Stronger communities

In partnership with the British East and South East Asian Network (besea.n) we have created an active bystander training. These expert-led sessions see participants guided through a series of discussions to explore how they can play a role in tackling identity-based prejudice and violence in their community, school, or place of work. 

Content is tailored to the needs of each group. The training has a minimum time of 2 hours but can also be delivered over a half or full day. Content includes: 

• What it means to be an active bystander or ally: through group discussion the participants explore what being an active bystander means to them
• Standing up for victims: working through a series of scenarios, participants consider and learn what they can do when they encounter prejudice, harassment or violence such as a racist attack in a supermarket or an inappropriate comment from a colleague
• What you can do if you are the victim: participants consider some options they may have if they are the victim of prejudice or violence, and find out where there are support services and resources

We have funding to deliver up to two sessions free of charge for your organisation or worklace so get in touch to book! 

contact: education@protectionapproaches.org 

We know that community-based organisations are best placed to raise awareness of hate crime, to support those who are victims, and to lead on prevention efforts. They are the organisations most likely to have built trust with those who are most marginalised, to understand the needs of their communities, and to hear and represent the views of the people they work with. 

Yet community-based organisations often tell us they do not have the tools, expertise, or resources to be able to deliver the hate crime outreach, victim support, or prevention programmes that they would like to. 

Throught this programme our expert team supports each organisation over a 10- month programme through individually tailored programmes to:  

• Increase the awareness and understanding of hate crime among community members who they work with 
• Feel confident to provide an initial, basic level of victim support to members of their community who report being targeted by hate crime
• Build new relationships with stakeholders in police, local and regional authorities, civil society and elsewhere focused on hate crime victim support and/or prevention 
• Build sustainabilityof hate crime victim support and / or hate crime prevention work through developing grant proposals and other fundraising strategies 

The support is tailored to the needs of each organisation but includes several trainings such as on hate crime legislation and reporting, victim support, advocacy, and outreach. In addition, all participating organisations receive up to £5,000 to help cover staff and resource costs associated with participation in the project. 

Over four years our team has delivered our groundbreaking Community Builder Training with more than 1,000 staff members and volunteers at community based organisations, and local authorities across the UK. The programme equips those who are passionate about creating positive change in their communities with the tools, principles, and methodologies they need to tackle injustice, bridge divides and build respectful, resilient communities. 

The workshops are accompanied with bespoke materials containing best practice in community building, community organising and peacebuilding from around the world empowering people who are already deeply involved in their local areas and therefore best placed to deliver community building work with the understanding of how to do that work. After the workshops, participants are tasked with putting their training into action. They initiate new projects, build on existing networks, and integrate what they’ve learnt into their forums, clubs, WhatsApp groups, and other means of community organising or neighbourhood support. 

Protection Approaches leads the consortium delivering 'On Your Side' the UK-wide support and reporting service for East and Southeast Asian communities who experience racism and/or any forms of hate. 

The service includes a 24/7 freephone helpline available in East and Southeast Asian languages; a website with reporting forms and resources; and ongoing community-based support delivered by trained casework advocates. On Your side has community members at the centre. That means anyone can feel safe using the service. Unless somebody is in danger, we will never pass on anything we have been told to anybody else without permission.

Funded by £1million from the UK Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities, On Your Side is delivered by a consortium of 9 organisations including East and Southeast Asian led community groups alongside national hate crime reporting and hate crime prevention organisations.