diversity forum

i won't be blogging for a few days now, as i'll be at the HRC diversity forum. there are so many wonderful events happening, it's hard to choose. i've got 3 on my list for monday morning, and another 3 i'd like to be at during the afternoon. tomorrow is similarly conflicted with both afternoon and evening running 2 concurrent sessions and i want to be at both.

you could say that the forum is simply a talkfest. which would be true. but if we don't talk about problems and discuss possible solutions, then how will anything change? there is the opportunity for government agencies and other organisations to get feedback from ethnic minority communities. there is the ability to make contacts and network. the research focused forum will be particularly useful in that regard. most importantly, it gives ethnic minorities a voice, and that is particularly important. there is nothing more empowering than being heard, with respect.

i'll be speaking at the religious diversity forum, along with verpal singh (you may have seen/heard him doing some media work after the death of navtej singh). the first part of the session has a focus "on the principles of safety and freedom from discrimination set out in the Statementon Religious Diversity." us two were chosen to speak because muslims and sikhs are the most visibly different religious minorities. interestingly, it's the women that stand out most for muslims, while the men stand out most with the sikhs. so it will be interesting to hear the difference in experiences of discrimination, from a gendered point of view.


now here's something i didn't know: 1 september is "gamble free day", organised by the problem gambling foundation. they are offering a "10% dining discount at the participating restaurants (137 restaurants in the five major cities in NZ)". you can get vouchers from www.pgfnz.org.nz. this information came with the promo:

Did you know:
· Everyday in NZ $5.5 million is lost on gambling
· There are 14 convictions relating to gambling everyday
· Among those who seek help, the average amount of money lost from Asian clients is 7 times that of other ethnic clients

that last one is interesting. i wonder if it's because asians gamble more or because they wait longer before seeking help.