HOWEVER YOU SAY IT, IT'S TRUE: THE EARTH IS BUT ONE COUNTRY AND MANKIND ITS CITIZENS

This poster, created by one or more school pupils, is on the wall of the refurbished RED (Religion, Equality, Diversity) Learning Centre at Forest Lodge Education Resource Centre. I don't know if it's consciously based on the well-known  phrase from the writings of Bahá'u'lláh, "The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens", but clearly it shares the same sentiment. The incorrect apostrophe is all its own though.

RELIGION, EQUALITY, DIVERSITY: RED LEARNING CENTRE OPENS

At Forest Lodge Education Resource Centre, Charnor Road, this afternoon, for the launch of the refurbished RED (Religion, Equality, Diversity) Learning Centre. Invitations have gone out to members of SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religions Education) and to other organisations that would have an interest in the kinds of resources available here and the system for accessing them (that includes Global Education Leicester-Shire: and thanks to Claire Plumb for the lift!). Our special guest today is the popular and successful author for children and young people, Bali Rai. Some school pupils have come along (as have some mums) just to hear him read.

Leicester City Council is officially represented by Assistant Mayor Vi Dempster, Cabinet Lead for Children and Families. Now, I've long known that Councillor Dempster is Scots (the accent gives it away) but I've never asked where she might be from, originally. So, while I'm pouring her a cup of coffee, she tells me that she was brought up in Clydebank (although she was born in Glasgow, where she spent her earliest years). Clydebank is just over the border from Knightswood on the west side of Glasgow, where I spent my first 23 years. When I tell Councillior Dempster that I did my Highers at Clydebank Technical College, it turns out that she did too! Small world, eh?

I make sure that Leicester Council of Faiths gets its own library card so we can make good use of the RED Learning Centre.

In the photo above: Councillor Vi Dempster cuts the ribbon, officially opening the RED Learning Centre.

Engaging with faith communities in Leicester (7)

A meeting at Soar Valley College this afternoon (starting 1630 - on a Friday?!?) to work on the text of the Christian booklet in the series, "Engaging with Faith Communities in Leicester".

The meeting is led by Jill Carr, Secretary of SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education) and RE Adviser with Leicester City Council. this is my second meeting with Jill this week on this project. We got together to work on the Muslim text on Monday afternoon at Forest Lodge Education Centre.

Apart from Jill and me, there are seven others, all members of SACRE, representing a variety of Christian denominations. Considering we're trying to put together something on which we can all broadly agree, the meeting is pretty productive. I feel that my role today has more to do with ensuring consistency with the other titles we've been working on in this series - and to help make sure (along with Jill) that the text serves the practical purposes which the series is intended to serve.

Leicester Partnership

At Forest Lodge Education Centre for the second time in three days - this time for a full meeting of Leicester Partnership.

The meeting is preceded by a buffet lunch in honour of Philip Parkinson, who is retiring today as Chair.

One of our duties as Host Organisation for the communities of interest of faith or belief has been to obtain the services of two representatives of that community at large, who can attend full meetings of the Partnership and act as channels of communication in both directions. For one reason or another (ill health, family support, work commitments) the two representatives who have held these positions for almost the past couple of years haven't been able to perform these tasks to the full. Today, Tony and Minou are attending, as named substitutes with full voting rights. I'm at my first meeting of the Partnership, as a substitute myself, for Dee Martin, representing the Equality and Diversity Partnership. I am entitled to attend these meetings normally, but as VCS / Host Organisation contact, with voting rights and only able to speak if asked for clarification.

The character and function of Leicester Partnership is changing. Today we are voting on acceptance of a new constitution and for the election of a new Vice Chair. The new Chair will automatically be Leader of Leicester City Council. The constitution is passed en bloc, with notes for the attention of the Partnership Executive. The new Vice Chair is Iris Lightfoote, Chief Executive of The Race Equality Centre and Chair of the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP). This is a good thing for equalities in general in the city - and for the Equality and Diversity Partnership (EDP) in particular. Members of that partnership live from hand-to-mouth in an atmosphere where we never seem to be wholly welcome. We didn't even know if we'd be funded for our activities after today. The Chair assures the meeting that EDP is funded till 31 March. His further comments that the Leicester Partnership Executive will have to consider how it embeds equalities into all aspects of the Partnership's work sounds to me like a door being wedged open.

ENGAGING WITH LEICESTER'S FAITH COMMUNITIES (6)

At Forest Lodge Education Centre this afternoon, meeting with Jill Carr (photo above), Leicester City Council's RE Adviser and Secretary of SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education). We're working on the latter stages of the text of the Muslim booklet in the series, "Engaging with Leicester's Faith Communities".