Today (Friday October 19), the Home Office launched the latest
round of the Hate Crime Community Projects Fund, which encourages
community groups to come up with innovative solutions to counter
hatred and prejudice.
The boost comes amid Hate Crime Awareness Week and following the
government’s publication of the updated Hate Crime Action Plan,
which set out new actions to tackle prejudice.
Minister for Countering Extremism Baroness Williams said:
The Government is determined to stamp out hate crime and I know
the power that local communities have in tackling hatred and
prejudice.
That is why I am delighted to be able to launch the third year
of the Hate Crime Community Projects Fund. I have seen
first-hand how the fund has supported vital initiatives across
the country and look forward to the new, innovative ideas to
help promote our shared values, protect victims and tackle hate
crime.
The Hate Crime Community Projects Fund was one of commitments
made by the government in its 2016 action plan, which was
refreshed on Tuesday.
In the first two years, 16 projects covering all five of the
monitored hate crime strands - race, religion, sexual
orientation, transgender identity and disability - have been
awarded over £560,000 of funding.
Projects that have received funding include:
- working with young transgender people who encounter abusive
narratives online
- using restorative justice techniques to challenge behaviours
and attitudes of young people who had committed hate-related
offences in Manchester
- using British Sign Language to and raising awareness of hate
crime with deaf and deafened people
On Monday, Baroness Williams visited Globe Primary School in
Bethnal Green which has been supported by EqualiTeach, a
beneficiary of the fund last year.
EqualiTeach worked with children and teachers from seven schools
in Tower Hamlets to develop films and educational resources on
anti-Muslim hate crime as well as strengthen existing systems to
help pupils report hate crime and provide support for victims.
Sarah Soyei, Head of Strategy and Development for EqualiTeach,
said:
The Hate Crime Community Projects Fund was a vital tool,
enabling EqualiTeach to work with young people over a period of
six months, to empower them to be agents for change in their
own schools and to develop free resources which will support
teachers from across the country to educate about Islamophobia.
You can find out more about funding for community
projects that prevent hate crime.
