Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Tag: Gurvinder Sandher CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council

  • Passing of Great Local Champion Mr Mohammed Aslam

    Passing of Great Local Champion Mr Mohammed Aslam

    Local community champion Mr Mohammed Aslam sadly passed away on Sunday 5th June 2022 after long bout of ill health. He was one of the founders of the Gravesend and Dartford Muslim Association and the Kent Muslim Welfare Association based in Medway.

    Mr Aslam was recognised not just in Kent but around the country for his dedication and service to diverse communities spanning over 50 years. He was widely respected and recognised for his selfless servitude to the community and an instrumental figure not only establishing the Gravesend and Dartford Muslim Association but also supporting the opening of the newly acquired burial space for members of the Muslim community in Thames View Crematorium and Cemetery.

    Having arrived in this country from Lahore in Pakistan in the April of 1968, he settled in Gravesend. Like many immigrants of that era, he initially worked in construction and then in the paper mills locally. Alongside this, Mr Aslam working with others members in the Muslim community set about establishing a base for the fledgling Muslim population in the borough. From these small seeds emerged the Gravesend and Dartford Muslim Association. He was one of the driving forces behind the Islamic classes which started in the borough and then the development of the current Mosque in Albion Terrace.

    Parallel to this Mr Aslam was a key figure in promoting positive community relations locally and fostered long standing partnerships with the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara and multiple local Churches, working on promoting interfaith activity. This was something that was very close to his heart as most recently Mr Aslam worked with local faith groups to fundraise for oxy-meters and oxygen concentrators to be sent to India in the midst of its worst wave of Covid 19 infection in May 2021.

    In addition to his interfaith work, Mr Aslam was always on hand to provide advice and support to key local community partners including Kent Police over many years.

    Gurvinder Sandher, CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented, “During the course of my career I have been incredibly fortunate to work with real community champion and heroes. Mr Aslam was one such champion, who not only worked tirelessly and diligently throughout his time serving the community, but also did it humbly and utterly selflessly. He genuinely worked towards to the betterment of the community he served without any guise or ulterior agenda, never once asking for recognition or award. A pillar of the community in the truest sense, Mr Aslam was a warm and welcoming figure, qualities that reflected in the way he worked together with other communities, cultivating unity and religious tolerance. Mr Aslam will be greatly missed and his absence will be keenly felt locally. I for one pay tribute to the vital work he did within the heart of the community and for the outstanding individual he was.”

  • Mental Health Awareness North Kent Project Report

    Mental Health Awareness North Kent Project Report

    KECC (Kent Equality Cohesion Council) has published a report around the impact on mental health in diverse young people since the onset of the pandemic. Working with local schools, youth groups and grass root organisations, the report was compiled with the use of surveys which were circulated amongst local young people and roundtable discussions which looked into the issues affecting young people over the various lockdowns and subsequently in a post lockdown society.

    The research was funded through the Live Well Fund for Kent and Medway and was delivered in partnership with Rethink Sahayak, Cohesion Plus and North Kent Caribbean Network.

    Key themes that emerged included the negative impact that the pandemic had on young people, many felt really anxious and some still feel uncomfortable in social situations. There was also still a lack of awareness of services and support available locally. Recommendations included the need for more targeted interventions with young people in non-educational settings including sports clubs and arts settings. It was also felt that more could be done to highlight the link between physical activity and mental health wellbeing.

    Gurvinder Sandher, CEO of the KECC commented, “In a society which has been so impacted by the pandemic, we were keen to understand the effect locally. The young people who participated in the research really opened up about the challenges, some of them knew friends and family members who had been severely impacted with some participants knowing friends who had sadly taken their own lives. We will be sharing the report and its findings widely and hope it can contribute to the debate around mental health and well-being as we try to get back to pre-pandemic normality.

  • Mental Health event brings Young People together

    Mental Health event brings Young People together

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership with North Kent Caribbean Network and Rethink Sahayak delivered a mental health awareness event on Thursday 24th March designed to engage young people from diverse backgrounds.

    The event was delivered as part of an ongoing project commissioned by Porchlight and Kent County Council which aims to identify how mental health in young people has been impacted since the onset of the pandemic.

    The event was held at No 84 Eatery and over 25 young people had the opportunity to hear from speakers including Carol Gosal from Rethink, Tamsyn Phillips and Adam Littlefield from EK360 and Jennifer Kelly from North Kent MIND around shaping services to cater to young people from underrepresented communities as well as the importance of discussing mental health overall. The young people also heard from spoken word artist Nathanial Ogun who presented two poems around mental health.

