We found that there are structural inequalities in health, education, crime, policing, and BAME experience post-migration living difficulties such as; racism, discrimination, hate crime, hostile immigration policies, cultural differences and language barriers, poor housing, lack of employment, poverty, etc. These factors may have directly or indirectly impacted the mental health and overall health well-being of BAME communities in one way or the other and are more likely to die from covid-19.
Our Mission is to bridge the gap and improve communication between the UK mainstream and BAME communities.
Our vision is to empower and equip BAME communities and their families with skills to be self-sufficient that help them avoid pitfalls associated with lack of empowerment and/or information. This will improve their social standing by being more cohesive, socially, and economically within the British Society as they build their lives in the UK
OUR OBJECTIVES
To advance social cohesion and inclusion by reducing isolation and social exclusion.
To advocate for equality, diversity, and justice.
To improve access for marginalised BAME groups to social welfare and immigration, such as legal advice regarding immigration and asylum, housing, financial support, healthcare, education, provide care, support, refuge and sanctuary for victims of domestic abuse/violence support services.
To provide children & youth empowerment programmes.
To deliver mentorship, career development, nurturing talents, financial advice, and recreational and juvenile justice program.
To promote overall health and mental health support programmes.
To create 3000 jobs across the U.K. through employment, internship, work placement and voluntary jobs.
What BAME Hub-UK Network Does
We Find & Empower
BAME Hub-UK Network seeks to create 3000 jobs across the UK. Employment, internships, work placement and voluntary job opportunities could lead to successful employment. By doing so, BAME Hub -UK Network promotes, empowers, contributes to the economy, and enhances social integration
We Strengthen
BAME Hub-UK network aims to empower BAME Communities and thus created this space to harness and make the most of the opportunities available to them. This way, BAME communities will develop greater knowledge, skills, and better attitudes for their own and communities benefit. Additionally, discover the values they have in
We Consult
We are happy to work with statutory and non-statutory agencies and professionals from all backgrounds including; Legal representatives – solicitors, social workers, police officers and prisons, academicians/researchers, local authorities, secondary schools, colleges, universities, NHS and health professionals,
We Providing Domestic Abuse Support
BAME HUB – UK Network C.I.C. has experience in providing domestic abuse support in the following areas;
Support with the day to day running of the service for example scheduling times for counselling sessions, group activities
Advocacy support through
Dennis Murray - Assistant Constable Police- Thames Valley, presented certificates to our young people.
Young people from ethnic minority backgrounds have shown a determination to tackle issues of importance and a willingness to be empowered by acquiring new skills and knowledge within our organisation through our capacity-building program. The challenges that our young people face are something we seriously recognise and are determined to minimise, if not eliminate. We conducted a focus group and surveys in London, Liverpool, Manchester, Essex, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Coventry, Sheffield and other cities to find out the challenges they have in accessing the labour market and issues of their importance. The themes found in focus groups where seventy-eight participated were difficulties young people face due to cultural shocks, cross-cultural, equality and diversity, racism and discrimination, and lack of cultural awareness.
Other issues identified were managing business and finances because of limited information and business network, conflicts in the workplace as young employees, and business start-ups challenges. In our survey, one hundred and fifty-six young people completed several online surveys across the UK cities, as indicated above. The finding of the surveys identified several challenges. 75% of young people said they face difficulties acquiring funding. 80% believe that lack of information, especially at the early stages of business, was a big concern, 85% had no qualification or skills needed by the employer, and 89 % have limited knowledge of entrepreneur risks, marketing and product/service research and 69% face challenges of career and employability. In this respect, as an organisation, we provide young people capacity building funded by The National Lottery Community Fund in the following areas: Cross-Cultural Training, Cultural Awareness, and Equality & Diversity Education, Careers and Employability sessions – this includes advice and guidance on how to prepare the CV, Job search and Job application, Business start-up and Entrepreneurship, Building your self-esteem and assertive skills, Conflict resolution within the workplace, Emotional intelligence and Anger management education, Job interviews.
