1. Building Engaged, Committed and Cohesive Communities: Role of FRS

2. Ted Cantle Institute of Community Cohesion (iCoCo) Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA)

3. People are on the move…. In 1965 75m people lived outside the home country, now 180m 600,000 Brits live in Spain, more in other countries (200,000 NZ); 3m with second homes Travel: 25m tourists to UK, 70m from UK Globalisation in many forms: international students, brands, internet etc.

4. Populations are changing….. Broader Diversity: Over 300 languages in London schools; 150 + in other cities Rural areas becoming more diverse too Schools becoming more polarised New migration & population ‘churn’

5. And affinities are changing too… From small number of groups in 60s and 70s – to managing ‘super diversity’ And with diaspora identities which compete with national identity – faith emerging in to public sphere ‘Lifestyle’ migrants as well as economic migrants and asylum seekers Loss of old economic and social ‘certainties’

6. An Era of ‘Super Diversity‘ Managing interfaces Between and within BME communities No longer a black v white issue Mixed race/dual heritage fastest growing Between generations Conflict resolution and intervention

7. Principal Issues in Managing Impacts Changing identity; fear and loss More complex communities to relate to And much more dynamic populations to provide for Resource conflicts – and perceptions Building capacity for new approaches With a coherent policy and programme….

8. Community Cohesion Emerged after 2001 A new framework for race and diversity Supported cross-party And by EHRC structure With performance regime

9. Community Cohesion Polarised & segregated communities ‘Parallel lives’, underpinned by inequalities Ignorance, fear & demonisation Leadership ambivalent & shared values unclear Initiatives reinforced difference & separation

10. Community Cohesion Promoting a common sense of belonging Positively valuing diversity Tackling disadvantage and inequalities Promoting interaction in the workplace, schools and neighbourhoods

11. And Community Cohesion now includes…. ‘integration’: greater focus on what we nave in common, rather than difference, (but not assimilation) ‘rights and responsibilities’ and ‘trust in local institutions’ Now applied to faith, age, sexual orientation, travellers, social class, special needs

12. Identity, Fear of Change Existing population – White and BME – oppose migration, biggest electoral issue Compounded by failure to engage communities (eg movement of refugees) Growth of the Far Right And failure to challenge myths and stereotypes and develop positive narrative – and sense of belonging

16. So, where are we in cohesion terms? The % of people ‘get on well with people from other backgrounds’ 53-89 Other indicators – hate crime, inequalities (and within areas) Extremism: Religious and Far Right Impact of recession? Compared to other Europe

17. And how do we respond?

18. More Complex Communities to Relate to the ‘fear of difference’ is real and we must understand racism & identity ‘loss’ Focus on insular communities with limited conceptions of ‘others’ – untouched by positive impacts of in and out migration tackle unequal life chances, poverty & disaffection Focus on the White/Host community too

19. With new ‘Engagement Map’ Mapping community change in number & settlement patterns; – and recognising (lack of) leadership in established areas Understanding perceptions & realities; Anticipating disaffection & tensions – iCoCo Toolkit New engagement strategy, within and between communities From ‘gatekeepers’ to ‘gateways’

20. Facilitating Change - across communities Dialogue, debate and support Examples such as school twinning, sports & arts programmes, inter-faith networks, youth projects; welcome pack/induction programmes Special schemes – WI visits; living libraries! All help to create shared experiences, shared spaces, to develop understanding, trust & shared values – the best ‘myth busting’

21. Facilitating Change - across communities Make it sustainable – social capital/civil society And making it mainstream – in schools, new ‘duty to promote cohesion’; citizenship; gangs etc regeneration and housing schemes in the workplace social, sports and cultural programmes

22. Community Cohesion and FRS Facilitating dialogue and trust Trusted neutral, with neutral space Contribute to tension monitoring Respected and trusted – particularly with young people And some good practice on which to build

23. Community Cohesion and FRS good practice Youth Strategy - ‘Respect’ in Cheshire; ‘Phoenix’ in Cornwall; YES! In Derbys Community fire stations with shared facilities (significant community resource and opportunties) Fire safety checks – engagement with all Community events The best response – from Lancashire FRS

24. FRS and partnerships CDRPs; Tension Monitoring Groups and Local Strategic Partnerships Voluntary sector and faith groups Press and media Local employers Local celebrities & role models – e.g. sports personalities Values, symbols & celebrations

25. Building capacity in FRS Developing professional and technical capacity – eg data, tension monitoring Developing soft skills, knowledge of communities, able to work across cultures Developing capacity as part of broader partnership

26. Capacity of community organisations Wide range of diverse bodies, newcomers and existing residents And keep changing to reflect new population? Developing community leaders – ‘gateways’ rather than ‘gatekeepers’ The Single Identity Funding issue

27. Capacity and confidence for new roles for public services to: Manage additional population – services needed & identity issues and ‘churn’ Respond to resource needs – eg in schools, health & HMO and temporary housing Manage settlement of new communities & work with existing residents Prevent & manage conflicts & disputes Tension monitoring, constant engagement and communications

28. As well as…… Cope with extremism – of all descriptions Provide a sense of belonging Initiate cross-cultural programmes –Understand social capital & bridging relationships between communities Provide leadership and vision - and commitment from whole community And as part of the ‘day job’ not a special programme!

29. And build on success

30. Ted Cantle Book: Community Cohesion: a new framework for race and diversity www.cohesioninstitute.org.uk