Portuguese Community Centre Association

1. TO PROMOTE SOCIAL INCLUSION FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT BY PREVENTING PEOPLE FROM BECOMING SOCIALLY EXCLUDED, RELIEVING THE NEEDS OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE SOCIALLY EXCLUDED (IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY MEMBERS OF THE PORTUGUESE SPEAKING COMMUNITY LIVING IN THE UNITED KINGDOM) AND ASSISTING THEM TO INTEGRATE INTO SOCIETY BY:A) INCREASING, OR CO-ORDINATING, OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBERS OF THE PORTUGUESE SPEAK-ING COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS, TO ENABLE THOSE PROVIDERS TO ADAPT SERVICES TO BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF THAT COMMUNITY;A) PROVIDING EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND IN VOCATIONAL SKILLS;B) PROVIDING SOCIAL AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES AND EVENTS INVOLVING THE LOCAL COMMU-NITY;C) PROVIDING A LOCAL NETWORK GROUP THAT ENCOURAGES AND ENABLES SOCIALLY EXCLUDED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH THE WIDER COMMU-NITY.FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS CLOSE ‘SOCIALLY EXCLUDED’ MEANS BEING EXCLUDED FROM SOCIETY OR PARTS OF SOCIETY, AS A RESULT OF ONE OF MORE OF THE FOLLOWING FACTORS; LANGUAGE BARRIERS, INABILITY TO ACCESS EMPLOYMENT, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP, YOUTH OR OLD AGE, ILL HEALTH (PHYSICAL OR MENTAL), SUBSTANCE ABUSE OR DEPENDENCY; INCLUDING ALCOHOL AND DRUGS, DISCRIMINATION ON THE GROUNDS OF SEX, RACE, DISABILITY, ETHNIC ORIGIN, RELIGION, BELIEF, CREED, SEXUALLY ORIENTATION OR GENDER REASSIGNMENT, POOR EDUCATION OR SKILLS ATTAINMENT, RELATIONSHIP AND FAMILY BREAKDOWN, POOR HOUSING (THAT IS HOUSING THAT DOES NOT MEET BASIC HABITABLE STANDARDS), CRIME (EITHER AS A VICTIM OR AS A AN OFFENDER REHABILITATING INTO SOCIETY). 2. TO DEVELOP THE CAPACITY AND SKILLS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON THE PORTUGUESE SPEAKING COMMUNITY, IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY ARE BETTER ABLE TO IDENTIFY, AND HELP MEET, THEIR NEEDS AND TO PARTICIPATE MORE FULLY IN SOCIETY