Bruce Grove Youth Centre
10 Bruce Grove, Tottenham, N17 6RA

 The Citizens’ Inquiry has been led by nine local community leaders based in Tottenham including Dawn Ferdinand, Head Teacher at the Willow Primary School on Broadwater Farm, Symeon Brown, Haringey Young People Empowered and Rev. Bunmi Fagbemi, Holy Trinity Church.

The Inquiry ran for six weeks between October 15^th and November 27^th 2011. In that time teams of people from local community groups gathered stories from over 700 people from across Tottenham about the causes and impact of the Tottenham Riots and gathered their ideas and solutions for moving forward.

The Citizens’ Inquiry into the Tottenham Riots was commissioned by North London Citizens, an alliance of 40 civic institutions, mostly faith and education, who work together to make change in their communities. On 7^th February, the Commissioners will be launching their plan of action for change in Tottenham, including their key findings, recommendations and a ‘Citizens Plan’ for delivering the recommendations throughout 2012.

For more information or interviews please contact Alvin Carpio, Alvin.Carpio@LondonCitizens.org.uk, 07958 397131 or Sophie Stephens, Sophie.Stephens@LondonCitizens.org.uk, 07872 027 621

Our online map has been up and running for about two months now and we already have branches of EAT, Subway, Tesco Express and Cafe Rouge signed up.  Lotti and Chris met last week with Henry Brosi, Executive Chef at The Dorchester Hotel, who is very keen to donate their surplus food to nearby charities

Take a look at www.planzheroes.org and become a zero food waste hero yourself by encouraging your local food business to sign up to the map – it’s very quick and easy!

The event was held at St Mary’s Church, Somers Town, the parish of the 1920s housing campaigner, Fr Basil Jellicoe. Community leaders from across London revealed a series of proposals, which London Citizens will ask the candidates for Mayor of London to commit to at an Accountability Assembly held a week before Election Day.

The Citizens Agenda came out of a 9 month Listening Campaign, which included thousands of one-to-one meetings with Londoners and voting by members of over 220 schools, faith groups and civil society institutions. The Agenda contains proposals on 5 key areas relating to the major hopes and concerns of citizens – governance, housing, crime (CitySafe), poverty (Living Wage) and opportunities for young people.

These range from ideas to boost existing campaigns like the Living Wage to exciting new requests for a summer talent scheme and solutions to the London housing crisis. However, London Citizens have not left it all to the Mayor and, in exchange for these “asks”, have committed to do a number of specific actions to support whoever is elected in tackling these issues.

You can view the Citizens Agenda for London 2012 here in full

Alongside seeking commitments on the specific proposals in the Citizens Agenda, London Citizens aims to increase the participation of our communities in the governance and democracy of the capital. This is London’s fourth Mayoral Election and the fourth time the alliance has run such a campaign, by listening and voting on a common agenda before holding an exciting Accountability Assembly.

Back in 2004, London Citizens secured commitments which led then-Mayor Ken Livingstone to establish the Living Wage Unit at City Hall and enshrine our ethical guarantees in the Olympic bid and legacy. Later in 2008, Mayor Boris Johnson backed all 5 of our proposals in front of a packed Methodist Central Hall. He then opened CityHall as London’s 200th CitySafe Haven. Each time, the Accountability Assembly was the highlight of the election season, demonstrating politics at its best – authentic, engaging and led by citizens.

This year’s Accountability Assembly will be held on April 26th in Methodist Central Hall. Between now and then, our member institutions will be reaching out to their neighbours and raising awareness of the Citizens Agenda in their communities.

For more information about the campaign contact Stefan Baskerville (stefan.baskerville@londoncitizens.org.uk); Neil Jameson (neil.jameson@londoncitizens.org.uk); or Tom Chigbo (tom.chigbo@londoncitizens.org.uk).

Now is the time to reflect on 2011 – many victories and the growing awareness of the power and centrality of organised civil society in the governance of the UK. We mark particularly the efforts of our CUK Organisers in Milton Keynes, Nottingham and Birmingham. Citizens: MK have just completed their first full year with a creative Assembly on 6^th December (300 people and 17 dues-paying institutions) and an agenda focussed on Street Safety, Living Wage and opportunities for young people. We also have Glasgow and Cardiff in our sights for new broad-based Citizens Organisations that support and promote their civil society and its interests into the future.

London Citizens AGM and Annual Awards Ceremony was held at London’s Living Room on the top floor of City Hall on 7^th December. The audited accounts for London Citizens for 2010/11 were ratified by the membership and total income for London is now over £1m. Thanks to the foundations and membership organisations which make this possible. We continue to raise funds from an increasingly broad-base of support. The job of strengthening civil society and training and developing its leaders is a permanent obligation for all who believe in civil society and in politics as a vehicle for change and social justice.