    Also presented at the event by Gurvinder Sandher from KECC (Kent Equality Cohesion Council) was a report researched and published by KECC which features data captured from over 300 young people around their thoughts and reflections of mental health over the many lockdowns caused by the pandemic. The report looked at the themes that emerged as a result of the findings and some key issues that presented themselves were around social anxiety caused by prolonged lockdowns and the subsequent lack of social interaction. Also prevalent was the concern around the impact on education during the pandemic as well as lack of awareness of which services could be accessed for mental health support.

    The aim of the event was not only engage diverse young people but to encourage open dialogue around the challenges facing minority youth when it comes to mental health as well identifying perceived barriers when attempting to access health and support services.

    Gurvinder Sandher, CEO of KECC commented, “We are incredibly proud that we were able to deliver this important event working partners North Kent Caribbean Network and Rethink Sahayak. Mental health is something that has in some way shape or form, touched us or someone that we know. However, its not something that we know a great deal about in terms of where to go when we need help. This is particular prevalent in young people who openly acknowledging their struggles with mental health but don’t necessarily know where to go in terms of accessing tangible, dependable support. The aim of this event was to demystify this process and it was important that colleagues from MIND, Rethink and EK360 through their partnership with the NHS could contribute to the discussions around this. Special thanks go to all the young people that have generously given their time to contribute towards our report and overall project as well as No 84 who continue to do great community work by offering their premises for such important events.”

  • Listen Up Conference sparks important discussions

    Listen Up Conference sparks important discussions

    The communities of North Kent came out to attend a public conference around health and being called Listen Up on Thursday 10th March. Held at the Woodville in Gravesham and organised by the Kent Equality Cohesion Council in partnership with Rethink Sahayak, North Kent Caribbean Network and EK360, the aim of the conference was to raise awareness of issues such as suicide, substance abuse and mental health which have been impacting communities since the onset of the pandemic.

    Approximately 250 people attended the conference and heard presentations from speakers including Mandeep Manocha from Alcohol Free Sikhs, Sandeep Saib who spoke her lived experiences with body dysmorphia and attempted suicide and Tim Woodhouse from Kent County Council who covered a number of the services provided to tackle the issues discussed during the conference.

    Also speaking at the conference were Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr Bhargawa Vasudaven, Acting Head of Community Services South, Carol Gosal, and Chair of the North Kent Caribbean Network, Michelle Bramble. They gave a community perspective on the issues discussed during the conference and some of the support available locally.

    The conference was concluded by Gurjit Singh Shokar’s emotional and hard hitting experience around the loss of his brother Amarjit Singh Shokar to suicide recently. Gurjit has been advocating for more work to be done to raise awareness of suicide prevention especially within ethnic minority communities as there is still a taboo around mental health.

    Furthermore, in recognition of the tragic events unfolding in Ukraine, fundraising was conducted during the conference and £950 was collected. The funds will be donated towards the Ukrainian relief efforts via the Disaster Emergency Committee.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “Since the onset of the pandemic, we have seen issues such as suicide and mental health reach new devastating levels. As such, we felt it necessary to hold this conference and reach as many people as we could from the local communities, to raise awareness as well as highlight the services and aid available. Our hope is that through the conference, if even one life can be saved, or someone suffering from mental health can find access to care, then we have done our job right. I am also grateful to everyone who donated to the Ukraine appeal on the night.”

    Carol Gosal, Acting Head of Community Services South commented, “We are really pleased to have been able to deliver this event and reach so many people. The topics discussed today are hard hitting and not easy to listen to but we have to make ourselves uncomfortable for the severity of the matter to really sink in. It’s vital that we talk about suicide and mental health and raise awareness. Special thanks go to our speakers who all made such important contributions.”

    Michelle Bramble, Chair of the North Kent Caribbean Network said, “We wholly believe that we need events like these to raise awareness and shine a light on subjects like suicide and mental health, subjects that aren’t necessarily talked about until it’s happening to you or someone you know. The aim of this event was to show people that it’s never too late to access help and support no matter where you are from. I am so happy so many people came out to support and it was particularly heartening to see members of the community reach out to speakers and thank them for sharing their stories. It’s indicative of the fact that on some level, the penny has dropped and people are listening and taking this seriously.”

