Latest News
AWF Stephen Lawrence Statement
(Updated 22/4/13)
Today, 22nd April, marks the 20th Anniversary of the death of Stephen Lawrence. Stephen was just 18 when he was killed in a racist attack. The tragedy of Stephen’s death was not just the racism in our society that led to his murder but all of the failings by all of the agencies in the aftermath, later highlighted in Macpherson’s report as ‘institutional racism’.
The Lawrence family fought long and hard to gain justice, which came in part last year when 2 of Stephen’s killers were convicted – they were instrumental in changing the landscape of how racist incidents have been dealt with in the last 20 years. Gee Walker spoke about “rising above the hate” after her own son Anthony was killed in 2005 and clearly this is something the Lawrence family have achieved; testimony to their belief that justice would be achieved in spite of the many, many obstacles they have experienced.
The courage and dignity of Doreen Lawrence and her family, and undoubtedly the personal cost of fighting this long cannot be under-estimated. The establishment of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust in 1998 has created a long and lasting legacy in Stephen’s name for many generations to come.
The Anthony Walker Foundation extends our support, love and respect to the Lawrence family today.
For those who are experiencing hate crimes now, don’t be afraid to come forward for help and support. The Anthony Walker Foundation recognises the importance of individuals, families and communities being able to access support in a way that they personally feel comfortable, in a setting in which they feel safe, and most importantly, have the opportunity to speak to someone with whom they can have confidence.
Any hate crime, or incident, can have an impact upon those affected by it with most saying they just want the crimes/ incidents to stop. This can only be achieved if agencies know about what is going on. If you are affected by hate crime, or witness it, please call our confidential helpline on 0800 876 6646
Thanks Matt!
(updated 4/4/2013)
Matt Dutton, one of our volunteers, recently completed the half marathon. Matt asked for sponsors to support two charities, Woodlands Hospice and Anthony Walker Foundation. Here is Matt pictured on the far right of the picture. Matt raised £85 for AWF and is still counting....well done Matt and a big thanks from all at AWF!
Laura Karimloo to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in memory of Anthony
(updated 3/4/13)
Hi, my name is Laura Karimloo, I am 25 years old and was born and raised in Liverpool. Two years ago I finished my studies in Liverpool and for the past couple of years I have been lucky enough to spend my time travelling around the world, experiencing the incredible culture and diversity around our planet. This year, I wanted to do something extra special by setting myself a challenge where I could ultimately raise money for a charity whose cause I believe in. So, I have chosen to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for The Anthony Walker Foundation.
I remember the day Anthony was killed and the shockwaves it sent throughout our country and how upset and frustrated I felt. I have always known of the foundation, but became more aware of their work and cause when I saw Anthony’s Mum, Gee Walker, on the television last year. Seeing Gee talk about the Foundation and about Anthony inspired me to raise money for the foundation and help towards their cause.
I am now very familiar with the work of the Anthony Walker Foundation, and completely support all of their ideas and programs – such as their school workshops and telephone helpline. I am extremely happy to hear about the positive responses from the workshops and talks they provide in many schools across the country. I believe in the proverb that “prevention is the best cure” and that educating from a young age about diversity and equality, could ultimately put an end to racism in our future, so that no crime like Anthony’s will ever happen again. This is why I believe in the work of the Anthony Walker Foundation, and that the classes and workshops they provide in our schools are truly beneficial for our future and for aiming towards an equal world.
Your support is not only incredibly important to me, but also to the Foundation. As they run on a fairly small local scale, each donation will truly make a difference. The challenge I will be participating in is fairly intense so I will have to train very hard for this trek, BUT I won't be able to do it without your full support, so please consider this and dig deep! There is a page set-up for you to donate any amount you wish towards this event: http://www.justgiving.com/laurakarimloo Please donate any amount you can towards this trek and each donation will be hugely appreciated by myself and the foundation.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and in advance for your sponsorship.
Fancy an abseil?
(updated 22/3/13)
Why not join us, have fun and raise funds for the foundation? Contact us for more information. See our forthcoming events page for more events and to download sponsorship forms.
Anthony Walker Foundation gives diversity talks at leading firm
(Updated 22/3/13)
Jo John Au and Linda Critchley visited the office of Pershing Limited, who are a leading provider of outsourcing solutions for private client firms and institutional broker dealers in Europe; they have offices in Liverpool, London and Dublin. AWF were asked to come along as part of their Diversity week to deliver a presentation on the background to the charity and also show the film Colour Blind. We also held a discussion about stereotypes and unconscious bias and where the ideas come from. We asked the staff from Pershing to complete a short quiz about stereotypes which generated a lively discussion with some rivalry between the Liverpool office and the Dublin office who had dialed in for the event. The talk went really well and Pershing are hoping to get involved with some fundraising for the Foundation in the coming months which is great news.
