Psychological Sounding Board

As a people, we need psychological intervention. There is a need for us on an individual and family level sort out our dysfunction. I’m not too proud to say I am suffering as a result of dysfunction.

It was only later in my 30’s and late 20’s that I realised the need to go for counselling. At first, I thought I was mentally ill and might have deep-lying problems As I was displaying very dysfunctional behaviours with no explanations. Though I learnt to let go or manage these behaviours and relationships I have for the better.

I have been a few times and it’s a slow process but I’d say I have had around 40 sessions. I’m hoping to get more in life further down the road. This is where black people come in we need a level of therapeutic measures. Men do not talk about feelings or express how they may feel but this does not have to mean you cry or have anger. You could be verbalising the frustration or anger you have.

A belief exists that you can pray a problem away if you are religious or push through it. This can build character but the problem will express itself through other behaviours. I appreciate there is a level of mistrust of using these services, though there is a level of confidentiality (although if something which is harmful to you or another is disclosed then the counsellor must disclose it to the authorities).

I most likely come off like the ideal Aquarius I am. Many black people go to see the doctor if they are physically ill. If you are mentally sick there is a reluctance to see a therapist or counsellor at an early stage to resolve the issue before it gets serious. As a people we let things get out of hand then take the nuclear option of sectioning the person and prescription medicine with its numerous side effects. This in many (but not all) can be avoided, with more education and an open mind.

If we understand that a lack of vitamin D, unfamiliar western lifestyles, dysfunction, individual processes against our collective nature and no one accord in different households we would be better off for going to the counselling services.

It doesn’t matter the race of the counsellor so long as they are professional and are a sounding board for our problems, which we find difficult to resolve between ourselves. The legacy of this could be greater communication between ourselves and more ability to recognise dysfunction which could halt greater incidence of mental health issues.

Here are some sources from both the UK and America on how you can get access to counselling (please click on the title):

UK (National)

NHS

Mind

US

Mental Health America

Shape – Affordable Therapy

Pro Bono/ Free Therapy

Ethics

I see from my own network that there is a lack of ethics. I have learned over the past few months this is an important aspect of any community. There is no code of conduct in the West or East (where we reside). Mostly due to colonialism and slavery. Some talk about a code and that is good but there are different caveats to it.

The codes in the West are built on ancient philosophy from Greece. The Greeks culturally may not fit into the lives of culture of black people but the essence can be taken from it. For example in the event of a black person being responsible or a spokesperson for black people, they be selected based on virtues they have rather than charm and charisma. As virtues often mean when times are hard they make the best decision for the best possible outcome.

Currently we as a people have a open market which means any black person can come and sell an idea without us the black public being circumspect (critical of comparing it to other person’s and ideas). Another example is to use utilitarian view points where the greatest good for the greatest number, whilst it works in theory, in practice there is no agreement amongst anyone.

Most laws are based on justice and fairness (sounds like libra which is their motto I digress). This is Kantian but it is not very possible since there are strict laws to follow and as a race only in our home countries could this be followed, rather than in the west.

If black people are to take up a philosophy, we would need repercussions for not following conduct. I dislike rules and repercussions, though the situation is important to develop this. For example if taking up a position of spokesperson, elders would need to consider who can or cannot speak for us. This could start with middle age people now, who grow into older people. The repercussions would be public disapproval and not being deemed fit morally to represent our people. I can but name a few people this might apply to right now.

Currently there is some accord finally being struck namely with the 2020 election as now black people are starting to ask for more from politicians. This may be a start but we know it would need to start off locally then regional, national then international. Blacks have different variations in our culture and there would need to be some relativism (basically cultural variation) to a group of ethical codes.

Virtues of character seems the best bet with a utilitarian approach to use. Since there is metaphorical sacrifice which needs to be made to get social, economical and political justice. Individually we would all need to do our bit at home, whilst in the bigger picture this is a philosophy we could follow if only black people had a unified nationality or religion.