  • Community and local authority partners welcome new Mosque administration

    Community and local authority partners welcome new Mosque administration

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council organised a meeting at the Gravesend and Dartford Muslim Association Mosque which saw local authority, charity and voluntary sectors partners attend on Friday 3rd December. The purpose of the meeting was to introduce the new management committee to wider partners.

    Mr Bilal Farooq, the new Chairperson welcomed the guests including Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Lyn Milner to the meeting and introduced all in attendance to the new management committee for the Mosque. Other guests included representatives from Kent Police, Citizens Advise, Rethink Mental Illness and Gravesham Borough Council.

    Mr Farooq expressed that he was greatly enthused and excited to be working with the partners in attendance and stated that the committee had exciting plans to work with the other local communities of Gravesham as well as spearheading a female led women’s initiative around empowering women and girls.

    Gurvinder Sandher, CEO of KECC commented, “The entire ethos of the work we do at KECC is around building and maintaining relationships and partnership working across the diverse communities of Kent regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexuality or religion. As such, we were proud to be able to arrange this important meeting between colleagues at the Gravesham and Dartford Muslim Association Mosque and local authority, charity and voluntary sectors partners. The most impactful and meaningful work occurs when we all work together towards a common shared goal. We welcome the new committee and wish Mr Farooq a fruitful and productive tenure as Chairperson. KECC have always had a positive relationship with the local Mosque and we look forward to future partnership working.”

  • The Communities of Gravesham come out for the Gravesham Festival of Christmas Lights

    The Communities of Gravesham come out for the Gravesham Festival of Christmas Lights

    The diverse communities of Gravesham came out to support the return of the Gravesham Festival of Christmas Lights on Friday 19th November. The event has not taken place since 2019 due to the pandemic and was delivered by Kent Equality Cohesion Council in partnership with Cohesion Plus and Gravesham Borough Council.

    The event proved to be one of the biggest to date as entertainment started in the town centre with pop up performances taking place across the High Street, Windmill Street, New Road and Community Square getting people into the Christmas spirit.

    Civic guests included The Mayor of Gravesham, Councillor Lyn Milner, Deputy Lord Lieutenant Bhargawa Vasudaven and local Councillors and representatives from various faith and community organisations who led the parade which included 13 local schools.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “It was a delight to see the communities of Gravesham come out and celebrate together again after such a long time. The whole ethos of our work is to promote unity, community cohesion, tolerance and shared British values and we are proud that this longstanding and popular event provides the platform to do this. Christmas is a special time for everyone regardless of faith, whether you celebrate or not. We are incredibly grateful to our partners for their continued support and we are proud that the Gravesham Festival of Lights was such a huge success given its absence last year.”

  • Communities Come Together For Black History Month

    Communities Come Together For Black History Month

    Wednesday 20th October saw the diverse communities of North Kent come out to celebrate Black History Month by attending a free screening of community led and made films at the Woodville Hall Theatre in Gravesham. Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership with Cohesion Plus, North Kent Caribbean and People Dem Collective delivered the in person Black History Month event since 2019.

    Supported by Kent County Council and Gravesham Borough Council, the event saw dignitaries and community members alike come together to view films around the themes of race, diversity and identity.

    Chief Constable of Kent Police Alan Pughsley QPM delivered the keynote speech of the evening and spoke at length about the extensive work that Kent Police were doing around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within the force as well the continued work around the recruitment scheme. He also spoke about the steps that the force were taking to instil confidence around the issue of violence against women and girls.

    The Chief went on to address the audience of over 150 attendees about his commitment to the diverse communities of Kent. He stated that he hoped the gesture he made when he took the knee during a peaceful memorial to mark the death of George Floyd at the hands of American police in 2019, showed his solidarity and commitment to equality within policing. Mr Pughsley was then presented with an award for outstanding support and service to diverse communities in Kent by event organisers Gurvinder Sandher, CEO of KECC and Michelle Bramble, Chair of the North Kent Caribbean Network.

    Local residents were also recognised for their outstanding work in their respective communities as they received awards presented by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant Bhargawa Vasudaven and Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Lyn Milner.

    The event was part of a series of taking place across Kent as part of Black History Month. Further activity will also be taking place in Margate and Canterbury over the coming week culminating in a screening of cult classic ‘Babylon’ at the Gulbenkian on Friday 29th October with a coach making its way from Gravesend.

