IT'S THOSE TOUCHRAINBOW GUYS!

Popping into Phoenix Square Film and Digital Media Centre just before 1700, in the cafe-bar I find the three guys from TouchRainbow Productions: Jiten Anand, Pritesh Varia and Bipin Anand (l-r in the photo above). I'd worked with them on Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week) last year and in the planning of Get Inspired 2010 (though this didn't come off) before that.

Pritesh greets my arrival as "a sign", telling me that they're working on a plan for a new project that they want me to be involved in. They show me where they've written my name on a big, involved spidery diagram, but they can't tell me what it is yet.

I talk with them about the upcoming documentary festival being held here in a fortnight. They haven't heard of this, but quickly show their enthusiasm for getting involved. I've been asked if there's a short documentary on the topic of faith(s) in Leicester, but haven't been able to come up with anything. The guys express surprise that no one's made such a film before. I hope that thought might grow into something in their creative heads.

I show them the flyer for my panel in March at Amplified Leicester and the three of them promise to come and support it. I wonder if I should ask them to video it (with Sue Thomas's consent, of course).

Just a few minutes after I sit down with them, my son Alastair appears in the cafe-bar. They've never met each other, but shortly after I introduce them, they're discussing possible joint music and video projects. What a great place for creativity Phoenix Square has become! And for the second evening in a row, it's really busy; we're asked that, since we're not eating, could we move somewhere else and free up the table for diners. That's a first!

Of Gods and Men

This is one of a growing number of films that have piqued my interest for their grown-up, reflective and thought-provoking attitude toward religion and spirituality, alongside two great movies I saw last year: Jessica Hausner's Lourdes and the Coen Brothers' A Serious Man. The film won the Grand Prix at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Here's the plot synopsis as published on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb):

"Brotherhood. Religions. Faith. Martyrdom. Love. French monks are living, working and praying in a catholic monastery in Algeria in the '90s (civil war). It starts of showing how the Islamic locals and the christian priests coexist in harmony. The situation with the Algerian Muslim-terrorists becomes worse. They will have to decide whether to stay or go back to France. They are forced to question themselves and their mission very profoundly. Their sense of fraternity with the locals and amongst themselves is challenged. They are very much appreciated by the local Islamic population, especially the medic-priest, but very much in danger. This becomes clear after some Croatian volunteers of the monastery are brutally killed by the guerrilla-fighters. Threatened and unwanted by both guerrilla-forces and the government their presence becomes less and less obvious. At some point after intense confrontations with each other, the terrorists and the locals, they all decide to stay. In the end they are all, safe two who have hidden themselves well, abducted by the terrorists to swap them for their own prisoners in France. As we see them struggling in a snowblizzard in the Atlas mountains, we will not explicitly see what their final fate is ..."

You can read a thoughtful review of the film here:
http://www.speroforum.com/a/33436/Of-Men-and-Gods-a-meditative-film-on-faith-in-the-face-of-violence

Or get the classic Kermode and Mayo 5Live approach on video here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00cnj7w

I'd proposed a short festival of films for National Inter Faith Week 2010 at Phoenix Square but left it too late (and had too much to do for that week in other ways) to make it happen then. It's on my agenda for when it returns later this year though. Such festivals are a regular feature at Phoenix Square, where they've recently had programmes of films on such diverse themes as cycling, LGBT issues, and the spoken word. We're also thinking of approaching them to do something similar for the return of Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). I'm looking forward not just to seeing this movie, but also giving it extensive coverage here on the blog.

There's a mounting sense of anticipation and excitement as we walk toward Phoenix Square; the place is probably busier than I've ever seen it. There are certainly more priests here than I've ever seen turn out for a movie before (including Father John Lally, long standing member of Leicester Council of Faiths). We make our way through the small throng to the box office. I am already relishing this communal experience, looking forward to the collective spellbinding dance of colour and form before our eyes in the darkness of Screen 1. Which of us will request entrance to what is bound to be a united spritiaul experience in this forlorn and forsaken day and age of individuated isolated atomism?

