MODA will offer a four-day training programme in December 2007:

MODA’s AGM and International Food Fair

MODA’s AGM was as usual a successful event. In addition to formal business that included approving annual report and accounts, election of management committee and reappointment of auditors, there were interesting presentations, speeches and poems as well as a specail seminar on “empowering participation of disadvantaged groups.
Then MODA members (over 50 people) celebrated International World Tolerance Day on the 16th November 2007 by inviting groups to bring and share dishes and cultural artistry from around the world.
Our wonderful feast of delicious foods included Bursalid and sambusa from Somalia, dolma and pilaw rice dishes from Kurdistan, chicken biryani and fish dishes from Bangladesh, pomegranate and lentil salad, tabouleh and rice dishes from Iraq, aubergine salad from Romania, West African jollof rice, banana rice cake and ginger beer from Sierra Leone, a Yugoslavian fish dish, Burmese salad, curry and naan breads from India and Pakistan and Kosovan pastries.
We were also very pleased to invite Iraqi artist Ghada Habib to display some of her paintings.
Special thanks to MODA volunteers Sanja Molloy, Mihaela Baduta, Farhana Chowdhury and Naba Kadhim for all their assistance with this event and organisation of AGM.
MODA would like to say a big thank you all groups who supported the event including Bengali Women and Children’s Association, Bow and Bethnal Green Somali Community, BRICKS, Harrow Somali Youth Forum, Iraqi Women’s League, KANGA, Kurdish Association, Migrant Resource Centre, Myanmar-Burma Relief and Welfare Association, Gargaar Somali Welfare Association, Somali Welfare Centre, Talented Artists International, Ukrainian Migrants’ Voice Initiative, West London Refugee Women’s Forum, Umubano Rwandan Community Group and Zhinan Kurdish Women’s Union

Thanks too to Jospehine Vandi from Talented Artists International for her acrostic poem written specially for MODA’s World Tolerance Day celebration.

T- hrough this initiative of Tolerance and Understanding
O-ur world can unite for peace and better living
L – et love be the Key in each deliberation
E- nhance this bond in this year’s Celebration
R-egardless of Race, Colour, or Creed
A –llow this Project to expel all hate and greed
N-obly with Tolerance, Skills and Abilities
C-almly “Make A Difference” in communities
E-xperience God’s blessings in all activities

Good news for MODA members and users. We now have our own training room at 1 Mark street with enough space for up to 20 trainees. From January 2008, we will run regular training programmes every month. We will publish the details of our programme in the next E-bulletin. Community groups needing room for meetings and training can hire the training room from £10 per hour.

Tuesday 11 December 2007; 6pm-8pm. Parliament

Controversial plans to bar hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers from all but emergency health services are being considered by the Home Office. The delayed pubication of these plans is attributed to a split between the Department of Health and the Home Office on the measures. Consideration is still being given as to whether failed asylum seekers and other groups of undocumented migrants will be banned from receiving free NHS care, but a decision is immanent in order that the planned report can be published in January.

The medical charity, Medact, has launched a petition against the proposals, which is open for individual signatures. Sign up here

For more detailed accounts of what the Home Office proposals entail, see the report of a workshop on primary care services and migrants organised by the MRN and Newham Primary Care Trust in February 2007 (click here) and the Medact briefing on the proposals (click here)

On Tuesday 11th December, there will be a meeting in Parliament to provide an opportunity for campaign supporters to meet with MPs to discuss the future of health care for vulnerable migrants.

The meeting will also launch a new book, Access to Health Care for Undocumented Migrants in Europe, published by PICUM – the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants.

For further details or to register, contact access@medact.org tel. 0207324 4739

11 December 2007, Venue: LVRSC

This ROTA conference will present evidence-based recommendations on:
- Barriers to accessing homelessness services and service needs of individuals from BAME groups in London
- Routes out of worklessness for BAME homeless individuals and
- Best practice in strengthening referral and information sharing links between BAME services and mainstream homelessness organisations

Delegate workshops will provide solutions to challenges faced by BAME homeless individuals, mainstream homelessness organisations and BAME services.

For further information and to book a place click here.

