Belong-The Cohesion and Integration Network

We had a great turnout at this morning’s Sunderland Business Partnership meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn! A huge thank you to our speakers — David Pattison, Dr. Derek Watson, Sarah Cox who spoke about business support opportunities — and to Belong-The Cohesion and Integration Network for leading an insightful workshop on community cohesion. It was inspiring to see so much passion and dedication to making Sunderland a truly special place.

Thanks to everyone that attended, After the Riots: A Social Cohesion Summit, our joint event with British Future and /together, on Wednesday at Friends House in London. The summit brought together community cohesion experts and grassroots practitioners to discuss this summer’s racist disorder and the measures needed to prevent it from happening again.  ⬇ Read some reflections on the day and view the gallery of event images ⬇

We are pleased to be at Friends House in London today for ‘After the Riots: A Social Cohesion Summit’ - our joint event with British Future and /together.

🎾 🏓 🥋 We are pleased to be in Bradford today for the first training session of our 'Power of Sport in Communities' project with StreetGames UK. The training will be helping local organisations to build on their great work and bring people together in Bradford through sport. 🎾 🏓 🥋

This Hate Crime Awareness Week is a great time to sign up for Shared Ground. The next intake starts in November and is designed to equip professionals working to prevent community tensions and foster good relations with the essential skills they need. ⬇ Find out more ⬇

As we approach the anniversary of the attacks in Israel and the subsequent war on Gaza, leaders from the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities have come together to issue an open letter, calling for unity and solidarity. "In these challenging times, we must also reject those who seek to divide us. Anti-Jewish hate and anti-Muslim hate have no place in the UK today. We must stand together against prejudice and hatred in all its forms." We invite you to read, reflect and share this powerful message of hope and togetherness.

Co-design vital in creating events that foster social cohesion and build community connection, new Belong research into findings from the Spirit of 2012 archive on the impact of events shows. Read our new report, 'Power of Events' to find out more.

There’s still a few FREE tickets available for this. Join us tomorrow if you want to know more about the impact of events on social cohesion and connection!

'After the riots' - a new joint paper from the Belong Network, British Future and /together published today - sets out a 12-point plan of policy proposals to address what it calls a “vacuum on communities policy”. Read it now ⬇ ⬇

Upcoming event: Power of Events Online Launch, Weds 2 Oct, 11.30 - 12.45 Get your FREE tickets here for the launch of Power of Events, our new research on learning from the Spirit of 2012 archive looking at the impact of events on social cohesion and connection⬇️