"Two for Of Gods and Men please" I ask. "Sorry sir; sold out."

training event for LASALS staff

This morning, I'm taking part in a training event for staff in Leicester Adult Skills and Learning Service (LASALS) at Leicester Adult Education College (LAEC), Wellington Street.

When I was a Basic Skills tutor at the Adult Education College (2003-05), "staff training" used to involve no more than a dozen of us, fitted snugly into the resource room on the third floor. Today's event is being held in the Hansom Hall and there are 80-odd people here.

Our route into this event is through the Council of Faiths having participated in "Leicester Speaks" (AKA Local Democracy Week) in October. Some of the groups that joined in that event are here today - most notably ourselves, Citizens' Eye Community News Agency and TouchRainbow Productions.

First speaker is Chris Minter (Head of Service), then Parmjit Basra (Project Officer) introduces Leicester Speaks and after a few minutes he hands the mic to me. I go up on the stage and speak for a quarter of an hour. I can't help but mention my own experience as a tutor in this building and the degree of a\ffection in which I hold the Adult Education College. When I started working here, it was the last few months in which the college enjoyed some degree of independence from the City Council. Coming within the system assured LAEC's continued survival and support, but it had to give up a lot in the process.

When the Leicester Speaks DVD is shown later, just before the break at 1100, I must confess to watching it beaming with pride. As soon as it's over, I nip back to Pilgrim House for a few more freebies - leaflets, flyers, keyfobs etc - for the attendees (I underestimated the number I thought might be here today).

I take advantage of the break to dash off to Phoenix Square for the last half hour of CreativeCoffee Club.

Find out more about Leicester Adult Skills and Learning Service:
http://www.lasals.co.uk/

WORLD RELIGIONS 101

At lunchtime today walking through Welford Place, I bump into Chris Minter (photo above), Head of Service for Leicester City Council Adult Skills and Learning Service (LASALS). We worked together recently on Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). Our quick chat (it's much too cold to stand and talk outside for long) moves from Leicester Speaks to National Inter Faith Week and our Highcross exhibition, thence to something that I've been nursing for ages: the possibility of the Council of Faiths offering a "World Religions 101" course, as part of the Adult Skills and Learning programme, in a popular venue such as the Adult Education College in Wellington Street. This wouldn't be like the sort of post-grad course offered by St Philip's Centre, or what we've been discussing at Leicester University Institute of Lifelong Learning, but a beginners' guide for interested members of the general public. I've roughed out versions of just such a course, which could be offered in 10, 16 or 32 sessions in one of my little black books. Chris likes the sound of the idea, asks me to drop him a line and he'll pass it on to his colleagues in Curriculum. Nice!

When I mention to Chris that Leicester City Council gave zero recognition or support to National Inter Faith Week just gone by, he tells me that it sounds like the sort of thing that the Adult Skills and Learning Service should be getting behind and that we should think of ways of working together to promote it in 2011.

Q2 monitoring

Meeting this afternoon in the Welcome Centre with Andrew Tovell, who is responsible for monitoring our performance against the requirements of our contract with Leicester City Council.

There are two aspects to this contract: one, the delivery of what's called our "Core Service"; the other, responsibilities as what's called a "Host Organisation". Without going into detail, the former could be described as our inward-facing work (the day-to-day co-ordination of the functioning of the Council of Faiths), while the latter could be described as our outward-facing work (the relationship between the Council of Faiths and the wider community).

I'm still surprised at how much refining, how much fine tuning these reports require. You'd think it would be a simple matter to say what we did and when we did it. But to be effective, our reports have to be more nuanced than that.

Second quarter is often harder to survey effectively. It coincideswith school holidays, there's often a drop in activities because people are away. In our case, several of the activities to which we devoted our energy - such as the demonstration by the English Defence League, the celebration of Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week) - happened in October, which is in the third quarter. So our report shows a lot of preparation that paid off in the next monitoring period.

