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LONDON WORKERS NETWORK
Minutes of
Vietnamese Workers’s Network
Venue: Lien Viet Housing
Association
Date: Wednesday, 26 November
2003
Apologies: Tuyet Anh, Tinh Dieu,
Huynh Dieu, Dinh Viet Lap, Hong Nguyen
Present: Tan Ho
Lien Viet HA – Chair
Jack Shieh
Vietnamese Mental Health Services
Huong
Le “
Ung Van Ly
Refugee Action
Quan Tran
CRV – East London
Van Lac
Deptford Young Vietnamese Project
Thanh
Cancer Black Carer
Quynh
Kim Anh
Deptford Home School Liaison
Bich Nguyen
Greenwich Vietnamese Community
Hoi Dong
Manchester Library
Guest invited:
Sandy Buchan Refugee Action –
Chief Executive
Tan opening the meeting by welcoming Mr.
Buchan to the meeting, and continue to thanking Refugee Action,
the organisation has been supporting Vietnamese communities in
last 20 years. It became more difficult for the Vietnamese
community organisations at present time because funding criteria
and objectives have changed and not easy to obtain. That why
there are some organisations had closed down. He emphasised that
therefore the support and assistance from Refugee Action are
essential.
However, Mr. Buchan stated that Refugee
Action itself has also come to a point of re-looking seriously
into the work with Vietnamese community due to funding
difficulty. At the present, funding for work with Vietnamese
from London Boroughs Grants Unit had ended since last year.
Refugee Action’s Trustees has decided to continue funded the
work with Vietnamese from its own reserve funds, while seeking
funding from other sources, e.g. Community Fund which is from an
application was made for 2 workers, one cover for inside London
and the other for outside of London.
Unfortunately, it has failed, due to not
enough evidences show the needs arising from vulnerable
Vietnamese groups, and the need for secondary supporting from
Refugee Action is not strong enough.
Mr. Buchan continued to say that needs to
remember that the success of Vietnamese communities in compare
with other refugees, particularly those new arrivals were
dispersed from out side London. The success of the Vietnamese
Oral History Project had demanded more Ly’s time and Refugee
Action to help other refugees. Refugee Action always committed
to support Vietnamese, but it comes to a point that how far can
Refugee Action go on? Refugee Action did aware and worry about
the vulnerable Vietnamese groups outside London, but whether it
is enough to carry out fund raising for working with them?
He also said that because of the above issue,
he is now making a recommendation to his Trustees that it does
not need to go fundraising further, but will continue to support
in a contractual arrangement, perhaps through this network, for
an example that Refugee Action will put aside £15.000 a year to
support a project or network for the next 3 years in using such
as organising of national conference and to draw on the
strengths from Vietnamese groups. It would be also to assist a
project to circulate information or producing information in
conjunction with Vietnamese organisations, and if this is an
acceptable solution, then Refugee Action needs a proposal from
communities, through their consultation with their Members or
Management Committees in order to present it to Refugee Action’s
Trustees.
Tan thanked Mr. Buchan Refugee Action’s
commitments in continuing to support Vietnamese communities; he
asked any comments from groups outside London, particularly
those who are struggling in their funding difficulties.
Question: What else Refugee Action
can offer to help groups outside London?
Answer: Ly will continue his work
until June 2004, and will working with vulnerable groups.
Tan said that minutes of this meeting will
circulate to all community groups and asking for comments, he
has also asked Sandy if he could send a copy of this proposal,
so that it can be included in the minutes. Sandy agreed.
1.
Minutes of the last meeting (5th September
2003)
Amendment make to:
4.1 last sentence VLC Family support Project
– providing support to homework class for 6 – 12 years old and
mother tongue class.
4.2 Second line should read Lac Hong School
in Wandsworth not Lambeth.
2. Matters arising:
a)
Network Members:
Nga in Birmingham is now working with
Birmingham Library.
There is no respond from Pham Viet Cuong in
Leeds, Mai Van Thong in Bristol and Chu Quoc Cuong in Sheffield.
Van Lac – Deptford Young Vietnamese Project,
Kim Anh Tran and Quynh have accepted to join as members.
3.
Sub-groups report:
3.1 Housing:
New World
-
New World's Research is about
to finish. Another research about Tenant Satisfactory is carried
out soon.
Lien Viet
-
In the process to apply for one
part-time worker to work with tenants in setting up Vietnamese
Tenant Association.
-
Considering Trainee scheme to
train young Vietnamese who are interest in housing work.
-
Volunteers for long term
unemployed Vietnamese with Lien Viet
-
Lien Viet’s Website reserved
one page for Vietnamese Worker’s Network, and information will
be updated every 3 months.
3.2 Education
-
Will organise Hung Vuong
Memorial in April 2004. Some suggested to organise on Sunday.
-
If needed will send someone to
mother tongue school for exchange experiences.
-
Number of student aged 4-6 at
VLC had increased to 16.
-
Islington’s mother tongue class
continues after Tri passed away.
-
Catholic and Buddhist
Vietnamese mother tongue classes are growing
3.2 Outside London:
-
Manchester Vietnamese Group’s
Newsletter is very good
-
Northampton group had contacted
Refugee Action for help.
3.3 London:
Vietnamese Mental Health Services continues
to organise health talk sessions in partnership with community
groups in and outside London, and training for Workers will
organise every 3 months. Next Workers training will be in
February 2004.
VLC Centre had finished it repair, and can
hold up to 250 people, any group can book the centre for
activities.
A new Health Project had started, volunteer
Vietnamese Doctor held surgery once every 2 weeks, it just for
consultation and advice, but not prescribe medication.
Hoi Dong said that Groups outside London need
more support. The Manchester Vietnamese Community groups
developed very well after the new Management Committee election
in August 2003, activities included mother tongue class and
homework’s class. Manchester Library also runs mother tongue
class with 50 students. The library often organises exhibition
about Vietnamese cultures. He also informed that Home Office
Challenge Fund would fund mother tongue classes.
3.4 Work Plan
Theme for next year National Conference:
Young Vietnamese and future of Vietnamese
communities
It was suggested that a sub-group would meet
before next meeting to discuss, plan and propose the conference
details. Sub-group’s members are as: Van Lac, Quan Tran, Tan Ho,
Jack Shieh, Huong Le and Ly Ung.
4. Any other business:
There is no other business.
5. Date of next meeting:
14pm on 26 February 2004, at VLC Centre.
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