Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

BAME voluntary organisations led the way

By Harris Bokhari

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed some of the pressing racial inequalities in our society. BAME individuals have been over-represented; in Covid-19 related deaths; working in professions which put them at greater risk of contracting the virus; and in losing their livelihoods due to being on zero hour contracts. These discrepancies are the product of deep rooted racial inequalities which have plagued our society for a long time. The effects of these inequalities would be far worse, were it not for the inspiring BAME voluntary led organisations who work day in and day out to provide support to minorities.


Social inequalities have the capacity to generate tensions and friction in our society. Britain has seen this first hand over the last few years with the Brexit vote, where growing economic inequalities contributed to a growing sense of disenfranchisement with the status quo. In this context, the work that BAME charities do to foster greater inclusion and community cohesion is absolutely integral.

This week, the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS), which is also a part of the honours system and is the highest award given to volunteer led groups across the UK, highlighted the work of some of these exceptional organisations.

An excellent example is the South Essex Community Hub which offers key services and support to disenfranchised BAME communities, including developing digital skills, translation services, mental health support, in order to foster shared values and social inclusions.

One of the groups most vulnerable to social exclusion are refugees and asylum seekers. Through its free English Language school and supported housing projects, the Action Foundation, based in Tyne and Wear, empowers vulnerable asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants to overcome exclusion and poverty. Amidst the hostility to migrants expressed in the Brexit vote and the Windrush scandal, the work of the Action Foundation and other similar organisations, is a beacon of hope for those coming to this country to make a better life for themselves.

It is also important to remember the role that faith communities across the country play in building bridges and bringing diverse people together. The Northampton Siri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara and Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick, both Sikh places of worship, provide an innovative hub connecting communities and services to make a positive impact to people's lives from all faiths and none.

These organisations have been doing crucial work to build community cohesion in very difficult circumstances. A national honour is both a vindication of these efforts and an encouragement for the future. What’s more, honouring these groups can act as a way to heal wounds and provide recognition for communities that feel disenfranchised, in an increasingly fractious and polarised society.

The government sets out clear guidelines on how to nominate a voluntary group for the next round of QAVS.

Visit: https://www.gov.uk/queens-award-for-voluntary-service

Doing so is an important way to help the most valuable voluntary groups in the country get much deserved recognition and encouragement for their work. Nominations for the 2021 awards close on 25 September 2020, so nominate a group today.

More For You

Deep love for laughter

Pooja K

Deep love for laughter

Pooja K

MY JOURNEY with comedy has been deeply intertwined with personal growth, grief, and selfdiscovery. It stems from learning acceptance and gradually rebuilding the self-confidence I had completely lost over the last few years.

After the sudden and tragic loss of my father to Covid, I was overwhelmed with grief and depression. I had just finished recording a video for my YouTube channel when I received the devastating news. That video was part of a comedy series about how people were coping with lockdown in different ways.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK riots

Last summer’s riots demonstrated how misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric, ignited by a tiny minority of extremists, can lead to violence on our streets

Getty Images

‘Events in 2024 have shown that social cohesion cannot be an afterthought’

THE past year was marked by significant global events, and the death and devastation in Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan – with diplomatic efforts failing to achieve peace – have tested our values.

The involvement of major powers in proxy wars and rising social and economic inequalities have deepened divisions and prolonged suffering, with many losing belief in humanity. The rapid social and political shifts – home and abroad – will continue to challenge our values and resilience in 2025 and beyond.

Keep ReadingShow less
Values, inner apartheid, and diet

The author at Mandela-Gandhi Exhibition, Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, South Africa (December 2024)

Values, inner apartheid, and diet

Dr. Prabodh Mistry

In the UK, local governments have declared a Climate Emergency, but I struggle to see any tangible changes made to address it. Our daily routines remain unchanged, with roads and shops as crowded as ever, and life carrying on as normal with running water and continuous power in our homes. All comforts remain at our fingertips, and more are continually added. If anything, the increasing abundance of comfort is dulling our lives by disconnecting us from nature and meaningful living.

I have just spent a month in South Africa, visiting places where Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela lived, including the jails. They both fought against the Apartheid laws imposed by the white ruling community. However, no oppressor ever grants freedom to the oppressed unless the latter rises to challenge the status quo. This was true in South Africa, just as it was in India. Mahatma Gandhi united the people of India to resist British rule for many years, but it was the threat posed by the Indian army, returning from the Second World War and inspired by the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose, that ultimately won independence. In South Africa, the threat of violence led by Nelson Mandela officially ended Apartheid in April 1994, when Mandela was sworn in as the country’s first Black president.

Keep ReadingShow less
Singh and Carter were empathic
leaders as well as great humanists’

File photograph of former US president Jimmy Carter with Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, on October 27, 2006

Singh and Carter were empathic leaders as well as great humanists’

Dinesh Sharma

THE world lost two remarkable leaders last month – the 13th prime minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, (September 26, 1932-December 26, 2024).and the 39th president of the US, Jimmy Carter (October 1, 1924-December 29, 2024).

We are all mourning their loss in our hearts and minds. Certainly, those of us who still see the world through John Lennon’s rose-coloured glasses will know this marks the end of an era in global politics. Imagine all the people; /Livin’ life in peace; /You may say I’m a dreamer; / But I’m not the only one; /I hope someday you’ll join us;/ And the world will be as one (Imagine, John Lennon, 1971) Both Singh and Carter were authentic leaders and great humanists. While Carter was left of Singh in policy, they were both liberals – Singh was a centrist technocrat with policies that uplifted the poor. They were good and decent human beings, because they upheld a view of human nature that is essentially good, civil, and always thinking of others even in the middle of bitter political rivalries, qualities we need in leaders today as our world seems increasingly fractious, self-absorbed and devolving. Experts claim authentic leadership is driven by:

Keep ReadingShow less
Why this was the year of governing anxiously

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer at the state opening of parliament in July after Labour won the general elections by a landslide

Why this was the year of governing anxiously

THIS year was literally one of two halves in the British government.

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer each had six months in Downing Street, give or take a handful of days in July. Yet this was the year of governing anxiously.

Keep ReadingShow less