Who are Tyne & Wear Citizens?

Tyne & Wear Citizens is a broad-based alliance of

civil society organisations committed to working
together for the common good.

Our Members
Islamic Diversity Centre, Newcastle
PROPS, Newcastle
St Cuthbert’s RC Primary School, North Shields
L A U N C H A S S E M B LY
Citizens Advice Newcastle
North East Wellbeing
Consult & Design, Sunderland
St Chad’s College, Durham
St Thomas More RC Academy, North Shields
Northumbria Area Quaker Meeting
Park View Academy, Chester-le-Street
Catholic Parish of the Durham Martyrs
Northern Saints C of E Primary School, Sunderland
Together Newcastle
Newcastle Central Mosque
Walker Parish Church, Church of England
Children North East, Newcastle
St Michael’s, Byker, Church of England
St Gabriel’s, Heaton, Church of England

Our Sponsoring Partners

Newcastle Quakers
Newcastle University Institute for Social Renewal
Newcastle University Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences
Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle
Church of England Diocese of Durham
Church of England Diocese of Newcastle

Our Community Organiser

Sara Bryson
Contact Sara for further information
about membership and actions
sara.bryson@citizensuk.org
Follow us on Twitter @tynewearcitizen
Tyne Theatre and Opera House
Tuesday 7 November 2017
Tyne & Wear Citizens is an alliance of Citizens UK, developing leaders and effective citizens,
strengthening civic institutions and creating systemic change.
Registered charity number: 1107264
www.citizensuk.org
Welcome to the launch of Tyne & Wear Citizens
Tyne & Wear Citizens is a broad-based alliance of civil
society organisations committed to working together for the
common good.
Tyne & Wear Citizens is a chapter of Citizens UK and was
launched at the Founding Partners Assembly in December
2015. Since then we have appointed a paid Community
Organiser, recruited a broad range of dues-paying member
organisations and conducted an extensive Listening
Campaign.
Tyne & Wear Citizens has three ‘Hub-groups’, centred on
Newcastle, Sunderland and Durham, with member
organisations from all three areas.
In September of this year, we held a Delegates Assembly
at the Civic Centre in Newcastle at which the issues identified
in the Listening Campaign were presented. The top three
priorities have been brought to this Assembly and are
outlined on the page opposite.
What is Community Organising?
Community Organising is based on the principle that when
we work together we have the power to change our
neighbourhoods, cities, and ultimately our country for the
better. We want to work together to transform the world from
what it is to what we believe it should be.
To do this we listen to our members, asking each other
about our concerns and developing strategies to improve
our communities. We ensure that civil society is at the
negotiating table alongside the market and state, so that our
communities are included in the decisions that affect them.
Citizens UK is perhaps best known for the Living Wage
Campaign, and we are delighted to be holding our Launch
Assembly during Living Wage Week. Sadly, the North East
has the lowest number of Living Wage Accredited employers
in the country, which is something we think needs to change.
AGENDA
Music from Backyard Rhythm Orchestra
WELCOME
Our Co-Chairs for tonight’s Assembly are:
Anna Rowlands, Durham University
Dr Omer Shareef, Newcastle Central Mosque
Sofia, St Michael’s, Byker
STORY OF TYNE & WEAR CITIZENS
Video: Tyne & Wear Citizens
Recognition of Founding Partners
Roll Call of Member Organisations
POVERTY
Presentation from Park View School
Sarah Holmes-Carne, Head of Kenton School
Gayle Purvis, Citizens Advice Newcastle
LIVING WAGE CELEBRATIONS
Shona Alexander, Citizens Advice Newcastle
Rt Revd Paul Butler, Diocese of Durham
Nic Gilbert, St Cuthbert’s Care
Sheila Spencer, Millfield House Foundation
SAFER CITIES
Anna and Mariam, Islamic Diversity Centre
Northern Saints Primary School, Sunderland
MENTAL HEALTH
Jack, St Thomas More RC Academy
Claire Robinson, PROPS
Music from St Cuthbert’s RC Primary School
NEXT STEPS
Action Team Meetings
Poverty Team, 13 November, 6.30pm
Safer Cities Team, 1 December, 6.30pm
Mental Health Team, 12 December, 6.30pm
For further information about joining an Action
Team, training and membership, contact:
sara.bryson@citizensuk.org
Poverty
In our Listening Campaign, we heard that food poverty
and in-work poverty are a daily reality in the North East.
We have the largest number of children receiving free
school meals, as well as the biggest food bank, in the
country. We also have the highest number of workers on
zero-hours contracts and the lowest number of real Living
Wage employers. Profiteering is exploitation.
• We want local councils, school caterers and
headteachers to work with us to ensure children
receiving free school meals get what they are entitled to.
• We want employers to pay their workers the real Living
Wage, and accredit with the Living Wage Foundation.
Poverty Action Team meeting: 13 Nov, 6.30pm.
Safer Cities
In our Listening Campaign, we heard that hate crime is
increasing. It is affecting people of all ages, from all our
communities. We have identified that being on public
transport is where people feel most vulnerable. This
persecution is wide ranging.
• We want all transport providers to work with us to
develop a hate crime policy and deliver effective
training for their staff.
• We want our council leaders and local politicians to
work with us to address specific local community
safety issues.
Safer Cities Action Team meeting: 1 Dec, 6.30pm.
Mental Health
In our Listening Campaign, we heard that people in the
North East are suffering from profound mental health
challenges, especially young people. Their condition is
made worse by the lack of on-going support and
unacceptable waiting times in children and adolescent
mental health services (CAMHS). This is a scandal.
• We want a commitment from the healthcare NHS
trusts to work with us to provide appropriate mental
health services for young people.
• Further, Tyne & Wear Citizens is commissioning a
Citizens Inquiry into Mental Health in the North-East.
Mental Health Action Team meeting: 12 Dec, 6.30pm.