We need to focus on outcomes, rather than just show that we've been busy. For the uninitiated (and I still count myself as being in that category for the most part), the difference between "inputs", "outputs" and "outcomes" has been explained to me thus:

input: you arrange a meeting, say, to discuss a dispute over responsibility for keeping clean a communal alleyway that runs between two different faith community centres;

output: people from the interested parties attended the meeting;

outcome: an agreement was made between the two community groups, resolving the dispute.

It's better for us to concentrate on a few central matters, than to provide a list of what we've done and when. We need to show the benefit of our involvement in these activities for the people of Leicester - not their benefit for the Council of Faiths.

Leicester Speaks: Hindu / Jewish dialogue

Fourth and final meeting this morning presented by the Council of Faiths for Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). This one is a Hindu / Jewish dialogue at Phoenix Square Film and Digital Media Centre, 1100-1200.

I arrive just at 1050 (ten minutes before kick-off), hot-foot from the final planning / first debriefing meeting of the Steering Group at the Adult  Education College in Wellington Street. When I get there only our two speakers, Ramesh Majithia and Tony Nelson, are in the Phoenix Café Bar, along with Marion Kennedy, who has kept a 100% attendance record at these dialogue meetings (and who also made a such a good contribution from the stage at our launch event in Humberstone Gate on Monday morning).

We’ve been given the use of the Screen Room this morning, the smallest of the actual screening rooms on the ground floor which can hold up to 30 people. Shortly after we move in there and start the meeting, our numbers increase. Minou Cortazzi arrives, then two guys from TouchRainbow Productions to record the event in video and stills, then Manjula Sood (our Chair) arrives to bring our number up to eight.

I must say that I've probably been looking forward to this session more than any of the others this week. That's partly because of the setting but also because I felt like I couldn't predict what direction the dialogue might take. I don't think I'd ever sat through a dialogue meeting between in all the years I've been involved in inter faith work. If you've been keeping up with these entries, faithful reader, you'll have seen that the could be said about every one of these meetings - that the topics covered and direction followed have been unpredictable, but I have felt something different and special about this one, ever since the notion came into my head to plan our contributions along these lines. I'm glad to say that the meeting itself doesn't disappoint.

A few days later, an eight-minute extract from this session is posted on YouTube. This is what I'd have to say is a turning point in this kind of activity for us - and, more the point, for me. The significance of the fact that a meeting can be held with hardly a handful of people present, but for it to be recorded and posted online so that any number of people can see it, at any time. I'm not expecting thousands to watch it, but it does have massive potential. This realisation is what I'd have to call a game-changer - much as I don't like the term, it certainly gets the meaning across. And it shows the benefit of partnership working as I'd never have had the kit or the skills or the daring to do this by myself.

For some reason the sound quality of the recording is poor, but I think it looks terrific. You can find it on the Council of Faiths YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/counciloffaiths#p/f/1/WTcysU3EvXM

PICNIC IN THE PARK

After our Buddhist/Muslim dialogue this afternoon (part of the Council of Faiths contribution to Leicester Speaks - AKA Local Democracy Week) I'm at the Pavilion in Victoria Park, to witness some of that social action we spoke about earlier today.

Some local Muslim friends have organised the latest flashmob meal here at 1800. Going under the title, "Picnic in the Park" this time, it follows on from the flashmob iftar, held here recently three times during Ramadan. Yasmin Surti, who gave the Muslim perspective in the dialogue this afternoon, is here too.

A young fellow from BBC Radio Leicester is doing some interviews for the Ben Jackson's show. He gets me to speak for a minute or so, giving an inter faith perspective on what's going on here this evening. If they use this recording, it will be the third time I've been on Ben's show this week!

