The Cork Independent was present this week at a focus group consultation chaired by Cork City Partnership which examined integration strategy in Cork city.

It was part of an ongoing process instigated by Cork City Partnership that has so far conducted surveys concerning the social integration of immigrant and ethnic minorities in Cork and thus far, the results have yielded some interesting findings.

For the most part, there were encouraging aspects to be derived, but also reasons not to be complacent. One of the questionnaires published revealed that 73 per cent of immigrant/ethnic minorities had not experienced racism in Cork. For the most part this is a positive figure, yet not so for the 27 per cent who have unfortunately been subjected to forms of racism on Leeside.

Sixty four per cent of people feel that minority ethnic communities make a cultural contribution to Cork (26 per cent said no, and 10 per cent don’t know). Whether 64 per cent of native Corkonians contribute culturally to their city is a debatable question so this figure can again be seen in an encouraging light.

Eight four per cent of immigrant and ethnic minorities feel free to celebrate their various cultures, customs and religions in Cork, a relatively high figure.

Some of the other figures are not quite as positive (only 6 per cent of minorities feel their culture is something locals feel highly aware of) but on the whole, their are signs that Cork is beginning to adjust to its increasingly multi-cultural climate, while as a cautionary note the word 'beginning' is key in this.

The media has a part to play in this too. When asked "Do you feel ethnic minority groups are represented fairly in the media?", only 20 per cent of those questioned replied "yes". What is clear is that we all have a part to play in Cork’s development as a modern, multi-cultural city and while the signs may be starting to look good, there is still much work remaining to be done.

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