The Vision Project

The second dimension of inclusion is about working
towards fair outcomes for everyone. Our city is
currently blighted by huge inequalities in areas such
as education, health and employment, and in many
contexts we need to take positive action to address
these often historic and entrenched injustices. One
of many examples of this work is in seeking to help
refugees get into employment. We are proud to be
a City of Sanctuary, but across the UK only 51% of
refugees are in work compared to 73% of UK-born
people.
Refugees have a huge range of skills and talents to
bring to our community, and so we’ve been working
with an innovative tech start up called SkillLab to
trial new software which can map people’s skills
and help match them to local job markets. The
app has been designed specifically with refugees
in mind but if successful could also htave benefits
for all of our residents looking to get into work or
progress their careers.
The third dimension of inclusion is about ensuring
that everyone feels that they belong in Bristol,
and encouraging and enabling people to build
relationships across difference. This is partly
about the narrative of the city, and ensuring
that the message projected by city leaders and
institutions is one that embraces diversity in all its
forms. It is also about practical opportunities for
different individuals and groups to meet and build
relationships, working against cultural and social
barriers and segregation in all its forms.
And finally it is about ensuring that hate crime
and discrimination in all its forms is vigorously
opposed. In the last two years we have been one
of six cities in the UK taking part in the Inclusive
Cities project run by Oxford University, and one
element of this has been a focus on narrative. This
has led to a strategic communications campaign
which will launch this summer and help spark
a conversation about all the things we hold in
common as Bristolians and how we can break
down barriers through relationships.
The fourth and final element of inclusion is about
enabling everyone to have the opportunity to
influence and shape the future of the city. True
inclusion is not about one group creating a system
which is fair to everyone, but rather about a
system which recognises the unique contribution
of every person. Inherent in this is a belief that
everyone should have the ability to influence the
decisions that affect them, and that the city’s
power structures should be representative of the
diversity of its communities. That’s why we’ve
invested nearly £400,000 over three years into
Bristol’s Voice and Influence Partnership, making
sure that individuals, groups and communities
whose voices aren’t always heard are listened to,
and are part of shaping Bristol’s future.
Creating an inclusive city isn’t something that
happens overnight, and we still have a long way to
go in Bristol to reach our ambitions. But I believe
that the work that we are doing, and the level of
commitment we are investing, means that the
theme of inclusion will be at the heart of this city’s
common life for much longer than the lifetime of
any Local Authority administration.
DEVELOPING HEALTH & INDEPENDENCE
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