About Community Facilitation

The Resolving Differences Project trains young people in the skills they need to build community cohesion: dispelling myths, reducing prejudice and discrimination and handling conflict. Once trained they can become Community Facilitators as part of Leicester Pathfinder Programme.

Leicester Community Facilitators developed the successful strategy of Listening Tables at festivals - Mela, Pride, Caribbean Carnival and Braunstone Carnival - providing a great way to be able to really listen to what it is like for people and their communities. Armed with a range of activities the stall was lively and interactive with people talking about themselves and their community. A map of the world engaged people to talk about their heritage. Community Facilitator, Atish Kothari, was surprised that many people didn't know where their ancestors came from, but 'It was good to see people learn a bit more about themselves.' People engage in discussion about asylum seekers and refugees, with many making connections between the experience of their ancestors and current day refugees and asylum seekers.

The wrapped sweets - sweet notes - with a message designed as a contradiction to the negative thoughts others might have about their identity, gave people an opportunity to tell of both good and painful experiences. The flip-chart provided a question for people to have their say on an issue. Braunstone is a predominantly white working class estate and we asked 'A lot is said about Braunstone what would you like to say?' Project worker Margaret Brough said: 'This is a tight community with a diversity of people. There are a lot of good people here, but outsiders often don't notice that'

The Leadership Development Residential for Community Facilitators was designed to take participants through the different stages of designing their own workshop on the issues of oppression that they were concerned about. Milli Bhojani said 'Becky and I designed a workshop on how Black and White people internalise racism and what it's effects are. The issue is important to us because we are close friends - I am Asian and Becky is White. Though the issue doesn't get talked about often it's something we discuss a lot. I didn't know I could do it but I had such a sense of achievement when we got so much good feedback from our participants.'

The Stonewall-funded Allies Project brought together young people from NCBI and First Out gay youth group to design a set of postcards with Soft Touch Community Arts, focussing on the intersection of racism and homophobia. These postcards and teaching notes are now available from NCBI Leicester.

New students and learning mentors undertook a 3-day skill training so they could help run the Friends Against Bullying team in their school. Some of the activities now being run by the 3 teams include drop-in days for Year 7's, assemblies, lunch-time clubs, a training session for teachers on young people's oppression, and training to learn about racism and homophobia. Lidia Kuhivchak was inspired and is proud of teaching her skills to friends and family.

A week of activities during half-term included a planning day for the Not 2 Young 2… initiative, a planning meeting and leading a workshop for young people to bring their young relatives and friends to. Led by young people for young people, Ashleigh Sherriff reported that they could lead without feeling they have to live up to adults expectations and criticisms, thus enabling everyone to be more themselves. 'People felt safe enough to share things they knew would be understood by everyone.' Ashleigh found it hard not to turn to adults whenshe and Sasha Lassiter were unsure. 'However, when we weren't sure we went to our peers rather than to adults for help. That was significant - we don't usually do that. Everyone's leadership grew because we were a team of young people.' At the same time, project worker Liz Henze reported 'It was hard to resist checking if the young people were okay without us. It was an exciting breakthrough day!'