The problem is growing in south Wales

In 2001, a survey found one in 16 people in south Wales has been affected by race-related crime.

And the number of racial abuse incidents rose after the terrorist attacks of 11 September, according to South Wales Police and the Commission for Racial Equality.

Dr Mashuq Ally of the commission's Wales branch said school bullying reports had trebled while women and children in Muslim communities had been abused in the streets.

He said nearly all mosques in Wales had been attacked or received hate mail.

Swansea was hardest hit after the attacks in the US, and there were 110 racist incidents in that city, Newport and Cardiff in the 10 days following the atrocities.

Growing problem

But racism was a growing problem among some valleys youth and now the initiative is heeding Dr Ally's warning.

The Rhondda has historically drawn on an eclectic mix of nationalities, but ethnic minorities are still marginal in the cultural composition of the region.

What we have in the valleys is a culture of casual name-calling

Kim Riley, Rhondda Cynon Taff council

Elspeth Wyn of the Rhondda Cynon Taff Youth Offenders Team said: "It is very difficult for young people, when they have no experience of meeting ethnic minorities, to have any understanding.

"The young people we work with have picked up lots of information, some of which they are not able to analyse, and develop ideas which are completely inaccurate.

"It is the job of teachers to make sure the perceptions they get from other sources are not true."

She said the police and other organisations now take the problem more seriously.

Close-knit communities

Rhondda Cynon Taff council chief executive Kim Riley called for sensitivity and said the issue needed to be tackled throughout the community.

"There is still a tendency to focus on positive aspects of close-knit valleys life," he said.

"Some ethnic minority families find that an attractive feature of valleys life.

"What we have in the valleys is a culture of casual name-calling." A coalition drawn from the voluntary sector and local authorities, the initiative is holding the conference - 'Not A Black And White Issue' - at the Rhondda Heritage Hotel.

Speakers include Education Minister Jane Davidson and University of Wales sociologist Dr Jonathan Scourfield.

Delegates are expected to recommend a range of creative, innovative approaches to dealing with racism.