WIREDGOV

A college in an area that experienced an influx of migrant workers has become a centre for tackling hate crime.

Over recent years experienced the Boston area has become home to workers from eastern Europe resulting in tension in the local community. As a result the staff at Boston College decided to run a project, Speak Up Speak Out, to help alleviate tensions which included a planned, but eventually cancelled, demonstration by locals in protest against immigration. The college received funding for the project from the Learning and Skills improvement Service (LSIS) as part of its commitment to supporting equality and diversity within the further education and skills sector.

Boston College has been running the programme in association with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation which was established by Sylvia Lancaster whose daughter Sophie died after being attacked just because she belonged to the Goth subculture.

The college is now a Third Party Reporting Centre for hate crime, which was launched by Sylvia Lancaster in partnership with Boston Borough Council, Lincolnshire Police and Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service. In addition the college is involved in the Alchemy Project, a Home Office funded project based in Boston and the surrounding area that aims to foster a better understanding of the town's culturally-diverse community.

Running throughout 2012, the programme targeted young white working class males in traditional vocational male dominated areas such as construction and engineering - a group that has shown little interest in the subject and has often been negatively stereotyped in the media.
Using events such as Holocaust Memorial Day and an awareness day called Speak Up Speak Out, which featured a keynote speech by Sylvia Lancaster, learners at the college were made aware of the issue of hate crime and how individuals could help tackle it. More than 500 learners were involved, of which the majority were from the target group of young, white working class males.

Frank Hanson, Equality and Diversity Manager “Sophie’s story touched learners and staff and such was the impact that we have used the Foundation and it’s valuable work as a bedrock for our work with learners and in the wider community in tackling prejudice and intolerance.  We look forward to continuing our special relationship with Sylvia and the Foundation and we are delighted in their achievement in campaigning for Greater Manchester Police to begin recording attacks on members of subcultures, such as Goths, Punks and Emos, as hate crimes”.

Teresa Carroll, Project Manager, Equalities and Inequalities, at LSIS said: “We are proud to support Boston College’s work to alleviate prejudice and increase understanding of the different cultural groups within the local community.

“Despite the imminent closure of LSIS at the end of July 2013, we remain committed to providing support to the FE and Skills sector. The Speak Up Speak Out campaign is an example of the legacy which we will leave the sector.”