During our Milton Keynes Meet & Greet fighting social isolation and loneliness event, Dennis Murray – Assistant Constable Police- Thames Valley, presented certificates to our young people who completed six-month capacity-building training funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. We recognise our young people’s hard work and achievements. So far, through the young people capacity building program, we have trained more than one hundred young people between 18-25yrs old across the UK
BRINGING BAME COMMUNITY AND THEIR NON-BAME FRIENDS TOGETHER
We invited our members and friends to a meet-and-greet fighting social isolation and loneliness social event in Milton Keynes sponsored by BAME HUB-UK NETWORK C.I.C, NALA money transfer and Sahara Restaurant. We have all endured a difficult two years of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. We wanted to come together to celebrate our achievements and tackle social isolation and loneliness, a significant concern in our communities. Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities are resilient and talented, and our events brought us together as a community that has supported each other in different ways.
Research shows that social isolation and loneliness are increasingly being recognised as public health and policy issues. As many define it, loneliness is feeling alone, regardless of the amount of social contact an individual may have. Social isolation is a lack of social connections, leading to loneliness in some people, while others can feel lonely without being socially isolated. Available evidence shows that loneliness and social isolation are associated with higher risks for severe health conditions such as heart disease, depression and poor cognitive function. The covid-19 pandemic and lockdown forcefully made us aware of isolation and loneliness because feeling connected with other people is a basic need, like we need food. Our organisation is therefore bringing people together so that they can be connected to combat loneliness and social isolation because we need one another to survive and thrive. Therefore, we argue that our community’s social events and links are essential to our overall mental, physical, and general health well-being. We also believe it is crucial to understand how social isolation and loneliness are social determinant factors of the health affecting their quality of life and should not be ignored.
In our event, there were guest speakers, including Dennis Murray – Assistant Constable Police- Thames Valley, Cllr. Mike Kasibo, Cllr. Nana Oguntola, Lawyer Dr Annia Gombakomba, Roland Ayo Alade -Nigerian Community in Milton Keynes Chairperson (NCMK), Sally G. Kimondo – Founder of LDSKCF, NALA money Transfer officials- (C.K.), Eva Mbiru – Women’s Rep, Mohammed Choudhury – Chairperson of Bletchley Business Association Community Activist Director of Advance Property Ltd and other Multiple Company Director and among others.
We Educate
BAME Hub-UK Network provide quality training, workshops, seminars, social support, cultural exchange and educational programmes, community engagement activities and volunteering opportunities to UK BAME communities and young people in a safe, non-threatening environment that is conducive to
We Listen, We Care & We Act
BAME Hub-UK Network helps BAME vulnerable people with various social issues and with mental health difficulties. We reduce isolation and social exclusion by advancing social cohesion through community events and making referrals to community social groups.
BAME Hub-UK Network also assist vulnerable BAME communities who have been out of work for long period due to illness, disability or lack of education and qualifications with our ”’ BAME one step to work” initiative. This initiative helps
We Support Children & Youth
BAME Hub-UK Network Youth Programme aims to improve BAME
We Build Networks
We Build Networks A night with Miss 2021 England Rehema Muthamia
BAME Hub-UK Network is building a network of role models, business entrepreneurs, mentors, heroes in education, sport and art. We also provides a platform
Merseyside Police Students Insight Week with our young people
Our students were excited to attend police summer work placement with the Merseyside police force. They have a lot to tell about the police, and most importantly, their perception of the police has changed. According to them, their first activity with police was a presentation from the Roads Policing Input, which was very informative about the dangers of tactical pursuits and the techniques they use to ensure public safety is not compromised.
