‘Black and Ethnic Minority Voices in Shaping Post-Brexit NI’

2017 Stronger Together Annual Conference

23rd February 2017

The Junction, Dungannon

Funded by

Overview of the Stronger Together Network

The Stronger Together network began as an informal network of organisations who work

predominately with culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The key outcome of the

group was increased sharing of information and identification of partnership opportunities.

In 2012, the Network successfully applied for funding to allow the network to become more

formalised and structured. There are currently over 180 members representing BME

Organisations and Groups, BME individuals, Community Sector, Volunteer Sector and Public

Service Sector.

The three key aims are to:

• Share information and knowledge

• Provide a useful and central shared resource to connect service providers

within the sector

• Identify new opportunities for partnership and innovation

This is being done through a number of media including:

• The ongoing development of the website for the service providers to allow

easy access to region specific information about upcoming events, new

research, best practise resources and programs, funding opportunities ad

policy information.

• Annual conference providing workshops and presentations on themes specific

to the sector

• Weekly e-alerts including (but not limited to) information from members

about local events, program updates, call for support and professional

development opportunities.

• Quarterly professional development seminars and workshops for members on

topics identified as relevant to the sector.

Conference Theme & Purpose

The conference theme for 2017 was ‘Black and Minority Ethnic Voices in Shaping a Post-

Brexit Northern Ireland’. As the result of the last year’s referendum had slowly sunken in and

leaving the EU is imminent, Stronger Together wished to explore what Brexit means for our

sector and what are the priorities and focal points that need to be brought forward in the

negotiations to ensure the best possible outcome for BME communities in Northern Ireland.

As in previous years we wanted to make the event engaging and interactive and encourage a

positive debate about what ‘Brexit means’ and entails. As we wanted the focus of key note

speeches to be positive, challenging and motivating it was essential that the right speakers

were identified. Network Support Worker and Consortium members provided a number of

suggestions and a shortlist of potential speakers and contacts was drafted.

Participants

91 people registered to attend the conference, with 68 delegates attending. A number of

apologies were sent on the day due to adverse weather conditions. Delegates represented

Black and Minority Ethnic organizations, statutory bodies as well as community and voluntary

organizations and individuals.

Report Contents (Click to navigate)

• Agenda

• Plenary presentations

• Keynote address

• Workshops

• Showcase

• Closing remarks

• Evaluation

Agenda

BME Voices in Shaping Post-Brexit Northern Ireland

10:00am-10:20am Registration

10:20am-10:30am Welcome

Ola Sobieraj ST

Chair Lyn Moffet BCRC

10:30am-11.00am

11.00am– 11.30am

Prof. Colin Harvey

QUB School of Law &

Human Rights Centre

John-Paul Ennis

UNDIVIDED Campaign

11.30am -11.45am Comfort break

11:45am-12.15am Omar Khan

Director, Runnymede Trust

Q & A session

12:15pm-1:15pm Breakout session 1

Possible post-Brexit

scenarios for cross-border

workers

Annmarie O’Kane CCBS

Active Civic Engagement

Bernadette McAliskey STEP

Together Building

Positive Relations post-

Brexit

TEO

1:15pm-2:15pm Lunch

2.15pm – 2.30pm Introduction to Breakout

sessions – EU citizen

perspective

Ola Sobieraj ST

2:30pm-3.30pm Breakout session 2

Building Resilience in Times

Of Uncertainty

Dr Chamindra

Weerawardhana, Black

Lives Matter

Securing EU Citizens status

in the UK – do’s & don’ts

Shauna Carberry, STEP

Immigration Advice

Moving On – Best

Outcomes for Young

People

UNDIVIDED CAMPAIGN

3:30pm -3:45pm Arts Project Showcase

ROSINKA Choir

3.45pm- 4.00pm Closing Remarks

Plenary Presentations

Ola Sobieraj, Stronger Together Network Support Worker welcomed everyone, thanked

them for attending and provided a brief overview of the theme and proceedings for the day.

She also encouraged delegates to use their social media channels to live tweet the event

and pointed out that a live stream of the plenary session was available to follow online. She

then introduced Lyn Moffet from Building Communities Resource Centre as the Chair of the

conference.

Lyn proceeded with a short opening address outlining the hopes and expectations for the

day and introduced the speakers.

Brexit in the Context of Human Rights

Prof. Colin Harvey QUB School of Law, Human Rights Centre

Summary of Professor Colin Harvey’s presentation

Colin Harvey is a Professor of Human Rights Law in the School of Law, Queen’s University

Belfast. He has served in several leadership and management roles at Queen’s including: Head

of the Law School; Director of the Human Rights Centre; Director of Research (Human Rights);

and as a member of Senate.

