Tips for Bidding, Reporting or Project Planning for BME Inclusion.

Jacqui Haigh at Colston Hall and Paul Weston at The Garage have hosted events and discussions around the question of how we approach the Musical Inclusion of children from black and minority ethnic communities. We wanted to share the learning from these events in the easiest and most practical way.

Below are possible questions to ask yourself to stimulate content for bids, reports and project plans, based on discussions at Meeting Points events and Inclusion Gatherings.

Note- Within your context some questions may be irrelevant.

Please feel free to add questions from your experience.

Questions

1 Who are we actually working with?

Does your client base demographic match your area or community demographic?

2 What is your issue/aim?

If you are not talking to anyone in the community, how do you know that your aim is rooted in a real issue? Are your aims or outputs shared by any other org or individual? Have you asked?

A key point made was not to assume! Ask those you want to engage with – this holds true for all inclusion work.

3 Who do you know in the community?

Within the community that you wish to work, who are your live contacts?

Our discussions have shown that the success of engaging hard to reach communities is dependant on having an engaged contact who understands the community and your project/art form. They may not necessarily be a community leader but someone who gets what you are talking about and is connected.It is also wise to ask that person what the customs are around communicating in that culture( e.g.first name or Mr and Mrs )

4 Who do you want to know?

Do you know who the key people in those communities are?

Our discussions have shown that finding the right agent/advocate within the community can take time (up to a year). Getting connected to local and national agendas across education, health and wellbeing, social cohesion etc. puts you in touch with “doers” – they often represent their communities across a range of areas and are very keen to engage with interested parties.

5 How are you going to find them?

What other agencies (not necessarily arts related) are active in this community that might give you a way in?

Get onto newsletters; attend gatherings and meetings in the communities. Who is speaking up in the local press? Who is interviewed on local radio and television?

See question 9 what other agencies exist.(Below) It may also be that you will need an interpreter and that you will need to budget for them.

6 What is their understanding or take on this issue/aim?

For instance are there religious or cultural differences that conflict with your aims or approach?

e.g. Some Muslims are not allowed to make non devotional music or that older traveller children might not work in mixed groups. In each case you need to find out what the position is with those you aim to work with. Also be aware that terminology is always evolving.

7 What is your approach?

Taking time to build relationships is essential. It was discussed that some projects took the duration of the project to build a practical relationship. As an individual who is aware of the community and its issues, there are going to be things you need to do that are not directly part of the remit of your job, org or project i.e. going to community gatherings, celebrations in evenings and weekends. These may not be music based. Also be aware that some cultures prefer passing information by word of mouth rather than in print or by internet.

8 What is your timescale and is it realistic

Many people who had run projects aimed at engaging these communities stated that by the time they had completed the project they were then ready to start it. When planning a project, build in time for research as starting from a standing start is often problematic. E.g. “We started the project and found it was Ramadan” or “By the time we got the funding, planned the project the travellers had all left the site”. Don't just focus on direct delivery, plan for time to research and build and nurture relationships and include time to reflect on what happened.

9 What other agencies exist?

Below is a list from our Meeting Points events that includes statutory agencies and informal agencies or networks and that may exist in your community. We have also added the Equality Act 2010. It was noted that looking at local press for issues and seeing who they went to for quotes was useful.

Are there other non music networks that you can get connected with?

10 What is your Hubs approach to both YP BME inclusion and BME Music leaders?

Do they have strategy and how is your work going to feed into and inform it?

It may well be that your Hub has already started work in this area.

11 What is your Bridge Organisation’s approach to both YP BME inclusion and BME Music leaders?

Do they have strategy and how is your work going to feed into and inform it?

It may well be that your Bridge Organisation has already started work in this area.

Youth Music Network

Tips for Bidding, Reporting or Project Planning for BME Inclusion.

Questions

Other Agencies and resources from question 9

Join the Youth Music Network