Speakup Self  Advocacy in Rotherham are providing training to vulnerable people in Rotherham about what to do if they are a victim of hate crime or become involved in extremism.

With funding from the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Speakup will produce videos and learning materials that will engage with people with learning difficulties and/or autism or vulnerable in other ways. .

The £4,700 awarded from the Commissioner’s Community Grant Scheme will provide funding for training and easy read materials to help in delivering 18 training sessions to a wide group of people including those from BME communities.

Dr Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner said: “Many people will have seen the run, hide, tell campaign in the wake of the recent spate of terrorism attacks on the United Kingdom.  The campaign includes, videos and celebrity endorsement advising people what to do if they find themselves caught up in extremist circumstances.

“Not everyone is able to understand conventional videos and leaflets because they have learning difficulties or speak other languages.  That is why I congratulate Speakup for engaging with the harder to reach communities and ensuring they have the same information as the rest of the community.

Speakup Self Advocacy has been established in Rotherham for 30 years.  They provide a host of information in easy to read documents and training sessions to people with learning difficulties and autism.

The training sessions funded by the PCC will run until March and are available to anyone in the Rotherham Area

Annie Ferguson, Speakup Self Advocacy said: “This project will directly benefit vulnerable and hard to reach people in Rotherham who find complex issues difficult to grasp or understand when traditional conventional information methods are used.

“The sessions will benefit people with learning disabilities, autism or both. People who do not use English as a first language as well as older people and people with mental health conditions.

“Our project will additionally help improve community cohesion, improving cultural sensitivity, knowledge and understanding. The project will also benefit BME communities themselves, as it will raise awareness around hate crime and how to keep safe.”

For anyone who needs to report a Hate Crime Speakup is a Hate Crime reporting centre please ring  07523 512629 and  speak to Ian.

For more information on Speak-up Advocacy and how they work with vulnerable people in Rotherham take a look at their website here – http://www.speakup.org.uk/