Project Management and Leadership within the BME Third Sector · BME community sector don’t...

Project Management

and Leadership within

the BME Third Sector

Zadvinder Padda

Executive Summary

The purpose of my research was to understand project management and leadership within the BME

third sector in the United States, Canada and Australia. The aim of my research was to learn from

third sector organisations in these countries in looking to transfer knowledge to organisations within

the United Kingdom and in particular the Smethwick Youth and Community Centre based in the

West Midlands region, which is a diverse but deprived locality facing interlinked problems of social

exclusion, economic marginalization, crime and youth violence, with a poor education and welfare

infra-structure. My journey allowed me to meet some truly inspiring people and make friendships

which I hope will continue for a long time.

Introduction

I think it may be useful at this juncture to explain my own background and to put this study into a little

bit of context. I am a graduate of over 11 years with firsthand experience of working with many different

communities and races. Due to my experience and background I am regarded as one of the country’s

leading experts on the issue of migrant labour within the United Kingdom fresh produce industry. This is

as a result of having worked with people from Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, and Christian backgrounds and new

immigrants from countries such as Iraq, Yemen and latterly Eastern Europe. In my previous employment

I managed not only employees who came from different faith and cultural backgrounds but also with the

demands from the company’s clients who were predominately from rural backgrounds. As a result of

these experiences I believe it is important to always have an ‘open mind’ and a respect for different

cultures and practices. I also understand that diversity is not purely about race and that all people

should be treated equally and fairly.

I have always been very passionate about the issues of equality and diversity and as such have been

Diversity champion for the West Mercia Police Authority having also been the Chair of the Authority’s

Inclusivity and Community Engagement Panel where I helped implement the publication of the Gender

Equality Scheme and Disability Equality Scheme. I am currently vice chair of the authority and the

Midlands chair for the BME police authority network.

I have had a wide and varied range of work experiences over the past 10 years including project

management roles for major companies including Asda, Marks and Spencer and Tesco. This work was as

a result of previous projects I had instigated at the Ethical Trading Initiative in relation to gangmaster

licensing. As part of this process I was able to both inform and influence policy makers in order to get the

Gangmaster Licensing Act through Parliament. This has resulted in measures being introduced to curb

the exploitation of workers within the UK agricultural sector.

Due to my varied work experience and current Police Authority Membership role I have a good working

knowledge of local and central government structures. This includes firsthand knowledge of working

with LSC’s, LSP’s, Regional Development Agencies, Local Authorities and central government department

such as DEFRA, Home Office and the DFES.

I have had a good range of leadership experience including managing a multi-site fresh produce

company with over 100 staff to running a range of community based projects in Sandwell. At the fresh

produce company, Organic Farm Foods, I was responsible for the company’s two English productions

sites. In my time with the company they grew from approximately £10 million to over £30 million

turnover. Currently I am project director at the Smethwick Youth and Community Centre in which my

role involves managing a range of projects including basic skills provision, drugs support and information

advice and guidance. During my time I have also implemented new governance and personnel systems. I

also alongside my family own and operate one of the country’s largest strawberry growing and packing

operations.

Finally I have always had a strong commitment to Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Diversity and

this can be demonstrated by the amount of recognition I have received as a result of my actions. I have

been awarded an ITV Central Midlander of the Year award for Social Entrepreneurship. I have also been

recognised by the farming community and been awarded an Associateship of Royal Agricultural Society

of England and a Nuffield Farming Scholarship. I was also appointed a ‘Basic Skills Employer Champion’

by the then Education Secretary Charles Clarke for my work with adult learners. I also enjoy very good

relations with many of the country’s major retailers and fresh produce companies.

Why the Study

The reason I applied for a Churchill fellowship was that due to my experiences at Smethwick Youth and

Community Centre felt the British BME Third Sector had to professionalise the way it worked if it was

going to be able to compete with the private and public sectors.

Specifically I thought the fellowship would allow me to travel and meet different groups and

communities around the world to develop a dialogue and understand how they managed their projects

and developed their leaders. I chose the USA, Canada and Australia as I wanted to travel to similar

western countries with established BME communities who had relevance in the UK.

At this point I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Trust, in particular Julia Weston and the

Director General Jamie Balfour. Also I would like to state on record my utmost admiration and respect

for Winston Churchill. As a proud British Sikh and the Grandson of an Indian World War 2 veteran who

served under the British in Singapore I am acutely aware of the outstanding leadership Mr Churchill

provided when the world as we know was at peril. I have to admit I am deeply distressed at how

recently Sir Winston Churchill image has been used by the extreme Right Wing such as the BNP to

further their cause. This shows a lack of understanding and grasp of history as Sir Winston Churchill was

very well conversant with the bravery of the Sikhs, who had fought for Britain in the World Wars.

Churchill while speaking in the British Parliament on Sikhs wearing Turbans on motorcycles stated:

".....It is a matter of regret that due to the obsession of the present times people are distorting the

superior religious and social values, but those who wish to preserve them with respect, we should

appreciate them as well as help them. Sikhs do need our help for such a cause and we should give it

happily. Those who know the Sikh history, know England's relationship with the Sikhs and are aware of

the achievements of the Sikhs, they should persistently support the idea of relaxation to Sikhs to ride a

motorbike with their turbans on, because it is their religious privilege.

Churchill, further added:

"...British people are highly indebted and obliged to Sikhs for a long time. I know that within this century

we needed their help twice and they did help us very well. As a result of their timely help, we are today

able to live with honour, dignity, and independence. In the war, they fought and died for us, wearing the

turbans. At that time we were not adamant that they should wear safety helmets because we knew that

they are not going to wear them anyway and we would be deprived of their help. At that time due to our

miserable and poor situation, we did not force it on them to wear safety helmets, why should we force it

now? Rather, we should now respect their traditions and by granting this legitimate concession, win

their applaud."

Preparation

I recall when I was interviewed a comment was made that as much as this project was going to be

exciting it was also to be very challenging in terms of getting in contact with the right people which at

the time I thought was part and parcel of the Winston Churchill fellowship journey. However, I have to

admit it was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. The reason for this was that people in the

BME community sector don’t generally go around the world meeting others to gain best practice and as

such many people were surprised that I actually wanted come and see them. One example of this is the

lady who said on the phone “are you for real” to which I responded in my best queens English “the last

time I checked I was”. Finally, what I found the best approach was picking up the phone talking to people

using their networks to contact the right people but also had to learn to be flexible as people would

change their plans and I would have to fit myself accordingly.

The Trip

Washington DC

As the capital of the USA, Washington has a population of 599,657 residents according to the 2009

census bureau. Furthermore, BME groups represent in total 63.7% of the population including

Black/African Americans (55.6%), Asian (3.1%), American Indian (0.2%), Other races (4.8%).

Although I am a naturally confident individual and have experience in travelling the beginning of my

journey was perhaps the most nerve racking element of the whole trip due to feelings of jet lag, and as

daft as it may sound the thought of being away from friends and family for 5 weeks.

Nevertheless, the morning after arrival I visited the Sasha Bruce Youth Work organisation. The Sasha

Bruce Youthwork (SBY) meets the urgent needs of at-risk youth and their families in Washington, DC. SBY

provides help wherever it’s needed—on the street, in its shelters, or at the homes of young people and

families who are struggling. Serving DC’s poorest communities, where institutions and systems are

broken and young people and their families are struggling to overcome obstacles, SBY uses proven youth

development practices to help young people find new ways of surviving, thriving, and realizing success.