Prof Harvey outlined the current context of the post-Brexit human rights debate, and then

proceeded to address the question of ways forward. In terms of context, he noted that human

rights were in crisis globally and that there is currently a sustained attack on the concept and

the practice of human rights. This is further compounded by resistance to the very idea of

accountability.

In the context of Brexit and NI, much was being said about borders and not that much about

the potential impact on people, for example, the rise in racism, xenophobia and racial

profiling. The consequences for social and economic justice were often neglected too and the

current climate is one of deep antipathy towards the concept of social and economic rights;

rights that everybody should have. It is essential to build coalitions in this difficult climate and

find common ways forward in support of human rights.

On this, Prof Harvey stressed: ‘We are all a bit too polite when it comes to human rights and

equality. We need to be organized, we need to be stronger together, we need to shift the

debate onto implementation and enforcement. In relation to human rights and equality,

there is a real risk in this society that a really corrosive, patronising and condescending

narrative about good relations and community relations buries human rights and equality

promises.’

Prof Harvey urged the audience to shift the debate onto full and effective implementation,

and to use the range of legal and policy tools already available to enforce human rights and

equality. He noted some positive signs, such as the fact that the Bill of Rights and Charter of

rights were once again being considered, as well as the idea of comprehensive equality

legislation. He also argued that had all the promises of the Good Friday Agreement been

delivered by now, we might be in a slightly better place in facing the current post-Brexit

human rights and equality dilemmas.

In terms of Brexit, Colin expressed profound concern that EU citizens’ lives and rights are

being used as bargaining chips, and that the UK and NI will find it hard to keep pace with, for

example, EU equality law developments on leaving. Another worry is that whilst NI/ROI/UK

relationships and EU citizens’ rights are vital in the post-Brexit order, it is possible that special

deals will be reached to secure rights in these contexts that might not necessarily cover

everybody, and, for example, immigration and asylum law could become even more

oppressive for everyone else. He underlined the risk that immigration and asylum law and

policy on these islands could eventually be led by the increasingly repressive approach at

Westminster. That should be allowed to happen and that is why an inclusive culture of respect

for human rights remains so important. Human rights keep everyone on the agenda, and that

is why it is vital to push for their full and effective implementation by maximising what already

exists and revisiting unfinished elements of past agreements that still need to be delivered.

We Are Undivided Campaign

John-Paul Ennis, Co-founder

John-Paul is a politics student and activist from London. He co-founded WeAreUndivided

Campaign which arose from young people’s dissatisfaction with the result of the Brexit vote

and the misinformation leading up to it. The youth voice was neglected from the debates

leading up to the EU referendum. So a three-day hackathon was organised, gathering over 60

young people from different backgrounds to show their voice and think of a way forward. In

the room were Leave voters, Remain voters, those who chose not to vote and those who

couldn’t vote. They were united by a desire to change politics as we know it and give all young

people a chance to be heard. Undivided launched nationally on 26th October 2016 as the UK’s

first youth-led campaign to demand the best possible Brexit deal for young people was

designed as a PR campaign to reach as many people aged 13 to 29 as possible across the UK.

It had a huge momentum and by Feb 2017 the potential estimated reach was 4.4 million

young people as opposed to one million it had envisaged.

The aim of the campaign is to move forward from the leave vs remain divide and together

campaign for best outcomes in the new reality. The main demands that emerged were (click

on links):

Keep our NHS free for those who need it

Ensure safeguards are in place for the NHS, particularly mental health services

Give young people the resources and education to make informed decisions

Don't go for quick fixes - take a long term approach and think about future generations

Guarantee the right of NHS workers who are EU citizens to remain in the UK

Protect human rights and employment laws protecting workers

Continue science funding and scientific collaboration with the EU so that the UK remains a

leader in research

Ensure that the next generation of young people are not worse off as a result of Britain

leaving the EU

Tackle the housing crisis to reduce the cost of living

John-Paul also stressed that as a result of the campaign and All Party Parliamentary Group on

Young People was established and it was hoped it would take some of the demands of the

campaign forward. He enthused the audience greatly by saying that there was a need for a

revolution in youthwork and UNDIVIDED provided a great model of working with young

people and also a proof that young people do want to engage and have a very strong voice

that should be well informed and put to good use. The audience were in awe at the vast reach

the campaign had in the UK and many were very keen for it to expand to Northern Ireland

and also impressed with UNDIVIDED as a model to use for other purposes.

Key Note Address

Dr Omar Khan, Director at Runnymede Trust

Omar Khan is a director at Runnymede Trust.

