PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES

We had quite a difficult conversation today with some residents in the Weoley area of Northfield. We were talking about how safe people feel in the local area. They told us that they didn't feel that safe for a number of reasons, including: young people riding quads up and down the road, a feeling t

We've had some difficult conversations as part of Pushing the Boundaries. It's impossible to talk about all of them here. But this one in particular stands out. It was with a young woman in the Sparkbrook area of Birmingham. "I grew up around here and my family is here; I moved away with children

Well, tea, obviously. But it turns out there's also a whole lot more. Yesterday we had a discussion with some pretty cool organisations and people who are working with local communities. We wanted to share some of what we've learnt on #PushingtheBoundaries and just check in to see if it was making

Anyone else experienced/heard about new migrant families suffering from abuse in Northfield? We've heard a few cases now of people telling us that new Polish, Romanian, and Afghan families in the area have had abuse shouted at them in the street and in one case had their house pelted with eggs. Wo

We've been hearing that people have been victims of crime in some of the roads leading off Weoley Castle Square. We've asked about hate crime, but people are also telling us about antisocial behaviour too. We recently took part at an event in Weoley Community Church where we asked local residents

CAFE Arts are hosting an Evening of Creativity on Fri 18 Aug, 6-9pm. If you fancy a no-holds barred discussion about Erdington and how we can fix some of society's problems come along - we'll be hositng a discussion/chat between 7.30-8.30pm. More details here. .

Following the great discussion we had at last month's NafCaf, we're coming back on 27 July to really sort things out. We'll be starting the discussion about 8pm, but feel free to come for the whole NafCaf. It starts at 6pm and there's always loads to do.

We'll be hosting our next Pushing the Boundaries session at Weoley Community Church on Tue 25 Jul, 6-8pm. We've heard loads about changes to the Square, about new migrants moving into the area, and how many people think Weoley is forgotten by those who run the city. What can we do about it? Is this

This Sat, 15 Jul, we'll be at the Farm Park open day. There's loads going on throughout the day, so if you're free why not come and enjoy the good weather with us? (And if it rains, we'll put on some events at Christ Church, opposite the park). Just rock up any time.

Knackered? Us? No way! Following the session in Weoley on Thu morning, we'll be at the Northfield NafCaf in the evening. We'll start a discussion at about eightish, but come along for the whole thing - doors open at 6pm and there's loads to do: https://www.facebook.com/northfieldartsforum

We're being hosted by the good folk at Concord Youth Centre. We want an open, honest discussion about the issues you think are important if you live or work in Sparkbrook. Is Sparkbrook a fair place to live? Immigration: good of bad? Is Sparkbrook a community for everyone? Join us at 5.30pm. Just

Pushing the Boundaries is coming to Sparkhill! Sparkhill has always been a destination for immigrants. For many, this diversity is one of the things they love about the area. Others, however, have concerns: schools organised along religious lines and community groups and shops that cater for parti

On Sunday 21 May we'll be chilling with the good folk at Hobmoor Community Centre in Yardley. This is always a great event - there were over 1,000 people there last year. Have a look: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FHobmoorCommunityCentre%2Fvideos%2

Exciting news! We'll be holding our first Pushing the Boundaries discussion event in Hall Green. St Peter’s Church, Highfield Road, Birmingham, B28 0BT 6pm, 1 February Birmingham has always been a diverse place to live. And if the voting patterns in Birmingham for the EU referendum showed anyth

Hearing a lot of complaints about a lack of housing in Northfield and the surrounding area. Some public sector workers are telling us this is creating real animosity toward migrants. 'People are saying, "we need to look after our own first,"' one person told us, 'There's a lot of anger and frustrati

Do people from different backgrounds get on well together in Birmingham? Have an answer? We want to know what you think! So come and join us on 14 December between 5pm-7pm to give your view for our mini documentary on community cohesion in the city. We will be asking for a few minutes of footage w

As you know, we've spent the last few months talking to hundreds of people about migration, integration, and identity. A sense of loss - perhaps a feeling of nostalgia - came up time and time again. But maybe not in the way you would expect... Check out this vid on Facebook: https://www.facebook.c

Do people from different backgrounds get on well together in Birmingham? Have an answer? brap wants to know what you think! So come and join us on 14 December between 5pm-7pm to give your view for our mini documentary on community cohesion in the city. We will be asking for a few minutes of footag

As you know, we were at the Northfield Community Arts Forum (Nafcaf) last night. We had a great discussion, really enjoyed speaking to everyone there. We asked some participants for their thoughts on the discussion - here's some snippets of what they said. Process work - any good? How brilliant i

As you know, we're looking for volunteers to help us with Pushing the Boundaries. To give you the skills you need to participate, we're holding a free summer school where you'll learn about: • social media's role in perpetuating hate and how you can combat it. This will be a chance to break out of

Be part of the debate this summer! If you're looking for something to do next weekend, why not take part in our great debate? Hundreds of people from across Birmingham have already had their say. It’s fun, free, and you’ll learn what Brummies think about their city. We have loads of activities

The Northfield beach is on all the week beginning 24 July. Organised by Northfield Community Partnership, it's a great event that gets better every year. We'll have a stall there all day 26 July, so rock up and say hello.

Everyone's telling us to spend the day at Weoley Library. Well, we can't do that, but we will be there between 2pm and 5pm on Sat 22 July. We'll have activities for kids of all ages. You can find the library here.

Yep, we're coming to Springfield. You know the drill - sign up here: https://springfieldforeveryone.eventbrite.co.uk

We'll be at the Weoley NafCaf on 29 June in the am. NafCafs are organised by the Northfield Arts Forum - you can see more info about them here: https://www.facebook.com/northfieldartsforum/ We'll have loads of activities and one or two prizes to win. Thu 29 Jun 10-1pm Weoley Community Church Quar

It's summer, it's time for the Northfield Carnival! We'll be there - come say hello. 1 July, all day at Victoria Common. More details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1255217624546475/

Following a successful event on Sunday, we'll be holding another Pushing the Boundaries sesh at 7pm on 25 May at Hobmoor Community Centre, Wash Lane Yardley, B25 8FD. Yardley has residents from lots of different backgrounds and ethnic groups. For many, this diversity is one of the things they love

Following the rollicking good debate we had in Hall Green last month, we're holding another discussion at Highfield Hall Community Centre on 23 March. Hall Green can be a lovely place to live, with people from different backgrounds getting along well with each other. But is it also an area where se

Welcome to the Pushing the Boundaries forum. We set up this project because we wanted to have an open and honest conversation about how different communities in Birmingham are getting on. In the past,

Just got back from a fascinating meeting with some local community peeps in Longbridge. They expressed concerns about a rise in anti-social behaviour in and around Rednal. Moreover, they were also concerned that people aren't prepared to talk to their neighbours about these issues, because people do