VIP group works to raise
awareness and challenge issues around discrimination.
They are available to
train staff on how to support someone who has a learning difficulty. The group
has recently been working with the staff from Enfield Libraries on Learning
Disability Awareness. The VIP group worked with two trainers from One to One,
giving library staff a safe space to explore their concerns and difficulties
around supporting people who have a learning disability.
“The VIPS, (Valuing and Including People) shared their
histories and told personal stories of some of the difficulties they faced in
their everyday lives.
It was thought provoking experience for many library staff.”
“The (VIPS) …really opened up about themselves…. It
(bought) home to us the suffering and prejudices they have had to bear”
“For once we could get the first hand view and not
the view of the second party”
The group have recently
presented a short scenario at the Enfield Hate Crime Forum.
This was such a success
the VIP group was then asked by the Chief Inspector to do their presentation at
a training event held at the Royal Chase Hotel for the Special Police
Constables. One to One is a charity working with people who have
learning difficulties. The organisation
has over 300 members and provides community based social activities for its
members. The other aim of One to One is to raise awareness and challenge issues
around the discrimination faced by people who have a learning difficulty.
The
VIP group (Valuing and Including People) is a group of trainers all who have
learning difficulties.
The
group were asked by Enfield Hate Crime Forum to provide a short scenario around
hate crime relating to people who have disabilities.
The
scenario is based on people`s personal experiences who have lived independently
in the community. The VIP group shared their histories and told
personal stories of some of the difficulties they faced in their everyday
lives.
“The VIP group made people realise the untold events that
happen regularly and their tales of suffering that goes untold. As such it’s a
great eye opener to those that don’t know much about hate crime committed
against people with learning difficulties”.
It
was a “thought provoking experience” for the participants attending the hate
crime forum.
The audience at the Hate Crime forum were moved and
disturbed by what was presented and the VIP group were subsequently asked to
perform by Mark Welton, Detective
Chief Inspector Safer neighbourhood policing and partnerships at a training event for the metropolitan special constables.
My title is Detective Chief Inspector Safer neighbourhood
policing and partnerships.
I have 23 years in the Police service serving mostly as a
Detective I voluntarily asked for a transfer back to Borough policing from a
specialist unit at Scotland Yard as I felt I had lost my way. I joined the
Police service to make a difference to the lives of Londoners particularly
those who could not or were not in a position to defend themselves for
different reasons.
I was invited to speak at the hate crime forum to highlight
how the police deal with hate crime in its different forms. Before my slot I
was privileged to see a production that put into context my whole Police career
and made me think that I had made the right decision in coming back to
community Policing. The VIP group in the one production reignited the fire that
was on its way out. I am again excited at the prospect of doing what I
wanted to do from the outset which was to make a difference to people with
different needs.
Thank you VIP group I now
have a path to follow again.
To see a sample of this
follow the link below
The VIP group are
available to train staff, on raising awareness on how to support someone who
has a learning difficulty. The training
is fun and interactive and can be adapted to suite different organizations.
