Positive Ways of Addressing Barriers Young People & Communities Communicating World Heritage Conference 2017 Judy Ling Wong CBE Honorary President Black Environment Network (BEN)
Who we are And What we can achieve Depends on How we see ourselves Against The enormous pressure Of How others see us Judy Ling Wong CBE
The Movement of People The mobility of people is a prime characteristic of 20 th and 21 st C life. We no longer accept where we are born as our permanent home. We move for social, cultural, environmental, economic reasons within and beyond nations. Within nations the movement between urban and rural involve motivations firmly defined by age stratas. Internationally, people do the same. Agreement between nations allow for movement of people for family reasons, for work and take responsibility for displacement by war, civil unrest and victims of discrimination. Ethnic Minorities in the UK Settled communities from the British Empire who claimed their right to come to the mother country Refugees and asylum seekers from the troubled countries of the world Economic migrants including Europeans Labels Who is an outsider? What is an ethnic minority? What is an illegal migrant? The feeling of being seen as a migrant forever
A Big Question How do we unlock the hidden and unmanifested contribution that is deeper cultural exchange?
Elements of relationship Impact on the inner and outer selves The Positive Acceptance of diverse individual and social identities The allowance of belonging Support from the host culture A positive view of multiculturalism in a globalising world A positive image of migrants Acknowledgment of the qualities and contribution of migrants - dynamism, creativity, new range of knowledge and skills The Negative National stereotyping - failing to see the person Migrant stereotyping are we migrants forever? Fear, fantasies and distortions - the role of education, media, social media, social discourse and government Scapegoating cause of low pay and unemployment/increasing crime/swamping the dominant culture/ burden on the state
An Infrastructure for Building Inclusion and Access within the Heritage Sector Providing a genuine welcome Organisational commitment at the top, embedded in policy, setting targets, with the release of time and resources for implementation. Positive attitudes of staff and volunteers the role of training The heritage sector is repository of the legacy of a multicultural British history Inclusive interpretation of properties and artefacts The revelation of both negative and positive elements of history Awareness of and attention to cultural needs is there something to eat in the café? Are there affordable items? The celebration of the contribution of cultures through festivals, arts and crafts, storytelling promote insights and bring people together. Outreach and projects for inclusion
Designing Inclusive Projects Outreach Reaching out to community leaders with a welcoming visit to discover what is available Research and understand the spectrum of the history of arrival Discuss and attend to specific socio-cultural needs. We do not need to know a 100 different cultures to engage with sociocultural relevance but we can listen and learn When possible, focus on the presence of cultural artifacts and dimensions of multicultural contribution within properties Be clear about what is available, for example free educational visits Funding for transport Inreach Training for community based champions who can design and lead visits, and fundraise (Example the Mosaic Project of Ethnic Minority National Parks Champions). Contact with staff. Knowledge of property, history and programmes of activities on offer Opportunities Use community members with appropriate skills within your programme Community language interpreters Volunteering and career paths within the heritage sector
BEN resources and publications Downloadable free Visualising Heritage Participation by Ethnic Groups Paper commissioned by HLF 2000 Ethnic Environmental Participation Volumes 1-5 http://www.ben-network.org.uk/resources/ publs.aspx Contact: judy@ben-network.org.uk