MEND Oldham Induction

On Thursday 10^th and Friday 11^th September 2020, we held inductions for new volunteers for our MEND Oldham Working Group.

The Oldham WG formed this year to locally address Islamophobia in a strategic and efficient manner. In order to make sure that we are working positively and able to complete the work we aim to engage in, MEND Oldham put out a call for new volunteers.

During our induction session, attendees were introduced to the work that MEND volunteers do at grassroots level. They were introduced to the core infrastructure of each group, where we explained the importance of educating and training our volunteers to ensure they have the knowledge and foundations required to go out and empower the Muslim community. We discussed the levels of volunteering available and how MEND have a Volunteer Progression Plan that allows those who volunteer with us to build on their individual success in the group.

We also discussed how we work with a multitude of delivery partners through whom we engage with both the Muslim and the Wider community. We aim to educate and empower the Muslim community through this work, and also aim to make incremental change during this engagement.

Our work with local stakeholders is very similar, in that we work to raise awareness of Islamophobia and address the role these sectors play in how Muslims are portrayed and how they are treated in wider society. We aim to question and hold to account those who have the power to make the changes necessary to ensure the reduction of Islamophobia in British society.

The attendees were then introduced to some of the campaigns that we run throughout the year, including Islamophobia Awareness Month. The importance of raising awareness of during this month and carrying out activity that allows for conversations to be had around the subject, through numerous lenses, was highlighted during this portion of the induction.

We hope that our new volunteers can hit the ground running and are able to do the necessary work to tackle Islamophobia at a local level.

To volunteer for a MEND Working Group in your locality, be sure to check out www.mend.org/volunteer