We work with the Heart of the Community Trust for whom Making Links is a major project. Making Links seeks to operate in the spirit of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) document, “The Reception and Integration of New Migrant Communities” (2007), which stressed the need for “bringing communities together and facilitating interaction between them”. The numerous women and children who attend (currently around 50 each week) comment that Making Links frees them from feelings of isolation, helps them build multicultural friendships and empowers them with knowledge about the local community. Thus Making Links presents a friendly St Neots face to people who might otherwise be outsiders.
The aims of the project are:
· To develop cross-cultural friendships
· To promote cultural identity and self-esteem
· To promote community relationships with local service providers
· To support the client group in meeting the needs of their children (0’s-under 5’s) through promotion of services for under 5’s and Women’s Health
· To empower the client group to be part of decision making processes within the group
· To support clients who wish to access training to promote self-development and employment opportunities