One World Centre Isle of Man

We have collected over £8,000 for the DEC Turkey Syria Earthquake Appeal this weekend – thank you everyone who contributed. But we are not finished yet: we’re aiming to hold collections in Port Erin, Ramsey and Peel this coming weekend. We need volunteers to make the most of this – if you have an hour to spare to help out please let us know.

You will all have seen the news coverage from the terrible earthquakes that have caused such devastation and loss of life in both Turkey and Syria. While the race continues to find survivors in the rubble, tens of thousands have been injured and hundreds of thousands have lost their homes. Funds are urgently needed to support families with medical aid, emergency shelter, food and clean water in freezing weather conditions.

The Disasters Emergency Committee, an umbrella organisation that represents 15 different international charities who come together in times of crisis, has now launched an appeal and the One World Centre will be holding a street collection in response to this. We are currently making arrangements with town commissioners etc. Tesco has kindly offered us space on Friday 10th, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th February to collect there and Shoprite has also kindly offered its stores on the afternoon of Friday 10th February, all day on Sunday 12th February and also the weekend of 18th and 19th February. We’d really like to make the most of these opportunities so please get in touch if you can help with collecting by emailing info@owciom.org or calling 310191. Thank you.

We’re delighted to welcome Charlotte Dutton as our Project Officer for The Welcome Project. This is a collaboration between the One World Centre and Cafe Lingo aimed at helping new arrivals to the Isle of Man settle more easily, particularly those who don’t have English as a first language.

We are grateful to the Manx Lottery Trust for funding this project which will run initially for 18 months. We have set up a separate web page for the project here and there is also a Facebook page which we will use to share news and events as the project progresses.

With the Isle of Man aiming to grow its population and world events – including conflict, climate and economic hardship – driving more people to move in search of safety and security, our aim is to make the arrival of new people a positive experience for newcomers and Islanders alike.

The Welcome Project is an exciting new collaborative project between the One World Centre and Cafe Lingo. Funded by the Manx Lottery Trust, it aims to help newcomers to the Isle of Man to settle on arrival, improve their English language skills, understand Manx culture and customs, and to integrate into society. We are now looking for a Project Officer to implement the project. This person will need to be highly organised and self-motivated, and someone who is capable of developing ideas into action. Excellent communication skills are essential and TEFL experience will be highly desirable, along with the ability to work collaboratively. The successful candidate must have confidence in their ability to develop supportive and productive relationships with a variety of people at differing levels as well as being respectful of other cultures and systems of belief.

The role will be part-time with an average of 10 hours per week with some flexibility to cover busier times. Salary will be up to £20 per hour depending on experience and qualifications. The Project Officer will be based at the One World Centre office/Café Lingo meeting space at the Promenade Methodist Church in Douglas although some home working can be accommodated. The role will involve travel throughout the Island as required.

For more details please see the job description here. Closing date is 5pm Thursday 8th December.

Be more sustainable and save money!

Come along to our secondhand clothes sale, Saturday 19th November 2022 at the Promenade Methodist Church, 1-4pm.

Free entry and all proceeds to the One World Centre.

Could there really be modern slavery on the Isle of Man? What might it look like and what can we do to prevent it? Come along to our free talk to find out more.

Despite the abolition of the slave trade some 200 years ago, millions of people around the world are trapped in modern slavery and forced labour. These victims of trafficking, coercion by organised crime groups and other exploitative behaviour are often “unseen” by those around them.

What can businesses, organisations, goverment, local authorities and individuals do ensure we are not facilitating the exploitation of people here on the Island or through our networks and supply chains? What regulation should you be aware of and how does the UK Modern Slavery Act impact those operating from the Island?

Hosted by the One World Centre (Isle of Man), this talk will be led by Robin Brierley, Executive Director of the West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network and an independent consultant on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.

An expert on the subject, Robin has worked for the National Crime Squad, Anti-Corruption Command within the Metropolitan Police, and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (now National Crime Agency). He joined the Enforcement Directorate as a Senior Investigation Officer and later the Intelligence Directorate working on organised immigration crime. Robin was then seconded to the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) before leaving SOCA in 2011 to set up his own company.

Attendance is free but please register for a place here.

Coffee and pastries available from 8.30am with the talk starting at 9am.

We are delighted to be working with teams from the Isle of Man Government to deliver some free training on financial crime awareness to non-profits on the Isle of Man.

This open and informal session will include updates on anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing regulations, as well as recent corruption and bribery legislation.

Forewarned is forearmed when it comes to the risks of financial crime: protecting your organisation is vital not only for keeping hold of your valuable funding but also keeping hold of your reputation too.

The training takes place at the Top Hall, Promenade Methodist Church, Loch Promenade Douglas at 7pm on Tuesday 29th November. It is free to attend but please book through the link here

As you have probably heard, there have been devastating floods in Pakistan which are reported to have seen up to a third of the country underwater with whole villages cut off and homes destroyed and damaged. Huge areas of agricultural land are believed to have been affected, with crops swept away and three quarters of a million livestock killed. There is also a high risk from water-borne diseases spreading in affected areas

The Disasters Emergency Committee has called an appeal to help and assist aid agencies to meet people’s basic needs such as food, clean water and shelter. As usual, the One World Centre will be coordinating a street collection in the Isle of Man for local people to donate to the appeal. This will take place in the main towns – Douglas, Ramsey, Peel, Port Erin and Castletown – between Friday 9th and Sunday 11th September.

We desperately need volunteers to help with these collections – if you are able to help, even if only for an hour on one of these days, please get in touch with Wendy either by emailing info@owciom.org or calling 310191.

More information on the appeal can be found here https://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/pakistan-floods-appeal

Thank you.

Please come and join us at our AGM which will take place at 7pm on Tuesday 27th September in the top hall at the Promenade Methodist Church in Douglas.

After the brief formal procedures we will be welcoming Karolina Davison who will talk to us about the ongoing situation in Ukraine, how the Isle of Man has responded to the unfolding humanitarian crisis and what more we can do. Karolina, who is herself Ukrainian but has lived on the Isle of Man for many years, has been a driving force in helping those arriving on our shores in recent months. 

Please come along and support us – we’d be pleased to hear your thoughts and ideas on our work and the future of the One World Centre. We also hope to announce the winners of our 2022 SDG Art Competition on the theme of ‘A Peaceful World’!