Once I arrived there I met Papa Same who is responsible for data management, volunteering programs,

proposal writing, branding and board relations within the organisation.

After being introduced to Jim Beck (Development Director) I found that 85% of organisation funding is

received from government contracts as oppose to private donors. In reflection upon this it led me to

ponder the question “What is the right funding mix?” Jim argued that it has proved to be difficult to

obtain such private funding due to what he believed was the stereotypical view of the lack of

professionalism within the sector. One thing which was evident throughout the conversation was that

the key role of the board was to undertake fundraising which contrasts to many other non profit

organisations. Jim stated that major donors in particular are keen on the organisation securing major

outputs and it is for this reason Sasha Bruce are looking to learn lessons from the Obama campaign in

terms of searching for a large number of small donors as oppose to a small number of large donors.

Washington DC non profit organisations can also fall foul of eligibility criteria which has been the case

with Sasha Bruce who have missed out on numerous pots of funding due to turnover being above

$2million, Jim further commented that this does a disservice to the community in preventing the right

organisations to deliver services.

My next visit was arranged prior to my departure to the USA through phone calls and email I was due to

meet Hilda Crespo Vice President of the Aspira organisation which is the only national Hispanic

organisation dedicated exclusively to developing the educational and leadership capacity of Hispanic

youth. Since 1961, ASPIRA has been working at the grass-roots level to provide programs that

encourage Hispanic students to stay in school, prepare them to succeed in the educational arena,

develop their leadership skills, and to serve their community.

Unfortunately, Hilda was not present; however, I did speak to her assistant who was very helpful in

explaining the range of different programs Aspira offers although her first language was not English.

Aspira has excelled as an advocate for quality education for Latinos; youth leadership development, in

the delivery of informal education programs and in designing and delivery of intervention strategies

designed to lower the dropout rate of Latino students. Programs Aspira offer include academic tutoring,

mentoring, truancy prevention, gang prevention, conflict resolution and parental engagement as a

means of dropout prevention of Hispanic students. Furthermore, Aspira offers cultural awareness

programs relating to Career Selection and Pre-College Programs, Information Technology, Health and

Safety Programs and Community Wealth Development.

Although this appearance was brief I feel that I managed to gain a great insight into the organisation

which led me to Starbucks in search of my next visit online whilst indulging in a nice cup of American

expresso.

My research and expresso pointed me in the direction of the Centre for Non Profit Advancement which

since 1979, has strengthened, promoted and represented over 800 member non-profit organisations in

providing

• Training and technical assistance for leaders and staff at every level to increase performance and

the impact of services.

• Opportunities to network and connect with each other as well as the philanthropic, corporate and

government sectors.

• An advocate so governments understand that nonprofits provide core services that hold

communities together and support collective efforts.

• High-quality, administrative and management assistance services that help save money and

operate efficiently.

It was here I met with Bess Hess. Beth explained that 50% of its member organisations serve the local

Washington community whilst others work nationally and internationally.

One of the issues that Beth raised was that the vacuum of leadership which is coming to exist as a result

of the baby boomer generation retiring. The baby boomer generation is those individuals born during

the temporary peak in the birth rate that occurred in several countries following World War II. Beth

stated that a vacuum exists as those who will take over the helm of private and public organisations will

be Gen X'ers, many of whom have not been equipped with the leadership skills needed to assume the

responsibility being passed to them. This creates a critical issue that organisations will need to deal with.

The view of the so called “baby boomer” generation is not too dissimilar to those BME groups where

many of the leaders were from the civil rights movement.

Beth elaborated on the services offered by the centre in terms of the Back Office in a Box (BOB) program

whereby providing experience and expertise they are able to help non profits save money in areas where

they may not even realize that they are able to do better. Simply rather than having separate functions

for each member organisation, each one could share services in terms of legal issues, tax accounting and

IRS, merchant services and telecom to name a few.

During our conversation I was made aware of the awards programme the centre runs which is highly

prestigious and very competitive in which five organisations are under a spotlight throughout the year in

terms of increased publicity and sharing their best practices before eventually a winner is declared.

Member organisations are not only able to exploit economies of scale through schemes such as BOB but

also in terms of bulk buying discounts when purchasing huge numbers of an item for example stationary.

The centre for non-profit organisations does not receive no core funding but sustain themselves through

membership, course fees and the rental of their conference rooms. Furthermore in contrast to Sasha

Bruce who view government funding as being the major donor to organisations Beth stated that

individual donors are still the major sources of funding within the US. In regards to the representation of

BME groups in board positions Beth felt that there is still a distinct lack of diversity in terms of minorities

on boards however, their organisation has a black executive director and chair.

Through the conversation with Beth I viewed the centre’s newsletter entitled “Agenda” which is a

monthly article on current issues which are affecting many third sector organisations. An extract written

by Sharon Stewart ‘Executive Transitions: An opportunity to turn things around’ focuses upon key areas

that organisations in transition can use to enhance their operations.

1. Organisational Mission – It is helpful to start at the beginning in terms of why was the

organisation founded and what is the purpose to the community. Often, when boards revisit

their mission they find that they either have strayed from the original mission or that their

mission needs updating to reflect the changing external environment.

2. Fundraising – In order for non profits to successfully secure needed funds, they must have the

full involvement of the board, particularly the board chair and the chair of the fund development

committee. A key role of the executive director is to provide needed support to the board in this

effort.

3. Finances – This starts with putting together a realistic budget that doesn’t overstate income or

understate expenses. It is very important that the executive director, along with assistance from

the treasurer puts together regular reports for the board that include profit and loss tracked

against the actual budget.

The above draw similarities to when I came into being executive director at the Smethwick Youth and

Community Centre. The transition came about through the previous executive director leaving in which I

was bought in to stabilise the community centre. In reflection upon my performance I believe that each

of these key areas were at the forefront of my mind when beginning my tenure in charge and

successfully initiating a mission focused around five key areas Education, Equality of Opportunity,

Economic Prosperity, Environment and Employment.

On a personal level I think it is absolutely fantastic to see an organisation that only employs 12 people

successfully managing a membership of over 800 organisations. It is clear from my visit that the centre

acts as a hub for all those member organisations to come and share ideas of best practice and network

together which can only be advantageous to the third sector.

New York

My journey continued with me travelling upon an Asian Bus from Washington to New York and with a

cost of only $20 I would recommend this form of transportation to any future traveller.

Nonetheless, I did speak to Paul Russell who is development director at the coalition; He explained “The

Sikh Coalition is a community-based organisation that works towards the realization of civil and human

rights for all people. In particular, working towards a world where Sikhs may freely practice and enjoy

their faith while fostering strong relations with their local community wherever they may be.” The

coalition itself was born in the aftermath of bigotry, violence and discrimination against the city’s Sikh

population following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It began as a volunteer effort on the

night of September 11, 2001, when an elderly Sikh and two teenagers were violently attacked in

Richmond Hill, Queens in “reprisal” attacks by fellow Americans. The group that became the Sikh

Coalition issued a press release the next day under the organisational title “Coalition of Sikh

Organisations of New York” condemning the terrorist attacks and calling on police to better protect

neighbourhoods.

Paul discussed the three programs offered: 1. Legal – Which looks to defend and safeguard religious

freedom in providing services to victims of hate crimes, employment discrimination, public

New York is the third most populous state in the

USA with a population of 19,541,453. The state

covers 54,556 square miles and ranks as the 27th

largest state by size. According to a 2004

estimate, 20.4% of the population is foreign-

born. New York is furthermore home to the

largest African American population and the

second largest Asian American population in the

United States.