Starting you Own Group/Venture

This space has resources often to help you create or find a venture or group. Often if you are creating one then business plays a part as you want to be able to be self-sufficient from the start or near there if you are funded.

One of the difficulties organisations have is looking at a business model to begin with. The first question being who do I sell services to if people who are in need want to use it and likley cannot afford.

This can be answered by partnering with a local organisations or services and selling your service to them.  An example would be a day centre for vulnerable adults, the adults pay through their personal budgets to attend. Or a local authority pays for each person to attend sessions at a workshop your organisation provides as it finds it cheaper to use an external source rather than an internal one.

One thing to consider would be going to tender to get these services. Its where public services set out what service they need then your service shows if it ticks all the boxes and matches what the outcome of the service will be for the end user.

Organisations can also use membership or subscription to sustain itself depending on what you do in general. Like a business a organisation to be most effective must have a unique offering and benefit to the local and wider community. They can have a less unique purpose but there will be more competition for end users and funding. It may have greater challenges.

Check out the sources on building a organisation below:

Funding and Resources

Setting Up A Business

Social Enterprises information

Social Enterprise Body

Community Interest Companies

Charitable Organisational Structure

Banks with food

I have noticed in the retail sector, I have seen there has been an increase in the use of food banks to donate food waste. This is usually in the UK open to registered charities who want to collect the food to feed the homeless and those who are on a low income.

This has led me to ask if black organisations have used food banks, I have through my work seen one black organisation, which is a food bank mainly a church but I have yet to see this on a wide-ranging scale. Black people are suffering as much if not more than other races, due to systematic racism (being denied access to jobs and housing) and are most likely to be on the breadline compared to other races.

I notice that there are a lot of churches and community groups signing up to have food banks and all is required is a charity number in the UK, though I am not sure what you need in the US for example. I know black people are proud people but going to a food bank makes no difference if you are poor or struggling for a month.

I have left a list below of food bank directories for the UK and the US if you were interested in working with one or wanting to set one up within an organisation you might work with or a religious group you are part off.

List of food banks in the USA:

http://www.feedingamerica.org/?referrer=https://www.google.co.uk/

List of food banks in the UK:

Find a Food Bank

Charitable Workings

For the last couple of years, whilst, working in retail and getting a business or two off the ground. I have been using professional skills I have gained through digital inclusion and project management, I have been doing some work with a charity attempting to make it more efficient.

Much of the work I am doing has been creating a channel strategy, a bit like a social media strategy but looking at how you can provide services and information to service users using digital devices and/or the internet. I have also been developing the website, and looking at how the organisation can work more efficiently.

Something which strikes to mind for black charities, is efficiency and resources. Having volunteered at a few organisations, efficiency seems to be one of the things which is a lower priority as digitising some services or even making some tasks less time consuming can be a challenge.

For example, if you want volunteers, using sites like do it.org is a great place to start as you can get volunteers for many tasks who will work a couple of hours a week to lighten the burden in the organisation.

Having updated content on the website is also important, this can be cost efficient (not cheap but not expensive neither) using providers such as WordPress with templates etc.

The channel strategy, is used to look at how your organisations uses, email, text, social media and how it can deliver some services digitally can save time, if you have service users you can look at how many have a mobile phone number or email (ask for permission to send emails, mainly monthly updates) and send reminders via text. This can look at cutting out paper usage.

Funding is another, charity running is much like a business (its always been but with more access to funding in the past) now instead of looking at how to save money you also need to look at making money as less funding is available and if you are getting funding, sustaining that with looking at why you want the funding, and what difference you can make. Sponsorship is a start if you can build networks and relationships with local and regional (and sometimes national) businesses.

There are many different ways in which you can as a organisation run efficiently, whether it be person to person, or via a digital device its just important you are up to date with modern technology otherwise you may lose out on service users or funding.

Crowd – Gifting

There has been much emphasis on crowdfunding though there should be a view point towards people crowd gifting. I will explain further, suppose people were to donate items to persons who are seeking funds to raise for a venture.