We end this year on a high – on 29^th November the final Chapter of London Citizens was launched at Union Chapel, Islington before 600 citizens. 37 new member communities joined North London Citizens at a passionate and electrifying Founding Assembly which ended with a spontaneous standing ovation. The following evening, TELCO celebrated their 15^th Anniversary before 1,200 citizens and more than 60 member institutions. The theme was the 2012 Olympics and we welcomed Lord Sebastian Coe, Chair and Paul Deighton, CEO of LOCOG to endorse the seven year working relationship from 2004 which has led to Living Wage jobs across the site and now over 500 local people being recruited into these jobs via TELCO member communities at local jobs fayres.

The final action of the year took place on December 15^th in the form of a 6 hour pageant through east London of bands, young people, tableaux and celebration. It was called ‘Our Stories; Our Streets; Our London’ – and honoured the role played by the civil society leaders and their institutions which have made London so great. The Pageant ended in St John’s Church, off Mare Street in Hackney where 400 citizens heard the leaders of the three Judeo faiths share the stories of their seasonal feasts – Christmas, Eid and Hanukkah. The Assembly ended on an emotional high led by Senior Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg from the New North London Synagogue lighting the Hanukkah candle and this light spreading across the darkened church to the candles held by all attending. As he did this he told a story he had heard from his teacher and mentor the late Rabbi Hugo Gryn who, with his family was interred in Auschwitz Concentration Camp in 1944. On the night of Hanukkah Hugo Gryn’s father had pulled a thread from his coat and used some lard to make a candle. When the young Hugo protested because the lard could have been used for food his father had said – ‘We can always find some food but hope – that is a scarce resource – so we light the Hanukkah Candle as a sign of Hope for the world!’.

On behalf of Citizens UK Trustees and Guild of Organisers may I thank you for your support, leadership and interest in 2011 and wish you and your family hope, joy and good health at this wonderful season. 2012 is a year with great promise for all organised citizens.

On 10^th December, over five hundred community leaders from thirty different Diaspora communities came together to celebrate their diversity and power by setting goals and pressing major political and corporate figures to make change.

It was a powerful afternoon at City Temple Church, taking place 45 years to the day when Martin Luther King, speaking in the same venue, declared “The basic thing about a man is not his specificity but his fundamentals, not the texture of his hair or the colour of his skin but his eternal dignity and worth ”.

The same sense of energy and urgency could be felt when Jeff Sango declared, “Whenever a people is scattered – through persecution or famine or war – those who are spread like seeds on a strong wind across the globe – we seek to assemble.  The scattered Diaspora gathers!”

Politically, the Assembly was a huge success, allowing our leaders to solidify important relationships with influential figures straight from London’s power base. The 10^th December was also international Human Rights Day, an appropriate backdrop for challenging London’s political elite to address the issues of the UK’s marginalized communities.

Among those who witnessed the first congregation of the Diaspora Peoples’ Assembly was Simon Hughes, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats who agreed to work with London Citizens and the leaders present to continue to make good on his party’s promise to end child detention in the UK and secure a meeting with Immigration Minister Damian Green.

When asked how he would improve relations between the MET and the incredibly diverse communities in London, Superintendent Stuart Smith, the MET’s lead on diversity, agreed to work with London Citizens to create a more productive relationship between officers and young people.

Suzanne McCarthy, the Immigration Services Commissioner, committed to helping Citizens chase out cowboy lawyers who take advantage of migrant communities and train our leaders to identify abusive advisors and bring them to justice. In addition, the Assembly saw the launch of the New Citizens Legal Service, which will refer migrant in need of legal advice to trusted and accountable lawyers in their communities.

When asked how he would respond to the widow of Jimmy Mubenga, a young man killed during his removal from the UK – Geoff Vinall, CEO of Reliance, UKBA’s contractor dealing with removals, promised to cooperate with Citizens’ independent commission on forced removals and to do whatever is necessary to keep this tragedy from reoccurring.

Finally, Lord Glasman promised to continue working with London Citizens and its myriad Diaspora communities to right the wrongs experienced by migrant communities in London and around the UK.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

The Assembly closed with the passing of a new Garment of Destiny, an enormous flag composed of the congregation’s national symbols around the binding Union Jack. As hands reached out to embrace this new symbol of unity, Dr. King’s words took on new meaning and motivated those assembled to meet again in 2012.

December 10^th was a day of change, of power and of unity. It was a day for the remembrance and testimony of trials past, and hopes and plans for the future.