There are numerous third sector BME groups

within New York and this is perhaps largely due

to the higher numbers of multi cultural

ethnicities which are present within the state. It

was here I had scheduled a meeting with the Sikh

Coalition whom I was scheduled to meet at

8.30am after contacting the night before.

However, although I again planned my visit in

advance, the necessary person was not present.

accommodation discrimination, profiling and other forms of discrimination. 2. Advocacy - Encourages

civic participation and pushes government to be respectful of Sikh concerns. They look to engage the

Sikh community and community centres through petition-signing efforts, rallies, vigils and other forms of

civic engagement. The Advocacy Program also takes the community’s voice to the government through

letter-writing campaigns, congressional outreach, civil rights reports, meetings with government

agencies and media outreach. 3. Education - seeks to create an environment through education where

Sikhs may freely practice their faith and where people appreciate the presence of Sikhs in the

community. The coalition looks to proactively fight bias and discrimination by spreading awareness

about Sikhs. The program is responsible for creating and distributing presentations, videos, and print

materials on Sikhs. It is also responsible for nationwide educational projects and coordinating numerous

educational presentations in government agencies and schools.

It is clear that those individuals who are involved in the running of the organisation were quick to

identify problems which were on the peripheral after September 11 2001 and find solutions in terms of

their programs offered which I can only speak wonders of in regards to project management methods.

As a proud British Sikh it was refreshing to see the difference this one organisation was making in terms

of making Sikhs recognized and this indeed has been illustrated through some of the successes of the

programs for example assisting with Amrick Singh in filing and winning a lawsuit against the NYPD for not

allowing him to wear his turban on the job, further to this 18 Sikhs were spared the humiliation of

criminal convictions for carrying their kirpans with the help of the Sikh Coalition.

Toronto

I arrived in Toronto on the back of my visit to the Sikh Coalition and a 14 hour Grey Hound bus journey at

a cost of $70.

Toronto Is the fifth most populous municipality in North America with over 2.5 million people. The five

largest visible minority groups in Toronto are South Asian (12.0%), Chinese (11.4%), Black (8.4%), Filipino

(4.1%) and Latin American (2.6%).

I began by visiting the Maytree Foundation whom together with The Toronto City Summit Alliance have

initiated the DiverseCity project. This project is a three year research project studying diversity in

leadership within the Toronto area. This research focuses upon those municipalities with the highest

proportion of visible minorities and accruing reasons for why this may occur. The results indicate that as

of March 2009 visible minorities are underrepresented in the senior most leadership positions in the

Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

It is evident that greater diversity is required in a region such as Toronto which is the most ethnically and

racially diverse region in Canada. Leaders are required to have a diversity of skills and experience which

reflects the richness and complexity of the GTA. A more diverse leadership base will ultimately:

1. Create a social and economic strategy for success in an increasingly inter-connected world.

2. Access new global and domestic markets

3. Build on the best ideas from home and abroad

4. Attract and retain talent

5. Engage more people in generating shared solutions

6. Reflect Canadian values, both at home and to the world.

The project concentrates on eight practical and measurable initiatives to address this issue.

1. DiverseCity Nexus – Will bridge business and social connections between established and rising

executives through an annual salon-style speaker series

2. DiverseCity Fellows – Will equip the next generation of civic leaders through a fellowship that

combines leadership, diversity and civic awareness seminars with an opportunity to act on a city

building issue.

3. DiverseCity onboard – Will strengthen public and voluntary institutions by matching highly

qualified candidates from racially and ethnically diverse communities with governance positions

in agencies, boards and commissions

4. DiverseCity in Civic Leadership – Will reinvigorate the political process by identifying, training

and mentoring diverse leaders who will run for elected office and manage election campaigns.

5. DiverseCity Voices – Will enrich the quality of print, radio and television news by identifying

diverse spokespeople across a variety of subject areas and connecting them with journalists.

6. DiverseCity Advantage – Will build the body of knowledge on the economics and social benefits

of diversity in leadership.

7. DiverseCity Perspectives – Will create opportunities for dialogue and surface new ideas on the

systemic conditions that encourage or discourage diversity in leadership.

8. DiverseCity Counts – Will produce an annual check up on the extent to which leadership reflects

demographics.

In order to further stress the importance of getting visible minorities into higher board positions I spoke

to Tina Edan. It was clear from this conversation that through providing diversity in leadership it can;

support improved financial and organisational performance, provide stronger links to domestic and

global markets, help organisations attract and retain the best talent, support creativity in decision

making and promote social inclusion.

Regarding my personal views. I see leaders playing a symbolic role. This has already been illustrated

through the profound impact the election of the United States’ first African American President has had

on the attitudes and aspirations of people around the world to understand the potential power of

diverse representation in leadership roles.

Further highlights of the conversation pointed to individuals, organisations and the community coming

together to 1. Count: What gets measured gets done, 2. Lead: Make diversity a strategic priority. 3.

Develop the pipeline: Inspire children, workers, and future leaders to maximize their potential. 4.

Communicate: Mainstream diversity in all aspects of the organisations activities; and 5. Develop: And

sustain excellent human resources practices.

I met with Ed Segalowitz who is chief of Corporate Affairs at the United Jewish Appeal of Greater

Toronto (UJA). The building was by far the most impressive I had visited upon my travels, a massive

complex with high end security both in and around the building. The UJA Federation is the organisational

hub of Toronto's Jewish Community, open to community members representing all religious streams,

varying viewpoints, a wide variety of backgrounds and a wealth of ideas. The UJA Federation is a catalyst

for new projects and initiatives that meet the community's current and future needs. UJA Federation, in

partnership with the community, is meeting the ever changing requirements of a rapidly expanding

Jewish Toronto by bringing together philanthropists, professionals, volunteers, schools and agencies.

Core values are centred on:

• Jewish Learning

• Kindness and Caring

• Social Justice

• Diversity and Unity

The structure of UJA Federation reflects the breadth of its activities on behalf of the community. UJA

Federation departments, divisions and initiatives are divided into five categories - the five pillars on

which the organisational structure of UJA Federation rests.

Pillar 1 – Jewish Education and Identity - UJA Federation is deeply committed to promoting Jewish

education and encouraging closer ties to Jewish life. The UJA Federation Board of Jewish Education (BJE)

nurtures vital links to Jewish identity by extensively supporting formal education at 70 Jewish schools,

serving more than 17,000 students. BJE also strongly stands behind informal education, such as youth

groups, Jewish camps and Israel experience programs, highlighted by birthright Israel, which has

produced a life-long impact on thousands of young Jews.

Pillar 2 – Strategic Planning and Community Engagement – This initiative extends a welcoming hand to

every sector of the Jewish community. Through Strategic Planning and Community Engagement, UJA

Federation develops partnerships with synagogues, agencies that deliver essential social services and

other Jewish organisations.

They also provide forceful support for Hillel of Greater Toronto, which offers dynamic campus

programming to 18,000 Jewish students in the Greater Toronto Area. Strategic Planning and

Community Engagement creates new opportunities for the unaffiliated to be involved in Jewish life and

encourages cultural projects as a means of Jewish identification.

Pillar 3 – Integrated Development - This important pillar integrates all elements of UJA Federation

fundraising. They include the Annual Campaign, endowments and bequests through the Jewish

Foundation of Greater Toronto, and capital funds for historic developments, such as the creation of

three Jewish community campuses in the Greater Toronto Area, under the Tomorrow Campaign

umbrella.

