New Dawn Community Well Being Ltd

It is well recognised that mental ill health affects a large proportion of the UK population. Ethnic minority groups are particularly affected by difficulties with mental health, for various reasons; for example, migration from their ‘home’ culture and adaptation to their ‘host’ culture. There are a number of people for whom the adaptation to the host community has been a lot more problematic. Though research has identified the concept of acculturation and the likely effects that it can have on the mental wellbeing of individuals, little work has been done to provide culturally appropriate support to people. What our project aims to do is to find out about people’s perceptions about migrating to and adapting to the UK society from their home country, offer them an opportunity to educate others in similar situations, as well as develop themselves and support their inclusion into society, and encourage those out of employment back into work.

With a population of 280,000, Leicester is the largest city in the East Midlands and the tenth largest in the country. According to the Census (2001), the number of Asian or Asian British people of Indian origin in Leicester has risen to 25.7%, which now makes this group the largest ethnic minority community in Leicester. As reported 14.7% of the Indian population in Leicester classify themselves as Hindu and 4.2% as Sikh (Census, 2001) The latter figure for Sikhs is reported to be an underestimate, with the actual figure being around 7.6% (Personal Communication, 15 May 07) We feel that Black Minority Ethnic communities live all around the United Kingdom and the world. We are broadcasting on line on www.panjpaniradio.co.uk 24/7.

Panj Pani Community Radio broadcasting philosophy is aimed towards promoting awareness of mental health within the Asian community. In addition, we aim to educate the Asian community on mental health disorders and consequences in order to reduce the stigma and subsequent discrimination or social exclusion that sufferers may experience. There will be a careful balance between entertainment, and promoting awareness of mental health issues. As a radio station, Panj Pani is unique in the way it provides a platform for public and voluntary sector organisations to publicise the availability of services for people with mental health disorders.