops, flowers or plant trees. The “community right to grow” is among ideas contained in the Scottish governments proposed Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill. Communities could also take ownership of underused public sector buildings breathing new life into them.
  • On the over side of the globe, Texan Urban Harvest’s programs thrives due committed staff and many talented volunteers; and not to mention a better climate. However, volunteering is an excellent way to support community gardening, our farmers markets and educational programs. Opportunities include individual projects, team work on volunteer committees, short term and long term positions with varying levels of responsibility and training.
  • Not too far away is London’s own City Harvest, which is another initiative showing the benefits associated with urban agriculture with hopes of sweeping across the UK. The website focuses specifically on the benefits in five categories of current political and social interest:

Addressing antisocial behaviour and decreasing isolation.

Improving urban environment, increasing biodiversity, and reducing the environmental impact of food production and food miles.

Providing training, skills development and job opportunities.

Improving mental and physical health.

Addressing poverty, strengthening green infrastructure, and helping communities to trade amongst each other.

Why not share what’s happening here in Birmingham ‘We’re doing it’ also tell us whether the recommendation is right, while you’ve  still got time!

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by sandviper1 on 1st November 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Diversity of People, Diversity of Place, Fair Brum, Inclusive Growth, Wellbeing, Young People

Posted by sandviper1 on 1st November 2012

http://fairbrum.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/lets-not-waste-open-spaces-and-community-assets/

Two sides of digital sword; divide and inequality

Many at the forefront of technology recognise that the last decade has seen the fastest rate of technological advancement ever. The digital divide and digital inequality are significant obstacles that must overcome, through allocation of resources and further research.
Advances in technology

The digital divide focuses primarily on the statistical data regarding how many people have access to Internet technology. Collins dictionary, 2011 defines the digital divide as, “the gap between those people who have Internet access and those who do not.”

At present there is no formal or widely accepted definition for digital inequality, however both issues are completely separate, but they have a push-pull relationship with each other.

With a wider internet take up in society the digital divide reduces, but not eliminating inequality; instead a new kind of inequality will be created (DiMaggio & Hargittai, 2001: From Unequal Access to Differentiated Use: A Literature Review and Agenda for Research on DigitalInequality).

Giving poorer members of society access to the Internet is not just enough.

Training Centre – where ever it’s needed. By one.economy

They will also need the equipment, autonomy, skill, support, and scope of use that is already inherent in developed nations and wealthy communities (DiMaggio et al, 2004: Digital inequality: From unequal access to differentiated use). Without these additional support mechanisms the digital divide will replaced with something much more difficult to combat.

Is your organisation tackling this head on? If so, share your finding on Connecting People and Places, 4.2 of the Social Inclusion Process.

Here’s your chance to contribute before Monday 5th November 2012.

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by sandviper1 on 1st November 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Diversity of People, Diversity of Place, Fair Brum, Inclusive Growth, Wellbeing, Young People
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Posted by sandviper1 on 1st November 2012

http://fairbrum.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/two-sides-of-digital-sword-divide-and-inequality/

Super-Diversity is here to stay

Super-Diversity

Attending last nights Super-diversity lecture by Professor Steven Vertovec, was timely, as it falls in line with comments being gathered during the Social Inclusion Process Green paper as almost hundred delegates listened to the hour long lecture at the University of Birmingham.

Whilst working at University Warwick, Steven said it was clear that in the early 1990’s most of the migrants moving into the UK were from the commonwealth. Then as the decade moved on smaller groups of communities were coming from non traditional countries.

With changing migration channels and legal status’ across the globe, this has provided people with the opportunity to move who wouldn’t normally into countries outside of their expectation.

Adoption of Super-Diversity in policy

In establishing the term of super-diversity, Vertovec felt that ‘super’ highlighted a multi dimensional reference of diversification covering a non ethnicity focus and more about fragmentation. So this would mean dropping the predictable referencing of diversity such as gender, race and faith for example.

The term super-diversity has, and is continuing to be adopted by many authorities, including the work of the Social Inclusion Process.

Super-diversity is hard to compare across country to country, as each has its own set of channels and status, Germany alone as 50 legal statuses which makes it a hugely complex task to analyse data.

The global challenges that are faced include patterns of inequalities and prejudice, segregation, multi-lingual societies and how individuals experience the space they are in and contact they receive.

Policy has its own challenges in delivering public services and integration into a community as each group of people they are different playing fields, so its hard to assume that everyone will be reached.

Vertovec also added that there is a constant lag between adapting to change or not. How we think about diversity and respond to it, this is only going to get harder to keep up with.

Check out Professor Vertovec’s work, in particular the interactive data visualisation.

Here’s your chance to contribute before Monday 5th November 2012.

  • Through our consultation portal 
  • Here on our blog:
  • Write to: 

Jackie Mould

Giving Hope Changing Lives

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by sandviper1 on 25th October 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Diversity of People, Diversity of Place, Fair Brum, Inclusive Growth, Wellbeing, Young People
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Posted by sandviper1 on 25th October 2012

http://fairbrum.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/super-diversity-is-here-to-stay/

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