During the training, police presented different segments that make up the Matrix. To the s students’ surprise, Matrix consisted of more than Matrix patrol vans as some of the segments include Motorbike handlers, Organised Crime Groups disruption and Dog handlers, among others. They were also shown the equipment in Matrix patrol vans and some examples of incidents where the Matrix team deployed to maintain public order. Dog Section Input presentation included how the team handles dangerous dogs and the decision-making process involved in deciding the best decision for the animal and the public. Additionally, different types of dogs used by the police and the other training utilised. Lastly, one of the officers brought their police dog to the meeting room and allowed the student to interact with the dog and even pet her.
On the second day, the first activity was the Protective Training School Input which included Use of Force, Stop Search and the National Decision Making Model. This gave the trainees an understanding of police officers’ decision-making process when completing different job functions, such as arresting a suspect. The police constable stressed that preventing harm to members of the public was the top priority in decision-making and gave students some model examples that they use to reduce risk to the public. The second part of the Protective Training School Input was a practical session where students were separated into three groups with three police constables. The constables gave an overview on how to use handcuffs and batons before students were allowed to put handcuffs on each other and safely remove them. Moreover, students were given instructions on how much they could tighten the cuffs and the dangers of applying them in the wrong position as the individual could be seriously injured. Students were shown the correct method of applying force with the baton on a training mat and the benefits of using the technique they were taught.
In the end, they undertake Hydra Training exercises. To begin with, the presenter explained in more detail how police officers use the National Decision-Making model in the field. He continued by asking us different questions and our answers revealed each segment of another model called Code of Ethics. According to the students, this classroom-based activity was very engaging, and the trainees were able to have a laugh as the presenter used some volunteers to demonstrate how easy it can be for our decisions to be influenced by gut feelings. This activity surprised many of the trainees because they were influenced by their gut feeling when answering the questions, which prepared them for the next task. Hydra is a simulation used to train aspiring police officers by putting them in a controlled room with a camera and a microphone. They were asked to pick on two incidents to respond to and justify why. They split into three groups again and had a chance to experience Hydra by deciding to respond to 1 incident based on information and questions they could ask to gather more information. This time-constrained exercise created disagreements between groups, but all groups managed to pick one incident within the time limit. However, some groups decided within the last minute. After completing two separate simulations, they returned to the classroom, where the presenter revealed the appropriate incident students should have picked based on risk, age of the individual and mental health capacity, among others. They had a short question-and-answered session before leaving the Hydra Training Exercises.
On the third day was Crime Scene Investigation Input. Firstly, three police constables described how police radios are used and how many channels there are in Liverpool. Trainees asked a few questions regarding the radio and the constables were happy to answer each question as they continued with the demonstrations. Furthermore, three more police constables joined the trainees, became involved in the demonstration, and answered some of the questions asked. The police constables shared their experiences during a call-out and their shift patterns. Some trainees were interested in hearing their experiences as they considered joining the police force and wanted more details on overtime and how long the constables would stay at a crime scene while on duty.
The last activity trainees participated in was a role-playing exercise with the Investigation Unit, which started in the classroom. This exercise was conducted by six police constables who introduced themselves and gave us an overview of their kit and how they use the equipment to assist an arrest. Students took turns putting the police stab-proof vests on and a belt which held the handcuffs and other equipment used to detain a suspect who is aggressive towards the officer. They took the equipment off, wore some police jackets and were split into four groups, each given a radio and a call-out number. They headed to the training ground and had to deal with four different call-outs provided to them through the radio by a dispatcher. The four scenarios included 10-year-old boys kicking a football on some shop walls, a drunken man stumbling across the street, a report of someone who stole some cigarettes from a shop and a report that a 20-year-old man had been spotted dealing drugs in a park. Some instructions were provided on how to use the radio, and the decisions made by each team on how to handle the call-outs were different, with some groups choosing to arrest and others simply searching for the suspect and letting them go once nothing was found. The suspects did not make it easy for the teams as they conformed to their roles and made it challenging to detain or refuse to consent to a search. The teams handled the sudden changes in the suspects’ behaviours and resolved the report by either putting them in custody or advising them of the dangers of their choices. Each resolution was reported back to the dispatcher, who closed the report and gave each team a different call out until all teams had completed all four scenarios. They returned to the classroom for the debrief and a Q&A session with the constables.
