UNISON Ulearn Northern Ireland

I work as a trainee pharmacy technician, based at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry, but am an employee of Craigavon Hospital Trust. Over the Summer, I took part in the Anti-racism Training at UNISON regional office. When the information came through, I was interested because I had noticed that with an increasing population of Portuguese speaking migrants in my area, I was forming opinions without any real knowledge. I had the impression that the migrants were quite distant and aloof, then I got to know one person who explained that it was how they were brought up, that they are distant til they get to know you, and then they are extremely friendly.

I realised that there are so many other cultures around me that I know so little about. I thought the anti-racism training might help me approach things differently. The course was really interesting, it was very informal, which was great for learning, so I didn’t feel that anything I would say would sound stupid. The discussions and information we got was very good. It really challenged me to think completely differently. I always considered myself to be quite liberal, and was surprised by some of the thoughts the discussion provoked. If you are challenged, it’s the only way to change perceptions. I do believe that if you can challenge one person a day, you can change things for the better.

It was also great to meet people from other branches, to hear what was going on and see myself as part of a bigger organisation than just my workplace or my branch. I’d like to use what I learned on the anti-racism training to be more proactive and I’d also like to go on the next effective speaking course.