The Short reviews on ESF-Works present overviews of many ESF funded projects across England. In this section, you can find out more about how European Social Fund projects are delivered on the ground, read about innovative approaches to deliver change, and see how ESF benefits the local economy and promotes social inclusion.

Main feature

Unity Cornwall has been supporting people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds in Cornwall for a number of years.

They developed a model of engagement for Muslim and South Asian women through a previous project involving young people, which allowed participants to come together for activities such as dance workshops. It also to gave them the opportunity to be consulted on their experiences of racism, in school and the community, and what they would like to see done about it to enable them to feel safe.

By carrying out research and consultation with the appropriate community leaders and groups, Unity Cornwall successfully engaged and retained participants from a previously isolated group, and supported them to build confidence and self esteem.

Inclusive activities for everyday engagement

Supported by ESF Convergence Community Grant funding, Unity set up workshops and activities, which included one-to-one sessions with coordinators. There are around 350 Muslim families in the area. It was discovered that many Muslim and South Asian women in the Truro area felt isolated from the community, and they wanted to get more involved with helping their children, communicating with teachers, even going to the Post Office to buy stamps. Many of the women wore traditional dress, and had experienced negative remarks about their culture.

Unity’s Board includes members of the Muslim, Chinese, Asian and Jewish communities, and between them this offered lines of communication into each community.  One successful route taken was via Asian restaurant owners. By providing support for the group, the Muslim and South Asian Women's Support Group project would therefore be providing support for their community, and also raising awareness of isolation issues in the wider population.

Using the consultation process and one-to-one sessions to find out what activities would support confidence building and self esteem, the project set up yoga sessions, English language sessions and hired out the pool in Truro School (a private educational establishment). Many of the participants had never been swimming in a public place before, but by blocking out the windows, the group were able to use the pool in their traditional dress, in line with their culture, without any risk of ridicule.

Community support

The project used its own networks and those of the relevant communities to publicise the project. Posters, news articles, and the County Council website were all utilised. With support from other local organisations, in particular Truro College, Boscawen School, and Family and Children’s Centres, the participants were able to engage in a range of activities which built self confidence and self esteem in a safe environment.

Six participants volunteered for activities in schools, for example, Mehndi (henna) painting, festival foods and costumes, all of which helped to raise local children’s awareness and understanding of different cultures. By the end of the project, participants were confident enough to advocate on behalf of their children, help and support their husbands and each other. Unity’s director, Victor Downer, reported that the project developed its own ‘virtuous circle’. The numbers of participants engaged tripled in three months.

Project information