Engaging with Young BME communities
Halima Khan
Sporting Equals
13th January 2015
Objectives
► Gain a better understanding of issues relating to BME
and ethnicity to promote participation and inclusion
► Gain some practical tips to attract and engage BME
communities into sport
Sporting Equals
► Charity – Promoting ethnic diversity
across sport and physical activity
– Empowering communities
– Healthier communities
– Community cohesion
► Network of 5000 BME organisations
► National Partner of Sport England and
Sport Scotland
► National Partner of Age UK
Sporting Equals
► Set up in 1998 - Independent Charity status in 2006
► Overall aim to get more BME people involved in sport and
physical activity
Participation
Volunteering
Employment
Activity
How would you describe the following:
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A Model
Footballer
Athlete
Doctor’s receptionist
Beauty Therapist
A Model
Dawn French has her
own clothing range
which she models.
Jean-Paul Gaultier shook the
modelling world in 2006
using outsized models.
Footballers
Women’s Scotland
Football Team
The S.F.A. supports six
international disability squads for
players with differing kinds of
disabilities. These are: Blind,
Partially Sighted, Deaf and
Hearing Impaired, Cerebral
Palsy, Learning Disabilities,
Amputee.
The teams all receive official kit,
a physio, a fully-trained technical
advisor, and money towards
travel costs for attending
European and World
Championships.
Athletes
Sumo Wrestling
A competitive
contact sport which
originated in Japan
the only country
where it is practiced
professionally.
Libby Clegg, who is visually
impaired, won Scotland's
first athletics gold of
Glasgow 2014.
Tanni Grey Thomson
9 Gold Medals in the
Paralympics, 30
world records 6
London Marathons
Doctor’s Receptionist
Frank
Beauty Therapist
Kurt
Diversity
“Recognises the fact that everyone is different
and unique. These differences include visible
differences and less visible differences such as
our values, beliefs and life experiences which
highlights our individuality”
Key Headlines
 The BME population is growing and changing (just under 20% now)
 People identify themselves with faith as oppose to ethnicity
 Different variables within this audience profile - e.g. age – significant young BME
population in England
 Only 3% of Qualified coaches are from BME backgrounds.
 Fewer than 1 in 5 members of some BME communities are participating in physical
activities as frequently as once a month but there is evidence of significant latent
demand
 An extensive and growing BME sports sector exists that NGBs and sports providers can
tap into
Young People’s lives
The above snapshot gives an indication of the average lifestyle of the modern
young person. Whilst similar in many ways, they differ in other parts of life.
BMEs are more likely to have associate themselves with a religion and more
likely to practice that religion regularly, and more likely to feel religion plays an
important part in their life.
Media
► Young BME groups as a whole engage with both mainstream and
ethnic media
► Ethnic media has successfully proliferated in the UK, especially
digital TV/Radio and social media
► There are around 50 different Asian TV channels across different
genres, ethnicities and religions catering to multiple tastes
► Black media is more scarce and less stable, although The Voice
newspaper remains the most established.
Our understanding of BME youth patterns highlight that the demand
for information and technology is just as high as White British
young people
UK Ethnicity
8 million people or 14% of the UK population belong to an ethnic
minority
The 5 largest distinct minority communities are (in order of size):
Indian, Pakistani, Black African, Black Caribbean and Bangladeshi
POPULATION OF THE UK'S FIVE LARGEST ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS
UK Identity
With the exception of the Black African community, minorities
overwhelmingly believe they have a UK-centric identity
Case Study – Young Indian Males
Case Study – Young Indian Males
Challenges and Barriers
Activity – In groups (10 minutes)
Describe some of the Issues to participation for
Young BME groups that you are aware of in
your community
Our Approach
Social and
Economic
BME Attitudinal
Increase BME
Participation
In Sport
Cultural
Organisational
Key Barriers
Engaging faith communities
Models of Engagement
 Community Engagement building stronger relationships
 Faith Centre Model
 The importance of parental engagement
 Ethnic Media
 Specific Messaging
 Cultural Events
Case Study 1 - Nishkam Centre
Tennis Activator – Nishkam Faith School
Sporting Equals, Lawn Tennis Association and
Tennis Foundation working collaboratively to
deliver grassroots participation for young
school children.
Working with families, faith centre and sports providers to champion physical
activity and help combat health inequalities within inner city Birmingham. The
Sporting Equals faith centre model was pivotal in inspiring NGB and
foundation.
Key Achievements include:
1.Creating sporting opportunities within trusted community organisation
2.Developing the faith and sport connection
3.Supporting disengaged communities to take part in physical activity
4.Educating parents and children of sports availability and benefits
5.Increasing the number community volunteers to lead on Tennis
Case Study 2 – West Riding County FA
Sporting Equals and West Riding County FA hosted a ‘Referees Workshop’.
Hosted at the Khidmat Centre in Bradford, a facility familiar to most of the South
Asian community and Mosque users. Flyers and adverts were distributed at local
community centres, faith centres
Key interventions and impact
1.Feeding into an existing project
helped increase numbers.
2.Using taster session as participants
get a feel of the course
3.Delivering at a community facility
forges better links with the community
for future work
4.28 referees recruited on to BME
course in August.
Contact Details
Halima Khan
National Projects Manager
hkhan@sportingequals.org.uk
0121 777 1375
www.sportingequals.org.uk