Written by 彌合華人社區在倫敦面對種族主義激增的鴻溝
在首都實施的一項新計劃將幫助超過12,000名面臨“自我強行隔離”和由冠狀病毒所引起相關種族主義問題的華裔長者。
依士靈頓華人協會說，由於對COVID-19的誤解所引起的負面評論，其會員越來越不願意外出。
協會希望通過一項新計劃來彌合兩個社區之間的鴻溝，減少會員的孤獨感並改善會員的身心健康。這項新計劃由倫敦金融城慈善基金會的城市橋樑信託委員會撥款25萬英鎊資助。
這個名為‘活出豐采’的項目將運用社交計劃、對話、文化和休閒活動，為英語水平有限的華裔長者發聲，並幫助他們獲得主流服務。
倫敦金融城 的城市橋樑 信託委員會主席Dhruv Patel說：
“倫敦擁有悠久而成熟的華裔人口，但語言和文化障礙常常會成為與華裔及其他社區融合的障礙。
“這項計劃將有助於彌合鴻溝，減少孤立感，並幫助華裔長者更加獨立和有韌性，而在因對疫情的誤解所引起的種族主義及隔離下，這一需求比以往任何時候都更為迫切。”
這五年的資金將用於聘請一名福利資訊主任去招募和協調志願者，提供具有文化敏感性的信息和宣傳服務，以及社會和文化活動。
成立於1986年的依士靈頓華人協會，表示希望幫助12,000名中國老年人，這些人主要來自依士靈頓，也來自鄰近的甘頓、克尼、夏靈基和西敏寺等行政區，其中許多人面臨著焦慮，孤獨或喪親之類的問題。
依士靈頓華人協會聯合創始人謝錦霞說：
“我們經常看到說粵語的香港華人和說普通話的國內華人在自我隔離。他們還未準備好融入社會，這不僅是語言障礙，還在於他們的生活方式，習慣和志願之間的差異。
這筆贈款將使我們能夠提供更多的教育、文化和社會活動，這是一個使人們團結在一起的好方法，讓我們的成員在種族主義和冠狀病毒的負面印象下能發聲，幫助他們蓬勃發展並樹立信心。”
依士靈頓華人協會會員李健芬說：
“依士靈頓華人協會對我來說就像第二個家。我每週三天在這裡享受健康的午餐，參加社交和體育活動以及粵曲歌唱。自從我丈夫幾年前去世以來，我很高興結識來自不同背景和各行各業的人，這有助於我建立信心並減少孤獨感。”
胡永煜 － 在2019年被Voluntary Action Islington評為 “年度最佳年長義工”。
他說：
“成為依士靈頓華人協會的義工可以使我回饋社會，並為我服務的人帶來積極的改變。”
有關依士靈頓中國協會的更多信息，請前往 http://www.islingtonchinese.com
倫敦金融城慈善捐款人，城市橋樑信託基金，是倫敦最大的獨立贈款人，每年提供超過2500萬英鎊的贈款，以解決整個首都的弊處– http://www.citybridge.org.uk
編者註
倫敦金融城是Square Mile的管理機構，致力於打造一個充滿活力和繁榮的城市，支持倫敦作為英國在全球成功當中一個提供多樣化和可持續發展的城市 － http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk 倫敦金融城的慈善資助人城市橋樑信托已向倫敦社區響應基金撥款1100萬英鎊，該基金旨在幫助慈善機構應對冠狀病毒的影響，並且還向202個組織提供了170萬英鎊的一次性贈款，幫助他們抵消疫情所造成的收入損失。
倫敦社區響應基金由Bridge House Estates的資金部門城市橋樑 信托管理。倫敦金融城是Bridge House Estates的唯一受託人，其共同法院的成員由城市橋樑 信托委員會組成，負責為慈善機構作出贈款和資助決定。
‘Bridging the gap’ between London Chinese communities facing racism surge
Over 12,000 older Chinese people facing ‘self-enforced segregation’ and a coronavirus-fuelled surge in racism will be helped by a new scheme running in the capital.
Islington Chinese Association says its members are increasingly reluctant to go out due to negative comments prompted by ignorance around COVID-19.
The charity hopes to bridge the gap between Chinese communities and the wider community, reduce isolation and improve members’ wellbeing with a new scheme funded by a £250,000 grant from City Bridge Trust, the City of London Corporation’s charitable funder.
The project, entitled ‘Thriving beats surviving’, will enable befriending schemes, drop-in sessions, culture and leisure activities, while giving a voice to older Chinese residents – who often have limited English – and helping them access mainstream services.
Dhruv Patel, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust Committee, said:
“London boasts a long and well-established Chinese population, but often language and cultural barriers can be an obstacle to integration – both with other Chinese communities and the wider community.
“This scheme will help to bridge the gap, reduce isolation, and help older Chinese people to be more independent and resilient, which is needed more than ever at a time when they have had to face ignorance and racism prompted by ill-informed views on the pandemic.”
The funding over five years will pay for a wellbeing and information officer who will recruit and co-ordinate volunteers and offer a culturally sensitive information and advocacy service alongside social and cultural activities.
The charity, founded in 1986, says it expects to help 12,000 older Chinese people, predominantly from Islington but also from neighbouring boroughs such as Camden, Hackney, Haringey and Westminster, many of whom face issues such as anxiety, loneliness or bereavement.
Katy Tse Blair, co-founder of Islington Chinese Association, said:
“We often see Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong Chinese and Mandarin-speaking mainland Chinese impose a kind of self-imposed segregation. They’re not always prepared to integrate and it’s not just the language barrier but the difference between their lifestyles, habits and aspirations.
“This grant will enable us to provide more educational, cultural and social activities – which are a great way to bring people together – to give our members a voice, help them to thrive and build their confidence, which has suffered due to sometimes unintended racism and negative stereotypes about coronavirus.”
Kin Fun Lee, Islington Chinese Association user, said:
“Islington Chinese Association is like a second home to me. I enjoy my healthy lunch there three days a week, participate in social and physical activities and Cantonese Opera singing. I take delight in meeting people from different backgrounds and walks of life which help me to build confidence and reduce loneliness since my husband passed away some years ago.”
Thomas Wu, named Commended Older Volunteer of the Year by Voluntary Action Islington in 2019, said:
“Being a volunteer at the Islington Chinese Association enables me to give something back to the community and make a positive difference to the people I help to serve.”
More information on Islington Chinese Association is at www.islingtonchinese.com
The City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, is London’s biggest independent grant giver, making grants of over £25 million a year to tackle disadvantage across the capital – www.citybridgetrust.org.uk
Picture captions
– Activities at Islington Chinese Association
– Dhruv Patel, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust Committee
Notes to editors
The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile, dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK – www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
The City Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, has allocated £11 million to the London Community Response Fund, set up to help charities deal with the impact of coronavirus, and has also given over £1.7 million in one-off grants to 202 organisations it already supports to help them offset lost income resulting from the pandemic.
The London Community Response Fund is administered by City Bridge Trust, the funding arm of Bridge House Estates. The City of London Corporation is the sole trustee of Bridge House Estates and Members of its Court of Common Council form the City Bridge Trust Committee, responsible for taking grant and funding decisions for the charity.
Islington Chinese Association 
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