The Cultural Awareness Project

The Cultural Awareness Project vision for Tendring

Encouraging and Integrating Belonging Across Cultures.

The Cultural Awareness Project has two workstreams: one focusing inwardly and one focusing outwardly. This is to ensure that we start the processes with our ethnic community and embed the right approach and attitude within our organisation to ensure this project is sustainable.

We look to bring diverse ethnic community members to access community services and health services and build bridges across Tendring to strengthen community bonds and ensure tolerance, better health and support for every individual and every community.

Aim of the Cultural Awareness Team

The Cultural Awareness Team’s aim is to assist and support multicultural and ethnically diverse members of our Tendring community. We do this by identifying where services for our minority group community members are lacking. We are always looking for opportunities where we can co-produce activities that enhance their wellbeing and celebrate their diverse ethnic backgrounds. We can offer:

English as a Secondary Language ESL
Volunteer Buddy Service, subject to eligibility
A safe space for a group to meet
Support for groups to establish themself as associations or community groups
Funding support for groups
Volunteering roles to develop employability skills
Culturally sensitive social prescribing services
Facilitating and enabling transport

Meeting diverse needs

The Cultural Awareness Project to meet the needs of the diverse identities which make up our community, we cover all ethnicities, cultures and religions. We will be reviewing existing services to ensure better inclusion and engagement with members of these diverse communities. We hope to promote cultural awareness and improve mental and physical health, as well as providing support, information and advice for all ages.

What’s On?

We are currently looking for participants with life experience to join our groups and forums where we can discuss the disproportional health inequalities that people from Black African/Caribbean and Asian and all ethnic backgrounds have faced and currently face. These are some of the groups where we would welcome involvement:

Multicultural Health and Wellbeing Steering Forum
Black Men’s Health and Positive Life Choices
Your Maternity Journey
Hate Crime Awareness
My Diabetes Plan – Ask me Anything
Minorities in Business (MiB) Tendring

If you would like to get involved, please call CVST at 01255 425692 or email us at cultural@cvstendring.org.uk.

Events

South Asian History Month – August 2022

Multicultural Festival – September 2022

Black History Month – October 2022

The Goals of The Cultural Awareness Project

BUILDING INTEGRATED COMMUNITIES

For us to understand the lived experience and the impact of this on an individual’s health and life chances we are continuing to start conversations with community groups, charities, businesses and individuals.

REDUCING INEQUALITY

We are always working with local community groups and individuals when possible in offering any support they require.

Engagement with VCS and Health Leaders

With the work that the project is doing we are beginning to receive high levels of interest in the new focus on this area in Tendring to understand the health cultural needs of our community. We are collaborating with VCS charities, NHS focus groups and Band Foundations.

Self Care Activities Promoted

Understanding pathways to better health through exercise, diet and practicing healthy lifestyles.

Health Awareness Activities

We pride ourselves in offering an ear for all individuals and families to listen, consult and feedback health issues and work with finding ways on how to resolve these.

We offer many focus groups and forums which enables us to look into specific areas in the hope for a more effective outcome. The groups we have available are:

Multicultural Health and Wellbeing Steering Forum
Black Men’s Health and Positive Life Choices
Your Maternity Journey
Hate Crime Awareness
My Diabetes Plan – Ask me Anything
Minorities in Business (MiB) Tendring

Building Stronger More Inclusive Communities

The aim of the project is to raise the issues faced by diverse communities and to ensure pathways of support are built alongside the community, and there is clear integration across cultures. Including the voices of cultural communities and having inclusive and enlightened dialogue that builds trust