Citizen 2020

    The Citizen 2020 Project intends to:

    - Develop social interaction between residents by mapping, understanding and sharing their historical experience and its’ impact on them.

    - Enhance intercultural and inter-religious dialogue through exploring the concept of ‘identity’.

    - Develop social action through creative, sustainable practices and structures for communities to co-create their future.  

    This proposal focuses on South Acton Estate, Ealing, which historically has seen infusions of immigration. Responses based on tolerance have created an environment where communities co-exist with little understanding of their respective histories, impact on their current lives and few opportunities to re-imagine their futures.

     Below we outline a highly innovative local response to the global issue of refugees and mass migration, but also to needs of the host communities that they will attempt to integrate with.  

    There is a need for more proactive, creative and effective initiatives in supporting understanding, integration and participation of diverse communities.

    1. Recruitment of ‘Training group”, consisting of 15 young people, family members and community volunteers, through the project partnership network. This diverse ethnic, faith and age group will be responsible for disseminating the concepts with their communities.  (Sept 16)
    2. Development and provision of a 7 hour course on ‘Inclusive Identity & Community Development’, for above. (Sept 16)
    3. Deliver expressive arts training to above group so that they express their experiences non-verbally and encourage their communities to do the same.  (Oct 16)
    4. Organise discussion groups of all participants to further interaction opportunities and explore application of shared concepts. (Nov 16)
    5. Create a set of shared aspirations with the ‘community group’ to galvanise civil engagement. These will be re-enforced by acquiring any necessary skills to support the dissemination. (Nov 16)
    6. Exhibit the work and narratives produced in S. Acton. (Dec 16)
    7. Create an interactive website that acts as a sustainable communication platform enabling ideas and narratives to be recorded and shared.  (Nov 16)
    8. Commission an impact evaluation by Leicester University that involves participants and focuses on the growth of social interaction, inter-religious dialogue and social action.
    9. Manage & Report on all project activities.