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WALTHAM FOREST: Christian group member 'should not be elected unopposed' to crime forum
6:02pm Thursday 20th November 2008
CONCERNS were expressed over a representative of a Christian charity being elected unopposed to an influential crime forum.
A member of Worth Unlimited, which works with young people across the borough, looked set to take a seat on the board of the Waltham Forest Community Safety Board.
But two members forced the election to be postponed after raising fears that selecting an overtly Christian organisation to speak on behalf of young people could alienate residents of other faiths.
Despite insisting it does not try to convert vulnerable young people to Christianity, the charity’s website says following “God’s agenda” offers “a new way of life”.
“Worth Unlimited teams seek to model this new way of life for young people and local communities to witness and consider applying to themselves,” it continues.
“There is a challenge in what we do to those we work with and seek to support regarding the validity of the apparently dominant cultural trends and norms which it often ultimately erode and destroy. (sic)”
Board member Kevin Wyatt-Lown, North Chingford Community Council chairman, said: "I am deeply concerned that a Christian group with an overtly Christian website is being put forward.
"It deeply concerns me the only group being mentioned in what is a multi-ethnic borough."
Conservative group leader Cllr Matt Davis added: "The work that Worth Unlimited do is deeply laudable but I agree with Kevin that I am concerned that an overtly religious group is the only group being recommended.”
Steve Williams, Community Safety Board chairman, said: "Worth Unlimited is just coming forward for a position and we would consider them in the same way as we would consider any other group in the country.This is about how they can make a difference."
Senior council officer Robin Tuddenham said: "We want to consult with all youth groups, not just Worth Unlimited. We are trying to get other representatives on board."
Speaking after the meeting, Matt Perry said: "We are a Christian charity but if you spoke to the young people we work with they wouldn't know that.
"We try to inspire young people to achieve their potential but that wouldn't involve proselytising to them. For the last 18 months we have worked alongside the Active Change Foundation, who have an Islamic background."
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Technomist, Walthamstow says...
11:10am Fri 21 Nov 08
I am, to use Councillor Davis's words 'deeply concerned' that there is not level playing field for Christians, whereas , as girlfromessex rightly points out, the Council would not be remotely concerned if this were a group from some other faith, or no faith at all.
We see council and government money spent regularly on Muslim youth groups and 'leadership' schemes, and a Muslim perspective listened to quite regularly in a variety of forums, their members' achievements celebrated regularly in the council own progaganda sheets - local councillors and even government ministers and policemen falling over themselves to be included in the associated photographs. It seems that diversity is only to be celebrated when its the diversity the council wants to celebrate.
Why are our elected politicians so unwilling to embrace the achievements and listen to the views of Christian youth in our borough?
enna, Walthamstow says...
12:45pm Fri 21 Nov 08
Would they turn down help from some of the bigger Christian organisations in the country if we really needed their help? A lot of the Waltham Forest residents who have come to us as refugees have been helped by Christian Charities such as Christian Aid and Tear Fund. They were grateful for their help and I have heard them praise the work they have done the Christianity part didn’t even come into it. That goes to prove Christian based organisations can have a huge impact without pushing their faith upon people.
Waltham Forest need to get a grip of themselves and start to realise that this type of behaviour is going to separate and exclude faiths more, as it all contributes to more animosity and anger.
annabel, London says...
4:21pm Fri 21 Nov 08
Cllr Matt Davis, Chingford says...
2:14am Sat 22 Nov 08
The level playing field that I was referring to had nothing at all to do with religion, either Worth Unlimited's or anyone else's. The point I was making at that meeting was that the CSB Executive wanted to reject the other unopposed nominee, Eddie Gold from the South Chingford Neighbourhood Watch, because they said that they wanted a representative from neighbourhood watch who they thought represented the whole Borough. But they didn't seem to think that the same criteria ought to apply to Worth Unlimited.
Personally I have no problem at all with Worth, who do great work in our Borough, but do strongly feel that if they are going to apply this particular criteria to the neighbourhood watch, and I have a suspicion that it was only because Mr Gold is from Chingford and not the south of Waltham Forest, then they must also apply it to the providers of youth services, which was the grouping they wanted Worth to represent.
That was the level playing field to which I was referring, not anything to do with religion at all.
Kevin Wyatt-Lown, Chingford says...
8:19pm Sun 23 Nov 08
However, the Executive of the CSB chose to nominate them, unopposed, as “Youth Representative” on the Board. In response to “girlfromessex”, I can assure you that, at that point I would have objected just as strongly had they been a Muslim, Jewish, Jain or any other single faith driven organisation.
The CSB already fund a Youth Independent Advisory Group which has 14 members, meeting on a monthly basis and actually drawn from the Borough’s youth. If anyone should be entitled to the Youth Representative seat at the CSB it is one of these young people. It is they who should have the “real say” that “enna” rightly champions.
The CSB continue to fail spectacularly at engaging young people in any debate at Board level and the voices we should be hearing are theirs, not the representations of a member of staff from an organisation with a vested interest in gaining further funding for their own operations, no matter how worthy many might regard that work.
Underpinning my objection was the fact that no other group had apparently been invited to apply and the selective process lay in the hands of the CSB executive who, in the same breath, rejected a request from a voluntary member of the public from a Neighbourhood Watch group because they didn’t regard his contribution to the community as worth being regarded as representative of Watch groups across the Borough.
I would hope that, following correct protocols and the “level playing field” approach called for by Cllr. Davis, there might be room for all to have a voice. However, if the CSB is to have credence with the community to purports to serve it needs to become a lot more inclusive and more open in its invitations for volunteers to join it.
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girlfromessex, Loughton says...
10:53pm Thu 20 Nov 08