December 2012 Changes to our team news We have changed from a quarterly news to a twice yearly news with a different focus on a community. For this first themed edition, we have focussed on Ghurkhas/ Nepalese: how the Hampshire County Council’s Community Development Officer (CDO) Team worked with them as a team in various districts across Hampshire; as well as with other departments within the County Council, as a whole. (Edited by CDO Milai Livingstone) Namaste! Some brief context about the Gurkhas/ Nepalese

The Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective term for units of the current British Army that are composed of Nepalese soldiers. The Gurkhas are enlisted in Nepal. Its people are called the Nepalese or Nepali. The Gurkhas have been the integral part of the British Army for almost 200 years. Their reputations as the most feared fighters were first realised by the British at the height of the empire-building in the last century. To get a feel of the Gurkha’s bravery, a former Chief of Staff of the Indian Army: Field Marshal: Sam Manekshaw had once famously said, "If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying, or is a Gurkha." The weapon that the Gurkhas commonly used is a forward-curving knife named: Kukri. In times past, it was said that once a Kukri was drawn in battle, it had to ‘taste blood’. If not, its owner had to cut himself before returning it to its sheath. Nowadays, the Gurkhas say, it is used mainly for cooking. More than 200,000 Gurkhas had fought alongside the British Army in the two world wars, and in the past 50 years they have served in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Cyprus, the Falklands, Kosovo, Iraq and now in Afghanistan. They serve in a variety of roles, mainly in the infantry but with significant numbers of engineers, logisticians and signals specialist. (BBC News – 27 July 2010) To date there are 14 VCs won by Gurkha itself since the first world war. See here for details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Brigade_of_Gurkhas_recipients_of_the_Victoria_Cross Other links you may find helpful to learn more about the Gurkhas and the Nepalese: http://www.thegurkhamuseum.co.uk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurkhas http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/BGN_Arrival_Info1_Feb10.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigade_of_Gurkhas

‘Maddhat Shamuha’ in Rushmoor

Also known as Nepalese Help. It was co-founded in 2008 by CDO Amanda Lee and Mr Kamal Purja, in response to requests from the Nepalese community to have support in accessing local services whilst settling in their mainstream society. It started off as a ‘drop in’ service. When the initial funding ran out, but the demand to have support in accessing to services increased, it was clear that a new strategy was needed. After securing some funding from Hampshire County Council, a new Maddhat Shamuha – a name chosen by the group - was born. It provided as a much needed platform for all to come to share their problems and concerns whilst they were trying to settle into a new environment/ country. Loneliness, isolation, and language barriers were amongst the mostly shared. By coming together, members found great comfort from each other. With support, English classes were formed to help them improve their communication skills with the locals. They entertained people by serving traditional foods and dancing their traditional dance. The ladies sew using the skills that were almost forgotten to bring back memories alive. Through these processes, Nepalese cultures were introduced to the others. In just a few years’ time, Maddhat Shamuha’s Farnborough has seen its membership soared from the initial few people in 2008 to over 750 this year. That having been said, the journey was without its fair share of problems such as language barrier being the main one. However, with volunteer-interpreters’ support, people have benefitted from all the information and advice that were tirelessly put together by Amanda very often carried out in partnership with other service providers such as the Hampshire NHS, Citizen Advice Bureau, Job Centre Plus. The group had also looked to become a registered charity to secure its future which, has now achieved. Eventually, the Maddhat Shamuha would like to become a self supporting group. Amanda said, “There have been hurdles that were associated with building an organisation. However, the dedication and perseverance of those involved has been its testimony. I hope the group continues to develop remembering that the word ‘help’ is at its very core”. If you would like to know more about Maddhat Shamuha, or make a donation, please contact Amanda Lee, at: Amanda.lee@hants.gov.uk