Merseyside police Assistant Chief Constable Paul White presented certificate to our young people after five days student insight week program.
Colchester Life in the UK C.I.C director Rachel Njuguna invited BAME Executive committee and members to CYCLING FUN DAY WITH TEENAGERS event sponsored by Active Essex and supported by Cllr. Lorcan Whitehead councillor for New Town & Christ Church at Recreation Park.
Lawyer Dr. Annia Book Launch Event
On October 3rd, 2021. Amongst Mayor Lora Lawman, Councillor Graham Lawman, Ms. Alice Maina, Founder & CEO, and Brian Ngure Community Engagement Officer of the BAME Hub Network C.I.C proudly participated in the book launch hosted by the, I am Annia Publishing. The book was written by Annia Rudo Gombakomba, a lawyer, philanthropist, motivational speaker, and community activist. Her very first book is titled SUNFLOWER AND THORNS – A Collection of Poems of Life, where she explores the many meanings of life.
We have offered various volunteer opportunities to our community within our organisation to increase participation and improve employability across the UK. Recently, we partnered with Mind, Body and Soul (M.B.S.) organisation for summer police work placement with Merseyside Police Force. We have organised fun and recreational days for our members whereby families meet, socialise, and have fun. We have also participated in various community events invited by our partners in Colchester, Liverpool, London, Northamptonshire, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Northampton, Nottingham, Kenya etc.
— Our Vision To empower and equip BAME communities and their families with skills to be self-sufficient, that help them avoid pitfalls associated with lack of empowerment or lack of information. This will improve their social standing by being more cohesive, socially and economically productive within the British Society as they build their lives in the UK.
— Our Mission
To bridge the gap and improve communication between the UK mainstream and BAME communities.
— Our Objectives
·To advance social cohesion and inclusion by reducing isolation and social exclusion
·To advocate for equality, diversity and justice
·To improve access for marginalized BAME groups to social welfare such as legal advice regarding immigration and asylum, housing and financial support, healthcare and education
·To provide children & youth empowerment programmes
·To deliver mentorship, career development, nurturing talents, financial advice, recreational and juvenile justice programme
·To promote overall health and Mental health support programmes
·To create 3000 jobs across the UK through employment, internship, work placement and voluntary jobs
·To provide support and feeding programmes for vulnerable people e.g., asylum seekers, refugees, immigrants with little or no public recourse and people with mental health difficulties and homelessness.
·To offer international and cultural exchange programmes
·To improve cultural cohesion and understanding by fostering cooperation and collaboration within BAME communities and UK
— Our Story
We found that there are structural inequalities in health, education, crime, policing, and BAME experience post-migration living difficulties such as; racism, discrimination, hate crime, hostile immigration policies, cultural differences and language barriers, poor housing, lack of employment, poverty, etc. These factors may have directly or indirectly impacted the mental health and overall health well-being of BAME communities in one way or the other and are more likely to die from covid-19
I’m writing to say thank you for the support you have given to me and my family when I was stressed with Wycliffe incident. You took ur time to reassure and comfort me that all those bad storm will pass by and everything shall be normally again. I have never come a cross such a person like you with a kind heart , understanding and none judgemental. I want you to know that I appreciate all the those support you have given me and continuing to support me and my family from the bottom of my heart.
A Brighter Future — For BAME UK Communities Children
We empower disadvantaged BAME youth via community-based development work and participatory action research (PAR). We engage with the BAME young people through consultative workshops, seminars, youth conferences, community cohesion concerts and various interactive activities including charity fashion shows, music and arts concerts/festivals as well sports facilities to promote community cohesion.