LEICESTER SPEAKS 2010: BUDDHIST / MUSLIM DIALOGUE

This afternoon we have the third of four meetings presented by the Council of Faiths for Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). This Buddhist / Muslim dialogue is being held in the Welcome Centre, 1400-1500. Susthama Marion Kim is speaking for the Buddhist point of view, Yasmin Surti for the Muslim. As was was the case in yesterday’s meeting, a theme of common interest emerges: this time it’s social action. The Amida trust, which is the brand of Buddhism to which Susthama belongs, has been running a drop-in project for vulnerable people on Mondays at Bishop Street Methodist Church, next door to Pilgrim House, in which the Welcome Centre is located. Yasmin has been involved in the flashmob iftar events, in which local Muslims broke the fast at the end of the day, each Thursday in Ramadan, with food that they shared with homeless people and destitute asylum seekers beside the Pavilion in Victoria Park. this has developed after the end of Ramadan into flashmob meals, sharing with the same groups, in the same place. In fact, they're having one there this evening.

LEICESTER SPEAKS 2010: BAHÁ'Í / CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

Second of four meetings that Leicester Council of Faiths is presenting for Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). It's a dialogue between representatives of the city's Bahá'ís and Christians on the topic, "What our Community Brings to Leicester" at the Welcome Centre, 1100-1200.

Today, Minou Cortazzi (member of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Leicester and former Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths) speaks first. Beverley Farrand (from Leicester Cathedral Education team) follows with the Christian viewpoint. Interesting differences here in that one of these two communities is the longest-standing and largest of the eight on Leicester Council of Faiths, the other is the most recent arrival in the city and the smallest. (Though it's little known that, after the Christians and Jews, Bahá'ís were the first faith community to have their own official meeting place in Leicester; there was a Bahá'í centre on New Walk from 1957 to 1963, when the couple who owned the property, John and Vera Long, moved to Oakham to establish the first Bahá'í community there.)

I keep my ear open for common themes emerging from the conversation. There's a very clear common thread about the two communities contributing to the education of young people - empowering them to exercise some degree of meaningful control and direction over their own lives and to help those younger than them do something similar. At the Cathedral, of course, this is done on a considerably greater scale: last year, more than 2,000 children and young people undertook educational visits there on official school trips. Many of these involved participation in the multi-media "Breathe" activity, which is usable for children and young people from a variety of backgrounds and traditions. But despite their comparatively meagre resources, the local Bahá'ís have made whole-hearted efforts in providing spiritual and moral education not only to their own children and young people, but also extending this to similar age groups in some of the deprived areas of the city.

A few days after this event, the Leicester Speaks website carried a blog entry from Kenton Hall, who attended this session in the Welcome Centre as part of the multimedia team who are making a record of the week-long event as a whole. I was really taken with what Kenton had to say about this dialogue session and asked his permission to reproduce his blog entry on this page. He said yes, so here it is below in its entirety.

Cards on the table time. I am not a man of faith. Okay, I occasionally veer towards the belief that a centuries-old being in a bow tie is whizzing round the universe in a police box righting wrongs, but that’s as near as I get these days. The vast majority of my truly religious experiences have resulted from my being chivalrous enough to spring for dinner and a movie. However, I was brought up to be very religious indeed and if there is one aspect of that which has never left me or, at very least, for which I have occasionally pined, it has been the sense of community that comes from shared belief: shared goals, shared ideals, a shared sense of the shape of the universe.

Nonetheless, it has been of increasing concern to me – as I’m sure it has been to many others – that when any group of people subscribe to a particular set of beliefs, there too often follows in their wake a sense of entitlement, a sense that if they are right then others must be definitively wrong. And it is this that has led to the violence and dissent we too often associate with organised religion.

So, when I was asked to cover one of a series of events in which members of various faiths were invited to speak, in dialogue, with the idea of exploring common ground, rather than differences, I was understandably dubious.

The Leicester Council of Faiths is an organisation which strives – by its very remit – to promote understanding and cooperation between the many faiths – Christian, Muslim, Jain, Hindu, Jewish, Ba’hai, Sikh – that make up Leicester’s spiritual life.

Today’s event was a discussion between representatives of the Christian Church and the Ba’hai Faith, outlining the positive aspects and programmes provided by each to the community at large.

In an age where even the word “religion” is too often a harbinger of violence, disorder and war, it was reassuring to see such a positive spin being put on proceedings.  And while I may, personally, not see or understand the need for an organised belief system, it is difficult to argue against the good work presented in evidence today. Impossible, in fact.

