Naz Legacy Foundation

London’s rich urban, cultural and social landscape make it an important space for educating young people on the benefits of their active engagement in civic action and community cohesion.

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, has made even more relevant inequalities and vulnerabilities, and an essential space for community cohesion and civic action.

The COSARAF Foundation has made a £10,000 grant to the Naz Legacy Foundation’s Diversity Days in 2020 and specific community centred workshops. The grant has covered Community Cohesion workshops, a Zoom software package and staff salaries.

The Naz Legacy Foundation’s Diversity Days aim to create connection between young people from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds and, influential individuals and organisations that they would not normally have the chance to interact with. For example, the photo here shows a 2020 diversity day in partnership with MET Police.

The programme has reached a large number of beneficiaries and supported facilitators to deliver against objectives. Specifically:

Direct beneficiaries: 1489
Indirect beneficiaries: 4060
Facilitators: 40

From respondents’ engagement survey:

2020 MET Police Workshops:
72% of participants responded that the workshop had helped to change perceptions and 92% left the workshop more informed about the MET police.

2020 Extremism and Hate Crime Workshop
76% of respondents noted the importance of the session and 86% of pupils were surprised by the content of the workshop, whilst 67% felt that the sessions had encouraged them to think differently about how communities can work together to tackle hate crimes.

2020 Civic Action Workshop
70% of the pupils felt more likely to get involved in community building and civic action whilst 62% noted how the workshop had made them think differently about how to approach community issues.

Increased demand from schools to access programmes is a positive indictment of the value of workshops on students’ experience.