THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (1,517)

Regular update on the number of pageviews received from different parts of the world in the week just ending.

1. United Kingdom 702
2. Russia 313
3. United States 270
4. India 89
5. France 47
6. Ukraine 40
7. Canada 17
8. China 15
9. Australia 13
10. Germany 13

This week's total: 1,517 (last week: 1,863). These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's stats software doesn't show me numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of that map for "now" (i.e. in the last two hours), "today", "this week", "this month" and "all time". They're updated each time I look at them.

WEST LINDSEY VOLUNTARY SECTOR FORUM

Today I'm attending the quarterly meeting of West Lindsey Voluntary Sector Forum (incorporating Learning Communities) at Park Springs Community Centre (photo above) in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire on behalf of the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP).

To be more accurate, for most of the day I'm going to or returning from Gainsborough. It's a three-hour train trip there and three hours back. The whole meeting lasts two hours and I have a quarter of an hour for my presentation.

There are 40 attendees, representing Voluntary and Community Sector (and a few public sector) organisations in the area. There are four formal presentations, each lasting roughly fifteen minutes:

• Grant White from Lincolnshire County Council, on their Lincolnshire Funding Portal
• Me from the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership, on our Equality Standard
• Christina Daly from CG Partnership, on their apprenticeship scheme
• Steve Ward from Lincolnshire County Council Trading Standards Illegal Money Lending Team, on their week of action in September

At the start of my presentation, I ask how many attendees have attended an REDP event: none. I ask how many people have heard of REDP before this presentation: none. While I'm here to promote our Equality Standard, I have to take the first five minutes or so to introduce REDP, say who we are and describe what we do. I also show off some of the free literature which I've brought with me.

After the four presentations, we go round the room, giving everyone else the opportunity to introduce themselves and their organisations, updating everyone on activities, needs and news. There's an impressive range of projects and a heartening variety of responses to the pressures they are enduring in these austere times. Before the end of the meeting there's a chance to chat, to mingle and to pick up literature from the various groups attending. Several people express their interest in getting their organisations involved with REDP. We exchange contact details and make promises to follow up. More than one person tells me that they could have done with knowing about us three years ago and they ask where we’ve been hiding! While my purpose here today is to encourage these VCS organisations to take up our Equality Standard, which is one of our ways of ensuring REDP's continuity and sustainability, those who have had no information or involvement before are more interested in more general aspects of our work.

REDP’s three-year period of funding by the Big Lottery ends tomorrow: 30 June. This is the last working day that we’re funded. Today's experience goes to show that even if we'd had another three years we still wouldn't have reached every part of the East Midlands or drawn in every VCS organisation in the region.

This may well be my last paid gig for REDP. After all this time building and promoting partnership, it’s ironic that I’m here doing this on my own today. We core partners are sure that REDP will continue. It’s entering a period of transition and it’s not yet clear what will emerge to carry on the work or who will be doing it. I hope I don’t fall off the back of the truck as it progresses along this bumpy road.

PLANET LEICESTER: WEAVERS CLOSE PRIMARY

This morning I'm at Weavers Close Church of England Primary, Earl Shilton, taking part in the school's community cohesion programme. "Planet Leicester" is a week-long series of activities organised by the Leicestershire Education Business Company (LEBC).

I was invited at short notice (Monday lunchtime) to take part in Planet Leicester. I was supposed to be with these children on Tuesday morning at Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre, but I had to cry off as Grace was too poorly to go to school and I was obliged to stay home with her.

Jon from LEBC picks me up (along with a Chinese chap called Li) at Leicester University and drives the half hour or so to Earl Shilton. We're joined at the school by James, from Leicestershire County Council.

Mrs Herbert's Year 3 class is split into four groups of seven or eight. We have 25 minutes with each group in turn. To the children, Scotland seems just as distant and exotic as China! Each pupil has a workbook, with one page to complete for each person whom they see. Each of us answers the same set of questions and we have to do one distinctive thing with our groups, that they can show at a display on Friday morning.

• What's your name? George
• Which country do you come from? Scotland
• Which continent do you come from? Europe
• Why did you come to Leicester? Someone offered me a job here
• How did you get to Leicester? Train
• How do you say "hello" in your country? Hello
• What's your national dish? Irn Bru (yes, I know it's not a "dish", but I wasn't going to let anyone say deep fried Mars bar - or haggis for that matter. And the pupils know what it is - many of them have had it and like it!)
• What's your religion? Bahá'í (I have to make it clear that  Bahá'í is not the national religion of Scotland though!)

As for the distinctive part we do with each of our groups: Li is showing them how to write their names in Chinese characters. James is helping them make friends with a potato (he should be wrting his own blog!). I teach my groups some useful Scots phrases, such as:

"Keep the heid an ah'll buy ye a bunnet"

"Dinnae day yer dinger!"