Issues were brought to the Assembly by thirty different communities but, as the sun set, the answer rang out with one voice saying, “I am somebody…I may be black, I may be brown, I may be white… I may speak a different language, I may be poor, and I may be small, but… I am somebody.”

By Bekele Woyecha

“We may have all come on different ships, but we are in the same boat now.” Martin Luther King.

On Saturday 10^th December 2011 we witnessed the making of history; more than 550 community leaders gathered at City Temple, London representing 50 Diaspora communities from across the United Kingdom. City Temple was site of a speech made by Martin Luther King nearly 45 years ago and 10^th December was International Human Rights Day. It therefore made perfect sense that it was on this day and in this location that we held the inaugural Diaspora Peoples’ Assembly.

On a bitterly cold morning all those responsible for the day gathered bright and early ready to make their plans into a reality. Clad in smart dress and sharp suits one could easily tell something special was on its way. Some were on their phones texting, calling, posting messages on social media or even tweeting – all about nothing but about the Diaspora Peoples’ Assembly. History was in the making and it was for them to make sure as many people as possible were able to be part of the momentous occasion. It was like a family having made everything ready for the wedding of their beloved one and anxious about the reaction of guests.  Will they come? If so, will they love it? Of course the action is in the reaction!

Those not preoccupied by their phones were decorating, testing, practising and rehearsing to make that day memorable. Yes they were all anxious to make the assembly a success; because history happens only once.

As the day passed everything started to come together; of course some of those responsible for the event were still unsettled and hence the calling and texting continued until the eleventh hour. Delegations started coming one after the other and the first big batch to arrive was Shepresa of Albania, full of energetic and organised people. They were followed by the Chinese, Zimbabweans, Latinos, Ethiopians, Eritreans, Ghanaians, Somalis, Taiwanese, the Kurds, the Hazaras and many others from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Whilst the delegations were taking their respective seats, VIP reception was taking place down stairs with mouth watering food served by the Bangladeshi Caterers.

The programme started with songs from Zimbabwe and Congo and a church choir from Ethiopia. It was amazing – eye catching and heart warming. It was followed by what makes Citizens distinct; the roll calls. This was especially important for most of those in the hall as they would see their flags being flown for the first time, or after many years. All those who made it to the stage loved it and showed their pride; communities were so happy and you could tell from their faces and shouts how important that moment was for them. The roll call was led in by the charming Chinese lion and led out by the Ethiopian Drummers.

The roll call was followed by recognition of leaders who worked hard to make changes happen. And subsequently by business and politics; leaders liaising with MET Police, the Office of Immigration Services Commissioner, Reliance, Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations Board and last but not least with Simon Hughes MP, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats. Those who responded to “the asks” were willing to work with Citizens. It was hard to say no for them in front of such organised Citizens. My colleague says, “The bigger the turnout, the more powerful we are.” Yes we were powerful on that day and will be even more powerful in the future; because we have broken the silence.

I still have Simon Hughes MP in my eyes responding to the asks by British Overseas Citizens. Business done and relationships built.

Then came the amazing garment of destiny; the giant flag. It was phenomenal! By far the best moment of the day. It changed the mood of the hall. The amazing singer sung about Diaspora power, some of those shouted while still others tried their best to touch the giant flag. Yet some were recording this momentous occasion. They were right to do it as they needed their treasure because history was in the making and it happens only once.

As 50 young people from Cardinal Pole School develop and strengthen relationships near their school, in Homerton, Chief Superintendent Steve Bending (Hackney Borough Commander) came to TELCO’s 15th Anniversary Assembly and described his CitySafe walk with Hackney students a few weeks before as ‘the best day in his 30-year career.’

On Monday 5th December, as has now become a routine for Charlotte Ross’s students at Cardinal Pole School, dozens of determined young people took to the street to go and build relationships with local shopkeepers, showing how young people can be part of the building of peace in our neighbourhoods.

A few days before, on Wednesday 30th November, over 400 TELCO leaders from Hackney institutions joined the 1,600 leaders from across East London who gathered at the Troxy Centre, in Limehouse, to celebrate TELCO’s 15th Anniversary Assembly. Many of those Hackney leaders were young people.

On the night, as well as celebrating Olympic successes (Living Wage Jobs), Fr Rob Wickham (Rector of Hackney, St John-at-Hackney Church) launched London Citizens’ 100 Days of Peace initiative. Gabby Dadzie, a student from Our Lady’s Convent High School, shared a powerful testimony, saying:

I’m sick of the fact that most people in society see each other as strangers and not neighbours. It saddens me to think my mum worries about me when I don’t pick up my phone.
I’m proud of the fact that now the man who runs Kashmir Barbers, near my school, is no longer a stranger but my neighbour.
I’m proud of the fact that me and my friends are doing regular CitySafe walks to build relationships with our neighbours, and now the police are working with us too.
We’ve heard it a few times tonight already, many think that young people are not talented: we prove them wrong.

