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WELCOME TO KICK RACISM OUT OF FOOTBALL
What?
The national Kick It Out campaign was started by the Commission for
Racial Equality and Professional Footballers’ Association in 1993 to
challenge and eradicate racism from all areas and at all levels of
football. Supported by the game’s governing bodies, supporters’
organisations and local authorities, it works to challenge racism at all
levels of the game.
The Kick Racism Out of Football Programme in Wigan Borough is now in its
fifth year. In support of the national Kick It Out campaign (led by the
Commission for Racial Equality, Premier League and Professional
Footballers’ Association), the Borough Partnership’s Community Cohesion
Strategy, the Council’s Diversity and Equality Strategy and the Leisure
& Culture Trust’s Equality and Diversity Action Plan it has achieved a
lot – touching more than 6,000 people over the last four years, helping
grow their cultural awareness and encouraging a Borough-wide commitment
to zero tolerance; a new and positive perspective on the multi-cultural
make-up of our communities. Nationally it has been recognised as a model
of good practice by the Home Office, regionally by Manchester FA and
locally it has succeeded in assisting Wigan Athletic to achieve the
Premier League’s Race Equality Standard Preliminary Level Award.
Why?
Latest informed estimates suggest that the black & minority ethnic
population of Wigan Borough is now nearing 4% - and reports of racist
incidents and inter-cultural community conflict, unhelpful press
coverage and racist political activity unfortunately continue. Through a
varied programme of activity over the Summer and Autumn of this year
Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust will work with Wigan Council and Wigan
Athletic to:
• grow and develop multicultural awareness and understanding across the
Borough
• broker new friendships between people from different backgrounds
• encourage a sense of local belonging on the part of all involved in
the programme various though their ethnic origins and cultural
identities will be
• assist with on-going efforts to develop a zero tolerance attitude to
racism and discrimination across the area
There is a keen commitment on the part of the Programme Steering Group
to celebrate local difference and diversity and positively promote
community cohesion and inter-cultural relationship-building – playing
their part in wider works to build strong and inclusive communities
across the Borough.
How?
There are a number of ways to get involved and show your support for
anti-racist effort through the Kick Racism programme for 2007:
Participate
Football, multi-sports, dance, family fun and informal learning, and
theatre will feature in this year’s core activities schedule –
July/August 2007 Update
Programme News
Copies of the pocket-sized programme for this year (attached to my last
update of 9th July) have now been distributed to libraries, sports
centres, swimming pools and town halls across the Borough. They were
also passed-out on the occasion of the Wigan World Cup event on 15th
June, at the Leigh Mela with Kick Racism t-shirts on 28th July and at
the Wigan One World Festival on 5th August. Additional copies remain -
for distribution at the Racism Divides, Football Unites event set for
Saturday 13th October at the JJB Stadium, the Wigan Athletic versus
Portsmouth game on Saturday 20th October - falling as it does within the
national Week of Action and providing a platform for the Dance Project's
showcase in collaboration with the Latics' Cheerleaders, and the Kick
and Tell performances set for 25th October - as an awareness raiser on
context and purposes for members of the audiences. However, if you would
like a few hard-copy programmes for distribution through your own
networks please let me know.
October
Red Card Theatre Company's provocative shows on personal Holocaust
experiences early in the year, and their due leadership of discussions
with young people and adults on active discrimination, difference and
shared social responsibilities towards inequality, provided a good base
on which to build in development and roll-out of the Kick Racism
Programme for 2007. The Wigan World Cup reported on last time was a real
highlight. And at the August WOW Festival Kick Racism made a very
positive contribution through Trust colleagues from Parks and Sports
Development, and with the support of Atherton Dragons ARLFC and Wigan
Schools Football Association. Football, rugby league, basketball/netball
and cricket taster activities engaged good numbers; donated prizes from
Heinz, Lancashire County Cricket Club, Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors
were given away and all involved offered positive feedback on their
experiences. A faulty speed gun that Sports Development colleagues had
planned to use didn't spoil the day and with the activity areas
prominently branded with Kick Racism banners, literature passed-out and
large numbers engaging in inter-cultural activity alongside others from
different backgrounds the afternoon was a real success.
Now though attention turns to October
when our 2007 Kick Racism Programme for Wigan Borough will peak during
the national Kick It Out Week of Action - 18th-30th October (cf.
http://www.kickitout.org/index.php?id=157) - this year carrying the
One Game, One Community theme.
On Saturday 13th October the Racism Divides, Football Unites event will
take place at the JJB Stadium. An inter-cultural and inter-generational,
football-themed sports quiz led by the Premier League Reading Stars
Scheme, diversity-themed displays, food and refreshments, and a free
screening of the England versus Estonia qualifying game for Euro2008
will all feature on what should be a good day for all - promoting the
Kick Racism message and encouraging informal conversation between
participants and audience members from different backgrounds in a
relaxed social setting. A fundraising raffle for charitable race
equality work will be held and a donation will follow.
For more information or to register a team to take part please contact
my Trust colleagues Rosanne Patterson on Wigan 828546 or Stephen Lythgoe
on 404566.