Here are some comments from staff who
attended:
"I promise to no longer judge by unconscious bias, and think of how my words and actions will affect others"
"For me the most inspiring part of this week has been watching the short film " colour blind ". I am going to encourage as many people as I can to watch this as it was so powerful and moving. I cried ! I have learnt to challenge my pre-conceived ideas and to appreciate what it would be like to walk in another's footsteps."
"I would just like to say how very much I enjoyed the presentation given to us by the Anthony Walker foundation. It is a great cause and it's always good to be reminded to be aware of your automatic your reaction to others. "
A BIG THANK YOU!!
AWF would like to say a big THANK YOU to everybody who collected the Make A Wish tokens for us. We managed to collect 3428 tokens in total and we received £32.76”
“
Park View Presentation Assembly
(Updated 20/3/2013)
On Thursday 14th March, Gee Walker appeared at Park View Primary school in Huyton to participate in the celebration presentation of the ‘One of a Kind’ project. This involved the children from six Knowsley Primary Schools coming together for a half day session each week for five weeks. The sessions have involved a range of speakers from the CPS, Police and Bully Busters as well as interactive and creative activities to raise the children’s awareness of issues such as discrimination, stereotyping and the devastating impact of hate crime – and the importance of promoting diversity and respecting people from different backgrounds.
Bukky Olaleye, a representative of the foundation spoke about the different aspects of work the Foundation does in order to promote racial harmony and challenge the attitudes of racism and hate crime. Gee also spoke about the story of Anthony and encouraged all young children within the project and parents to continue to promote their skills, knowledge and attitude of equality and diversity as the children grow into young adults. Gee presented the children with certificates to congratulate them on the completion of and participation in the project.
Photography courtesy of Tom South of Claire Solutions
Media Release
Anthony Walker Foundation is asking communities to speak up against hate crime . Public invited to challenge those who should be providing support services.
Project funded by Liverpool City Council’s Community Safety Partnership, Citysafe
16 March 2013, 1.30pm – 4.30pm, Liverpool Pakistani Centre, Mulgrave St, L8 2TF
21 March 2013, 11am – 2pm, Al-Ghazali
Multi-Cultural Centre, Earle Road, L7
26 March 2013,10.30am – 1.30pm, Alive Believers Centre, Boaler Street, L6
9DH
16 March 2013, 1.30pm – 4.30pm, Liverpool Pakistani Centre, Mulgrave St, L8 2TF
21 March 2013, 11am – 2pm, Al-Ghazali Multi-Cultural Centre, Earle Road, L7
26 March 2013,10.30am – 1.30pm, Alive Believers Centre, Boaler Street, L6 9DH
Anthony Walker Foundation encouraging communities to speak out about hate crime
(Updated 12/3/2013)
The Anthony Walker Foundation is planning a number of community events to help raise awareness of hate crime based incidents and encourage reporting. The charity, named after Huyton teenager Anthony Walker who was tragically killed in a racially motivated attack, wants to build confidence enabling people who are affected by hate crime to come forward and speak of their experiences.
Many people also express a lack of confidence in the Criminal Justice system, local services and whether making a report is of any value or achieves a positive outcome. The Government’s Paper, Challenge it, Report it, Stop it: The Government’s Plan to Tackle Hate Crime offered information that most practitioners working at grassroots level knew; hate crime is under-reported, the reasons for not reporting and that there is a need to increase reporting and access to support.
Local work within Liverpool and discussions with partner agencies all indicate that in many instances victims will not always report; only when there are genuine concerns for personal safety of family members and/or self will a report be made. Our own experience provides concrete evidence that many victims will speak of a number of separate incidents but view them as one ongoing incident thus not categorising each incident as a potential individual crime.
The Foundation, funded by Liverpool City Council’s Community Safety Team Citysafe. and supported by key partners, will host these community events at which the public are invited to attend and share their views and experiences in relation to hate crime. The objective is to build confidence within communities, so together we can make a difference in tackling the effects of hate crime. The project will seek to ensure members of the community can recognise when, where and how a hate crime occurs and what steps they can take on a personal level irrespective of whether they are the primary victim, or whether they witness the incident.
Gee Walker at Springwood Primary
(Updated 6/3/13)
Last Thursday, Gee Walker was invited to Springwood Heath Primary School to tell the story of Anthony and of the work the foundation does to combat racism and promote diversity. Diversity is an appropriate topic in Springwood Heath Primary which is a fully inclusive school catering for children with a variety of needs including those with mobility needs. One of the staff referred to the school as a family and it is evident that they all work hard to ensure that this is the case for all the children.
