Living in Harmony

I’m really happy to have found out about Chat Cafe in my local area, it helps me to get out of the house and meet new people.

It’s great meeting different people and learning new things.

But really just getting out of the house for that hour is good, having somewhere to go and have a coffee and chat with others does the world of good.

Living in Harmony is a network of local people working together to create and celebrate a North Edinburgh that offers equality, wellbeing and belonging for all. In PCHP it includes a weekly Chat Café and a volunteer Action Research group and promotes community cohesion, connections, learning and having a voice.

North Edinburgh’s black and minority ethnic communities were supported by Community Organisation for Race Equality (CORE) until early 2012. CORE (formerly Black Community Development Project) was established in 1995 and developed into a well-known, North Edinburgh based, black led organisation providing advice, information, advocacy, individual support and group activities to people from BME communities living in the Greater Pilton area of North Edinburgh. CORE closed in August 2012.

Considering the fact that there is an ongoing demand for support within local BME communities, the loss of CORE triggered questions about the shape of future BME support in North Edinburgh.

In response, the City of Edinburgh Council has agreed to fund and support a Transition Group (TG) that would engage with North Edinburgh’s BME communities in order to identify their needs, priorities and aspirations and gather their opinions on issues such as integration, health, education, employment, children and families, hate crime and racism.

From the Living in Harmony Final Report of the North Edinburgh BME Transition Group ‘The experience of North Edinburgh’s black and minority ethnic communities’ published January 2013 by Adil Ibrahim

The Living in Harmony Chat Café and Language Exchange

The Chat Café is a women only space. It is a good place for women who are new or settled migrants to meet with women who grew up in the local area and who want to learn more about their community. This group can support feelings of belonging and connection to the area whilst creating an informal space to learn. This is enhanced by the WhatsApp group where women join and then share local information and ask questions of each other.

For a number of women learning English is a priority so it is a safe informal space to practice English in the Language Exchange and share experiences in a comfortable and welcoming environment outside of a classroom. There is also sometimes the opportunity to talk about different cultures they’ve experienced and how people are finding settling into Edinburgh and the local area. There is sometimes the opportunity to share something of their home country and life before they came to Scotland with the group.

The Chat Café can be a helpful way for her to start a new routine, to meet women living nearby and make new friends, and provides some valuable time in a safe, supportive environment.

Volunteer Action Researchers

There is a group of local activists. You will be able to get involved in your community, make a difference, and have access to high quality free training and gain new skills such as team-work and research.

Living in Harmony Action Research Report

A group of community researchers looked at the experiences of residents from ethnic minorities backgrounds when accessing services. They wanted to find out about the barriers and challenges the people faced and what could be improved to help more people access services.

You can see both a summary of the findings and the full report in the links below:

Summary Infographic: Living In Harmony Action Research Report

Full Report: Living In Harmony Action Research Report

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