    Gurvinder Sandher, CEO of KECC commented, “It was an absolute pleasure to be able to deliver the first in person Black History Month celebrations here in North Kent for the first time since 2019. It is important that we use events like Black History Month to understand our shared history and heritage. It is vital to stress that Black History isn’t confined to just one month rather it is a yearlong recognition that Black history is in fact British history. We are incredibly grateful to our valued partner the North Kent Caribbean Network and I am immensely proud of what we have been able achieve during this time.”

  • The Wrotham Festival of Light is back!

    The Wrotham Festival of Light is back!

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council was proud to work in partnership to deliver the Wrotham Festival of Light which took place on Friday 15th October. The event returned after a 2 year absence. The festival brought exciting outdoor culturally diverse art to a rural, community setting, connecting communities both young and old alike.

    n the build-up pupils at Saint George’s Primary School created lanterns around the themes of friendship, local heroes, community and tolerance working with Same Sky.

    The first half of the festival saw attendees come together outside Saint George’s Church to enjoy performances by culturally diverse artists. Then followed the Lantern Parade led by special guests including Deputy Lord Lieutenant Nadrah Ahmed OBE and Deputy Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling, Cllr Sue Bell. The parade went through the village which was decorated by wonderful natured themed light installations. The festivities climaxed at the Cricket Ground where the crowds were dazzled by a spectacular fireworks display by Phoenix Fireworks.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “It was so great to see so many people out supporting the Wrotham Festival of Light. Before Covid the festival had become really popular and if anything, we had even more people join us today which is a real positive. Events like this bring communities together and promote a sense of community and belonging and I am proud of what we have achieved.”

  • CEO of KECC honoured by Kent Police for years of service

    CEO of KECC honoured by Kent Police for years of service

    After more than a decade as the County Chair of the Kent Police Independent Police Advisory Group the CEO of KECC Gurvinder Sandher has stepped down from his role as of August 2021. In this period, in addition to chairing the County meetings, Gurvinder also chaired a number of strategic meetings including Stop and Search Scrutiny, Use of Force and Covid Fixed Penalty Notice panels, as well as contributing to the Diversity and Inclusion Board and the Prevent Delivery Board. Gurvinder was also involved in some of the key senior recruitment processes including for the Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Constable.

    Gurvinder continues to serve as an Independent Member and Vice Chair of the Police and Crime Panel as well as the current District IPAG Chair for Gravesham and Dartford.

    Gurvinder Sandher CEO of KECC commented, “Whilst I am incredibly proud of my working partnership with Kent Police, I do believe it is time to step down to allow fresh voices to emerge and make their mark. This is no way means that my professional work with Kent Police or indeed my work in the wider community has ended, rather it is the opposite. The extra time will allow me and my organisation to work even closer with the diverse communities of the county, working alongside Kent Police to promote community cohesion, inclusivity and continue to act as a critical friend. I am eternally grateful to my colleagues at the Force for their support and partnership over the years and I am very proud of what we were able to achieve working together for the greater good of the county we serve.”

  • Tunbridge Wells Mela a Success Despite the Poor Weather

    Tunbridge Wells Mela a Success Despite the Poor Weather

    Despite the heavy rain and thunder over 1000 people attended the 15th Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival in Calverley Grounds on Sunday 25th July. The Mela was organised in partnership by Cohesion Plus and Kent Equality Cohesion Council supported by Arts Council England and Royal Tunbridge Wells Together.

    The Mayor of Tunbridge Wells Cllr Chris Woodward was also in attendance and thanked everyone for supporting the Mela which was now one of the highlights of the event calendar in Tunbridge Wells.

    Those who braved the poor weather saw a range of Kent based diverse acts on stage. Highlights included the Paul Dunton Orchestra and Sahrudaya West Kent Keralites who wooed everyone with their high energy performances, the ever popular Phase 5 Steel Band and Uzambezi African ensemble.

    Other highlights included G Town Talents who performed grime and rap. The event was climaxed by the Kings of Bhangra Four by Four who had everyone up and dancing in the midst of the rain.

    Gurvinder Sandher, CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented, “I am really proud of what we were able to achieve. The Tunbridge Wells Mela is a shining beacon of how music, food and dance can bring communities together and celebrate shared values. The popularity of the event can be seen by how many people came out in what was the worst weather in which we have delivered an outdoor event. I would like to thank everyone who worked with us to deliver the Mela and everyone who came and attended.”