"Many a mickle maks a muckle"

"Gie it laldy hen"

I give each group one of these phrases each. I write them on the board, one word at a time, getting the pupils to pronounce them together as we go along. I explain what each phrase means and ask them to think of circumstances in which they could use their phrase. I also coach them how to say their phrase in the style of an old man at a bus stop on a rainy Saturday night. I tell the children that when it comes to the display on Friday morning, they can say the phrase together as a group or they can choose one from amongst them to say it on behalf of the group.

When we all get together for 20 minutes at the end of the group sessions, Mrs Herbert asks me to say a bit more about being a Bahá'í, since the name is new to her and to her pupils. Nice to be given that opportunity.

Nice to be given the opportunity to take part in this event as a whole. I look forward to something similar comes my way again.

CHRISTIANS AWARE: NEW COURSE ON COURSE

At lunchtime today there's a meeting at the offices of Christians Aware in Saxby Street, to progress plans for “Going on Beyond: Meditation and Mysticism in the World Faiths”, the Faith Awareness course to be held at Christchurch, Clarendon Park, January to March 2013.

We agree a draft timetable for the ten meetings, which will include an introductory session led by Ian Grayling and Kevin Commons; a session on "Mysticism Across the Centuries", led by Beate Dehnen; perspectives on the topic from, respectively, a Cistercian Monk; a Bahá'í (me, speaking about 'Abdu'l-Bahá); a Hindu (speaking about Ramakrishna); a Sikh; A Buddhist; a Jew; and a Pagan. The closing session will take an overview of the whole course and will invite attendees to participate in the interfaith meditation meetings hosted by the Buddhist group at Leicester University.

It's my responsibility to secure the involvement of the Pagan and Sikh speakers before we have our next planning meeting in September.

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (1,863)

Regular update on the number of pageviews received from different parts of the world in the week just ending.

1. United Kingdom 777
2. Russia 385
3. United States 309
4. France 132
5. India 98
6. Germany 64
7. Ukraine 41
8. Latvia 28
9. Taiwan 17
10. Hong Kong 12

This week's total: 1,863 (last week: 1,935). These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's stats software doesn't show me numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of that map for "now" (i.e. in the last two hours), "today", "this week", "this month" and "all time". They're updated each time I look at them.

HOPE & RESILIENCE FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS & REFUGEES

We're exhibiting at the University of Leicester today, where a conference is taking place for Refugee Week (16-24 June): Hope and Resilience for Refugees and Asylum Seekers.

The purpose of the conference is to explore how hope and resilience can be fostered in the current climate through an emphasis on human rights, approaches to justice in psychological therapy and through building solidarity in the voluntary and statutory sectors.

The conference is being held in the South Wing of the Fielding Johnson Building, the second time in four days that I've attended an event here (see Building Shared Heritages: Cultural Diversity in Leicester on Equality & Diversity Officer). There are several organisations exhibiting today, in quite cramped space. Those on display cheek by jowl include:

• Action Deafness Cultural
• British Red Cross (Lincs, Leics & Rutland and Northants)
• The Centre Project
• Citizens' Eye Community News Agency
• Freedom from Torture
• LAMPdirect
• Leicester City of Sanctuary
• Leicester Libraries
• Leicester Welcome Project
• NHS Leicester City Assist Practice
• The Race Equality Centre
• Refugee Action
• Somewhere_To
• Stamp It Out!

I'm looking after both the REDP display as well as that of Leicester Council of Faiths, just across from it in a shared space with Refugee Action. The photo below shows Gail Pringle, Independent Project Manager and Voluntary Sector Consultant with Refugee Action.

The conference is opened by David Sallah (Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust), Cllr Mohammed Dawood (Assistant Mayor, Leicester City Council) and Bob Burgess (Vice Chancellor, University of Leicester).

Keynote speaker is Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty. Her name has been attached to the event since it was first advertised several weeks ago. Shami is a big draw and I know from my conversations this morning that many people are here just to hear her. I speak with a couple of the conference organisers about that, and about having heard Shami speak at REDP's human rights event in Derby in March. I mention what an excellent contribution she'd made to that day and how I'm looking forward to hearing her speak again. I also say how I know that she tends to be on a tight schedule, that more often than not, she'll beam in, deliver her piece then beam out. I get a few blank looks in response. I wonder if I'm coming across as a bit of a name-dropper. At 1140 sharp, we're summoned back into the Peter Williams Lecture Theatre, where the plenary sessions are taking place. The person chairing this session bigs her up, using that well-worn phrase, "Our keynote speaker needs no introduction" before giving her one (at length and in detail) ending with a triumphant, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Shami Chakrabati!" Since I can't see her anywhere in the room, I expect her to enter at that point, perhaps just having arrived at the last minute. There's vigorous applause, as if most everyone else expects the same thing. At that point, however, someone comes forward with a DVD, inserts it into the multimedia centre at the lectern and goes through the menu to cue it up. Now I don't know if I've took my eye off the ball, my attention has been wandering (more than usual, that is) but I've somehow managed to miss the fact that Shami has recorded her speech and it's to be delivered via DVD. Seems like I'm not the only one, as a handful of people huffily pack their bags, get up and leave. Can't fault Shami for not being here. She's obliged to stay in London today to play her significant and influential part in focusing attention on the second reading in the House of Lords of the Justice and Security Bill. The talk itself is as impassioned, informed and inspirational as you'd expect from her. Liberty's mission statement is visible on a poster behind her throughout:

We believe in fundamental rights and freedoms - shared values that protect every member of the human family and the society that we seek to build together.