Pillar 4 – Operations and Corporate Relations - The Operations and Corporate Relations pillar oversees

UJA Federation’s public policy endeavours, including contacts with influential business and political

leaders. It serves as UJA Federation’s liaison with Canadian partner organisations, such as UIA

Federations Canada, CIJA (Canadian Council for Israel & Jewish Advocacy) and Canadian Jewish Congress.

It represents UJA Federation to the Jewish Agency for Israel, to Israel’s Eilat-Eilot region, with which

Toronto’s Jewish community is twinned, and to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which

operates around the world.

Pillar 5 – Business and Finance - Business and Finance covers scrupulous and strategic management of

UJA Federation financial resources, with strong emphasis on sound physical facility management. In

order to keep up with fast-paced technological advances, Business and Finance also supervises a

growing, active Information Technology division.

I visited the Phoenix Community Works Foundation founded in 1973, to facilitate the building of healthy,

sustainable and just communities. Over the years they have expanded their work from the local level to

regional and international communities. Their mandate is broad and encompasses the following

objectives:

• To assist in the development of healthy communities .

• To encourage creativity.

• To promote studies and educational programs relating to the emotional and physical well-being

of individuals and to their intellectual development.

• To promote studies and experimental projects relating to the health of the environment.

Since its formation, when it received a designation as a charitable organisation, PCWF has sponsored and

been involved in over 400 projects. As the Foundation continues into the future new programs and

projects will be developed.

I met with the newly appointed executive director Desi Benet who pointed out the foundation is

currently working with around 20 non profit organisations acting as an incubator for newer and smaller

non profits. As a result they expect in return 9% of revenue as fee for its services including assisting with

board development. Phoenix staff consider fundraising to be an important issue and were in the process

of reviewing its list of donors whom they rely on for resources as it has proved difficult to get funding

outside of Canada.

Desi went onto speak about her approach to management and felt ‘people always go away with

something’. She helps people break down their projects from broad concepts using applications to

practice. This enables people to solidify their ideas and come to conclusions as to the direction of their

own organisations. In particular Desi focuses on assisting with bookkeeping, networking, education and

bid writing. Furthermore, Desi stated that she operates by a solution focused strategy whereby it is not

necessary to emphasise and explore the causes of problems in order to develop solutions. In other

words 80% of her time is spent looking at the solutions to the problem she only focuses 20%.

My next pit stop was the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto which is a non profit, non political

organisation with the objective of building a Chinese cultural centre for the residents of the greater

Toronto area.

The CCC consists of two phases. Phase I is the CCC building with an art gallery, computerised resource

centre, reading room, boardroom, studios and classrooms. Phase II includes a 600 seat state of the art

theatre and 8500 square foot multipurpose hall for sports and recreational activities, conventions, trade

shows and banquets. The centre is the largest Chinese cultural centre in North America. it, non-political

The CCC receives considerable support in particular from the government who pledged grants totalling

$1.5m in 1996 & 2005, a further $1m from the provincial government in 2006 and $0.5m from the

Ministry of Canadian Heritage. Over the year CCC has gained generous donations and sponsorships from

individuals as well as large corporations such as the Bank of Montreal, HSBC Bank of Canada, Royal Bank

of Canada and two major donations each of $500,000 from Mr K Y Ho/Mrs Betty Ho and also Mr Micheal

C K Lo. Dr Ming Tat Cheung has been Chairman and President since inception in 1990 and there are some

20 other directors taking charge of programs, special events, education and culture, public relations and

marketing, Canada-China relations, operations, finance, building, IT, membership and legal matters.

Furthermore board members who are from a wide spectrum of professions and trades help tap

community resources in terms of financial support, personal network and strengths for the well being

and growth of CCC.

From my visit to this organisation I gained a clear perspective how other Asian third sector communities

operate. It was fascinating to see the efforts each individual puts into their work and whilst I was present

it seemed to be like a big family in terms of the board of directors being a liked to grandparents/parents

whereas volunteers playing the role of siblings. It is evident however this organisation has a clear vision

of how they wish to manage and run the centre which I can only speak highly of.

Michigan

Michigan is the eighth most populous state in the United States. It has the longest freshwater shoreline

of any political subdivision in the world. As of July 1, 2008, Michigan had an estimated population of

10,003,422. In terms of the demographic set up Black/African Americans make up 14% of the total

population, American Indian (0.5%), Asian (2.3%), Multi racial (2.0%), Some other race (1.6%) with the

White population making up 79.6%.

At this moment I would like to offer my gratitude towards Kevin Courtney who hosted me during my stay

in Michigan which began by visiting the Amish community which was an absolutely fantastic once in a

lifetime experience.

CCC has a pool of 200+ active

volunteers of diversified

backgrounds and all ages. They

include students, new immigrants,

retired people, siblings, couples or

even families. Those active ones

work closely with the eight full time

staff (responsible for theatre

matters, events, programs,

administration, accounting, IT and

janitorial services.

These people trace their heritage back hundreds of years, and yet, despite all the time that has passed

and the many changes that have taken place in society, they still live and work much as their forefathers

did. Their families and their farms are their top priorities, second only to God.

They do not permit electricity or telephones in their homes. By restricting access to te

telephones, the Amish are better able to keep the modern world from intruding into their home life.

The Amish have long preferred farming as a way of life. They feel their lifestyle and their families can

best be maintained in a rural environment. While they do not permit the use of tractors in their fields,

these old order Amish groups do use modern farm equipment pulled by teams of horses or mules.

These old order groups do not own or operate automobiles, believing that cars would pr

access to the ways of the world. You will often see their horses and buggies on

These traditional groups wear plain clothing styles, which has earned them the name "Plain People". It is

the simple, peaceful lifestyle of these

how these people can survive in their supposedly backward ways. Well, they're not only surviving

they're thriving.

I was introduced to the Chippewa/Ojibway

brother.The Chippewa are Native Americans who are a part of the Anishinaabe people. They have

historically been located in areas of the northern United States including Michigan, Minnesota,

Wisconsin and North Dakota, and in Canada

reservations where they reside.

Even though I only spent a little while with Richard and his family I really treasure this part of my trip. I

learned that even though our faiths and our cultures

tribe were similar to the way I was raised as a Sikh. I also learnt that Native Americans sometimes

jokingly call people from India “red dot Indians” as oppose to us thinking of them as red Indians.

My next visit was to the Michigan Migrant/Seasonal Farm Worker Program which

opportunities by county, information on employment training, crops and growers. Workers and their

families can find information about migrant health care, housing and day

Head Start, a program for children of migrant families. I was fortunate enough to meet Pe

who hosted me and Kevin to a quite delightful picnic.

Approximately 45,000 migrants come to Michigan each year. Michigan’s food

constitutes the second most important industry in the state. More than one in five state jobs stems from

agriculture. A critical part of Michigan’s farming economy is the availability, timeliness, and professional

skills of migrant and seasonal workers.


that have taken place in society, they still live and work much as their forefathers

did. Their families and their farms are their top priorities, second only to God.