This would occur by providing them with items which you do not want and listing through Ebay or a second hand selling site, you would then be able to take the proceeds from the sale after the item has been sold.

This would mean you could donate to a campaign if you did not have the funds by selling an item and pledging the proceeds to the campaign.

My viewpoint came from my experiences of giving to charities in the UK, where I often donate books and DVD etc to charity shops as I just cannot be bothered to sell them online and besides some of the smaller charities do some good work and I am very supportive of local charities who do good community work, I also buy many books and redonate them once I have finished.

There are online services online which can allow you to donate items and they will take the proceeds and pass them on to the charity/thrift organisation you would want the items to go to.

As stated above there are other ways in which you can ensure your funds go to another party, this could be through arranging with the individual or group recieving the funds that you will pledge the value of the item if it is sold.

There are things which can be looked at to see how and if it can work, at least it is something to think about.

Considerations:

• Whether or not an agreement can be made to accept donations in this manner.
• The items donated for sale may not sell.
• To get the funds will require much effort as going to a charity/thrift shop as you will need to post and package the item to the sellar.
• Unknown value of the item until sold.
• Difficult to get a standard price of all items as most venutres will be for business, rather than charitable.

The Benefit:

• More donations as many people will have items to sell.
• Very Accessible to those with little funds but many items
• Pledges do not have to be made until the item is sold and the value from that item gained.
• More access to others who might have a passing interest rather than a full interest.
• Takes dedication and interest in the campaign and the projects of the person/group asking for the donation.
• This could be a way of asking businesses and organisations if they have any old stock which they can donate to sell for the cause/project you have.

Further information:

Selling for Charity (Ebay)

Local Community Sponsorship and Business Growth

Recently, I have been working with a black local community organisation and they are sponsored by a black themed business which is not owned by black people.

Initially I thought this was a bad idea but it made me realise that there are very few businesses in the UK, which have established themselves to a point where they can provide a great amount of funding to such a prevalent cause which affects black people in the UK.

It is a case of black people in the UK looking at themselves especially those who have run or are running businesses. I myself will look to be accountable to this also. If we build a business we should be able to generate income over a number of years to be able to expand into a chain which this business is and make it applicable to different audiences.

Even in the case of black companies making a great amount, very few will likely put their tax breaks or donate some finances to causes such as this one as they are worried of being too black or too affiliated with a cause that affects their own people. Some black businesses may not be interested in funding a community cause unless it is a international or universal cause.

In the UK black people have been here anything between 70 and 40 years and we should be looking at having chains of shops and services, rather than having small businesses which cannot support community needs.

If we are to develop stronger businesses amongst our smaller communities in the UK, we can look at different creating networks of businesses and liaise with community groups and organisations on how they can work together in a partnership where both parties get something out of the agreement.

This will mean organisations like the one I am currently working with will be self-sufficient and will be able to remain exclusively black rather than relying totally on public funding and can do what they set out to do with businesses having a similar ideology supporting and providing resources to make this happen.

Black People and Sports

For years there has been much discussion about black people and playing sports. This has been something I am interested in, as a kid I wished I could go to university to play sport, then do a profession at the same time.

This was in line with playing football (soccer), but I went to university in the UK (twice – Undergraduate and postgraduate). Now I would not encourage black young people to go to university unless they were going to become a lawyer or a medical professional.

Recently the person who protested was brave and honourable but as many have said if it wasn’t for the football players getting involved then he probably would have been left to starve or given up as there would have been little support.

This demonstrates there is much economic weight behind the people who fund sports in the west. Black people are exploited in going to play college sport and academy sport in the UK. The question I have is whether or not they are encouraged to look at alternative careers.

I remember as a young man always thinking if I became a sports person I would get some education as I heard too many stories of people knowing only sports and when they were dropped out of the sport they went into drugs and crime.

The way I see it is people should look at playing sports like Tennis or Cricket where they can get a qualification and they have to work during the off season if they are not the best to keep an income coming on, it keeps you honest. For men you can pick up a trade – Electrician, plumber or carpentry, even set up your own business. For women it could be health and well being or just setting up a business which allows you flexibility between playing your sport.

