Changeworks’ Energy Saving for All project continues with pace, as we recently headed to the Wing Hong Chinese Elderly Community Centre in Glasgow.
In partnership with OVO, the project offers up advice and support on energy bills, and staying affordably warm at home, for those from minoritised ethnic groups who are in or at risk of fuel poverty.
Our volunteers Candy, Chaoran, Rui and Wai joined colleague Tom, and Anand from CEMVO Scotland, to provide crucial support to the community event.
With additional support from an outside agency, the team helped to translate the data collection form and energy advice presentation into both simplified and traditional Chinese. The elderly Cantonese community read traditional Chinese and require support for simplified Chinese, so volunteers were able to offer advice to both Mandarin and Cantonese speakers.
These language and communication challenges exemplify how some minoritised ethnic communities can fall through traditional nets of support and have numerous barriers in their way to overcome such as understanding their energy bills, heating systems and how to stay affordably warm at home.
This work is a great example of the reasons why our volunteer teams reach out to different community groups and provided support where it is needed the most.
Candy, a native Cantonese speaker, delivered the energy advice presentation whilst Chaoran, Rui and Wai supported each attendee to complete their forms, offer out resources and make referrals to support the community to access further support.
The Wing Hong charity was established with the aim to enhance the quality of life for the elderly Chinese community in Glasgow.