They do not permit electricity or telephones in their homes. By restricting access to television, radio, and



environment. While they do not permit the use of tractors in their fields,


These old order groups do not own or operate automobiles, believing that cars would pr

access to the ways of the world. You will often see their horses and buggies on the local roads.


the simple, peaceful lifestyle of these plain people that attracts such a curiosity today. Many wonder

how these people can survive in their supposedly backward ways. Well, they're not only surviving

/Ojibway tribe by Kevin where I met Richard Le Blanc and his twin

The Chippewa are Native Americans who are a part of the Anishinaabe people. They have


Wisconsin and North Dakota, and in Canada. Due to time constraints I was unable to go down to their


learned that even though our faiths and our cultures were different many of the spiritual aspects of the



the Michigan Migrant/Seasonal Farm Worker Program which displays job


families can find information about migrant health care, housing and day care services, and Migrant

Head Start, a program for children of migrant families. I was fortunate enough to meet Pe

quite delightful picnic.

Approximately 45,000 migrants come to Michigan each year. Michigan’s food and fibre



sonal workers.


that have taken place in society, they still live and work much as their forefathers

levision, radio, and



environment. While they do not permit the use of tractors in their fields,


These old order groups do not own or operate automobiles, believing that cars would provide easier

local roads.


plain people that attracts such a curiosity today. Many wonder

how these people can survive in their supposedly backward ways. Well, they're not only surviving -

Le Blanc and his twin

The Chippewa are Native Americans who are a part of the Anishinaabe people. They have


Due to time constraints I was unable to go down to their


were different many of the spiritual aspects of the



displays job


care services, and Migrant

Head Start, a program for children of migrant families. I was fortunate enough to meet Perla Peredes

fibre system



All workers are exceptionally treated with agricultural specialists providing support to migrants in filling

out federal forms, providing information on labour laws pertaining to wages, work hours and

employment of minors. Furthermore, employer incentive programs are offered and explain issues such

as tax credits and job training programs.

Migrant and seasonal farm workers

have a history of many problems

uncertain jobs and problematic

transportation; mistreatment on

farms and in communities; too little

money to support them between

jobs; inadequate housing; poor

health; and too little schooling.

These problems are especially acute

for migrants who rely on farm work

as their principal employment, not

the part-timers who work on farms

during vacation from school.

I continued my journey to Ferris State University where

I spoke to the schools chief diversity officer David

Pilgrim. The meeting was as much about learning about

David’s work but he was also interested to learn about

the purpose of my visit and fellowship which led to a

very positive article being published on the front page

of a local newspaper the day after. During my visit I

toured the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia.

The Museum is envisioned as an international leader in

the anti-racism movement. The museum serves as a

base for quality scholarship addressing the complexities

of race relations. The museum encourages

collaborative work with high schools, universities,

government agencies, and human rights organisations,

including, but not limited to, producing original

research, planning and hosting conferences, and

conducting anti-racism training sessions.

I was particularly fond of the university student group Bulldogs unmuzzled which is designed to train

aspiring leaders to facilitate discussions on diversity. This is something in particular I wish to transfer to

local universities throughout the UK in order to get them engaged in some sort of program for non profit

leaders.

Dallas

With a population of 1.3million Dallas is the third largest city in Texas and the eighth largest in the USA.

Founded in 1841 and formally incorporated as a city in February, 1856, the city's economy is primarily

based on banking, commerce, telecommunications, computer technology, energy, and transportation;

only New York City and Houston are home to more Fortune 500 headquarters in the city limits.

As of the 2005-2007 the American Community Survey found, White Americans made up 45.9% of Dallas'

population; Blacks or African Americans made up 23.3%; American Indians made up 0.5% of the city's

population; Asian Americans made up 2.5% of the city's population. Pacific Islander Americans made up

0.1% of the city's population.

It was here I attended the National Black Police Association Conference hosted by the chairman John

Hayes.

In November 1972, the National Black Police Association was chartered as a not-for-profit corporation in

the state of Illinois following a historic meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. There were thirteen African

American Peace Associations present at the meeting with representatives from the host city as well as:

New York City and Buffalo, New York; Flint and Detroit, Michigan; Richmond, San Francisco, and Los

Angeles, California; Cincinnati, Akron, Dayton, and Cleveland, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia and

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; New Orleans, Louisiana; Baltimore, Maryland; Newark, New Jersey; Bridgeport,

Connecticut; Louisville, Kentucky; and Denver, Colorado.

The National Black Police Association was established:

To improve the relationship between Police Departments as institutions and the minority communities;

To evaluate the effect of the policies and programs within the Criminal Justice System upon the minority

community;

To serve as a mechanism to recruit minority police officers on a national scale;

To work toward police reform in order to eliminate police corruption, police brutality and racial

discrimination; and

To educate police officers to perform with professionalism and compassion.

As part of the conference I was offered special privileges

to stand in the spot where JFK was shot and allowed to

take a picture. I was then back on a one way flight to

Chicago.

During my two days I fortunate enough to meet some inspiring

individuals each with a story of their own. I was most fascinated by

the presentation on ‘How to effectively operate a Black Police

Association’ which sets out in motion of having a clear mission by

listing goals, ensuring proactive positive people are willing to commit

to them goals and diversifying the board from civilians to correction

officers to state officers. Networking is a key element in using tried

and tested methods which work rather than formulating new ways of

working which are not guaranteed. Meetings should take place twice

a month with a designated consistent location and time. Furthermore

incentives should be offered as a means of taking up membership. To

extend this service even more a website should be set up illustrating

past, present and future events in the form of perhaps a

weekly/monthly online newsletter via email.

Chicago

Is the largest city in both Illinois and the Midwest, and the third most populous city in the United States,

with over 2.8 million living within the city limits. Its metropolitan area, commonly named "Chicagoland",

is the 26th most populous in the world, home to an estimated 9.7 million people spread across the U.S.

states of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana.

I did not intend to visit any organisations in Chicago rather using it as a checkpoint to get on a bus to

Rapid City.

Rapid City

Is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County.

Named after the Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the

Black Hills mountain range.

The racial makeup of the city is 84.33% White, 0.97% African American, 10.14% Native American, 1.00%

Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 2.77% from two or more races.

• Continuing the progress on the world's largest mountain sculpture, carving a memorial

to the spirit of legendary Lakota leader Crazy Horse and his culture;

• Providing educational and cultural programming to encourage harmony and

reconciliation among all people and nations;

• Acting as a repository for Native American artifacts, arts and crafts through the Indian

Museum of North America and the Native American Educational & Cultural Centre;

• And by establishing and operating, when practical, the American Indian University and

Medical Training Centre.

At Rapid City I visited the Crazy Horse Memorial

which is the world’s largest mountain carving, truly

a work in progress. Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski and

Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear officially started

Crazy Horse Memorial June 3, 1948. The Memorial's

mission is to honour the culture, tradition and living

heritage of North American Indians.

Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation demonstrates its

ongoing commitment to this promise by following

these objectives:

What is more fascinating is that the project is entirely funded by individual donations. Furthermore, they

were offered $10million from the US government in order to complete the monument however refused

out of sheer principle.

Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. With an estimated

population of 183,171 the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total estimated

population of 1,130,293. The 2005-2007 American Community Survey Estimates, the city's population

was 80.6% White, 4.0% Black or African American, 1.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.7% Asian,

1.5% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander and 9.4% from some other race.

I met with Victoria Lyons whom with Micheal Moonbird founded the Bad Dog Rediscovers America in

1997 recognising a need for creative places where children and teens from diverse cultures could go to

express their ideas, big, small, profound, goofy, important and trivial using their many forms of language

that include, drawing, painting, sculpture, print making, creative writing, multimedia and creative

movement.