I met last week with Lisa Holland of Children & Young People's Services
and Jane Taylor of Wigan Athletic Cheerleaders on the Dance Project set
for showcase on Saturday 20th October at the JJB Stadium. Provisionally
we agreed that:
- Over the weekend of 13th and 14th
October we will run a Dance Camp - between 10.00am and 3.00pm on both
days. This will provide opportunity of creative collaboration between up
to 30 boys and girls aged 10-15 from across the Borough and Wigan
Athletic Cheerleaders. Their work will be towards a new piece that
positively presents difference and diversity - visually conveying
messages very much in-keeping with the Kick Racism Campaign and in
readiness for pitch side performance on the occasion of the Portsmouth
game at the JJB Stadium next month
- Together the young people and Latics'
Cheerleading Squad will rehearse on the day at the Stadium between 12.30
and 1.30. At 2 o'clock they will perform their routine outside of the
ground in front of the Wigan Athletic Media Bus. At 2.30 it is proposed
that they perform pre-match and again over the half-time break
- 30 young people will be chosen to
take part in this project through an anti-racist, Kick Racism-themed
poetry competition in the local press - winning entries providing the
basis of themed match day programme content to feature alongside the
club's anti-racist policy statements and Leisure & Culture Trust
reference to the wider local programme of events and activity, the
half-time presentation to those that have supported anti-racist work
this year and themed PA announcements throughout
- There are a number of logistical
questions to be answered by/assurances sought from the Football Club and
prospective issues to be addressed over coming weeks - and with
Community/Public Relations Officer Laura Sherratt leaving this this week
this might prove a little more difficult than would otherwise be true.
All things being well though this is a project with real potential to
impact on several thousand supporters attending the Portsmouth game and
encourage reflection on their own perspectives where difference is
concerned. It will certainly add a new and vibrant dimension to the
club's annual marking of the Kick Racism campaign and all that it stands
for, and encourage consideration of personal responsibilities.
For more information contact Lisa
Holland (Out of School Hours and University of the First Age
Co-ordinator at CYPS) on Wigan 828915.
The Kick and Tell Theatre Project will
conclude with performances for pupils, teachers, parents, carers and
officers with an interest in and/or responsibility towards diversity on
Thursday 25th October. At the time of writing draft publicity materials
and invitation lists are being worked-up. Preparations are underway at
Wigan Pier Theatre Company for the leadership of creative sessions (due
to start in the next three weeks) and rehearsal of the production young
people put together put together.
More will follow soon on works with Bedford High School, but for more
information in the meantime please contact Martin Green of Wigan Pier
Theatre Company on 709305.
Throughout next month I will be working with the Leisure & Culture
Trust's Public Relations Manager to achieve all of the positive PR
outcomes for our core programme of anti-racist work - supported as it is
by the Community Investment Fund.
November
November will see completion of the Kick Racism evaluation for 2007
programme in much the same format as last year - featuring synopses of
feedback gathered from project/event leads, noting successes and
highlighting lessons to be learned/opportunities for improvement going
forward. It is hoped that shortly hereafter a forward planning session
can be held with colleagues involved in works through the Witness This
Project to discuss join-up and enable the sharing of ideas for a new and
fresh equalities and inclusion programme in 2008.
And during the late Autumn/early
Winter the Steering Group also hopes to put on a multi-agency Visioning
Day that encourages growth of the foundations set by discussions through
the Kick Racism/Witness This join-up and achieve 'buy-in' and commitment
to action on the part of new partners against a strategic backdrop
within which Community Cohesion is much more prominent than before in
the Borough Partnership's priorities.
Friends
Together
The inter-cultural schools project has had a good first year and in its
initial form at least has now concluded, but works are underway to
complete a fulsome evaluation of activity with children at Leigh Central
and Sacred Heart Primary Schools in Leigh through Trust colleagues,
CYPS, CVS and Leigh Centurions. Work towards a plan for this project's
re-establishment out of school hours and through holidays has started
with Extended Learning and I am hopeful that there will be good news to
share soon.
And Finally...
I met yesterday with Kevin Tasker, newly appointed Project Co-ordinator
at GameOn - a football-focused youth development project, reflecting its
purposes and something of the ground work just starting in our area.
We had a good conversation and identified prospective scope for join-up
in re-thinking local approaches to equalities and inclusion work through
sport and the arts this Autumn; programme delivery during 2008; through
new Discover Heritage-themed works and Cultural Olympiad activity over
coming years. More to follow on this link and that recently established
with Adam Sherratt of Wigan Athletic's Football in the Community Team
(and more particular lead on the Ethnic Inclusion Programme they are
working to establish you might remember).
The Kick Racism news page continues to carry stories highlighting the
important contribution we have to make to wider national works and good
practice of others from which we might learn. It is worth visiting -
http://www.kickitout.org/index.php?id=news
And talking of good practice I recently came across the rewind website -
lots of food for thought here I think
http://www.rewind.org.uk/rewind.htm
Contact:
John Hesketh
Community Regeneration Manager (Youth & Community Development)
Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust
Elizabeth House
The Pier
Wigan
WN3 4BD
Tel. 01942 486916
Fax. 01942 486946
Email.
j.hesketh@wlct.org
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