Friday, 14 December at 6pm
Brady Arts Centre, 192-196 Hanbury Street, London, E1 5HU

This public performance is the culmination of months of performing arts workshops we’ve been delivering at the Refugee Council’s Brixton day centre and other locations in Southwark and Lambeth. The young people involved have grown tremendously over the last several weeks, and have really worked hard to put this project together.

If you would like to attend the performance on December 14th, please RSVP by e-mailing sarah@cardboardcitizens.org.uk or phoning on 020 7247 7747. Buses: 25, 254, 106, D3 / Tube Stations: Whitechapel, Liverpool Street, Aldgate East

If you cannot make the performance on the 14th but would still like a chance to see the group perform, there is an additional closed performance scheduled –on Thursday, 13 Dec. from 2:30 – 3:30 pm at the Refugee Council’s Brixton day centre. If you’d like to attend one of these closed performances, please contact me about the possibility of making arrangements to attend.

Refreshments will be served following the performance.

Wednesday, 9 January 2008
City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA

This ground breaking conference will be the culmination of the Older Refugees Programme - a 2-year partnership initiative, funded by Lloyds TSB, between Age Concern England, the Refugee Council, Age Concern London and the Greater London Association of Older Women (AGLOW), focusing on the issues, challenges and service needs of older refugees and asylum-seekers.
The conference, hosted by the Greater London Authority, will present the findings and key messages from the programme. It is aimed at an audience of service providers and policy makers responsible for addressing the needs of older refugees and asylum-seekers. The day will be a unique opportunity to explore how existing and potential initiatives can help to reduce the isolation experienced by many older refugees and promote their integration into the local community and wider society.

To register your interest in attending this FREE conference please email: refugees@ace.org.uk or call 020 8765 7523.

ENAR has recently launched the 3rd edition of its "Shadow Report on Racism in Europe". The report draws on 26 national shadow reports produced by ENAR members across the EU and highlights the trends and common patterns of discrimination affecting ethnic minorities across Europe.
To read the European Report click here. (National reports ara available here).

ECRI has published a new study on “Ethnic” statistics and data protection in the Council of Europe countries. Written by Patrick Simon, from the Paris-based Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques (INED), the study presents an overview of the existing legal and practical framework for ethnic data collection in Europe. It also seeks to answer the question of whether data protection laws really hinder the collection of the data needed to combat racial discrimination, or whether the unsatisfactory state of statistics on this type of discrimination is due to other factors. To download the report click here.

£22,715 - £24,176 per Annum
Pro Rata for 18 hours a week till Dec 2008
Closing date: 20th December 2007. Interviews:7th January 2008

Centre 404 is a well-established charity based in Islington supporting people with learning difficulties, children with additional needs/disabilities and their families. Working in partnership with Islington council and other local agencies, our family support workers offer support, information and advocacy to parents of children with additional needs.

Due to staff pregnancy we currently have a vacancy for a part time family support worker.This is a fantastic opportunity to gain experience of working in the voluntary sector and access training and knowledge of a wide range of areas including SEN education provision, disability benefits and support available.

The person we appoint will have:
· A basic understanding of the issues facing parents of children with additional needs / disabilities
· A commitment to supporting parents to get the services their children need
· A basic understanding of advocacy
· Good IT skills and excellent interpersonal skills

For an application pack please contact us quoting reference number F1108MAT on: 0207 607 7079 or general@centre404.org.uk or write to us at Centre 404, 404 Camden Road, London, N7 0SJ

Application deadline, December 17th 2007

Bangladeshi Women's Society is looking for experienced Tutors for the following subjects to teach children on Saturdays, for 30 weeks beginning in January.

BANGLA – for 1 hour - Experience teaching Bengali to GCSE standard required
ENGLISH – for 2 hours
MATHS – for 2 hours
ARTS AND CRAFTS / YOUTH WORK – for 1 hour

For an application form please write to Bangladeshi Women’s Society, 160 High Road, Leyton, London, E15 2BX. Email: info@bws.org.uk

Closing date:17 December 2007
Salary £40,000 ; Location: Westminster

Package includes equity in business. To grow the number of Greenvoice campaigns and project manage their delivery. Researching and identifying global NGOs and charities who would benefit from a Greenvoice presence.
This will include identifying and engaging with local grassroots campaigns, and understanding how campaigns fit with the Greenvoice brand and target audience.

For further information 020 7886 9915 or email: giles@greenvoice.com