Our Services: Below is an overview of the activities we aim to engage in to achieve our goals. We manage The NICE-Center, an international community centre in the hearth of Norwich. The centre provides a convenient, non-threatening environment which enables communities engage better.
Our Ongoing & Planned Activities
- Norwich’s International Community Engagement-Centre (The NICE-Centre) located at 19 Muspole Street, provides a community space where community member could feel at home. The venue is used by several BME community groups for different community activities and it is available for other organisations to book (Booking form with hire rates).
- Events and activities: We are committed to promoting better community engagement in Norfolk. As a BME (Black & Minority Ethnic) led organisation, we share the responsibility to provide leadership to our community members and give back to the community as much as we possibly can. In recent years, we have, through our membership and volunteers, led on or participated in many successful community events attended by several diverse community members. Our events range from, international food festivals, taking over the coordination of the Norwich & Norfolk Refugee Week events, and leading on theme focused community forum meetings with a view to develop better community engagement opportunities for all.
- Information Advice & Guidance: we provide face to face peer support and general advice to members of our community and organisations aiming to engage them. We signpost to other organisations as we are committed to engaging with other service providers. We are interested in developing referral protocols with other agencies and introducing new arrivals to the available local services. We produce a bi-Monthly community newsletter; we can facilitate volunteer interpreters for simple appointments; and we try to keep track of community members’ needs.
- Partnership opportunities: we host other new and existing community groups and project, and promoting partnership building between different groups.
- Providing Presentations, Trainings & Workshops: We are constantly looking to work in partnership with other organizations to provide the following training, workshops & opportunities to communities and organisations
- Cultural Awareness training for both host and new community members and organisations
- Community safety and wellbeing training: Police, criminal justice and social services
- Know your rights: UK benefits and tax system, and people with no recourse to public funds (NRPF).
- Pathway to employment training
- Housing rights and entitlement issues
- General Health awareness, e.g. Drugs, HIV, and harmful traditional practices
- Understanding and engaging with service providers
- Job shadowing opportunities
- Community organisations capacity building training
- Health and Safety at Work
- Certificate in food handling and hygiene
- UKBA-Understanding the different categories of rights to live to remain and work in the UK
- Other services-We offer free internet access, free publicity for other organisations, free meeting venue for other community groups with toys for parents visiting with children
- Community Group activities & meetings @ our centre (currently the following are ongoing):
- Gambian African Network (GAN)-last Friday of every month community gatherings from 6.00-10pm open to the general public. Everyone invited regardless of nationality, race or age to join other community members to hang out for social networking. Free drinks and snacks provided.
- Congolese Community Association-1st Saturday of every month 2-5pm. Members only meeting.
- Eritrean & Ethiopian Community Network-2nd Saturday of every month 2-5pm. Open to the general public.
- Zimbabwe Community Association (ZIMCAN)- 3rd Saturday of every month. Committee members meeting.
- Congolese Women’s Network-4th Saturday of every month
- Bulgarian in Norwich & Norfolk (BNN)-every Sunday 12.30pm-4pm open to the public (closed during school summer holidays)
- UPENDO: Meets every 1st and 4tht Saturday of each month from 12pm
- NDARO: Norwich Development African Refugees Organisation (holds occasional meetings/event)
- Norwich Association of (Indian) Malayalees- http://www.norwichmalayalees.co.uk/index.html (cultural group training session)
If at anytime, while you are browsing through our website, you have a question related to any of our services don't hesitate to call us at 01603 617 076 or send us an e-mail at office@bridgeplus.org.uk.
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