Many of times I see sports trying to take you away from real life when you play for them yet when they have finished with you they will drop you like a hot coal.

These sports people in america (and the west) should be looking towards setting examples like with the hunger strike but setting up or working with black support groups who can provide counselling and advise in relation to what alternative/back up careers you can look at if things do not work out.

Much of the time the institutions are only interested in what you can give them at that time and any external ideas or approaches are seen as a threat to them, rather than thinking only 1 in a 100 will make it through so lets prepare them for life after this sport. We must do it ourselves with organisation, planning and preparation.

Where is the economics in BHM

Black history month often looks at two pillars of history, these are the social and political aspects, though it does not look at the economic factor. This is interesting as economics is key to the creation and sustainability of a community and its the engine for developing social policy and political engagement.

If there are talks on economics then more of our own people could be economically empowered, for example most black history month shows and events are usually funded by the UK government or third sector organisations (who get their funding from the government). Looking at other cultures, they get to select their own programmes for the celebration of their culture and history whilst black people in the UK and America ,

If we funded our own historic celebrations we would be able to align them with African cultural celebrations where African American and Caribbean culture could be joined up then we would be able to have a culture to celebrate.

This could be through recognising African cultural ceremonies and festivals within that month to make the diaspora aware of what we are about as a people. This would mean the events would be totally controlled by ourselves rather than another race and we could control what content and events are hosted within the month or black history recognition period.

This would create the opportunity for us to learn about economics and how we created jobs for ourselves and communities. How we spent, saved and invested our money in order to build our communities between 1950 and 1990 (in the UK) and pre 1965 (in the US).

This would be a lesson we could take away in regards to the choices we have to make in rebuilding neighbourhoods and empowering local people to re establish communities, creating cultural links and identity between Caribbean and African people, who are one in the same and banishing many of the stereotypes which those born before 1970 (and of Caribbean descent) are unable to break down or overcome.

This would then lead into the date of black history month being changed, from a autumn or mid-winter month to being in the summer when we can enjoy the sun and the nights are not getting dark so early. The way in which black history month has been positioned it seems as though the funders and establishments of both countries have decided to hide it. We should take it over or create our own and ensure it is celebrated at a time in which we can choose and not the timing in line with persons who are not affected by this culture.

How could we fund our own cultural celebrations

This is more difficult than suggested since it requires planning funding and implementation.

Planning

This could be by anyone interested in promoting black history, those already involved in black history month planning, events planning even those with an interest in planning. They could plan for their local area, starting small, and create an event for those who are interested, and may possibly be interested.

The persons planning should form a committee or consortium as more than two people will be required to ensure its not too much work. In terms of locations there are black community centres which can be used to showcase films, lectures, and talks. There are also parks which can be rented from the local authority for a day or licences which can be gained to host ceremonies and cultural celebrations in parks, within black areas or close to black areas.

Funding

This is the most difficult as black people are less willing to fund their own projects, less so than any other race unless it is something which is not to the benefit of our race or if its something provided by persons outside our race.

This would be by looking for tickets to be sold and a entry fee for the event, other ways of revenue could be partnering with black businesses to sponsor or endorse events.

This is a difficult one but there are ways and this blog is not exhaustive in providing such ways.

Implementation

This would require great team work and resourcefulness, many of those who have arranged events before would be able to support and advise on how to complete and deliver an event, ceromony and celebration.

There are ways in which this can be done but if we can work together and share our varied skills and experience then this should be a challenge which will be met.

These are just snippets of ways in which this could be tackled and there are other ways in which we could create a month which would celebrate of our achievements and progress including the economic one. Its just a case of finding it, planning it and implementing it.