On reflection, I should have twigged that Shami wasn't going to be here in person because Chino isn't here.

I can't let my post on this event end without mentioning the Zimbabwean Choir, who perform several times during the day.

BUILDING SHARED HERITAGES: CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN LEICESTER

At the University of Leicester (Fielding Johnson Building) this morning for an open day: Building Shared Heritages: Cultural Diversity in Leicester.

Building Shared Heritages is a co-sponsored project at the University of Leicester. Along with the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the University of Leicester is assisting local groups to apply for grants of up to £10,000 to explore their local heritage.

The University of Leicester has a wide range of expertise and resources relating to local and community history in Leicester and Leicestershire. It is looking to widen access to these resources. The key areas that it is interested in developing with community groups are as follows:

• Trading heritage in Leicester
• Sport, music and social heritage in Leicester
• Civic and public heritage in Leicester
• Open spaces and the built environment in Leicester
• Memory of community, home, and local area heritage in Leicester

It’s the last of these five categories that offers potential for the Council of Faiths to get involved.

Deirdre O’Sullivan (Lecturer in Medieval Archaeology) gives a half-hour presentation to the audience of 80 or so about the Mapping Faith and Place project and the Leicester Faith Trail. She made several complimentary references to Leicester Council of Faiths during her presentation. she also described the next stage of the project, which is going to change tack from the general and historical to the particular and contemporary. They'll be focusing on one particular place of worship, Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara on East Park Road. They'll keep updating  the Faith Trail, of course, which will include publishing a new version of the booklet.

SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND

I'm on BBC Radio Leicester with Tony Wadsworth this morning, doing Something for the Weekend. This is a feature where local people are invited into the studio for a live interview about what they usually do on the weekend, what they're doing this weekend and to pick a song that sums up the weekend for them.

I've been on Radio Leicester many times, but always in connection with my post at Leicester Council of Faiths. Tony asks me about my work today and I get to speak about it at some length (especially as I'm doing two things later today related to it: the Building Shared Heritages open day at the University of Leicester and An Indian Summer in the city's Cultural Quarter). But I also get to talk about shared parenting, about being an older dad (and about my kids), about how I became a Bahá'í in 1979 (and why I've stuck with it for 33 years since) - and how bus drivers and cake shop assistants still don't seem to understand my accent, despite the fact I've lived in Leicester half my life! I also give a shoutout to the people who loom largest in my life.

And I get to choose a song to be played on air, something that sums up the weekend for me. There was never any other candidate but XTC's Life Begins at the Hop (1979). Watch one of the worst pop videos ever made for one of the best three-minute pop songs ever made on YouTube. I never met any women like those in the video, in 1979 or since. I can't imagine XTC did either!

ROADSHOW TEACHES PUPILS ABOUT FAITHS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Roadshow teaches pupils about faith

Youngsters at a school have been learning about different faiths this week thanks to a visit by a charity.

Pupils from Mount Grace High School in Hinckley tried out different food, clothing and entertainment, and had conversations with faith volunteers from St Philip's Centre about the Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh faiths, as part of a roadshow.

The day also had a royal theme as children were given the chance to put their name to a pledge board acknowledging the Queen's 60 years of service as being a benchmark for stronger interfaith relations.

Pupil Kirsty Allan said: "The day was amazing. Learning about the food, clothes, and culture was fantastic."

Tom Dunne, assistant head teacher at Mount Grace, said: "We want our children to have the broadest range of knowledge and understanding to enable them to become the active citizens of tomorrow.

"They all had a really enjoyable and exciting day."

Riaz Ravat, from the St Philip's Centre in Leicester, said: "In just one day, our religion and belief roadshow makes such an impact upon children that they remember their experiences for a long time after."

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (1,935)

Regular update on the number of pageviews received from different parts of the world in the week just ending.

1. United Kingdom 927
2. United States 434
3. Russia 227
4. France 128
5. Germany 84
6. India 78
7. Canada 21
8. Brazil 14
9. China 11
10. Malaysia 11

This week's total: 1,935 (last week: 1,713). These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's stats software doesn't show me numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of that map for "now" (i.e. in the last two hours), "today", "this week", "this month" and "all time". They're updated each time I look at them.