Earlier, Georgia Carney, Lead Worker at the Anthony
Walker Foundation took Year 3 class in a diversity workshop, playing several
games to drive home the message that each person is to be valued and indeed
celebrated for their difference. The children thoroughly enjoyed the workshop
and were able to give feedback on all they had learned at the whole school assembly
where Gee spoke. Gee answered many questions from children and staff alike
after a moving talk about Anthony and the AWF.
At the
end of the talk, Gee referred to the beauty of diversity that she could see in
the children at Springwood and Mr Daniel,
head teacher responded by saying ' things will get better when we all look at
each other more’; a sentiment we share at the Foundation.
We welcome our new Patron, Graeme Sharp
(updated 14/2/13)
Graeme Sharp
One of the most decorated of Everton’s former players; Sharp has two league winners’ medals, an FA Cup, a European Cup Winners’ Cup medal, and the title of leading Everton post-war goal scorer to his name.
A tall and robust individual, Sharp was regarded as one of the best of his generation in the air, as well as being very accomplished with his feet, with ability for holding the ball up. This made him the perfect strike partner, as proved with the many strikers he was partnered with during his time in the game, including Andy Gray, Adrian Heath, Gary Lineker and Tony Cottee.
Sharp’s own goal scoring record is one to most certainly be proud of. Everton’s all time leading post war goal scorer – only the legendary Dixie Dean scored more – he scored a staggering 159 goals for Everton, including 30 goals in 54 games during the 1984/85 season, the most successful campaign in the Club’s history.
Graeme Sharp was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire on 16 October 1960. His playing career began at Dumbarton in 1978 before moving to Everton in 1980 for £120,000. A Scottish international, he also enjoyed spells in management with Oldham Athletic and Bangor City.
The former Scottish international is as involved with the Club now off the field, as he was scoring goals on it. Officially titled ‘Fan Ambassador’ few could deny he is the face of Everton, with his tireless work for charities in and around Liverpool, and Everton’s own official charity, ‘Everton in the Community’
Great news!
(updated 7/2/13)
We are delighted to let you all know that Dr Gee Walker, Founder and Patron of Anthony Walker Foundation, has been shortlisted for Voluntary Sector Achiever of the Year at the Dods Women in Public Life Awards. The award is for “a woman working in the voluntary sector who has made a noteworthy contribution within the sector, whether by working on an effective campaign or by making a difference to lives in the work that they do, or championing the voice or participation of women in the sector”.
I am sure you are all aware of the fantastic work that Gee does for the Foundation and this award is a great opportunity for this to be recognised. The winners will be announced at the Women in Public Life Awards ceremony which will take place on Wednesday 20 March in London – we will keep you updated with how it goes.
Equality and Diversity Training
(updated 1/2/13)
The Anthony Walker Foundation are
currently looking to attract 40 young people to take part in Equality and
Diversity training that is going to run between now and the end of March. The
training is free for young people aged 14-25 across the Sefton borough and has
been funded by Sefton Council.
The training is split into two workshops;
The first workshop being an introduction and training to equality and diversity,
with interactive games and activities that will educate young people
about
this topic. The second
workshop is training on the Equality and Diversity workshop that is delivered by
the Anthony Walker Foundation to schools across Merseyside.
The training uses interactive and fun educational resources to educate young people heightening their awareness of and reducing discrimination and prejudice while building a genuine and lasting appreciation for diversity, difference and cultures that exist within communities. This provides a solid foundation that can lead to greater community spirit amongst all members of communities leading to increased community cohesion.
The training has been designed to equip young people with the right skills and knowledge of how to become diversity champions within their schools and communities. It is also an opportunity for young people to learn how to challenge discrimination in a safe and positive way and also get involved and become an Anthony Walker ambassador.
The
training will take place at locations in Sefton with dates and times to be
confirmed based on demand. We are looking to recruit around 8-10 young people
for each session, and they have to commit to attending both workshops. Lunch and
travel expenses will be provided for all young people.
The training will be delivered by Joanne Anderson from Innervision and Catherine Millan the lead youth worker and ambassador at the Anthony Walker Foundation. After the training is completed the young people taking part will all be invited to attend the Anthony Walker Foundation’s ‘Don’t Just Say It, Spray It’ Graffiti Arts exhibition on Friday, 1st March at Liverpool Football Club, where the young people will be presented with individual certificates from Dr Gee Walker and also enjoy performances by Esco Williams and MD Productions.
