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Meridian is a Glasgow based-group providing a Black and Ethnic Minority Women's Information and Resource Centre. It was one of the original partners and long standing partners of EfA in Glasgow. The Afro-Caribbean Women's Group is a cultural and heritage scheme for women and children, incorporating heritage and environmental activities. The group has organised several countryside trips, starting with a trip to the Botanical Gardens. The women and children also made trips to Scotland's Highlands, Mugdock Park and participated in a clean-up at Luss, as well as trips to the countryside. The group acts as a meeting point for people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities, while empowering women by giving them independence and responsibility and also opening up the environment for them. By using public transport for the trips the group not only use an environmentally-friendly form of transport, they also see how easy it is to access the rural areas around Glasgow. The informal setting also allows the women to improve their English and exchange cultural information, all helping to break down cross cultural boundaries and help integration into the local community. Children also become actively involved in the environment when joining the trips and taking part in activities such as a mini-beast hunt. The group learn about several environmental issues while on the trips including waste and recycling, identifying flora and fauna and green transport. But they also become more involved in and aware of their environment by actually visiting it. This hands-on approach gives the women a sense of connection to their local surroundings and so fosters a sense of belonging and integration. Once people realise they are part of their environment and have access to it they are more open to getting involved in voluntary projects. The women's group also demonstrated that beyond awareness of the environment, an emotional commitment between the members was established. The group is now using multimedia as a tool to learn about the environment. The group is looking to integrate with other women from Meridian to develop a project looking at their heritage and how it links to Scotland. All content copyright © 1986-2008 BTCV Ltd. Registered charity No. 261009 |