Nor can it be considered in any way a bad thing to see disparate groups, with different and occasionally contrary cultures and backgrounds, coming together in the quest for commonality and the promise of a brighter, less contentious future.

Whatever your feeling about religion in general, or any particular faith specifically, the point of today – as indeed of this entire week of Leicester Speaking – is to allow all those good, concerned people out there to hold up their hand and say “This is what we are doing for our city’s well-being. Care to join us?”

I remain unconvinced by the form, but I am utterly convinced by the ideals and the motivations of the people concerned. And when we accept people for who they are and what they do, rather than what they are or where they’ve come from, then we have a chance at putting our quarrels behind us and moving forward as a city, as a community, as a race.

And to that I intone a hearty – if secular – Amen.

Kenton Hall

LEICESTER SPEAKS 2010: JAIN / SIKH DIALOGUE

This is the first of four meetings that Leicester Council of Faiths is presenting for Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). It's a dialogue between representatives of the city's Jains and Sikhs on the topic, "What our Community Brings to Leicester" at Leicester Adult Education College, 1400-1500.

All across the Leicester Speaks programme, we've given ourselves permission not to judge success or failure just by numbers attending meetings and events. The Council of Faiths meetings are pitched deliberately low key; being involved in Leicester Speaks has given us a platform that we'd have found it hard to obtain on our own - and we don't need to worry about carrying responsibility for success or failure on our own shoulders.

Today, Gursharan Thandi presents the Sikh perspective (that's Gursharan on the right in the photo above, with Marion Kennedy), while I am speaking for Leicester's Jains. The Jain community hasn't been able to put up a speaker, so for the second time in a week, I'm speaking on their behalf (I also did the Jain reading at the Vigil for Leicester in the Cathedral last Friday).

LEICESTER SPEAKS 2010 LAUNCH EVENT

Less than 48 hours ago, this part of the city centre was held to ransom by the visiting English Defence League (EDL). Less than 24 hours ago, Billy Bragg and friends played a free gig on this spot to a crowd variously estimated at anything between 2,000 and 10,000 as citizens gathered for the We Are One Leicester Festival. At 1100 on this chilly Monday morning, we launch Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week) in Humberstone Gate.

At the start of proceedings, John Coster (Editor of Citizens' Eye Community News Agency) and I, as Joint Chairs of Leicester Speaks, open the event on stage in front of the giant TV screen (which is, thankfully, inactive this morning). John delivers a typically fine opening spiel, hands me the microphone, tells me I'm doing a great job, slaps me on the back and steps off the stage.

I'm MC for the next hour, in which we encourage people to come up off the street, take the microphone and speak for 60 seconds on any subject of importance to them. We have a few ringers in the crowd, just in case we don't get enough people come up to fill the hour, but we needn't have worried about that. In the end, we have more than enough contributors. Some of these folk have probably never had the opportunity to speak in public like this before. Their contributions were recorded on video and posted online, so they're available to a huge potential audience. In the photo at the top of this blog post, I welcome Lord Mayor of Leicester Cllr Colin Hall on stage, to launch officially our week of activities across the city.

Cllr Manjula Sood, Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths, speaks on the stage this morning - while I do a not particularly good job of hiding behind a pole (photo above).

Leicester Speaks has its own blog, where you can read about today's event and watch a short video about it. Recordings of all contributions from the stage at our launch event in Humberstone Gate are available on the Leicester Speaks channel on YouTube. I'm sorry to say that my amusing improvised links from the stage haven't survived the editing process. I'm holding out for the extended version, with deleted scenes.

Leicester Speaks: on the air

At BBC Radio Leicester this morning, to be interviewed live on air by Ben Jackson about Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). I go on at about 0840 for five minutes or so. A short prerecorded Vox Pop is played before I go on which (from an insider's point of view) misses the point entirely, in which a few local people say that there's no point in voting, all politicians are the same and so on - and one woman says that you can't say anything in Leicester these days are you get your wrist slapped by the politically correct brigade. Not one of them positive and not really what Leicester Speaks is about anyway. I do my best to correct that misrepresentation and give the week a right good puff up, especially for the launch event taking place in Humberstone Gate later this morning. At the end, Ben asks me to take off my Leicester Speaks hat and put on my Council of Faiths one, to say something about the events of the weekend gone by.