Any individuals or youth groups who wish to take advantage of this opportunity should contact the Foundation at JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING
AWF Confident Communities Project funded by Citysafe
(updated 22/1/13)
Under-reporting of hate crime and incidents is a cause for concern both locally and nationally. Research indicates there is a reluctance by individuals and communities to come forward and report hate crimes and incidents whether they are the primary victims or secondary victims, or have witnessed incidents.
Many people also express a lack of confidence in the Criminal Justice system, local services and whether making a report is of any value/ achieves a positive outcome.
The Government’s Paper, Challenge it, Report it, Stop it: The Government’s Plan to Tackle Hate Crime offered information that most practitioners working at grassroots level knew – that hate crime is under-reported, the reasons for not reporting and that there is a need to increase reporting and access to support.
The Anthony Walker Foundation is pro-actively working with support from Liverpool City Council’s Community Safety Team to address this issue. Local work within Liverpool and discussions with partner agencies all indicate that in many instances victims will not always report; that only when there are genuine concerns for personal safety of family members and/or self will a report be made. Our own experience provides concrete evidence that many victims will speak of a number of separate incidents but view them as one ongoing incident thus not categorising each incident as a potential individual crime.
The Foundation, working alongside key partners, are planning and hosting a number of community events within Liverpool in which the public are invited to attend and share their views and experiences in relation to hate crime. The objective is to build confidence within communities so together we can make a difference in tackling the effects of hate crime. The project will seek to ensure members of the community can recognise when, where and how a hate crime occurs and what steps they can take on a personal level irrespective of whether they are the primary victim, or whether they witness the incident.
To achieve success the project will provide information, support and understanding of effective reporting processes in order that individuals, families, agencies and communities are empowered to come forward and report.
We are looking for;
- key individuals and / or groups from within local neighbourhoods to send key messages about hate crime, its impact on individuals and communities, on the need to report (whether it be to the police or any other party)
- a reduction of hate crime, and an increase in reports.
- Strengthened and empowered local communities with improved communication links in local and strategic partnerships.
- Increase in community confidence and cohesion
The success of the project will be based on increased community participation and confidence and this too will be measured during the evaluation process. We anticipate a wide range of responses and these will be incorporated into any final reports to provide a truly objective overview of the project. Participants will be asked for their views before and after the events and this will provide data on changes in levels of confidence.
The true impact of the project will be increased reporting, and the project will be seeking to note a significant increase in reporting from third parties, not just the primary victims. The Foundation will be seeking to stage the events in February and March 2012
Lottery event: People Powered Change: Inform Inspire Celebrate
(Updated 21/1/2013)
AWF were invited along to the Lottery event in Manchester. The event had three elements to it which they called, ‘inform, inspire and celebrate’.
The ‘inform’ aspect was an opportunity to tell people about the direction of travel of Big Lottery Fund and what they hoped to achieve with their funding in England. The ‘celebrate’ aspect was to celebrate the 18th birthday of the lottery, and recognise the achievements and successes of our funded projects in the North West. The event was attended by a range of local charities and organisations, other funders, infrastructure organisations, Local Authorities, Local Media, and stakeholders.
They asked if Gee could speak in the ‘inspire’ section of the event about her own experiences and her journey from setting up the Anthony Walker Foundation (AWF) with a mission to promote racial harmony through to how the foundation developed into what it is today. This would help to show how individuals could identify an issue and take positive action to address it by engaging people and empowering them to come together to make that change; people making a positive difference. The audience certainly felt inspired after Gee’s speech and there were plenty of questions. Following Gee I highlighted the key achievements for the Foundation during the last 12 months and feedback from everybody was very positive. It was a great opportunity to explain the importance of the work that AWF does and for us to say thank you to the lottery for their funding to date.
Hope School raises over £130 for Anthony Walker Foundation
(Updated 18/1/2013)
The Foundation was delighted to receive a donation from Hope School recently. The school is an SEBD school which specialises in behaviour, and is committed to the principle that all children have a right to an education which meets their learning, emotional and social needs. Success and recognition of positive achievements is encouraged helping student’s self-esteem and confidence, which in turn leads to self-discipline. Pupils are supported to gain self-confidence, founded in their learning, achievements and social skills, enabling them to become good citizens.
On Friday 23rd November during anti bullying week for the first time ever the school had a ‘blue Friday’. This was a great success with the raising over £130 for the Anthony Walker foundation. The school also released over 50 blue balloons with messages of hope. All the boys participated in the event and really enjoyed it.
We were delighted to attend the school with our Project Manager, Linda Critchley, attending on behalf of the Foundation to collect a cheque. The boys were rightly proud of their achievements in raising the money for the Foundation and quite rightly we want to mention that the boys themselves donated their own hard earned money for the Foundation.