The second stop in the city was at Mount Rushmore

situated near Keystone, South Dakota. Sculpted by

Gutzon Borglum and later by his son Lincoln

Borglum, Mount Rushmore features 60-foot (18 m)

sculptures of the heads of former United States

presidents (in order from left to right) George

Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore

Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The entire

memorial covers 1,278.45 acres (5.17 km2) and is

5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level.

The thought crossed my mind at this time how

poignant would it be to make a similar sculpture

within the UK in memory of Sir Winston Churchill

himself.

Victoria showed me around the premises which offered me food for thought for when going back to

England. Victoria ran through some of the programs they were running which include the Bad Dog Studio

program whereby kids explore a wide variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture,

printmaking and batik. The Bad Dog Art Apprenticeship Program providing opportunities to teens aged

14-19 to receive intensive skills training from a professional artist while earning a modest stipend. The

school outreach program which provides sequential arts learning to over 2000 elementary school

children. Along with these programs the group also has links to many other local non profit

organisations.

California

California is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by land area, after Alaska

and Texas; it is also the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São

Paulo, Brazil.

My first stop in California was in the city of Paso Robles where I met with the Main Street Association

which looks to actively create and implement a comprehensive program that will effectively restore,

promote and enhance the economic vitality and unique historical value of its downtown, while

maintaining a friendly, community atmosphere.

Its vision statement follows :

(1) Recognized as a national leader in Main Street Associations

(2) Sustain effective partnership with the city and local business owners to successfully compete with

emerging competitors and assure economic vitality.

(3) Attract and maintain a diverse business mix to ensure the quality of products, services and

entertainment experiences to the end consumer.

I was grateful to Norma Moye the executive director for her hospitality and frankness. It was also nice to

meet the Mayor of the town who was very informative.

After Paso Robles I continued onto Sacramento. As of the 2005-2007 American Community Survey

conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, White Americans made up 49.5% of Sacramento's population; of

which 38.3% were non-Hispanic whites. Blacks or African Americans made up 14.4% of Sacramento's

population; of which 14.2% were non-Hispanic blacks. American Indians made up 1.2% of the city's

population; of which 0.8% were non-Hispanic. Asians made up 17.4% of the city's population; of which

17.1% were non-Hispanic. Pacific Islanders made up 1.2% of the city's population. Individuals from other

races made up 11.6% of the city's population; of which 0.4% were non-Hispanic. Individuals from two or

more races made up 4.8% of the city's population; of which 3.2% were non-Hispanic.

The centre offers many programs catering for the gay and lesbian community of all ages including a

youth program aging between 13-21 where the group focuses on positive mental health, techniques that

enable self-help, positive social networking, healthy recreational activities, positive messages about

gender and sexual orientation, self-worth and personal dignity.

Further programs in the centre include counselling services, women’s discussion group, transgender

group, LGBT legal community clinic, men’s discussion group and the bi-sexual, bi-curious and questioning

group.

It was here I visited the Sacramento Gay &

Lesbian Centre. The Sacramento Gay &

Lesbian Centre is dedicated to serving the

lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual

community of the Greater Sacramento area

and surrounding counties and its allies by

providing space, diverse programming,

advocacy, and cultural competency awareness

in an affirming, compassionate and safe

environment.

Brisbane

Is the capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. The statistical

division of Brisbane has a population estimated at 2 million by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and it is

the third most populous city in Australia.

With the increase in ethnic language programming and stagnation in government funding, support for

ethnic community broadcasting has therefore fallen from about $48 per hour in 1998 to $35 per hour in

2009.

I was fortunate enough to meet with Dalvir Summan from the

ethnic community broadcasting group. The Ethnic community

broadcasting group is Australia’s largest multicultural and

multilingual institution, servicing the cultural, linguistic, social,

communications and settlements needs of the nation’s diverse

population.

Since 1998, hundreds of additional weekly programming hours

have been added to ethnic community broadcasting, most notably

by new migrants and refugees. The community sector leads the

way in ethnic broadcasting in Australia by producing 2,400 hours

of programs every week, through the work of 3,000 volunteers, in

over 100 languages.

One of the main issues is that there has been no increase in core

funding for ethnic community broadcasting, since 1998. The

additional funding the sector is asking for—a modest $2.3

million—goes directly to content production which is the

backbone of the sector.

Ethnic community broadcasters produce

predominantly local content, and are

responsible and responsive to the

changing needs of Australia’s

multicultural communities. They defend

and promote Australian multiculturalism

against a multitude of imported media

products—many of which do not meet

the national broadcasting standards or

the need for translated local news and

information. What sets locally produced

ethnic language programs apart is that

they not only provide translated local

and country-of-origin news and

information, but they also facilitate

connections within and between local

communities and local services.

After meeting with Dalvir and his colleagues my understanding of Community broadcasting is that it

assists in strengthening the economic fabric of communities because it:

• Strengthens economic networks by giving local people information about local businesses through the

tens of thousands of sponsorship messages broadcast each week.

• Develops partnerships with business and other not for profit organisations to deliver projects and

services to communities.

• Assists community members to identify employment pathways.

• Engages, trains and skills volunteers worth $232 million annually.

• Develops transferable skills increasing employability.

Sydney

Is the largest city in Australia and Oceania, and the state capital of New South Wales, and is located on

Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. Approximately 4.5 million persons live in the Sydney

metropolitan area. It is furthermore ranked 7th the Economist's World's Most Liveable Cities index.

Learning and Development Program:

• provides non-government organisations and groups with learning opportunities and

resources, including the translation of written materials into a range of community

languages;

• supports the development of services that better meet the needs of marginalised and

disadvantaged people and communities.

It was here I met the Western Sydney Community

Forum. Western Sydney Community Forum (WSCF)

works to build strong, organised communities by

bridging the divide between communities and

policymakers at the local, regional, state and national

level. As a capacity building and advocacy organisation

WSCF ensures a voice for people working daily with the

challenges facing the region, connecting those too often

left out.

Western Sydney Community Forum is the Western

Sydney regional peak organisation providing regional

leadership which facilitates collaborative action and

develops resources to enable community organisations

to effectively address issues relating to social justice and

social inclusion. The forum runs two main programs

which are as follows:

Regional Resource Program:

• supports and resources collaboration between local groups and networks;

• responds to current and emerging issues and needs of the region;

• facilitates community participation and representation in planning and decision making

processes;

• supports the development of services that better meet the needs of marginalised and

disadvantaged people and communities.

Onto Westir a non-profit community organisation, partly funded by the NSW Department of Community

Services. It was established in 1980 to provide enhanced and equitable access to statistical data and

information for people and community organisations, especially those in the Greater Western Sydney

region. The type of statistical data it provides includes:

* Statistical and demographic data;

* Maps and mapping services;

* A research and information library;

* Information sources advice and referral;

* Training in using and interpreting statistical data; and

* Client surveys and sampling frameworks.

The reason why Westirs work is so valuable to the

wider sector is because it acts as one of the primary

sources of information in regards to statistical data

as the government has cut back resources on

providing a similar service. The organisation

employs 3 full time staff with its board expertise in

management/IT within the community sector. I was

grateful to the staff of Westir for giving me an

overview of the non-profit sector within Sydney.

One of the issues they mentioned was their

perception of the unresponsiveness of existing non-

profit organisations to the needs of the changing

demographics of the state. They felt this was the

case because nonprofits with government contracts

had to do something drastically wrong in order to

lose them. This in turn did not encourage them to

adapt quicker and more innovatively to meet the

needs of newcomers.