On the way out, I bump into Sheila Lock, Chief Executive of Leicester City Council, who's waiting to go on air next. She's still wearing such a big grin after how it all turned out, especially the "We Are One Leicester" celebration on Sunday.

Find out more about Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week):
http://www.leicesterspeaks.org/

return of the karma police

A couple of weeks ago, BBC Radio Leicester asked me to provide a member of the Council of Faiths to come into their studio for a live interview at eight o'clock on the Monday morning. I prevailed upon our Chair, Manjula, to do it, even though she protested it was too early for her.

This afternoon, Peter Bradley (of Speakers' Corner Trust), sends me a message to say that BBC Radio Leicester has asked him to be in their studio for a live interview about Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week), 0730 this coming Monday. He told them that they'd be better off interviewing me. Wouldn't that be so?

'Nuff said!

LEICESTER SPEAKS: FAITH COMMUNITY DIALOGUES

As its contribution to Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week), Leicester Council of Faiths is presenting a series of dialogues, involving each of our member faith communities. But there’s a twist! These meetings match up groups who don’t normally get the opportunity to speak in public, so we’ll experience some new and different sorts of encounters, in which new things will be said by new people.

Each speaker will address the topic, “What does our community bring to the city of Leicester?” A ten minute presentation by each speaker will be followed by the chance to respond to questions.

The intention is that the meetings will be small in scale, friendly in tone, informal, positive and mutually supportive. These are not meant to be arguments over contentious issues or academic debates about competing truth claims. We’ll have the chance to break down old barriers, build new bridges, make new friends. Meetings are open to anyone, from any background. To listen to some views we may not have heard before and to chat with people who may not have heard us.

Tue 12 Oct, 1400-1500, Jain / Sikh dialogue at Leicester Adult Education College, Wellington Street, Leicester LE1 6HL

Wed 13 Oct, 1100-1200, Bahá'í / Christian dialogue at the Welcome Centre, Pilgrim House, 10 Bishop Street, Town Hall Square, Leicester LE1 6AF

Thu 14 Oct, 1400-1500, Buddhist / Muslim dialogue at the Welcome Centre

Fri 15 Oct, 1100-1200, Hindu / Jewish dialogue at Phoenix Square Film & Digital Media Centre (Screen Room), 4 Midland Street, Leicester LE1 1TG

We're especially encouraging people not just to attend the meeting in which a speaker from their own community is involved, but to go along to another one too. It's the chance to learn something new and do something different.

LEICESTER SPEAKS (8)

Our final planning meeting for Leicester Speaks this morning, at the Adult Education College. Our group today consists of Jitin (TouchRainbow Productions), Tina Barton (Lead Mentor, Leicester Wave and manager of Leicester City Council's Children's Council), Parmjit Basra (Project Officer, Leicester City Council Adult Skills and Learning Services), Max Boden (Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce), Irene Kszyk (Head of Equalities, Leicester City Council), Kate Merrett (Office and Projects Manager, LeicestHer Day Trust), Chris Minter (Head of Leicester City Council Adult Skills and Learning Services).


We discuss the launch event in some detail (including matters of security, health and safety). We're on to the nitty gritty detail now, such as how to get canisters of helium from One Stop Promotions at the top of Granby Street down to the site of the launch event in Humberstone Gate. And our search for a celebrity to appear on stage may have borne fruit - but if what we're hearing this morning is true, then it'll make our launch the most surreal thing seen in Leicester for many a long day! I can't believe Parmjit is reporting this to us with a straight face. We also consider the ever-increasing variety of events on offer throughout the week. There's a very upbeat mood and a sense that we're raring to to get going!

