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Title: Profile: Dundee International Women`s Centre Dundee International Women`s Centre We have successfully engaged women from many different social, religious, cultural or other excluded backgrounds for the past 39 years. We provide a truly multicultural service to all women. This includes over 450 service users from 54 countries of origin, speaking over 20 different languages and representing 15 different belief systems. We engage with pre-school children in our multicultural crèche, young women from the age of 12 to 21 in our youth projects, women of all ages in core services as well as women between 50 and almost 100 in our over 50's group! The issues We set up in 1969 following the arrival of a large number of young migrant families coming to work in the jute mills in How we got started Initially the project was funded through Urban Aid funding and the charitable efforts of local church women, later coming under the wing of YWCA (Young Women's Catholic Association). The Centre became the main provider of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes for migrant women in Over the next few years the project took on a new lease of life with much greater in-put, in terms of the planning and decision-making, coming from the local minority ethnic community. We got three-year funding from the Voluntary Action Fund in 1998, which contributed to a part-time outreach workers post. We began to thrive with many more service users from minority ethnic communities becoming involved at board level and as volunteers working to develop the Centre's services. We decided to become an independent local charity, separate from the YWCA to allow local community needs to be met more effectively. With financial support from the Community Regeneration Fund, the Centre moved in April 2006 to much larger purpose built premises which were planned, designed and decorated with the aid of local service users, volunteers, board members and staff. What we do Dundee International Women's Centre aims to: address the needs of women, with an emphasis on those from black and ethnic minority communities; and to promote and create opportunities for women's social, political and economic inclusion and for the advancement of education. We provide an ongoing programme of activities and classes building on skills, educational and personal development as well as active participation in community life. Activities include multi level ESOL lessons including separate classes in English for Urdu and Polish speakers. IT classes at basic, intermediate and ECDL level, SVQ modules in childcare and at NC level - as well as Polish for community professionals. One great thing Currently we have over 450 registered service users from a wide range of cultural and ethnic origins who work and learn in a multicultural environment which strongly encourages community cohesion and integration. Our Board of Directors is multicultural. Ten of our 13 directors are previous or current service users. This is one example of our success in involving our members in active decision-making processes. We are a leading organisation in engaging women from diverse socially excluded and/or disadvantaged communities in a truly multicultural way. What next? We are working to develop three or four social economy projects that will help provide a source of income for both the Centre and also for local women. This will be particularly for service-users who have skills in areas such as childcare, cultural skills and multi cultural cooking. To achieve this goal we are seeking to expand our registered childcare service, develop a multicultural buffet service, cultural diversity training for professionals and room hire for anyone wishing to access some space for their own training or activities. All of the above will involve service users in development, planning and delivery. For further info`, contact: Angela Foreman Development Worker Dundee International Women's Centre |