For our Local People Linking project we are going to different community groups in East Renfrewshire offering free human rights training sessions. We recently went along to meet with people from the Fairweather group to let them know about their human rights and to hear about the issues that affect them.

As we are speaking with people from lots of different groups and backgrounds in the Local People Linking project it has been interesting to hear the different concerns and ideas from the various groups we speak to. The Fairweather group kindly shared information with us on the issues affecting them, such as the discrimination some members of the group report experiencing:

“We still experience racism in our local community – there is resentment about who gets access to what.”

“There needs to be more knowledge or awareness of the need for better religious and cultural tolerance – this would help so much with integration.”

The group also shared some concerns about things that we have now heard from several groups. For example, the group told us about their experiences with transport issues in East Renfrewshire:

“A lack of transport means we have difficulty accessing services.”

“Transport makes it harder to get out and see people.”

The Fairweather group also told us about problems that they have encountered trying to access information, another thing that we have heard from other groups in East Renfrewshire:

“Getting information about what services are available, clear information about what you are entitled to is not easy.”

“There is no clear information from the local authority about how you get adaptions made in your house if you are caring for someone or if you need them yourself.”

Thank you to the Fairweather group for having us along and for sharing their perspectives with us. We hope to come along to the Fairweather group again in the future to think about what the group can do, and how we can help, to find information on some of the issues the group is experiencing.

If you would like a free human rights taster session with your group in East Renfrewshire then email jill.k@otbds.org or call 07841 015949. For more information about the project click here.