AWF Blog
(Updated 07/12/2012)
To read about all our latest activities and events and to keep up to date with the Foundation,
Visit our Blog Page by clicking here.
Gee Walker Speaks at Halton Anti Bullying Conference
(Updated 06/12/2012)
(From left to right) Val Stoddart ; Steve Nyakatawa ; Gee Walker
Gee was invited as Keynote Speaker to talk at Halton Borough Council’s Anti Bullying Conference recently.
From her opening comments she had the full attention of an audience that hung on to every word as she spoke of Anthony, the impact his death had upon her family and her hopes. Her desire to make a difference within society to stop racism and discrimination was captured succinctly when she explained she was ‘trying to prevent another family sitting where my family is sitting’. The emotional pain of the loss of Anthony was clearly evident. ‘You wake up with it, you go to sleep with it, it’s torture’
Gee spoke of the lack of understanding and ignorance that led to prejudice and bullying. She went on to quote Martin Luther King and his hope of ‘living the dream’ and people walking side by side. She encouraged greater communication, for partners to work together to make that dream a reality
Gee’s forgiveness is well renowned and it was no surprise members of the audience were amazed at this quality. Gee’s explanation was simple ‘Don’t get bitter, don’t get angry, get better’
From the feedback from the audience it was clear Gee had enthralled her listeners.
“Inspiring amount of courage and forgiveness – an unforgettable speaker in tolerance and understanding”
“Gee is a very remarkable woman, she is very inspirational”
“Commanded concentration – generously told her story and gave us an in-depth into her life”
Thank you!
(Updated 06/11/2012)
We would like to say a big thank you to The Honourable Moneygrabbers for their generous donation of £517.68, this will contribute towards further work in the Foundation. If you have any fundraising ideas or would like to donate to the Foundation, please visit this link.
Santa Dash 2012!
(Updated 30/10/2012)
It's that time of the year again! The Anthony Walker Fondation's annual Santa Dash details have been posted. If you would like to take part in this event or want more information visit our Forthcoming Events page.
Gala Dinner and Awards
(Updated 11/10/12)
Just some information for guests who will be attending our Gala Dinner at Anfield Football Club.
Arrival is from 7:00pm with welcome drinks on arrival. It would be appreciated if guests could arrive on time and if you would like a tour of the stadium please arrive early and let the registration desk staff know on your arrival.
The dress code is Black Tie/Lounge Suit or Evening wear/Gowns
Parking will be available in the Main Stand Car Park at Liverpool Football Club, Anfield Road, Liverpool L4 0TH; this is the car park closest to the entrance.
Finish time: Closing Statements 11:25pm; Disco 11:30pm - 1:00am
If you haven’t already please notify us ASAP regarding dietary requirements
AWF Wins National Diversity Award!
(Updated 24/09/12)
Congratulations to The Anthony Walker Foundation who has won the award for Community Organisation Award for Race at this year’s National Diversity Awards. The Anthony Walker Foundation faced some stiff competition to win the award having been one of the three outstanding shortlisted nominees from the thousands of nominations received for the awards this year.
The Anthony Walker Foundation (AWF) is a charity established by Anthony’s family following his tragic death in a racially-motivated attack in July 2005.
The mission of the Foundation is to promote equality and diversity through education, sport and arts events and to support law enforcement agencies and local communities to reduce hate crime and build safe cohesive communities.
The National Diversity Awards 2012 whose headline sponsor was Microsoft was hosted by Brian Dowling at Manchester’s Midland Hotel on the 21st September. The night was a glittering success with appearances from Paralympic heroes Jody Cundy and Claire Hardy, BBC journalist and model Amal Fashanu, the stars of ‘My Transsexual Summer and CBeebies presenter Cerrie Burnell.’ Spectacular performances also took place from singing sensation Ruth Brown from ‘The Voice’ and MOBO unsung award winner Esco Williams. The L project also performed their moving LGBT anti bullying charity single ‘It does get better’. The glittering event attracted a wide range of sponsors from the likes of Northumbrian Water, The Financial Ombudsman Service and Manchester City Council.
The National Diversity Awards is a unique event celebrating individuals, community organisations and companies, from a grass-roots level, for their selfless hard work on a day to day basis towards a more inclusive society. The event recognises and celebrates all aspects of diversity within one ceremony including age, disability, gender, race and LGBT.
After generating so much interest and support in its first year, the awards are sure to go from strength to strength with next year’s event being held in Leeds.
Nominations for next year’s event open in January and for more information please visit www.nationaldiversityawards.co.uk.