Step Into Football YP Coaching in Winchester

YP stands for Young People. In partnership with the Cultures Community and Business Service (CCBS) and others, CDO Gregory Richards has worked hard to recruit local children aged between 10 and 16, with great success. Many of these children were children or grandchildren of Gurkhas past and present; and the figures for attendance went up a couple of times to 16 players recently. This happened because there had been a football tournament in November - the first of its kind at Winchester University Stadium - to link into the Kick Racism Out Of Football Week. That saying is now simply known as Kick It Out. Cllr F. Hindson was invited to open the tournament on behalf of all the partners that was involved with making this tournament happen. A film crew was there to capture the whole day plus interviews with parents from the Nepalese community and the players. The winners of the tournament will be having a tour around Southampton Football Club. It is understood that the Nepalese children who did not win were also invited to visit the Football Club as they were the first people that approached Gregory initially with interest in playing organised football. The coaching sessions happened for 2 hours on Sunday afternoons. The idea is for this community to eventually take over the running of the project. It is hoped that a football club will be established; and the group will be entered into the football league this time next year with the coaching coming from the community members. To find out more, please contact Gregory Richards, at: Gregory.richards@hants.gov.uk

Eastleigh

The Eastleigh Gurkha Nepalese Association (EGNA) was established in 2008. A similar group had been formed in the north of Hampshire and it was felt that it would be a natural extension to develop an association to look after the growing Nepalese community in Eastleigh. The advisor to the group (Kamal Bahadur Purja) explained that he was “Intent on turning our attention outwards from just ourselves. It was clear to me that it was in our own best interests to contribute to the greater community of Eastleigh so that our children could grow up as fully integrated members of their peer groups in the Borough.” As the Community Development Officer for the area, Karen Jones has been involved with the group since it was set up. This support has included: information on what services are available from the Council, advice on the roles and responsibilities of committee members and recently advice on registering the Association as a Charity. EGNA received funding from the Armed Forces Community Covenant grant which has enabled the group to access basic English sessions for the Nepali ladies on a Saturday at the Centenary Hall in Eastleigh. The MOD funding will also be used to fund several workshops which may include: a parenting workshop, sports workshop, music workshop, a meeting and tour with the Mayor, and a visit from Eastleigh Borough Council, Park Rangers. Officers from Eastleigh Borough Council and Hampshire County Council are in the process of planning a workshop to look at the needs of the older and retired members of the Nepalese community in Eastleigh. This workshop will be held on the 1st December at the Centenary Hall in Eastleigh. Another community group, for the Nepalese Community was also set up in 2011 and exists to support the needs of the Nepalese community in Eastleigh. For further information on either of these groups, please contact Karen, at: Karen.jones@hants.gov.uk or call her on: 07738312921 Andover: In partnership with the local housing associations and Test Valley Borough Council, CDO Madina Kamara-Apsin has been working with Andover Nepalese Society to support them to become self-sufficient so that the society can better meet their goals. Over the last 12 months she has enabled the Society to offer its members English classes that has meant that the members find it easier to participate in everyday activates. The focus for the year ahead will be for the society to secure funds to hire a venue for regular meetings and working with the local authorities to explore the possibility of a dedicated burial ground. Hampshire Early Years and Childcare

Planting grass for Dashain, which is an important part of the festival.

Children using/ playing lotto game, learning new words

Deux Chats Pre-school has always been a pre-school with a rich cross section of cultural backgrounds. As it is situated in the town centre of Aldershot, most of its children come from the Gurkha/ Nepalese community with many of them starting with little or no English. Deux Chats excels itself in recognising the need to learn how to communicate and engage with their parents to ensure the very best education for their children. Learning through learning English, gestures, signing and iconic prompts are some of the fun activities that will see these children succeed by the time they are old enough to go to school. Deux Chats supports multi-cultural festivals and has just celebrated a few with one of them being Dashain – a Nepalese festival. The parents and children came in their national costume and celebrated it together with everybody and with lots of food, music and dancing. The next celebrative event is Christian nativity where every child is involved and it is performed in the church - some prefect examples of mutual learning opportunities for both home and school. For information on Hampshire’s Childcare and Family Information Team contact on 0845 603 5620 or email: childrens.services@hants.gov.uk or visit: www.hants.gov.uk/childcare Introducing the Hampshire Strategy and Community Coordinator – Gurkha and Nepali

