96 UK Young People Meet for Tolerance and Peace

"They (Encompass) need to take a step back and really appreciate and respect what they're doing, because they really are doing amazing work and I feel like their workshops and discussions are again unique and they should never move away from that. It's made a positive change in my life, it's also made a positive impact with the young people who've gone on the programme, not just in their education, in everything they've done." Selma, youth worker.

Above is a quote from Selma, a youth worker who has worked with Encompass and sent some of the young people she works with on an Encompass Same Difference programme. Its through partnerships with organisations such as these that we aim to recruit the best participants for our programmes - eg young people that will benefit most.

Encompass has been running UK Same Difference Programmes for a number of years, and they have been a great success. Same Difference combines skills workshops with life-changing training that enhances young peoples prospects. We aim to tackle the factors that lead to race and religious hate crime. To date we've run Same Difference programmes with diverse communities in London, Slough, Bristol and Manchester.

So what's happening at the moment?

Project planning

At the moment we are planning the next phase of these programmes. Programme Development Officer, Sahdia Khan, who has been managing the Same Difference programmes since 2013, said "Same Difference is all about the ability to engage young people and engage partner projects...to foster cohesion and diversity, and interfaith community and ownership; if we're able to do that with organisations and young people, that's what we want to achieve." 

To date Same Difference has combined workshops that challenge themes around identity, community and stereotype, but we are currently looking at ways that we can enhance the follow up work. We want to be able to provide young people with real opportunities, apprenticeships and training that will enhance their employability chances. We already do this to an extent, but really want to expand on it and make Same Difference one of the most comprehensive programmes out there.

Building partnerships

We are currently in talks with youth projects in some of the most socially tense areas in the UK. It is through these partnerships that we recruit the best participants for the programme. We are aiming to run programmes in Bradford, Luton, Manchester, Birmingham and London. For many years we have been working with Active Change Foundation In Walthamstow, London; Aik Saath in Slough, Buckinghamshire and Salmon Youth Centre in Bermondsey, London. In order for the programmes to be successful and achieve our aims, we require a good mix of young people from diverse communities, religions and cultures.

Fundraising  

Of course projects need money to happen. We've been really busy applying to Trusts in the UK in the hope that some will fund the next phase of Same Difference programmes. Please keep your fingers crossed that we can get the funding required to kick start a new round of programmes shortly!

Thank you.

For the last three years the Encompass 'Same Difference' programme has been bringing together young people from diverse communities, cultures and religions. This unique two-day programme combines workshops on identity, stereotype and community with confidence and team building activities.

Since 2012 we have run nine UK programmes at youth centres in London, Slough, Berkshire, Bristol and Manchester. Around 24 young people have taken part each time.

The aims of the programme is to equip young people with tools that enable them to understand one another’s communities better and to work together to build intercommunity projects and networks based on mutual cooperation and trust. Outcomes are judged on the following criterias:

Young people from marginalised groups:

• Have more self-confidence
• Have more prospects
• Have a stronger voice
• Are more connected with mainstream society
• Are interacting more with different communities, cultures and religions
• Are becoming involved in interfaith and inter-community tolerance building activities
• Are less vulnerable to radical influences from within their communities and externally

Why do we believe this programme is so important?

Encompass believes that by offering marginalised young people a voice, prospects, and by challenging negative views that they may hold about themselves and others, we can bring them in to the mainstream of society, act as an early intervention against radicalisation/hate crime and essentially give them hope. With a rise in race and religious hate crime, radicalisation and recruitment, the need for this work is even more important.

Same Difference really works

Jalnum felt that the way she interacted with people from other backgrounds, religions and cultures had changed as a result of participating in the Same Difference programme. In particular she felt that the programme impacted on her view of community.

"I interact more now with people from different backgrounds...I volunteer...and the open day was to interact with the wider community and invite like whether you're Muslim, or you're Christian, or you're Jewish, or Atheist or Agnostic, or whatever you are, just to come and see and interact with each other and understand that what we all have in common is that we're human and we want what's best for humanity."

In order to recruit young people from such diverse communities on to our programmes we need the help of like-minded youth organisations. It's through their knowledge of their communities that we can gain goood insight in to who would benefit from our programmes. We really value youth workers input.

“I’m pretty sure they said they liked the debate, ‘Where Do You Stand?’; I think that was a debate they really enjoyed…the thing with that workshop is it makes it a neutral ground…from working with young people for quite a while I know that sometimes they can’t really voice their opinions. One, because they don’t really feel they have a voice that counts, and two they feel like there isn’t a safe space for them to share their opinions without being judged and that’s why I think they really enjoyed it because they did emphasise that part.” Youth worker

Same Difference has now come to an end, but the work has really only just started! Due to an ever increasing need, please welcome Same Difference 2! (working title). We have streamlined Same Difference 1 and made it even stronger thanks to the result of careful monitoring and evaluation. We feel that there is real need to take this programme to young people in some of the most muti-cultural yet divided communities in the UK. Look out Luton, Birmingham, Bradford, Lincolnshire, London. Same Difference 2 in coming your way!

Please support our project. It is really vital that we tackle the cause of hatred and mistrust between communities and who better to work with than the next generation.