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The Phoenix Way Introduction Soon to be updated. Interested in Phoenix Way? For more information about Ageing Well contact: directors@bridgingchange.co.uk

Contact Us Thanks for submitting! Submit Contact details: For Ageing Well: community@bridgingchange.co.uk For Climate for Communities: projects@bridgingchange.co.uk For CVG: hello@bridgingchange.co.uk For Infrastructure: development@bridgingchange.co.uk For Phoenix Way: directors@bridgingchange.co.uk For UK; Rooted in Wellbeing: riw@bridgingchange.co.uk 01273 234808/ 07395314944 For Phoenix Way: directors@bridgingchange.co.uk For any other queries : directors@bridgingchange.co.uk

Podcasts Talk In Equality (Transcipts down below) Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan and Lillian Ndawula (Ethnic Minorities in Canterbury) explore, with guests, the role of research in addressing health inequalities experienced by minoritised ethnic groups. This series is funded by NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex and supported by the Research Design Service Southeast and Clinical Research Network Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. Episode 1: What do community development organisations think? In this episode, guest host Dr Gary Hickey from Agora Digital Centre at University of Southampton, quizzes Dr Anusree Biswas Sasidharan from Bridging Change, Lillian Ndawula from Ethnic Minorities in Canterbury and Patrick Nyikavaranda from Diversity Resource International. He asks them about their perceptions and experiences of health inequalities experienced by ethnic minority communities and their hopes for increasing the representation of people from ethnic minorities in both the participation and involvement in research. Click below to listen. Episode 3: A perspective from the Health Research Authority In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Dr Matt Westmore, Chief Executive at Health Research Authority. They quiz Matt about the steps taken by the Health Research Authority to increase representation in research and the important role that community organisations can play. Click below to listen. Episode 5: A researcher's perspective In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Dr Ibidun Fakoya, Senior Research Fellow at King’s College London. Ibi shares her experiences of undertaking research with people from ethnic minority communities, emphasizing the importance of developing relationships and the need to take a holistic approach to research rather than focusing on a single illness or condition. Click below to listen. Episode 2: What do funders think? A perspective from the National Institute for Health and Care Research In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Jeremy Taylor OBE, Director of Public Voice at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Jeremy talks about the work the NIHR is doing to increase representation in research from people from ethnic minorities and the importance of engaging with communities and developing trust. Click below to listen. Episode 4: A perspective from the Academy of Medical Sciences In this episode, Anusree and Lillian speak to Simon Denegri OBE, Executive Director at The Academy of Medical Sciences. Simon speaks not only about what The Academy of Medical Sciences is doing to promote the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda, but also developments in other countries. Click below to listen. Episode 6: Reflections In this final episode, Gary Hickey (Agora Digital Centre at University of Southampton) returns as a guest host to ask Anusree, Lillian and Patrick to reflect on their podcast journey, what still concerns them and what positives they can take from the guests they have spoken to. Click below to listen. Transcripts Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6

Ageing Well Introduction A warm, welcoming multicultural space for those over 50, promoting healthy and informed ageing. Interested in Ageing Well? For more information about Ageing Well contact: community@bridgingchange.co.uk

BME Infrastructure The report from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities has been deeply disappointing. This report after reflecting on the impact of education, community, health (including COVID-19), employment, crime and policing on minoritised ethnic people concluded that institutional racism does not exist. Bridging Change strongly disagrees with the validity of the findings, its conclusions and the "changing the narrative" motivation which has sought to undermine the experience of racism of minoritised ethnic people in Britain. Whilst reading the report we have chosen not to make a detailed response at this time, as the problematic framing of issues in the report are too extensive to broach here. However, this response will draw on a few of the report's findings. In every area the Commission examined disparity, they constructed imaginative ways to excuse racial or ethnic disparity, suggesting instead that they were due to factors such as: . . . living in a densely populated inner-city area, socio-demographic characteristics (deprivation and occupation) living in larger and multi-generational households. The report also blames poorer outcomes for Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic people with: poor and/or lone parenting; co-morbidities; counting methods or simply not liking the numbers. The report, for example, describes stop and search figures from Devon (where there are lower numbers of Black and Asian minoritised ethnic people, specifically Black people) as 'skewed' - but the fact remains, not liking the odds does not diminish simple mathematics. Suggesting that the 'national relative rate is not always accurate' at measuring stop and search rates is problematic, it appears in this report 'not always accurate' refers to when facts do not suit the Government's narrative. Whilst the report acknowledges the disparity of maternal deaths for Black (5 times higher) and Asian (2 times higher), it calls for using absolute numbers, as not to do so was 'unfair to expectant mothers everywhere'. Previous commentary have contextualised the figures in terms of per 100,000, in absolute numbers and/or disparity is attempted to diminish the significance and importance of disparity. It does not change the fact the Black women are 5 times more likely to die in childbirth compared to white women; Asian and mixed heritage women are almost 2 times likely more likely to die in childbirth than white women. Further, disparity in maternal health is symptomatic of negative outcomes faced by men, women and children from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups, particularly those minoritised ethnic people who are not white. Using the highly divisive stereotype of 'model minority' as if this was an antidote to racism is a privileged and uninformed construction of meritocracy. This 'model minority' construction was pitted against other minoritised ethnic people who were constructed as living with family breakdown, being unprepared and demotivated to succeed, as were 'attitudes to integrate'. Both stereotypes are equally damaging in suggesting that one group of minoritised ethnic people are hapless whilst the other minoritised ethnic group simply floats through British life without barriers or experiencing racism. Outrageous still is the polling by British Future for the Commission who heralded their poll as 'encouraging' around perceptions on anti-Black prejudice, which asked respondents if they 'saw a lot' of prejudice against Black people. They asked people who were not Black if there were increased level of prejudice for Black people. The only people who can credibly pass comment on the Black experience of racism is Black people , how can any other ethnic group assume to know how racism is experienced by another ethnic group? The report is constantly looking for creative adjustments, reframing, excusing and attempting to undermine disparity for Black and Asian minoritised ethnic people. The report is outrageous in its findings, in its bid to 'change the narrative' and to conclude that institutional racism does not exist is astonishingly inaccurate, premised on creative, misleading evidence and lack academic rigour. At Bridging Change we will focus on the reality of instititional and systemic racism and move away from the Commission's misleading conclusion in its attempt to 'change the narrative'. We want to reclaim the narrative which acknowledges the impact of the 'hostile environment' and the disproportionately negative impact and outcomes for Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic people in the the UK.

OUR FIRST MEETING INTRODUCING BRIDING CHANGE Bridging Change hosted their introductory meeting on Zoom, which was well attended with 58 attendants. If you missed our session you can have a look at our presentation below to give you a flavour of what we spoke about. Please contact us if you would like to know more at BridgingChange@outlook.com

Projects Ageing Well Our work with older communities, ensuring accessible support is provided For more info click here CVG A community forum bringing members into contact with service providers For more info click here The Phoenix Way This project looks at ending structural racism through investment and transformative support For more info click here Other partnerships Have a look at our other projects For more info click here Climate for Communities This project aims to understand the intersections of racial and environmental inequalities For more info click here Infrastructure Building robust support for BRM/ BME communities to grow and thrive in the city For more info click here UOK- Rooted in Well Being The aims of this project is to strengthen mental health and wellbeing support for adults For more info click here Partnerships and funders

Infrastructure Past training