Prior to this he was Runnymede's Head of

Policy and led the financial

inclusion programme. Omar is a Governor at

the University of East London and a 2012 Clore

Social Leadership Fellow. Runnymede Trust is a

think tank established in 1968 with a main aim

‘to nail the lie on racism’ and according to

Omar, there is still a lot of work to be done on

that, especially in the current era of post-truths.

Dr Khan stressed that Brexit, like everything

else, presents both challenges and

opportunities. The fallout from the pre-

referendum misinformation indicates a

definitive need for reliable information, facts

and accessible research. It is positive that BME

data collecting initiative was launched recently

and it is important that NI government engages

with it.

Brexit also offers an opportunity for various ethnic groups to work better together in the face

of common challenges such as increasing hate crime and lack of opportunities in the labour

market. Following the vote, links appeared between communities, which were not there

before. Omar pointed that another opportunity stems from the fact that politicians are now

more vulnerable to civic society pressure, therefore it was vital that civic society is encouraged

and supported in activism.

Brexit vote and a rhetoric of ‘getting our country back’ bring to the forefront an important

question for the UK:

‘Who are we as a country?’

Dr Khan stated that he thought the UK never truly had a strong bond with the EU and its

values and it could be argued that joining the EU was a way for the UK to avoid ‘having to

come to terms with its post-colonial and post-imperial identity’. This in turn, offers an

opportunity to reflect on British past and acknowledge, and highlight the fact that migration

has always been part of British history.

In conclusion, Dr Khan spoke passionately about our responsibility to ascertain that post-

Brexit UK is aligned with the democratic, liberal and socially progressive set of values

represented traditionally in Europe rather than the ethno-nationalist exclusion trends.

Moreover, regardless of Brexit, the issues of inequalities and racial injustice still need to be

addressed. Migration is not going to end when UK leaves the EU and in societies which are

already divided it is considerably harder for migrants or minorities to integrate which is more

of a reason to stand up for rights and equality.

‘We need to be a bit bolder in saying who we are and what we stand for –

social justice and racial justice - and cannot allow the Brexit movement to be

taken over by the other side’

Workshops

Delegates were able to choose two workshops from a choice of six made available. These

workshops were delivered across two parallel sessions, one before lunch and another in the

afternoon. The workshops were designed to give delegates a choice of attending a workshop

style, information sharing or conversational based sessions.

1. Possible post-Brexit scenarios for cross-border workers, Anne-Marie O’Kane -

Centre for Cross-Border Studies

Annmarie O’Kane of Centre for Cross-Border Studies briefly outlined the technical aspects of

the process of leaving the EU and presented a number of possible scenarios based on already

existing arrangements between other countries and EU and compared them in terms of rights

of entry, rights of residence, rights to access the labour market, rights to do business and

provide services, social security rights, voting rights, rights to non-discrimination, consumer

protection and access to EU institutions. Participants were staggered by the numbers of

people affected - 3 million EU citizens living in the UK and over

1 million British citizens living across the EU. There are also approx. 24,000 – 30,000 cross-

border workers the island of Ireland.

It was discussed that people must be confident of their rights and entitlements, especially

when they have employment across borders. The group then discusses their main concerns

and crucial matters to decide:

• How / Where will border be managed?

• Practical implications facing people eg. point of entry, work, Social Security

Arrangements, access to education, healthcare providers, accommodation providers

• Need for regulated and accessible provision of immigration advice (STEP dealt with

250 cases last quarter)

• Access to reliable and clear information preferably in a number of languages

• 17 - 21 age group – young population who need to get their documentation in place

now before Brexit happens

In the final part of the workshop a number of points were made on how people can prepare

for Brexit such as: organize themselves, retain documentation, secure their immigration

status as soon as possible, publish information on websites. The group agreed that

dissemination of reliable information is crucial and whereas there is a lot of ‘unknowns’, there

are some ’knowns’ and those should be published widely so people are better informed.

2. Active Civic Engagement, Bernadette McAliskey - STEP

Bernadette led a challenging workshop exploring what people can do individually and

collectively on daily basis to effect change and make communities more welcoming and

cohesive.

Beyond 9 to 5 activism

It was stressed that especially in the community and voluntary sector activism should not be

limited to one’s work-related activity and should go beyond 9 to 5. A range of simple and

effective ways of getting involved in everyday activism on a personal level were discussed

such as pickets, hashtags, chants, tea, sit-ins, stand offs organized to express views and simple

greetings as a way of making individuals feel welcome. Activism means commitment to your

actions and empowerment of diverse.

