Est. 1996

 

The Association is the Community

We believe that if we continue to exist just as a lose network of families in the diaspora we and our children will struggle to enjoy the full benefits of a cohesive and strong community. Our vision for ICAM should be encompassed in the phrase: The Association is the Community. With that in mind our vision should encompass the following tenants:

 

 

Membership Growth

Growth in this context can be double-sided with each side dependent on the other. The first side is membership growth.

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According to the Office of National Statistics 2011 Census: Key Statistics for local authorities in England and Wales states that the number of Nigerian born residents in the Midlands was 15,229. This does not include those born in the UK to Nigerian parents. If you factor that in conservatively that can triple the sample population to about 45,687 people both Nigerian born and British born to Nigerian parents in the Midlands. The CIA fact book states that approximately 18% of all Nigerians are Igbo. Again, if we apply this conservative measure we can safely assume that there are over 8,000 Igbo people in the Midlands area today. Our vision is to grow the association to reflect the population of people of Igbo heritage in the Midlands of the UK. 

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Inter-generational Cohesion

Our Vision is to create an ICAM for all generations and perspective. In order to achieve this, we work hard on attracting and catering individuals from all ages and backgrounds to recognise our subtle differences and use them to draw each other closer together. Embracing our differences forms the foundation of the Igbo phrase “Igwe bu Ike”. That requires understanding, patience and discipline.

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Igbo Cultural Infusion

What does being Igbo mean? It’s a simple question that needs a lot of thought and reflection to come up with an honest answer. Yet every answer is subjective. Quite frankly being Igbo means different things to different people. Yet it’s our vision to use the Igbo language, Igbo history and the various Igbo cultural expressions to crystalise the answer we all (Igbo and non-Igbo) can give to that question. To infuse Igbo culture in our thinking, expressions and decision making requires desire and discipline by everyone involved.

 

Understanding the Layers of Igbo Identity

Being Igbo means different things to different people. Yet whoever we are, if we have an identity that is congruent to our beliefs and values, we will go a long way to living fulfilling lives in the face of any attack or adversity. The reality is whether you are a baby boomer in relation to your attitudes to Biafra, or a millennial and British with Igbo parents, we all struggle in some form with understanding our identity as there are several layers of this identity problem whether one is conscious of it or not. Our vision is to explore these identity layers as a community and express them for all to obtain a better understanding of who they are and thus how they can contribute to our community and ultimately society at large.  

 

Discipline

Discipline is the soul of the community. It makes small numbers a formidable force and creates success and esteem to all. Without discipline we are like an octopus on roller skates, not knowing whether we are moving forwards, backwards or sideways at any one time. Discpline is thus not something we can ignore. The Igbo Kingdoms of Nri and Arochukwu grew on discipline. What we deem as tradition (Omenala) is simply the discipline to observe and keep to rules. It’s discipline that fosters growth, love, understanding, togetherness and community spirit. Our vision is to embed discipline in everything we do within ICAM. We hope to bring life to our cherished constitution for it to be the guide it was designed to be.

 

Welfare

Our vision is to redefine what welfare means. Welfare is in ICAM’s DNA. ICAM are there to look out for one another in times of need. This is clear in our constitution and our welfare policy document. Nevertheless, when you look at welfare through the lens of “the association is the community” , we are forced to look at welfare from a fresh perspective. We should be asking ourselves questions like: “How are we there for non-members in need?”, “What is classed as a ‘need’?”, “Should welfare go beyond just financial support and into the realms of information exchange?”. These are areas we should explore and look to implement.