The course is general in scope and will help participants to gain an understanding of the complexity of the current systems and how this might affect individual migrants trying to access a range of opportunities, support and services.

Objectives

To help to acquire an appreciation of patterns of migration both nationally and locally; gain an understanding of the rights and entitlements framework and look at all new migrant categories including European citizens and those from newly acceded countries in E. Europe, international students, refugees, sponsored migrants, work permit holders and visitors.

Figures from the 2001 census for Yorkshire and The Humber are available on the CRE website in a fairly straight-forward format. For example:

Yorkshire and The Humber ranks fifth of the nine English regions in terms of its proportion of ethnic minority residents. About one in 12 people living in the region are from ethnic groups other than White British. In 2001, 4.7% of people living in the Yorkshire and The Humber were born abroad, up from 3.7% in 1991.

Out of every 1,000 people, on average:
* 916 are White British
* 45 are Asian
* 18 are White non-British
* 9 people are of mixed race
* 7 people are Black
* 2 people are Chinese

It's also possible to get figures for Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, York, Harrogate and Hull.

I'm not sure how long they have been available there but it seems as if it is only fairly recently.

Black and minority ethnic Council tenants in Sheffield are being encouraged to have their say at a special event organised by Sheffield Homes in partnership with South Yorkshire Police and local tenants.

The Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Tenants Forum is an informal event that aims to provide Sheffield Homes’ BME tenants and residents the opportunity to have their say and be heard about issues affecting them, their family and the community. The theme of the event will be ‘Racism and Harassment’.

The event is the ideal occasion to talk to Sheffield Homes and South Yorkshire Police in the same venue. Tenants can keep up to date with the latest information about racism and harassment and find out what the two organisations are doing to tackle it in Sheffield.

Tenants can also use the forum to ask senior staff from Sheffield Homes about a range of housing issues and have a say about improving and developing Sheffield Homes services.

Liz Sayles, Community Engagement Manager at Sheffield Homes said,

Faith Matters - multifaith training

* Would you like to know more about the different faith traditions in our region?
* Are you aware of how many Buddhists, Hindus or Sikhs live and work in your local area?
* Have you had a chance to explore how the laws on religious discrimination relate to your workplace?
* Do you know where to find information about what Islam really teaches?
* How can you help to improve understanding and build better relations between people of different faiths?

Faith Matters offers a practical half-day training seminar looking at:
* The beliefs and practices of faith traditions represented in Yorkshire and the Humber
* The legislation relating to Religion or Belief in the workplace and beyond

Drawing on expert research and experience, Faith Matters is delivered by a multi-faith team of trainers, so you can see interfaith working in practice and benefit from their personal knowledge.

You will discover:
* Why faith matters in public as well as private life

Working Together to Make a Difference

When you have a problem, who do you tell? As voluntary and community organisations what do we do with all the issues that we hear?

Sector Connector is all about discovering how the voluntary and community sector can connect together to make a difference. It's about influencing policy by identifying how issues affecting a local area connect into the district, sub-regional, regional and national context.

The conference will:
* Demonstrate how connections can resolve issues
* Improve connections between groups around specific issues
* Expose weak or missing links in a chain of influence

By the end of the conference you will know where your issues go and how to speak out to make a difference on the ground.

This conference is a real opportunity for frontline voluntary organisations, VCS infrastructure organisations and regional bodies to "connect up" on issues of concern.

If you have any queries about the event content please contact Ruth Sykes on 0113 394 2300 or email ruth.sykes@regionalforum.org.uk