Engaging with Ethnically Diverse Communities

Toolkit/Engagement

While no specific blueprint exists, research shows that effective engagement with ethnically diverse communities starts with developing an understanding of the community. Some identified features of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities:

are vibrant and growing
have strong links to culture and religion
are not a homogenous group
have bonds to culture or religion which are unique to everyone

Intersectionality

Intersectionality is a framework for conceptualizing a person, group of people, or social problem as affected by a number of discriminations and disadvantages. It takes into account people’s overlapping identities and experiences in order to understand the complexity of prejudices they face.

In other words, intersectional theory asserts that people are often disadvantaged by multiple sources of oppression: their race, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and other identity markers. Intersectionality recognises that identity markers (e.g. “woman” and “black”) do not exist independently and a number of cultural, social and religious nuances exist in relation to age, gender and religion etc.

Age

The table below shows that BAME groups have a younger age profile than white groups.

Source: CEMVO Scotland

Some identified nuances in BAME youth:

dual and triple identities: 2nd / 3rd generational approaches
country of origin culture will be different
over 18 or 21 doesn’t mean the same
racism and discrimination impact mental heath

Similarly, older BAME age groups may experience more language barriers, health barriers, lack of information and family responsibilities.

Cultural and Religious Nuances

The tables below show ethnic groups by religion and born in UK.

(Source: CEMVO Scotland.)

Graph 2 below

Source: (CEMVO Scotland)

Some examples of religious and cultural nuances for BAME people:

some may prefer female mentors
religious dress and etiquette
religious and cultural observance, Ramadan, Vasakhi, Diwali, Eid etc.
Africa is a continent where people will feel affiliations to the specific country within Africa

Furthermore, religion, which often intersects with ethnicity, has also been found to impact on workplace penalties. Heath and Martin (2013) reported a consistent pattern for Muslim men and women to experience greater labour market penalties than workers from similar ethnic groups who belong to other or no religions. Indeed, a recent report by the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee (2016) reported that Muslim people suffer the greatest economic disadvantages of any group in society, with reasons for this including discrimination and Islamophobia – as well as insufficient role models across education and employment.

Therefore, developing appropriate methods of engagement based on ethnic segmentation and intersectionality are critical success factors. Some key factors to be aware:

avoid one size fits all strategies; treat everyone as an individual and base support on need
if in doubt ask – knowledge is better than ignorance
your approach will need to be flexible and accommodating to promote full participation with an element of 'handholding' required
remember that BAME people have different cultural and religious backgrounds that can dictate how people interact and participate
racism and prejudices will inevitably have a bearing on mental health and this can impact how people interact and engage.
be genuine; treat each person with respect and dignity and leave your unconscious biases firmly checked at all times
use a hybrid approach for “hard to reach” communities via in person meetings, telephone long with digital activities etc
brokerage service: be proactive - if you can’t help is there someone else that can?

Considerations