Reaction

1. ‘Speaking truth to power’

2. Holding Power to account

3. Changing balance of

power

Participation

Encourage registration to vote:

join local tenant group, your

political group, social group,

parent teacher org, football

3. Together Building Positive Relations – T:BUC (Together: Building a United

Community) Overview, Grainne Killen (Director, Good Relations & T:BUC)

This breakout session provided a comprehensive overview of the T:BUC Strategy which is The

Executive’s strategic framework for improving good relations. Grainne explained that the

strategy sets out a vision for a better future where everyone can live, learn, work and socialise

together. Its main aims are to:

o improve attitudes amongst our young people;

o create a society where division does not restrict life choices & where these choices are

inhibited due to fears of safety;

o create a community which is strengthened by its diversity.

Grainne highlighted how all of the T:BUC strands are inter-linked with various projects

complementing one another. She also emphasised how consultation and co-design has been

a key component of success to date and how this has to be ongoing.

Grainne proceeded to explain how the strategy is being implemented and cited good practice

examples which could be replicated in building positive relations, not only across the

traditional divides, but also to alleviate division in all areas of society.

4. Building Resilience in Times Of Uncertainty, Dr Chamindra Weerawardhana -

Black Lives Matter

This workshop gave participants an opportunity to find out about the Black Lives Matter

movement, its origins, aims and ways of operating as well as awareness of its Belfast branch.

Participants were surprised to hear that the movement was founded by three black women:

Alicia Garcia, Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi and managed by cis and trans women and non-

heteronormative people.

Dr. Weerawardhana explained that the movement aimed to prioritise and support those who

have been marginalized in black liberation movements and experienced intersectional ie.

interdependent, overlapping systems of discrimination and disadvantage. The group then

discussed how present day Brexit-related uncertainty and increase in racism and hate crime

impacted on BME communities and what tools

and mechanisms could be implemented to

address that. The key points noted as helpful

in building resilience in times of uncertainty

were

• Intersectional dialogues

• Enhancing the understanding of

representation

• Challenging prejudices

• Invitation for un-learning of unhelpful

bias

5. Securing EU Citizens status in the UK – do’s & don’ts, Shauna Carberry – STEP

Since the Brexit vote STEP has noted a huge hike in

immigration advice demand. Only in the last quarter the

service responded to 250 queries.

Shauna Carberry outlined a number of case studies and

on their basis facilitated the discussion regarding

available pathways to secure EU citizens’ status in the UK

as well as potential barriers, pitfalls and challenges. The

discussion was very animated and highlighted the need

for:

1. Regulated and registered immigration advice services provision as it is a Criminal offence

S91 IAA 1999 to provide Immigration Advice if not regulated with punishable with up to

6 months in prison and/or a fine if convicted by a Magistrate Court and up to 2 years in

prison and/or fine if Conviction on Indictment at Crown Court. OISC proactive in pursing

unregulated advisors.

2. Awareness of who can provide immigration advice: Solicitor/Barrister regulated by Law

Society E & W and Law Society NI; Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB ); OISC registered

Immigration Advisor

3. Immigration advice training

4. Funding for immigration advice and training

5. Accessing holistic immigration and family legal advice

6. Dissemination of accurate and accessible information to BME communities, employers,

schools, banks etc.

7. EU citizens to act quickly to secure their status

8. Compiling evidence of lawful residence in NI in order to successfully apply for Permanent

Residence and document entitlement ie. retaining as

many of the following documents as possible:

Passport/ID (current and valid), Current Residence

card/visa if applicable, WRS if relevant, Birth

Cert/Marriage Certificate (Translated to English), Letters

from Employers (Start/End dates), bank statements,

P60s, letters from school/GP for children, proof of

benefits – JSA,ESA, Tax Credits, Child Benefit, Evidence

of Grant/Comprehensive Sickness Cover for students,

proof of residence

9. Streamlining and possible interventions with banks and

other institutions regarding fees for issuing

documentation needed for substantiating immigration

applications

6. Moving On – best outcomes for young people, John-Paul Ennis - UNDIVIDED

CAMPAIGN

John-Paul facilitated a discussion regarding the

best possible outcomes for young people based on

the demands gathered by UNDIVIDED campaign

and teased out whether the group thought those

demands would be similar in Northern Ireland. It

became apparent that UK wide goals would also

apply in Northern Ireland with a stronger emphasis

on better information and better education

opportunities. NI specific issues relating to

sectarian divisions, integrated education and

NI/ROI cross-border relationship were also

mentioned.

The group also explored how the UNDIVIDED PR

campaign model could be used as a tool or a

platform for young people or any other interest

group in Northern Ireland to have their vice heard and show their level of interest and civic

engagement.

