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"I would not be here today without EQUAL"

December 2007

That statement could have been made by any of the participants who were invited to, and subsequently attended, the Belfast final event in the range of EQUAL Mainstreaming Platforms orchestrated by the European Commission and organised by the Member States. However, for Elisabeth Lindgren who actually said these words, there was a much deeper significance. Elisabeth firmly believes that if she had not had support from a Swedish EQUAL project she would now be dead - killed by her drug addiction. In the course of the Forum, other beneficiaries also had the chance to explain the positive changes to their lives that had resulted from their involvement in EQUAL.

Some of the beneficiaries supported by Empowerment and the other Building Blocks of EQUAL

This Policy Forum on "Diversifying the Workplace - Strategies for Empowerment and Inclusion" was held in Belfast on the last two days of November and brought together the key shareholders in EQUAL. In addition to beneficiaries, there were representatives of employers, of NGOs and of bridge-builders of different kinds, varying from sheltered workshops, to social security bodies, employment services, careers agencies and training providers and, finally, the decision makers who control the policies of such agencies. The Policy Forum was "a unique opportunity to identify innovative and effective policies that will enable disadvantaged groups to overcome inequalities in employment," said Greg McConnell, Deputy Secretary, Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland in his welcoming remarks. Greg also believed that "this Policy Forum will take things a stage further through identifying and highlighting definitive emerging policy messages which have the potential for implementation throughout Europe."

This was echoed by Peter Stub-Jorgensen, Director, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, European Commission who focussed on the contribution that EQUAL's empowerment and diversity outcomes could make to the concept of "active inclusion" that had been developed by the Commission. He also spoke about the opportunities to take these outcomes further during the 2007 - 2013 programming period of the European Social Fund (ESF). Peter was particularly pleased to report that "a conservative estimate indicates that within all the ESF Operational Programmes, which the Commission has received, a total of  € 3 billion has been allocated to support transnational exchanges and this is the same as the resources that were available through EQUAL."

Empowerment depicted by Patrick Sanders the Forum's "artist in residence"

As empowerment was not a topic that had been addressed by any of the previous EQUAL European Mainstreaming Events, the organisers of this Policy Forum were anxious that the beneficiaries' viewpoint should make a real impact on all of the discussions over the two days and, in terms of the working sessions, beneficiaries were given the first say. There is not enough space in this article to do justice to the following stories but these will be outlined in greater detail in the final report on the Policy Forum along with all the other plenary contributions. Elisabeth Lindgren had been rejected by her local job centre because of 25 years of periodical substance abuse and was feeling at just about her lowest point in terms of self-esteem and value. However, while many public services had been unable or unwilling to help her, a social worker finally put her in contact with the Kooperativet Kullen that had been set up by an EQUAL DP in Baronbackarna, Sweden. This project adopts an empowering approach and it recognises everyone as having the same value because each person brings with them skills and knowledge.

Elisabeth explained that after just a few weeks, "I was in charge of the petty cash and even the keys to the safe - people trusted me and that made a great difference. Gradually, through the project, I found all the power that I need." Today Elisabeth is sober, she has money coming into her home and she can look after her daughters properly. She is able to help other women set up cooperatives and has even been consulted by a range of local and national politicians. Her main lesson for the Policy Forum was that "individuals who have experienced marginalisation are 'Experts through Experience' and have a lot to offer in developing successful approaches and policies for inclusion."

Anne McAleer experienced the very early onset of osteoporosis that meant that in her 20s she had the bone structure of a woman in her 80s. Then, to make things worse, at the age of 29 she suffered a stroke. As a direct result, she lost her children because she was deemed incapable of caring for them and then she subsequently lost her husband and a number of her friends. However, she became involved in the SEA DP which was managed by the Northern Ireland Union of Supported Employment and  aimed to overcome the barriers that people with disabilities face in accessing and staying in employment. Anne was asked to join SEA's Beneficiaries Focus Group and this gave her the opportunity to influence the way in which the project was operating, to meet other people with disabilities and even to take part in transnational exchanges. Anne believes that through these experiences, she has increased self-confidence and self-belief and has gained new skills in presentation, negotiation, networking, campaigning and lobbying. She has also regained her children, remarried and developed a much wider circle of friends. She says that "now people see Anne first, not my disability, and I am treated as being part of society." Anne's main message to the other participants was "if you came here today to help me, you can forget it but if you see your survival as part of my survival, we can work together!"

Whilst coming from a totally different background, Wilberforce Essandor, or Willie as everyone calls him, was also involved in a group that had a similar advisory role to Anne's. Willie came to Finland from Ghana in order to study. He first joined the Finnish postal company, Itella Corporation, as a temporary worker and was then taken on full time. In 2001, his employer became one of a number of companies associated with the "Multiculturalism as a resource in a working community" or Etmo DP followed by the "How to initiate into multiculturalism in a working place" or Petmo DP, in 2004. It was quickly recognised that Willie's history and first-hand knowledge made him an excellent candidate for the bridge - building group that the initial DP wanted to establish. This brought together representatives of employers, immigrant workers, native workers and shop stewards to consider and develop modes of action and practices to promote ethnic equality, tolerance and multiculturalism in the workplace. As the work progressed, it was also decided to employ four regional coordinators and Willie applied and was successful in gaining one of these posts. He feels that EQUAL has given him a similar boost to his self-confidence and the same skills as Anne. In addition, he believes that he acquired project management skills and a more profound knowledge of diversity, equality, multicultural issues which served him well when he returned to work in the Itella Corporation. As Willie says, "I am the living proof of the potency of EQUAL's empowering effect as it has helped me, an immigrant worker, to progress from a summer job to my current post of a Human Resources Manager."

Having heard from Elisabeth, Anne and Willy, the Policy Forum broke into three Workshops and in each of these, two more interesting and convincing stories were recounted by EQUAL beneficiaries. Most of the rest of the Policy Forum followed a similar pattern with three employers and then three bridge builders or policy makers speaking about their involvement with EQUAL followed each time by workshops to consider their views and the views of their peers in greater detail. A Background Paper had been produced in advance to promote discussion in these Workshop and to help with the formulation of recommendations. In the end, the following main recommendations were reported during the final plenary session.

Most of the above recommendations reflect the advances that had been made by EQUAL but also the fact that more work remains to be done. This was echoed in the closing remarks made by Walter Faber, Head of the EQUAL Unit in DG Employment, Social Affairs & Equal Opportunities, European Commission and Aideen McGinley, Permanent Secretary, Department for Employment and Learning. Aideen stressed that "the excellent work of the local, regional, national and European partners must be continued within the context of the new ESF programming round," while Walter welcomed "the proposed development of what the platform so successfully started which is the creation of a stable and real link between people and projects on the ground and policy issues at EU and national level." 

• Presentations, photos and illustrations from the Policy Forum will shortly be available at the EQUAL web site in Northern Ireland and the full report on the Forum will also be posted on this web site early in 2008.
• In the meantime the Steering Group for the Policy Forum (UK – Northern Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Belgium – Flanders (BEnl) and Portugal) intends to work towards the development of a Community of Practice on Strategies for Empowerment and Inclusion within the framework of the current 2007 to 2013 ESF programming period. John Neill, the Chair of this Steering Group, (john.neill@delni.gov.uk or +44 (0) 28 90257874) would be very pleased to hear from other Member States that might be interested in joining this Community of Practice and from current or former EQUAL DPs that have relevant experience to offer.
• Back to the article announcing the Forum and to the background paper.

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