Leicester Speaks (7)

Out and about this lunchtime with a clutch of flyers for Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). I haven't seen many of these around town, so I leave as many of them as I reasonably can in prominent public places: Crumblin' Cookie; Curve; Fabrika Independent Arts Centre; LCB Depot; Phoenix Square (where there's a handful already, probably from the bunch I gave John Coster yesterday at the Welcome Centre); Tourist Information Centre. I note that the flyers have the magic lime green colour on the front that's suddenly and temporarily fashionable in Leicester. Well, as they say, every little helps (and no - I didn't take any into Tesco!)

Leicester Speaks (6)

Short but productive meeting this afternoon at the Welcome Centre with John Coster of Citizens' Eye Community News Agency, regarding Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). John and I have been appointed Joint Chairs of this week-long event. He wasn't able to attend either of the recent planning meetings where we've discussed the launch event and the roles of the Joint Chairs. We talk about this now and come up with a joint plan of action - which largely amounts to "Roll with it"!

Leicester Speaks (5)

At Leicester City Council New Walk Centre, A Block, this morning. Meeting with Parmjit Basra (Project Officer, Leicester Adult Skills and Learning Service) and Max Boden (Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce) to iron out details of the Big Launch of Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). It's just seven days away!

Clare questions the wisdom of appointing me (Joint) Chair of Leicester Speaks, since after 25 years in this city, I still have trouble making myself understood to shop assistants in bakeries and newsagents and to bus drivers. She reckons the best thing they could do at the launch event in Humberston Gate is to have me beamed up onto the big telly screen, with subtitles. Otherwise we run the risk of having the event renamed "Leicester Speaks - Double Dutch!"

Visit the Leicester Speaks website for details of events in the week beginning Mon 11 Oct:
http://www.leicesterspeaks.org/

Leicester Speaks (4)

After the gathering at the Cathedral, it's off to the Adult Education College, Wellington Street, for the steering group for Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). Our group today consists of Bipin Anand (TouchRainbow Productions), Parmjit Basra (Project Officer, Leicester Adult Adult Skills and Learning Service - LASALS), Max Boden (Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce), Peter Bradley (Speakers' Corner Trust), Chris Minter (Head of Service, LASALS). Parmjit and Chris had been at the event in the Cathedral immediately prior to this meeting, so I didn't have to make too big an excuse about being late.

A single-sheet flyer has been printed and we all take a clutch of them for distribution (the City Council's internal distribution service will get them out to libraries, community centres and their other offices throughout Leicester).

We discuss the ongoing expansion of the website, the Big Launch from a stage in Humberstone Gate on Monday 11 October, use of the mobile Speakers' Corner, the role of the Joint Chairs and - most significantly - the best way to follow up on the week-long event. We talk about holding something like "Leicester Listens" some 4-6 weeks later.

Find out more about Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week):
http://www.leicesterspeaks.org/

Flash! (Ah-ah!)

At the Pavilion in Victoria Park this evening, with some Muslim friends for a flashmob meal. This is a follow-up to the Flashmob Iftar, three of which were held recently on this same spot during Ramadan. Iftar is the collective meal breaking the fast each evening during that holy month for Muslims. Despite my good intentions, I never made it to any of those, so I'm glad to have got to this one.

There are about two dozen people here, a mix of young Muslims and some other people who don't normally have the chance for a decent feed. Not all of the food that's been brought to the event is eaten here. Some is transported to local hostels for the homeless.

This series of events, coordinated and publicised mostly through Facebook, is the kind of thing I'd like to feature in the panel I'll be presenting for Amplified Leicester in March next year on "Amplified Communities of Faith and/or Belief".

I meet (for the first time) Yasmin Surti, whom my friend Sughra Ahmed (also here) has recommended as the Muslim participant in the Council of Faiths dialogue sessions during Local Democracy Week (AKA Leicester Speaks). We get a few minutes to go over what's expected to happen at that meeting, at which Yasmin will be in dialogue with someone representing the Jain community. Their topic will be "What our community brings to Leicester". I'm confident she'll make a very good contribution.