Celebr8

Celebr8  Festival of Diversity

 'Diversity is an economic, social and cultural asset to the region'
 
Celebr8 first held in 2006, is now an annual event in the Northwest.  It was developed by the former Regional Assembly (NWRA), now 4NW Regional Leaders Board,  to follow up on commitments in the Regional Equality & Diversity strategy , but is now a partnership between NWDA, Government Office North West (GONW) and the NW regional office of the Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC) . 
 
Each year so far has had a different emphasis but essentially has been a short festival of public relations and other events, organised to maximise media coverage for key equality and diversity messages.

The overall goal of Celebr8 is:
 
“To ensure maximum regional media coverage for Celebr8 in order to promote the message that diversity is an economic social and cultural asset to the region to a range of audiences”.
 
The secondary goals are:
 
To facilitate wide ranging activity within public, private and voluntary sectors at local, sub regional and regional level during Celebr8.
 
To promote the importance of equality and diversity to key policy and decision makers in the region.
 
To build on the Celebr8 brand and develop 4NW , GONW and NWDA profile on equality and diversity issues.

For 2009 there are three strands to Celebr8

Celebr8 this year has three strands - ABC - Arts, Business & Community:

• Celebr8ing diversity through the Arts
• Celebr8ing diversity in Business
• Celebr8ing diversity through Community Cohesion

Arts

Arts strand allocations

• Dadafest  - Deaf and Disabled Arts Festival - Liverpool – 3 December 2009
  Blaze 2010 festival - Queer Up North –  February - May
  
• You need more than this to live - a series of workshops around theatre and writing with lesbian asylum seeker / refugee community, starting February
  
• Next Xpression - NW Community Arts Network – building towards Exodus festival - Manchester February – November
  
• Carnival Without Frontiers - Baracudas –-Barrow & Carlisle 13 March
  
• Something Beautiful - Action Factory  – Blackburn 13 March
  
• Reincarnation - Brouhaha – launch event - Liverpool 27 March
  
• Nine Human Emotions - Queer Up North – Oldham 29 March (part of Blaze 2010)
  
• Writing on the Body -  a series of workshops working with targeted groups from TREC, George House Trust and Manchester Medical School) - Manchester – April & May (part of Blaze 2010)
  
• We Are Family - exhibition of family portraits, held alongside public performances of Susan and Darren, 29 April - 8 May - Sachas Hotel Manchester (part of Blaze 2010)
  
• Exam - Interactive performance and installation event, created by community groups – Sunday 23rd May - Manchester (venue tbc) (part of Blaze 2010)
  
• Go It Alone -  Solo performance masterclass by Starving Artists' Mark Pinkosh - Tues 25 / Wed 26 May, 12pm-5pm - Manchester (venue tbc) (part of Blaze 2010)
  
• Nemesis - exhibition, 12 Jun - 11 July - Gallery Oldham - Display of artistic responses to Qasim Riza Shaheen's exhibition by community groups, including Peshkar Youth Theatre and Out In Oldham (part of Blaze 2010)
  
• Reincarnation - carnival - Brouhaha –  Liverpool 24 July
  
  

Business

Business strand allocations

• Diversity in a Globalising World – IoD seminar– Manchester 18 November 2009
  
• Equality & Procurement - EHRC conference – Manchester 11 March
  
• Vulnerable Workers Project - Unionlearn (NW TUC) conference - Bolton 17 March
  
• Greater Manchester Diversity Alliance – GMEC employer meetings and workshops – Manchester 18 March and monthly
  
• Business Champions Scheme – Queer Up North Festival - Manchester May
  
• Greater Manchester Diversity Awards - GMEC –Manchester 26 May
  
• Construction Diversity Awards - Centre for Construction & Innovation –Southport 27 May
  
• Dining with a Difference - GMEC dinner – Manchester June
  
• Equality & Diversity Awareness – ACAS – Handforth 8 & 22 March, Manchester 26 March
  
• Understanding Discrimination for SMEs – seminar - ACAS
  
• Managing Equality Impact Assessments - training event – ACAS – Blackpool 24 & 30 March
  

Community Cohesion

4NW the Regional Leaders Board, along with other regional partners have organised this year’s Celebr8 community cohesion awards programme.

Grants have been awarded to 12 partnerships of local authorities and community organisations across each of the Northwest’s sub regions who have demonstrated good practice in the area of community cohesion.

The winning applicants this year, who will host a cross range of activities to promote community cohesion across the region are;

• Better Together - Salford City Council and partners celebrating Chanukah – Salford December 2009
  
• Cohesion Through Creativity - Daisy UK and partners creating activities and shared understanding between disabled and non disabled groups - Merseyside - February
  
• Education on the Hoof - Cumbria County Council and partners raising awareness of Gypsy and Traveller culture in Cumbria, based around Appleby Horse Fair – Cumbria - February - June
  
• Legacy of Hope - National Coalition Building Institute and Lancaster City Holocaust Memorial celebrations, celebrating Lancaster as a place of welcome – Lancaster February
  
• Mixing it up - LGBT Foundation and partners celebrating diversity through a multi cultural open day and photographic exhibition for Greater Manchester – Manchester 6 February
  
• Older People in Warrington - Diverse but Equal - Warrington Borough Council and partners celebrating older peoples’ diversity – Warrington February
  
• Pink Box - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual Youth North West working with youth services to produce art highlighting relevant issues amongst young people across the region for LGBT History Month – launch in Liverpool 2 February
  
• Rap Against Racism - Tameside Youth Service and partners giving young people a voice and challenging discriminatory language in music – Tameside February
  
• Shared Histories, Shared Futures - Trans Resource and Empowerment Centre and Lesbian and Gay Foundation promoting intergenerational dialogue – Manchester February
  
• Travellers in Cheshire - Diverse but Equal – ‘A Life on the Move’ - Home Space in Cheshire and partners arranging a Gypsy and Traveller event with display of travelling accommodation throughout the years plus traditional crafts and wares, advice and information – Winsford 25 February
  
• Values Statement in Sefton – Sefton Equalities Partnership and partners working with the Anthony Walker Foundation to raise awareness of hate crimes in schools - Sefton by end March
  
• Woolston Families Signing Choir - Intergenerational school choirs in encouraging hearing impaired participation – Warrington 26 February
  

For further details about all aspects of Celebr8 Festival contact:

Ian McHugh
NWDA Equality & Diversity Manager 
Tel: 01925 400 239
Mob: 07825 283 744
ian.mchugh@nwda.co.uk