Here are some black people who were successful in business in history:

Madam Efunroye (Nigerian Business Woman1805 – 1887)

Sam Cooke

Newsone.com – History of top Business Leaders of 1800 and 1900’s

Carnival Planning

In the UK and much of North America it is the summer, which leads into the summer festival and carnival season in relation to Caribbean and African American celebrations. Between July an August there are many of these festivals. The origin of these festivals was to from Europe, and as descendants from African slaves black people would use these festivals to practice African cultural celebrations and traditions from the motherland to how it is used today in Caribbean Carnival around the world.

Carnivals are often organised in the UK by a committee and funded by the local authority, this means the council has a say in how the organisation is run and the direction it may take. This also means when there are cuts to funding the carnival is likely to suffer the most. The typical response is the local black community will discuss who and how money from the past has been misappropriated and they will in some case know who has wrongfully appropriated funds but they do not as a whole look at creating solutions to these problems.

There are two routes we can take in regards to the carnival, firstly we can fund it ourselves, secondly we can continue with largely public funding.

Considering the first approach, I have looked at a membership model. This would encompass the following:

• A general meeting where all attendees pay a membership fee of £1 and a minimum contribution of £1 to the running of the carnival.

• This would mean there would need to be a committee voted in demonstrating: Capability; Transparency; and Accountability.

• The committee would need to have a mixture of young persons and experienced business owners.

• The local authority may be able to contribute by providing a grant or access to the streets for the parade to take place.

• An entrance fee to the carnival could be applied if not enough funds were raised to hold the event.

The second approach would consider the current model of public funding, where:

• The local authority would required a business reason for funding

• The carnival would be open to including races other than black people being celebrated (just look at Notting hill carnival these days)

• There would be a lack of soul as there may be other groups who would be on the committee who are not black.

Reviewing the first approach of self sufficiency, there would be a risk that our people would not contribute to the carnival as they may say that in the past it has been free and why shouldnt the local authority continue to pay. I would have said this a few years ago but I realise, if we pay for it ourselves it means we can again have a carnival for the community and educational on culture and tradition.

Currently carnivals have since the late 80’s/early 90’s been rife with violence and dysfunction as rival gangs have used it as places to fight and the presentations have whilst they have followed Caribbean culture they are very sexualised, whilst the music is very aggressive and not uplifting contributing to the bad vibes which cause fights and animosity.

Therefore I would propose the following for the carnivals:

• Liaise with and form a partnership with Africans to learn about African traditional dancing and cultural celebrations.

• Have Africans on the board as many carnivals are very Caribbean centric.

• Music should be Soca, Reggae, traditional African music and anything positive and uplifting

• Have board members who are black and not any other colour.

• Present and host events and services to the local community which can raise revenue (e.g.job skills, tutoring children and adults, film showings and other events beneficial to the community).

• Have all the participants in the carnival celebration as being black and from the caribbean or Africa.

Some of the points raised above are in the interests of black people, we could rent a building or a office space for the committee from the council at a cheap rate until we are able to buy a building to host a committee. The organisation would need to be a social enterprise, so it would be able to have charitable status but also be able to make profits and use it how they would like in the best interests of the community it serves.

There would need to be administration procedures put in place such as the following:

• A quarterly report created which would state the incoming and outgoings every 3 months

• A independent structure for a disciplinary commission would be required to ensure those guilty of acts would be investigated if found guilty a legal case is bought against them.

• An audit by auditors every 6 months or unannounced.

• A annual general meeting of the carnival committee and its members to vote in a new committee comprised of:

  • Chair

  • Deputy Chair

  • Secretary

  • Treasurer

  • Other trustees/committee members

This organisation would be required to look like and behave as a organisation, which would put confidence in our people to fund future events. If we are not organised then we may have events but they will be without soul and the other possibility is to have no event a lack of recognition of our presence from a social point of view and then we sit and talk about how good it used to be and the problem why it never happened again, rather than taking action in regards to creating a carnival representing the black community.

Further information

A history of Carnival (www.allahwe.org)

Notting Hill Carnival Organisers Reign (www.dailymail.co.uk)

The Untold Story of Notting Hill Carnival (www.standard.co.uk)