They also felt that there was not a strong philanthropic support within the Sydney area. A lot of

organisations depended on state funding in order to deliver their services. They also touched on the

issue of international students arriving in Sydney. They explained that a lot of the universities that

bought the students in had gone bankrupt leading to students being homeless on the streets. This was a

problem that was common in major cities in Australia and was leading to racial tensions.

Finally they mentioned that single community organisations in Sydney were very small. A lot of funding

programs were based on geographical areas. One of the ways they help community groups was by

putting together a funding calendar for the year. This informed smaller community groups when

government bodies and charitable organisations were issuing funding.

Canberra

Is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and

the eighth largest Australian city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital

Territory, 280 km (170 mi) south-west of Sydney, and 660 km (410 mi) north-east of Melbourne.

I met with Glenn Flannagan who introduced me to the Companion House organisation. The Companion

House works with people who have sought refuge in Australia from persecution, torture and war related

trauma. The house works with people who are newly arrived and longer term settlers with over 1000

clients and 200 refugees coming to the ACT area each year. They work with adults, young people and

children.

Companion House has the following services :

• Medical and primary health services

• Health promotion

• Counselling and advocacy

• Community capacity building

They also provide training, resources, and professional development to organisations and individuals

who want to build their skills in working with survivors of torture and trauma and refugee issues. They

serve as a one stop shop serving many different communities including Sudanese and recently Tamil

groups. Although they do not have any residential facilities they do run a transitional housing project. In

regards to funding they are given private donations occasionally by individuals along with organisations

who can become members of the companion house for a small charge.

The next organisation I visited in Canberra was the Multicultural Youth Services Centre which assists

refugee and migrant young people aged 12-25, and other young people of a culturally and linguistically

diverse background. The services they provide include:

• accommodation

• employment

• education

• finance

• welfare & emotional support

• youth & family support

• English language & homework support

I met with Rebecca Melville who explained more about the organisation. From talking to Rebecca it was

quite clear that the organisation was struggling and it lacked adequate funding. Staffing also seemed an

issue as she mentioned many people had recently left the organisation.

The organisation is made up of a Board of Trustees or seven board members who are nonpaid generally

and is made up of people who will be employed in the community or else elected in the community to

serve the community’s needs.

One of the biggest problems within the indigenous community is the overrepresentation of its people

within the prison. Rehabilitation of these people is not helped by overcrowding in prisons and the lack of

education available to convicts when they leave. Sharon said that she personally believes that the

system needs people from the right background to support these people and get them out the cycle of

leaving prison and entering prison. She also strongly believed that they need a small non-indigenous

people especially people of influence, who can support the indigenous community to leave the cycle

behind.

Sharon explained that many indigenous people lived in the remote communities away from the general

populace of Australia. Part of this was in order to retain their own culture and their mistrust of the

‘White Man’. However in cities like Canberra she explained that communities were spread right across

the area. This was also the case in cities like Sydney.

Other issues we talked about included the indigenous peoples dependency problems with alcohol.

Sharon felt that this may be as a result of the ‘White Man’ in the past using alcohol as payment in lieu of

wages. This reminded me of the ‘Dop system’ that that was deployed in South Africa whereby workers

were paid with alcohol instead money in the Vineyards.

Another issue that disadvantaged the indigenous population was regarding the provision of good quality

education. This led to poor attainment levels within the community. However some people felt that the

community itself was to blame as there was a culture within the community itself which did not regard

education as important as it should be.

I have to say that this visit was very inspirational to me. Sharon and people like her are a credit to a

community and I wish her well in all the work in the future.

My journey in Canberra saw me visit a number of

organisations another including the Aboriginal Justice

Centre which provides and coordinates support

services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

people in the ACT criminal justice system. Speaking

to the inspirational Sharon Ingram I found most

funding to come from the justice ministry working

within the criminal justice system. Although no legal

system is provided the centre works closely with the

aboriginal legal service. The main purpose of the

organization is to advocate for clients on issues such

as housing assistance, court conditions.

FECCA’s membership comprises state, territory and regional multicultural and ethnic councils. FECCA has

an elected executive committee and a professional national secretariat implementing policies and work

programs on behalf of its membership and stakeholders.

Through speaking with Andrew it was made clear the view of multiculturalism around Australia does

draw negative connotations and is seen to be out of favour. This is perhaps somewhat been illustrated

through the problems experienced by oversees Indian students within Australia. However Andrew does

not share this view rather he sees issues revolve more around refugees and moreover the increase in

publicity about new African migrants not integrating as quickly as previously.

In regards to multiculturalism and getting ethnic minorities into higher board/management positions

FECCA released an article detailing tools required to be an effective advocate/leader. This involves

individuals of ethnic origin adopting their own styles to management and not to lose their own culture

and heritage in terms of decision making.

I visited Mark Baldwin part of a community based organisation Anglicare Canberra & Goulburn which has

been supporting and caring for children, young people, families and older people for almost 80 years.

They are part of the broader mission of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra & Goulburn, covering the south

east corner of NSW and the ACT.

I met with Andrew Milanczuk who is the policy

officer at the Federation of Ethnic Community

Councils in Canberra.

FECCA is the national peak body representing

Australians from culturally and linguistically

diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

They provide advocacy, develop policy and

promote issues on behalf of their constituency to

government and the broader community. FECCA

supports multiculturalism, community harmony,

social justice and the rejection of all forms of

discrimination and racism.

The centre does have at medical centre on the top floor of the building which accommodates GPs and

nurses. Mark commented that a lot of regional GPs do not like attending to the young people due to

threats of violence etc… The organisation acts as a centre for education outside of the school

environment for kids who have been excluded. Mark stated that 50 kids will graduate from the centre

and it has a regular attendance of around 12-15 youths. Most of the funding provided has been used to

extend the schools program which has been running for 5 years allowing for flexibility in terms of young

people studying from home.

Mark himself has done a project management diploma and thinks it is very important in regards to

planning and strategy when receiving funding.

Melbourne

Is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and also the second most populous city in

Australia. As of late 2009, the greater geographical area had an approximate population of 4 million. It is

ranked 3rd

in the World’s most liveable cities index ahead of its Australian counterparts Sydney, Adelaide

and Perth.

I first visited the Knox Hungarian Community Centre whom I spoke with president of four years Mrs Toth

Terfz. The Hungarian Community Centre Melbourne is the largest Hungarian institution outside the

borders of Hungary. It provides a home to the thousands of Hungarians who live within reach of it

enabling organisations and individuals to maintain their national inheritance, heritage and culture.

As a not for profit organisation The Hungarian Community Centre works for the furtherance and

assistance of the Hungarian community and endeavours to maintain Hungarian culture and pass it to

future generations.

Through conversation with Mark he said that the

majority of funding is through government grants

in helping youth get into housing though the

Adolescent Community Placement scheme. The

organization does face difficulties as funding is

sometimes given to areas with a small population

of young people however, as Mark went onto say

within Australia a “Tyranny of Distance” exists

whereby young people are scattered all around

the country due to its large proximity and

naturally small population.

Hungarians, their organisations and groups have meetings, picnics, balls, lunches, dinners, concerts and

literary functions at the Centre. Large emphasis is placed on the youth where activities such as scouting,

folk dancing, Hungarian language school, play group are held continuously between the ages of 3-20

years. The biggest festival is Hungarofest which is held biennially. This festival includes rich cultural and

historic displays, continuous programs and entertainment and excellent traditional Hungarian cuisine.

