Categorized | Citizens Watch, Feedback, Monitoring, Resources

“Leicestershire Together’s Black and Minority Ethnic Citizen’s Jury was convened in 2005 initially for the purpose of a two-day event that took place in November of that year. At that event, representatives from a wide variety of organisations including Leicestershire County Council, the BBC and Leicestershire Constabulary were put under scrutiny by a panel of members of ethnic minority communities from across the city of Leicester and county of Leicestershire (the Citizen’s Jury) with regard to the services that they operate and the policies that they plan.

Now, three years on, the Citizen’s Jury is looking to move the project forward by launching a new era under a new name - Citizen’s Watch. This new initiative will again look to monitor, scrutinise, guide and assist services and initiatives for the benefit of all communities in Leicester Shire and continue the excellent work already undertaken by the initial Citizen’s Jury. However, we are looking to do much more than that. Citizen’s Watch will also play an active part in Leicestershire County Council’s new Community Cohesion Framework. We want to actively organise, develop and promote initiatives that will bring people from different backgrounds together so that they learn from each other, help and support each other and unite in the shared goals of developing a vibrant, cohesive and happy Leicester Shire community.

To do this, we are looking to recruit people from diverse communities to Citizen’s Watch who share this vision and who want to do their bit to make it become a lasting, sustainable reality. Mahatma Gandhi famously said “You must be the change you want to see in the world”. Those words have been an inspiration to millions of people across the world and they are the motivational impetus behind Citizen’s Watch.

We want Citizen’s Watch to be a catalyst for change in our city and county. Accordingly, we want Citizen’s Watch members to not just point out where things are going wrong, and to challenge and ask critical questions - vital though these things are. We want them to do more than that - to actively look to help rectify things by getting involved in projects and initiatives, showing creativity and drive, in effect to lead the way towards change by personal example and involvement.

If this strikes a chord with you, please get in touch with us as soon as posssible. That’s all we’re after at this stage.

We will be holding a meeting of all who have expressed an interest in getting involved at County Hall, Glenfield in Leicester on an evening in early August 2008.

All original and current members of the Black and Minority Ethnic Citizen’s Jury will automatically receive an invitation. At this meeting we will have an opportunity to meet each other and discuss together how we can progress things. We have some ideas that we want to share with you, but we are also looking to create an environment where, collectively, further ideas and goals can be raised, stimulated, developed and then put into practice. We firmly believe that Citizen’s Watch has the potential to do this.

So, if you are interested, please register your interest by contacting John Coster, Editor of the Citizen’s Eye Community News Agency on email editor@citizenseye.org Further information will then be forwarded to you with regard to the meeting in August.

For further information on the Black and Minority Ethnic Citizen’s Jury project and Citizen’s Watch, please contact either Julian Harrison (Leicestershire County Council) on 0116 305 7018 or jnharrison@leics.gov.uk; or Chris Isa Ellis (Citizen’s Jury member) on email president@blackfuture.org.uk“

Tags | Citizens Watch, Citizenship, Monitoring