Hampshire County Council CCBS has created a new post to support their work to enable improved access to their services for the Gurkha and Nepali community living in Hampshire. The post holder, Melissa Juniper is part of the Community Support Team based in Castle Avenue, Winchester and will report to Margaret Plumridge and Nicola Horsey. The aim of the post is to work closely with partners across the county to gain a strategic insight into the identification of community concerns and barriers to County Council services. This will be followed up with the promotion of solutions to these identified barriers within the County Council's frameworks of operation. Best practice

models will also be highlighted and communicated with partners so that we are all better able to learn from models which work effectively. If you are working directly with the Nepali or Gurkha community, or think that your service might be able to support the Gurkha and Nepali community please get in contact with Melissa to discuss, at: Melissa.juniper@hants.gov.uk Walk On The Wildside

‘Walk on the Wild Side’ is a project that brings Hampshire's black and minority ethnic (BME) communities together to discover the countryside. There are particular areas of the county that have significant BME communities and who have a limited experience of the countryside and the county’s Rights of Way network. Walk on the Wild Side is using this opportunity to work with these communities and provide them the experiences and knowledge which will enable them to access the countryside in the future. One example of how the project is connecting people with nature is taking place with Nepalese Help in Rushmoor. They have been joining rangers at Yateley Common for volunteer days. These are about getting people involved in practical conservation and connecting them with their local countryside. Whenever they come to Yateley, the group will have a large picnic followed by dancing, singing and playing instruments. The project is helping people to find their own way of enjoying the outdoors. The community have said that "to be a little part of preserving nature and its habitat we feel very proud and always want to be part of it". If you would like more details, e-mail project officer Gareth Siu, at, gareth.siu@hants.gov.uk or visit website: www.hants.gov.uk/walkonthewildside Ethnic Minority & Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS)

EMTAS is a flexible, responsive Local Authority service which works with schools and a range of partners to improve educational outcomes from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) and Traveller children and young people. From this source, schools can access a range of services to support their Nepalese pupils and families.

These include: Bilingual assessment and in class support for new arrivals from trained experienced

bilingual staff. Services also include a telephone help line Support and guidance to engage with Nepalese parents, including family learning,

Triple P (Positive Parenting Programme) and SPOT (Supporting Parents Of Teenagers) courses with the facility to deliver these bilingually

Accredited interpreting and translation course for bilingual adults A range of training e.g. strategies to develop children’s English language skills,

cultural awareness for practitioners working with Nepalese communities, and taster lessons in Nepali

In 2009/ 2010 Nepali new arrivals made up 25.32% of all Hampshire new arrivals In 2010/ 2011 Nepali new arrivals made up 23% of all Hampshire new arrivals In 2011/ 2012 Nepali new arrivals made up 21% of all Hampshire new arrivals For more info, visit: http://www3.hants.gov.uk/education/ema/ema-schools/ema-newarrivals.htm Hampshire Record Office – had been working with the Maddhat Shamuha Farnborough, on a Living Links project which was funded by the Hampshire Lottery Fund. The project officers undertook a number of activities with Maddhat Shamuha when the project was active. They visited the group to speak to them about the work of Hampshire Record Office, did a workshop on some of the historical sources they have had available, invited them to Winchester for a tour of the Record Office and organised for a volunteer: Kranti Ale, to work

with the group to take photographs detailing their culture and traditions and conduct interviews with them on life here in Hampshire and in Nepal. An exhibition (funded by Living Links) was also produced off the back of this work and is due to be on display at the Record Office next Summer. The main contact they had with the group was Amanda Lee (amanda.lee@hants.gov.uk) and she will be able to specific where the exhibition is due to be displayed in the meantime. The CDO Team hope that you have found this edition informative. Please let us know what you would like to see covered in the next edition by contacting Camilla Gibson, at: Camilla.gibson@hants.gov.uk

Dhanyabad ani Suvakamana! For a printable copy of this newsletter, visit our website: http://www.hants.gov.uk/bme-cdo For some readers, you may need to do a ‘Ctrl and click’ in order to activate the link.