Derby Open Centre

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Derby Open Centre
Web site www.DerbyOpenCentre.org
Sharing a common culture to which we each
contribute according to the rich diversity of our
backgrounds.
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Aims

• To promote social cohesion and good community
  relations through understanding and personal
  experience.
• To work with schools and other educational
  establishments to achieve our primary aim.
• To work with public and private sector
  organisations to achieve our primary aim.
• To work with other voluntary organisations to
  achieve our primary aim.

We try to supplement chalk talk (or white-board
and marker or PowerPoint slide and screen) with
contact and personal experience to enable
everyone to understand the points of view of
those they may not come into contact with in
their everyday lives. The majority of our work
is with schools (we anticipate that about 7,500
pupils will use the Centres services in school
year 2008/2009) though we work with many public
and private sector organisations and we welcome
suggestions for additional work that will promote
inter-community understanding.
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Background

• Set up after the Scarman Report into inner city
  riots in London, Manchester and Liverpool in
  1981.
• The Centre is a charity and a company limited by
  guarantee.
• Policy is determined by an unpaid board of
  Trustee Directors.
• The Centre is run by a Chief Executive and staff
  from different communities.
• The Centre is based on Pear Tree Road in the
  heart of Derby within a five minute walk of many
  places of worship.
• Tens of thousands of Derbyshire pupils and adults
  have used the Centre since it was set up.
• The Centre is not faith-based and represents the
  view of those with religious beliefs and those
  without. It recognises that faith is important
  to many people in many different communities.
• Staff are CRB checked and trained to work with
  people from 5 to 95!

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Services provided

• Escorted visits organised to places of worship
  such as Islamic Mosques, Hindu Mandirs, Sikh
  Gurdwaras and Christian Churches.
• Workshops on a wide variety of community-based
  subjects food, cooking, dress, hand/face
  painting, black history etc.
• Centre activities do not involve any acts of
  worship.
• Speaker Panel to provide lessons, talks, debates.
• Hosting programme to allow adults to spend a
  day or an evening with a family from a different
  community - part of our aim of learning through
  personal experience.

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Supported by

• All local MPs.
• All local places of worship.
• Derby Forum of Faith.
• Derby Multi-Faith Centre.
• Derbyshire Humanists.
• Derby City Council, PSHE/Citizenship/RE advisor
  and SACRE.
• Derbyshire County Council, PSHE/Citizenship/RE
  advisor and SACRE.
• Public sector organisations police, fire,
  ambulance, probation service, social service,
  magistrates training etc.
• Large private companies who use the Centre as
  part of Equality and Diversity training
  programmes.

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Funding

• 21,000 annual grant from Derby City Council.
• 25,000 one-off grant agreed by Derbyshire County
  Council.
• Derbyshire Humanists have funded marketing,
  recruitment and IT.
• Some short-term grants from various national and
  regional bodies - after 9/11 and 7/7 government
  money was available - this has now dried up.
• Regular applications for grants administered by
  CDF and others.
• The Centre charges for its service but is unable
  to charge a full commercial price.

The Centre is currently looking for new premises
following the closure of the Methodist Church
whose Hall it uses.
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The Centre is ideal for use by public and private
sector organisations as part of their Equality
and Diversity Training. The Centre is always
open to new ideas and suggestions that will help
to promote understanding between the different
communities that make up our city and county.
The Open Centre is a unique resource - which the
people of Derby and Derbyshire can feel proud of.