Multicultural Network Monthly Newsletter February 2014

Latest news:

• Message from the Chair
• Sharing Christmas Traditions
• A new home for the Multicultural Network
• Pinocchio Project Update
• Drop in Centre
• Adult Learning event

Welcome Ceri!

Hello, my name is Ceri Martin. I am currently volunteering for the Llanelli Multicultural Network as part of my Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. I will be doing a monthly news letter for LMCN. Thank you to the Llanelli Multicultural Network for giving me this voluntary opportunity and I hope you enjoy reading the newsletter.

Hello from the Chair!

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2014. We are delighted to introduce our newest volunteer, Ceri Martin, who is producing our newsletter for us. Ceri is still at school and her volunteer hours will count towards her Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Many thanks to Ceri for all her hard work in making the newsletter look so good!

We will use this newsletter as a means of advertising future events and reporting on the good work we do. Please, please send us your own short articles which you think might be relevant to the work of the Multicultural Network, or articles from other organisations working hard to build a more cohesive Community in Carmarthenshire. Please send articles to lmcnpublicity@live.co.uk.

• For information: contactlmcnchair@live.co.uk
• Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/llanelli.multiculturalnetwork
• Pinocchio Forum Project: https://www.facebook.com/PinocchioForumProject?ref=hl

Sharing Christmas Traditions

We were delighted to arrange an end of Christmas Term Party in December. It was a chance to share some of the traditions and tasty food from around the World. Local reporter Chad Welsh had contacted us about a piece he wanted to write about different Christmas traditions, so it was a chance for our members to talk about Christmas in their countries.

One of the highlights of the day was when the Polish attendees of the English Class brought along “Oplatek” a thin wafer embossed with a holy image. This was shared one –to one with a Happy Christmas and New Year greeting. Apart from the food on offer from other countries, there were also traditional mince pies and Helen arranged some party games too!

Multicultural Network Chair, Ann Evans said. “It was lovely to see so many people from so many different backgrounds there and to learn how they celebrate Christmas and the New Year”, she added “the full page article in the local paper was really informative and we would like to thank Chad for coming to the party and writing the article”

Pinocchio Forum Project Update

In September 2013, 10 members of the Llanelli Multicultural Network (LMCN) took part in the latest international visit of the Pinocchio Forum Project to Florence. The Project is part of the European Union’s Life Long Learning Programme which promotes intercultural understanding across Europe and beyond. The Project has partners from Wales (representing the UK), Poland, Switzerland and Italy.

Each partner hosts an international visit during the 2 year Project and it was the turn of the Italians to host the Project in the home of the story of Pinocchio, in Florence.

Though many people are familiar with the cartoon film version of the story, the book is far more serious with moral tales of how a wooden puppet becomes a real boy only by going through all the difficulties that many young people face, even today, including a range of difficult decisions and their consequences.

The UK Project Coordinator, Paolo Piana said,” Whilst in Florence we learnt of the history of the story of Pinocchio, its author and visited some of the places associated with Pinocchio”

As part of the learning process participants attended many interesting workshops, conferences and visited some of Florence’s famous and historic places.

Paolo added “working and learning together with our European partners is so important, to build understanding and learn about each other’s culture. The positive impact on our participants has been tremendous”.

One of the LMCN participants, Helen Kane wrote in her daily project log “this has changed my life, I have learnt so much and met so many interesting people, after taking par
t in an art workshop I have discovered a talent I never knew I had!”

In Llanelli over 300 people of all ages and backgrounds have taken part in Pinocchio Project activities. Our Volunteer film maker Malcolm Boorer has made a wonderful film of the visit. Our thanks go to him, the film is on You Tube http://youtu.be/_R2xbUXgAuw.

There are plenty of pictures too have a look at the Project’s Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/PinocchioForumProject?ref=hl

Tak Polska Project

The Llanelli Foyer based in Station Road has been working on a European Union funded, “Youth in Action” Project called “Tak Polska” (Yes Poland).

The young people at the Foyer have been making a film looking at Polish community in Llanelli and life in Poland from a youth perspective. The Multicultural Network have been happy to support the Project. Scenes from our weekly Drop in Centre and the last year’s Multicultural Week events have featured in the film.

In October a group of ten people from Llanelli visited Gdansk to learn about life in Poland and to film part 2 of the film. Multicultural Network member Paolo Piana went on the trip as a coach/advisor and was able to guide the group to places that were of historic and cultural interest, including Westerplatte, scene of the opening shots of WW2 and the Gdansk shipyard where Lech Walesa led the Solidarity movement.

By the river in Gdansk Paolo who is also the Coordinator of the Pinocchio Forum Project was delighted how European links had been built up. ”When the Foyer needed a partner for their Project we were happy to introduce our Pinocchio Project partners to them. Luckily Justyna Limon and Bartosz Czerwinski from Gdansk were in Llanelli last year and were happy to be Partners in the Tak Polska venture”

He added “this is an amazing way of expanding on the success of European projects, building and expanding Networks across Europe …and beyond.

Justyna, Bartosz and their colleagues were able to set up meetings with local people and facilitate filming opportunities for the group.

The full film of “Tak Polska” will be shown at a Premier on Friday March 21th at the Selwyn Samuel Centre in Llanelli. Tickets are just £6 which includes a buffet and are available from the Tak Polska Project Coordinator Doug Terry by calling 01554-771293 or emailing doug.terry@gwalia.com

Drop In Centre

Since September 2014 the Drop-in Centre has been running every Thursday morning at the Scouts Hall in Llanelli. We are very grateful to the 1st Llanelli Scouts for giving us such a warm welcome in our new venue and providing such good facilities.

English lessons take place from 10 am, and this term the class will be looking at life in Llanelli today and in the past. Thank you in advance to Benita and William Afan Rees, Local History experts, for working with us on this. There is also a volunteer on hand at our IT help desk.

Events which have taken place at the Drop-in include a MEWN (Minority Ethnic Women’s Network) consultation event, a Communities First Activity Day for children and an end of term party.

Anybody is welcome to pop in for a cuppa and a chat at the Drop In every Thursday 10am-12pm.

• Address: The Scouts Hall, off Andrew Street, Llanelli SA15 3YW. The Scout Hall is just behind Aldi and very near the Llanelli Bus Station.

We now have a new home thanks to the generosity and hospitality of the 1st Llanelli Scouts.

After 3 years of renting community halls in Llanelli a more permanent home has been found. The Scouts Hall is now the venue for the Weekly Drop in Centre and other events. Network Chair Ann Evans said, “The Hall is ideal, we have some storage space, a kitchen but more importantly we have had such a warm welcome from the Scout Group. We can now continue to grow and flourish here!”