COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT News Release (249) issued by The Government News Network
on 17 December 2007
Communities
Secretary Hazel Blears is today launching a consultation into how
Government can best support faith communities' engagement
with one another and with their local communities.
There is a long history of people from different faith
communities in this country working together to build
understanding and provide vital services often to the most
vulnerable. The consultation "Face-to-Face and
Side-by-Side" looks at the work that is already underway and
considers what support might be given to facilitate greater inter
faith dialogue and inter faith activity in order that faith groups
can continue to make a positive difference within the wider community.
Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and Cohesion Minister Parmjit
Dhanda will be joined at the consultation launch by a wide range
of faith group leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr
Rowan Williams.
Over two hundred representatives from faith communities, inter
faith organisations, Chief Executives of local councils and other
relevant organisations will be in attendance.
The government's vision for Britain is one of strong,
confident communities where people of all different backgrounds
get on well together.
In recent years there has been an increase in dialogue between
different faith communities which has helped break down barriers,
build understanding and strengthen relationships.
This has also led to the more faith groups working together for
the benefit of the wider community in a variety of ways. This
social action or 'active faith' has seen communities
putting into practice their beliefs to enrich and benefit wider
society whilst public authorities have increasingly recognised the
role of faith communities and organisations in partnership working
and policy delivery.
Positive examples such as the Building Bridges Pendle project,
utilising innovative approaches to promoting integration and
cohesion through inter faith education in primary and secondary
schools, or the Fusion Youth Project in West Midlands, which
enables young women of different faiths to access information and
develop skills so that they are empowered to help themselves,
demonstrate the very real, positive contribution such
collaborative efforts can and do make.
The consultation is part of the Government's response to the
independent Commission on Integration and Cohesion's report
Our Shared Future which set out a number of practical
recommendations on how to build cohesion and a shared sense of
belonging including confirming the important role that inter faith
activity has to play in building integration and cohesion, as well
as the need for more constructive conversations between those of
faith and those of none.
In response Hazel Blears set out a ten point action plan to
promote cohesion and tackle community tensions including a
commitment to develop a new inter faith strategy.
The consultation will look to discover what is needed to widen
and deepen inter faith dialogue and social action. In particular
it will seek to:
* Understand how to best build confidence in the benefits of
partnership working and develop a greater understanding of the
contribution that faith communities can make
* Discover to what extent local authorities and other public
bodies are already working with faith communities
* Understand better the structures which facilitate interaction
and social action and how can these be best developed
* Learn about some of the barriers to inter faith activity -
especially in connection with the involvement of women and young
people - and how we might best work together to overcome these
Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said:
"Faith groups are a key part of the way we respond to the
challenges we face from building strong resilient communities to
tackling anti-social behaviour.
"This consultation provides us with an opportunity to find
out how Government can best support dialogue between faith groups
and the circumstances in which inter faith activity is helping to
make a positive difference to communities around the country.
"That includes looking at how we can build upon the good
work already going in communities at local, regional and national
level and develop a greater understanding of the contribution
faith communities can make.
"By learning how we can all better work in partnership with
each other to increase inter-faith dialogue and social action we
can ensure that this activity results in tangible and positive
change within local communities in terms of increased cohesion,
greater community empowerment and resilience to extremism in all
its forms."
Notes for Editors
"Face-to-Face and Side-by-Side" is be available at http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/interfaithdialogue
The consultation will last for twelve weeks until 7th March 2008.
Responses to it will be used to help develop the final strategy
and to inform plans for implementation.
The final strategy and the summary of consultation responses will
available in late Spring 2008.
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News Releases: http://www.communities.gov.uk