The Centre has an ecumenical church, restaurant, two large and one smaller hall which can

accommodate 600, 400 and 100 people respectively. There is also ample parking on site for 250 cars.

My final visit in Melbourne was to the Centre for Multicultural Youth meeting executive assistant Roz

Dermonds.

The CMY undertakes a range of programs, projects and policy initiatives aimed at enhancing the life

opportunities of young people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

This is achieved through:

Direct one-to-one support of young people

Policy advice

Information provision and research

Sector support and development

Youth leadership and mentoring programs

Training and professional development

CMY works with young people and their families to address problems of isolation, family conflict,

homelessness and to overcome income, health, education, training and employment barriers. The case

work services provide counselling, group work, information and supported referral.

CMY also delivers a range of participation programs for young people that enable them to take up

leadership roles in their lives, their communities and Australian society generally. This includes providing

leadership training, support for youth-led projects, arts and environment projects, engagement in sports

and recreation and mentor support, with a focus on building inter-cultural dialogue and promoting a

strong and vibrant multicultural Victoria.

CMY's policy work is wide-ranging and diverse. It incorporates advice to government, resource

development, research, policy submissions, information provision, training and professional

development, support to workers, and providing media commentary on issues affecting migrant and

refugee young people.

Core policy areas include: education, training and employment pathways; police and justice; sports and

recreation; and refugee resettlement.

Adelaide

Is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city

in Australia, with a population of more than 1.28 million. Today, Adelaide is noted for its many festivals

and sporting events, its food, wine and culture, its long beachfronts, and its large defence and

manufacturing sectors. It continues to rank highly as a liveable city, being in the Top 10 in The

Economist's World's Most Liveable Cities index.

CMY seeks new ways of addressing the

needs of young people from culturally

diverse backgrounds. It works with young

people, government and non-government

partners to identify emerging areas of

need for refugee young people and gaps

in service delivery. It develops and trials

new initiatives and demonstration

programs to address these gaps and,

where appropriate, scales these programs

up to regional or state-wide coverage.

Key areas of program innovation are

currently in the areas of justice and

I briefly met with Rashpal Singh of the Punjabi School in Adelaide in which the primary purpose is to

educate of Australians into the teachings of Sikhism.

Perth

Is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. With a population of 1,659,000

(2009), Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national

average. Perth is tied for eighth place alongside Adelaide in The Economist's 2010 list of the World's

Most Liveable Cities.

The final leg of my journey saw me visit the Freemantle Multi-Cultural Centre where I met a woman by

the name of Cynthia.

The Fremantle Multicultural Centre was established in 1981 as the Fremantle Migrant Resource Centre;

an initiative of Helen Caltalini. In 1988 the Lotteries Commission provided funding for the Centre to

purchase and renovate the building in which the Centre currently operates. Having undergone many

changes of both name and premises, the focus of the centre remains solid. The Centre aims to provide

services to migrants and refugees from a diverse range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. They have

a policy of not turning anyone away, even if their need is outside the range of services offered. If there is

no appropriate service within the Centre, they contact the most relevant community service

organisation to arrange an appointment. Many clients do not speak English or have English as a second

language. The staffs speak a variety of languages, but where necessary on-site or telephone interpreters

are arranged.

As well as catering for recent arrival the Centre is also committed to assisting migrants who arrived in

past times. They still require appropriate, if different, types of support. For example the more

established communities are getting older and require services specifically tailored to the care of the

aged. Because of poor English and their life experiences they are often socially isolated in spite of the

many years living in this community.

The Centre has contact with people with an amazing range of backgrounds and languages. Recently

greater numbers of clients have been arriving from African and Middle Eastern countries. These new

groups require more intensive settlement support than previous arrivals from Europe and Asia as they

are not yet established in this region.

Conclusion

Throughout my journey I have met some truly inspirational people and organisations. In particular my

visit to the diversecity project in Toronto had seen me gain a great insight of ways organisations within

the UK can follow a similar model. Toronto itself is seen to be comparable with cities in the UK such as

Birmingham, London and Leicester. Adopting a similar project within the UK focusing upon realizing the

potential BME leaders have got to offer can only be advantageous to the future well being of the UK

third sector. This is perhaps even more crucial now than ever with the new government’s pledge of

putting more power and opportunity into people’s hands through ‘The Big Society’. More emphasis will

therefore be placed on community organisations taking over local state run services; this requires

leaders to be more pro-active in terms of building upon their own capacity in increasing their skill sets

when managing projects.

In regards to project management I did not find specific tools leaders use when managing projects rather

there seemed to be more tools relating to the social worker field. Such tools provide the path to analyze

the root cause of problems and identify the way to choose the best course of action. Of course there are

Being a not-for-profit organisation, the

Fremantle Multicultural Centre relies

on government grants to run its

operations. They have a number of

core programs that are run including

crisis accommodation and mental

health services, settlement support

and employment and training

programs, as well as a number of

regular or occasional services (such as

English and cooking classes) that run

periodically. The Community Partners

Programme is their newest

programme to inform the aged about

existing aged care services.

more than one better solution to any problem and many levels at which a problem can be dealt with.

One project management method used here within the UK is Prince2 (Projects IN Controlled

Environments). PRINCE2 is a structured approach to project management. It provides a method for

managing projects within a clearly defined framework. PRINCE2 describes procedures to coordinate

people and activities in a project, how to design and supervise the project, and what to do if the project

has to be adjusted if it doesn’t develop as planned. In the method each process is specified with its key

inputs and outputs and with specific goals and activities to be carried out, which gives an automatic

control of any deviations from the plan. Divided into manageable stages, the method enables an

efficient control of resources. On the basis of close monitoring the project can be carried out in a

controlled and organised way. Being a structured method widely recognised and understood, PRINCE2

provides a common language for all participants in the project. The various management roles and

responsibilities involved in a project are fully described and are adaptable to suit the complexity of the

project and skills of the organisation.

As a qualified Prince2 practioner I believe that importance should be stressed upon using such tools as a

means of managing projects especially in a climate where contracts are expected to fulfil increased

monitoring obligations.

Part of the reason for the successes of many individuals and organisations I have met has been due using

their own culture and values in managing their projects and organisations which is something they

should not lose sight of. If funding for these single identity groups continues to decrease many of these

community organisations such as the Hungarian Community Centre and Chinese Cultural Centre will not

be in a position to cater for their specific client groups.

In recent times there has been a trend against funding of single identity groups. Throughout the three

countries I had visited community organisations are encouraged to work in partnership, however,

difficulty arises as many organisations work with specific groups such as the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian

Centre and United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto. It is clear nonetheless that for third sector

organisations to survive they will need to work together; therefore leaders are required to have good

communication and negotiation skills. Furthermore if collaborative work did take place organisations

would not want to dilute their initial objectives and this is especially the case for vulnerable groups such

as Asylum Seekers and Refugees.

A theme of my journey throughout my travelling was that the third sector was seen to be well regarded

within the US, Canada and Australia. However again leaders will need to continuously improve to

compete more successfully against the public and private sector. Overall, I still believe that the third

sector is not being given the credibility it deserves from other sectors who do not consider it not to be as

professional.

Finally, I would like to conclude this report by saying a big thank you to the trust for allowing me the

opportunity to have this amazing experience. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the

numerous people I have met on my travels and for the hospitality they afforded me. I now look forward

to sharing the knowledge and the good practice I have gathered with people within the sector.

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