Intercultural Arts Project Showcase - ROSINKA Choir

After the workshops the delegates were treated to a beautiful fusion performance by

ROSINKA choir.

'Rosinka is a local choir formed in 2014 and includes 13 core members from different

countries where Russian used to be an official language: Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Latvia,

Estonia and Poland. They perform a-cappella songs in Russian, Ukrainian, English, Belorussian,

folk and classical, under the musical direction of local Bulgarian professional musician Veselka

Ivanova.

Their aim is to represent culture and traditions of the Russian speaking countries to local

communities and support a positive image of these nations via music and singing. We are

passionate about our heritage and proud to share it with everyone.

The choir formed in 2014 and recently supported by Artsekta is going from strength to

strength and performs at various events and intercultural projects.

Closing remarks

Ivy Ridge from Interethnic Forum thanked all for

their attendance, participation and contributions

and summarised the main messages delivered by

the guest speakers. She said she could not agree

more with Prof Harvey’s strong comments about

the ‘patronising, corrosive and condescending

tone of the good relations debate’ undermining

the human rights agenda and felt encouraged to

be ‘less polite’ in shifting the debate to

implementation. She felt enthused by the scale of

the UNDIVIDED campaign and by the momentum

which this grass root young people’s campaign

gained. Ivy quoted Dr Khan in saying ‘we need to

be bolder’ making our voices heard and concluded

with saying that she felt the conference was a very

positive and energising event and will give the

sector the motivation to tackle the challenges and

embrace the opportunities offered by Brexit in the

coming year.

Evaluation

48 out of 68 people who attended completed the evaluation forms. This is feedback from

70%.

100% felt that the event was useful for themselves or their organisation, 79% the

conference speakers and content as excellent and 21% as good. There were a small number

of critical comments concerning lack of hard copies of the presentations and workshop

content in the packs, insufficient time for breakout sessions and technical glitches. They

were however overwhelmingly outnumbered by positive feedback.

Some feedback from delegates included:

• Great to hear about UNDIVIDED, will use this as an example of what can happen

here

• Great to hear about the origins of Black Lives Matter, will be following them closely

now

• Thank you for a wonderful conference, this was knowledgeable in a number of issues

and gave an excellent opportunity to network and get an idea of what is happening

across NI and further afield

• This is the best conference I’ve been in the past 10 years in Northern Ireland. Very

high quality of speakers and facilitators.

• Handouts would have been better of key points of sessions

• Excellent conference, extremely informative

• Very timely conference, really succeeded in making a constructive contribution to

the post-Brexit debate

• This conference exceeded my expectations. I felt inspired, motivated & challenged

by the guest speakers and the workshops

• The workshops were great, just not

long enough.

• Excellent facilities, refreshments,

speakers - informative and relevant

• Excellent theme and really helpful

and inspirational thinking. Excellent

focus on fundamental rights.

• Breakout sessions needed more time;

it would have been good to have

speakers’ presentations in the folder

• Speaker John-Paul – voice of young

people re Brexit! Fantastic idea!

Additional Comments:

• Positive atmosphere despite the difficult issues we are discussing and the enormity

of the job that is facing you

• Great conference, everyone very helpful, friendly and inclusive to all

• This was an excellent and worthwhile conference. Thank you. Lots of contacts made,

issues covered…

• I have definitely learnt lots of new things and have new contacts to network with

and help expand UNDIVIDED

• As a collective voice we in Stronger Together should put our voice forward to

ministers and make sure our views and voices are heard and evidences proved

• Refocusing on human rights and personal activism

• Great conversation, great learning, great conference. Well done to Ola for all her

hard work. This conference highlighted the challenging times we are facing, but also

opportunity for action.

• Excellent presentations from key speakers in the morning esp prof. Harvey and Omar

Khan. Very informative workshop on immigration advice.

• Excellent event! Congratulations to all involved. A great mix of thought provoking

material and really practical information. Great networking opportunity and lots to

follow up on – thanks STEP and PHA.

Suggestions from delegates regarding future events and training needs

• Creativity & the arts

• Would be interested in doing

partnership work to deliver

potential info to BME families in

Armagh as there are poor

support services

• Network events around pre-

Brexit lobbying (possible BME

platform?)

• Race awareness, Brexit, Racism&

sectarianism

• List of immigration regulated advisers & private lawyers who are registered? Is it

available in OISC.

• Beautiful Russian choir

• Invite leaders of BME organisations within NI to talk about how the BME

communities are feeling and experiencing as a main presentation rather than

breakout session

Contact Stronger Together

Ola Sobieraj, Stronger Together Network Support Worker

Tel: 028 877 50211 Email: info@strongertogetherni.org Web: www.strongertogetherni.org