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The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and his newly appointed Deputy Mayor for Young People, Ray Lewis, today met with young people at Dagenham Fire Station. Both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor were joined by Ron Dobson, Commissioner of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, where they met with young people participating in the London Fire Brigade’s Local Intervention Fire Education, or ‘LIFE’, courses.
The LIFE programme teaches young people between the ages of 13 and 17 fire-fighting skills alongside real fire-fighters. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor saw first-hand how the LIFE programme has had a positive effect, giving young people a real sense of achievement by fostering teamwork, self-discipline and participation in their local communities.
Established in 2002 the course has proved a great success and the Brigade has now run more than 260 LIFE courses, with around 3,000 young people from across 30 boroughs having completed the course.
Speaking at today’s event, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “LIFE courses are one of the London Fire Brigades most successful youth engagement programmes and it is extremely encouraging to see for myself the enthusiasm among those involved. Research has shown that the programme has made a real difference - 80 per cent of those taking part did not offend after completing the course.
“These programmes reach out to the young people in our communities and improve motivation and confidence. LIFE has built an impressive list of achievements over the last three years with positive feedback from all quarters of the community. I look forward to assisting LIFE and similar programmes to flourish in the capital”.
Deputy Mayor for Young People, Ray Lewis, said: “The success of the LIFE programme to date is evidence of how local participation and engagement with young people in our communities can deliver real and positive change. The Mayor and I are committed to build on these programmes and work with voluntary groups across the Capital, making a real difference to the lives of young people and their families in London”.
The ‘employment gap’ between black and ethnic minority (BME) workers is closing steadily, but BME poverty rates are still nearly twice as high, according to a new report released today (Friday) by the TUC.
The TUC report – Ten years after – launched at the 2008 TUC black workers conference in Eastbourne says that steadily improving BME employment rates have reduced the ‘employment gap’ between BME and white workers by 2.2 percentage points over the last decade.
The fastest area of growth in BME employment has been part-time work. The number of BME men working part-time has more than doubled in ten years. This growth has widened the part-time pay gap between BME and white workers in the private sector to 26.3%, as part-time work pays less than full-time work.
The report also identifies differences in pay between the public and private sector. Over the last ten years, the pay gap in the public sector has been virtually eliminated, with black men earning 6.7% more than white men. However, BME men working full-time in the private sector are still paid 11% less than white men. BME women earn the same as white women in both sectors.
The report says that BME employment growth has helped to reduce the number of BME people living in poverty by 11 percentage points in the last ten years. However, in spite of this progress, nearly half of black and ethnic minority children are living in poverty and are nearly twice as likely to live in poverty as white children.
In order to further boost employment rates and pay for black and ethnic minority workers, the report calls for employers to develop recruitment, retention and progression policies so that BME workers are able to move into senior positions.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “The steady reduction in BME poverty rates proves that full employment is a vital cure for poverty. But with nearly half of BME children still live in poverty, these welcome trends cannot be taken for granted.
“As more BME men move into part-time work and receive the same low pay as women, the stark reality of in-work poverty is growing. Tackling the deep-rooted problem of poor part-time pay must be at the heart of the Government’s anti-poverty strategy.”
The black workers conference will also see the launch of a new joint campaign between the TUC and the Refugee Council, which aims to give asylum seekers the right to work. Both organisations want a change in policy that would allow asylum seekers who have been in the country for longer than six months, or who are unable to return home, to work and support themselves, and make a contribution to the UK economy.
Last year around 2,400 people in the UK benefited from an organ transplant, but more than 1,000 people die every year waiting for a transplant. Members of ethnic minority communities are especially hard hit by organ shortages for donations.
Glenis Willmott, Labour MEP, has raised the issue of organ shortage in the European Parliament: “A few people with rare tissue types may only be able to receive a well-matched organ from someone of the same ethnic origin, so it is important that people from all ethnic backgrounds donate organs.
Successful transplants are carried out between people from different ethnic groups wherever the matching criteria are met.” The European Parliament will vote today on a report by the Committee for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, which identifies organ shortage as a common problem in all European countries.
However, the report highlights especially the need for ethnic minority organ donors to come forward. Glenis Willmott MEP said: “People from South Asian, African and African-Caribbean communities living in the UK have a greater chance of needing a kidney transplant than other groups in the population.
This is because they are more likely to develop diabetes or high blood pressure, both of which are major causes of kidney failure.” MEPs are also addressing a wide range of issues, including a European donor card, to tackle problems like organ shortage, transplantation safety and organ trafficking.
Many of the 26% of black and minority ethnic (BME) older people who are living in poverty in England risk missing out on vital financial help and other support this year following huge cuts to advice services, Age Concern said today.
Across England, 80% of Age Concerns1 have suffered funding cuts to their trusted information, advice and advocacy services with the latest reductions beginning to bite in the last seven days. Last year alone, these services helped put £100 million of money benefits into the pockets of older people. Many Age Concerns in areas with high BME populations provide dedicated advice services to BME older people and in many cases these services are being hit by cuts.
Age Concern has today (7th April) launched both a new campaign ‘The price of no advice’ and an accompanying report ‘Transforming Lives’ to highlight the disastrous impact of these cuts and call for increased funding for these vital services. The campaign also calls for a new cross-government strategy to develop a more co-ordinated approach to providing and funding advice services.
Cuts to advice services mean that in the new financial year, about 480,0002 people who come to the charity looking for support risk either not being helped or receiving a reduced service that may not meet their needs. The cuts come at a time when older people on low fixed incomes have been hit by massive price hikes and yet continue to miss out on claiming their share of up to £4.6 billion3 in money benefits each year. The services provide a vital means of helping them claim the money they need to meet their living costs.
Ballet star Shevelle Dynott was among three high-fliers to meet Gordon Brown at the launch of an exhibition to celebrate great black Britons.
The PM shook hands with the English National Ballet performer, whose rise to fame began when a dance charity visited his primary school in Brixton, South London.
Shevelle, 21, said: "It was great to meet Gordon Brown. He was very supportive of the exhibition."
n display are photographs of the nation's top 50 black role models.
All were taken by Daily Mirror photographer John Ferguson, one of the first black photographers in Fleet Street. While launching the Black Britannia exhibition Mr Brown also met pioneering (ex) school head Gloria Hyatt MBE, from Liverpool, and Olympic hopeful Yona Knight-Wisdom, 12. The Leeds schoolboy is a member of the national diving squad. They listened proudly as Mr Brown said: "Britain wouldn't be Britain without the contribution of its black doctors, teachers, writers, business people, entertainers, artists and sportsmen and women." _________ Black Britannia is on at City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London. Open daily 8am-8pm Monday to Friday until 11 April. Admission free. This exhibition is touring nationally
For further information about the exhibition please email
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Welcome to Black Net Uk the central source for Content, Local and International News, Articles, Gossip, Information and Campaigns. Total user powered content: Every article on Black Net is submitted by users who discover, share and promote content that's important to you and the African and Caribbean Community from Britain and around the world. 
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Ballet star Shevelle Dynott was among three high-fliers to meet Gordon Brown at the launch of an exhibition to celebrate great black Britons.
Kennedy