This three-part page covers the interrelated subjects of:
1) the information resource creation background,
2) Purposes the resource is intended to achieve, and
3) the related subject of intended audiences & beneficiaries.
1. UK Nepal Friendship Society background to the information resource’s creation:
Over the course of years, the UKNFS has, in serving our UK Nepali community on national level UK Nepali community needs and issues, through to international representation (Nepal Art Council – UKNFS, Britain – Nepal Bicentenary Exhibition, etc.), and to given UK regional to local area Nepali community support, have found multiple important, yet largely unmet needs that the information resource at last addresses.
Below we provide a set of news links regarding these needs, and at the end of this section some examples of information need issues the information resource addresses:
Regarding the ONS Census 2021:
UK Nepali Health & Social Care Project: http://uknfs.org/equality-in-healthcare/
UK Nepali national Advice Access project: https://uknfs.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Advice-project-Final-Report__November-25th-2018.pdf
Parliamentary report: https://uknfs.org/historic-uk-nepali-communities-delegation-parliament-fact-finding-visit/
Nepal Art Council (NAC), UKNFS enabled, Nepal – Britain Bicentenary Exhibition: https://uknfs.org/april-2017-update-launch-of-the-nepal-art-council-uknfs-nepal-uk-bicentenary-exhibition/
Bournemouth & Poole College Arts Department Project: https://uknfs.org/nepal-international-arts-programme/ and https://creativenepal.co.uk/projects/
Racism issues where educational solutions have emerged as crucial to support our Nepali – Gurkha communities:
Education, transcultural learning collaboration with The Royal British Legion (TRBL):
Broader multicultural Britain & BAME National Curriculum content reform contexts: https://uknfs.org/uknfs-in-conjunction-with-one-community-hampshire-dorset-organisation-initiate-petition-to-parliament-to-change-the-national-curriculum/
Some of the lack of clear information issues the information resource addresses:
The UK Nepali community being, and feeling, regarding preservation and sharing of its culture with the broader community and society at general and in structured ways, that these important needs have been met.
- Are Gurkhas Nepali? Are Nepalis, Gurkha?
- Where is Nepal in the world – near Bolivia … west of Ireland. Responses from students of a mid-2010s large scale multicultural learning project at a major South West of England FE college
- That currently there is minimal in depth information about the Nepali cultural contexts of Gurkhas and prospective new Gurkhas. Major aspects of transcultural phenomenon, such as in the domain of sport (especially football) have been hardly covered at all in existing museums, archives, and related websites
- The information resource unites for the first time major aspects of the story of the Gurkhas, which transcends strictly regimental, serving Gurkha soldiery and officers stories, and especially covers the much needed matter of providing the history of the strategic importance to British general and military history, of the Nepali Gurkhas.
- Public service organisations, including very senior central government department (ONS related) leads stating that they cover outreach to Nepali community members, and do so by providing information on their work and services in Hindi!
- Multiple times, non-BAME, general public members confusing Nepalis with Indian community members
- British racists confusing Nepali Gurkhas with East Asian/Chinese community members
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2. Purposes of the information resource:
The core purposes of the creation of the information resource and its content are educational, educational at multiple levels, and addressing knowledge deficits of important audiences, regarding the UK Nepali / Nepali-Gurkha community at multiple levels.
- These deficits concern addressing significant needs around preserving Nepali culture for and by the UK Nepali community, and sharing this culture with broader society.
- To ensure, that for the first time policy makers in Westminster and Whitehall have a clear, structured, detailed knowledge of the socio-economic demographics and cultural characteristics of the UK Nepali population in all of its diversity, in planning new or improving existing policies where engagement with and support to the UK Nepali community is concerned.
- That government, to public services, local government, to the community and voluntary sector, service providers have the need-to-know overview and also in-depth brief/overview of the UK NepaIi community from national to local levels required to provide more effective support and services where the Nepali community is concerned.
Multicultural and transcultural education and learning purposes:
- Schools, colleges, universities, museums all have through the information resource content, access to details relevant to research, learning projects, and linking where appropriate in the cases of in particular museums and archives from national to given locality levels regarding relevant information to Nepal and Gurkha related information resources they already have, supplementing the latter.
- ‘Think Tanks’ and ‘watchdog’ organisations that have interest in or concentrate on multicultural inclusion values, perspectives, supportive activity and services.
For how to navigate and use the information resources on this website, please use the following link: http://nepaliculturalheritage.com/how-to-use-information-resource-content/
3. Audiences & Beneficiaries:
The audiences and intended beneficiaries of the information resource include, but are not limited to:
- The UK Nepali community at national to locality specific levels, in regard to for the first time in the history of the UK Nepali diaspora having in the English language a structured thematic information resource, online, and in e-book/PDF form, to communicate in English and preserve – and to share to Non-Nepali audiences — its exceptional, distinct culture in the setting of a multicultural, multiracial Britain.
- And, too – in regard to the Nepali-Gurkhas, an exceptional, to date, but poorly shared and told, story of contribution to key aspects of British history, the security and independence of the British Nation, and Britain’s geo-political standing in the post-colonial era, 21st Century world.
- The broader – Non-Nepali / non-BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) – British general public in regard to their knowledge of the UK Nepali community and it’s culture.
- To Policy Makers in Government (Whitehall government department and associated agencies senior civil servants, and at Government of the UK elected politicians, secretaries of state and ministers level), and Parliament (Government, Opposition Parties, and Select Committees).
- Civil servants at national to local levels – public service organisations, local authorities, etc. – that are responsible for providing key services of multiple, essential kinds (health, policing, communities, local government, census and democratic services, job seeking and benefits, etc.).