The plan is simple:

• Over the next few weeks, London Citizens member institutions will identify streets they want to reclaim from violence.
• 100s of people will gather on Saturday 9th June (50 days before the beginning of the Games), on public squares, all across London, to make our work public. Celebrations will be held.
• Between 9th June and 27th October, teams of leaders from London Citizens member institutions will build relationships with local shopkeepers, between institutions, with public authorities (councils and the police) to build CitySafe Zones.
• On 27th October (50 days after the end of the Games), celebrations will be held all across London where CitySafe Zones have been built. The Zones will be made public and maps will be produced.

A CitySafe Zone is a designated area where relationships are built and sustained between neighbours and within which people pledge to report 100% crime and anti-social behaviour to the police. It is also a place where some shopkeepers agree to become CitySafe Havens, whereby they offer their premises as places of safety for those in immediate danger.

For more information about our work in Hackney, get in touch with Sebastien Chapleau.

On Wednesday 30th November, 1600 TELCO leaders met at the Troxy Centre in Limehouse to celebrate 15 years of successful Community Organising in East London.

Community Organising in the UK is at its strongest in east London, where 1000s of leaders have been trained in the art of public action over the past 15 years. East London is where the Living Wage campaign began, and where CitySafe was launched.

Over the past 15 years, TELCO has transformed the way politics happens in east London, and has revived the tradition of public Assemblies, where diverse communities come together to hold the state and the market to account.

On Wednesday 30th November, Delegations from 65 dues-paying member institutions gathered to welcome Lord Sebastian Coe and his Chief Executive Paul Deighton to negotiate on the commitments made to TELCO 7 years ago as London was bidding to host the Games.

Some of the agreed ‘People’s Guarantees’, as they are known, asked London 2012 to make sure that at least 30% of jobs are set aside for local people and that the Lower Lea Valley is designated a ‘Living Wage Zone’.

Lord Seb Coe came to our Assembly to recognise TELCO and our Living Wage campaign, and he gave ‘Living Wage Certificates’ to 50 TELCO leaders who’d been offered a job for next summer, as part of our Olympic Job Recruitment Actions.

Paul Deighton, Chief Executive of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), also attended our Assembly and Fr Sean Connolly, an experienced leader from Manor Park, negotiated with him on jobs for young people after the Games.

Paul Deighton praised TELCO for the great Jobs Actions we’d organised recently – getting 100s of TELCO leaders jobs for next summer – and agreed to work with us to build relationships with some of the top Olympic sponsors in the view to get an agreement from them to invest in our young people. We want to get them to offer 10,000 6-month paid work placements over the next 5 years.

On the night, TELCO also made public its intention to build a relationship with McDonald’s. The largest McDonald’s in the world is currently being built on the Olympic Park, and we’re keen to get Ronald to be a kind employer which means he’s got to pay the Living Wage!

A great night for TELCO. A great 15 years, with an even clearer focus for the future.

For more details about our work across East London, contact a TELCO organiser.

This year the National Union of Students (NUS) enter a partnership with Citizens UK and have launched a new project called I Am The Change to encourage and support students in campaigning for positive change.

The change can take place on campus, in colleges or in the community, and NUS’s partnership with Citizens UK will help bring students into closer relationship with faith, education and civil society institutions around them.

Students interested in getting involved can visit www.nus.org.uk/iamthechange and check out the brand new I Am The Change animation video.

Video:  NUS: I Am The Change

Mitzvah Day 2011 saw a dozen members of the synagogue, which has recently begun working with South London Citizens, meeting with local shopkeepers and elders at nearby New Covenant Church of God to hear concerns about crime and safety in Streatham.

In small teams, members of the synagogue had one-to-one conversations with local shopkeepers, managers and security staff. As a token of their friendship, shopkeepers were presented with gifts of Fairtrade chocolate (South London Liberal Synagogue is a Fairtrade synagogue) and will now receive regular visits from the synagogue. The walk had a strong interfaith element, with the links made between New Covenant Church and nearby Hyderi Mosque set to flourish into future CitySafe walks in the Streatham area.

This walk on Streatham High Road is just the latest in a long line of CitySafe actions, which have resulted in over 250 shops and businesses becoming CitySafe Havens - by offering their premises as places of refuge for people who are in immediate danger and reporting 100% of crime and antisocial behaviour to the Police. In return, police teams prioritise these premises for early response.