Information on January’s Community Cohesion Event
Back in January, VANEL and IGNITE did their bit to support North East Lincolnshire’s first ever Community Cohesion event. The event which was organised by Communities Together and the Equality Practice, saw over 150 guests from Community Groups and organisations from around North East Lincolnshire attend. The event took place on the morning of Wednesday 25th January at Grimsby Town hall.
The event came following a report from the Joint Strategic Intelligence Assessment which highlighted the need for improved community cohesion across North East Lincolnshire. As a result of the report’s findings, it was decided to organise a cohesion event in order to bring as many people and organisations working within the community as possible. The event aimed to highlight the importance of community cohesion, the barriers preventing it, and the steps that need to be taken to create a more inclusive community.
Guest Speaker Dr Michael Seeraj, head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the Charlton Athletic Community Trust, delivered a talk in which he discussed the fact that North East Lincolnshire, like many other boroughs across the country, is becoming more ethnically diverse. He acknowledged that as this trend continues, it is important to ensure that our differences, rather than dividing us, bring us together. The same can also be said when talking about people from different socio-economic backgrounds, sexual orientations and abilities.
Jill Wilson, Project Development Manager of Communities Together and co-organiser of the cohesion event said: “Today is all about inclusion, it’s about getting all the different sections of the community together and to feel like they are part of the community. Instead of reacting to things that aren’t positive, we want to be proactive, and create positivity so that everyone feels involved and equal and that everyone is treated fairly at all times”.
VANEL’s Community Cohesion Officer Steve Lynn and Community Link Assistant Josh Short were heavily involved with organising the event, and VANEL’s IGNITE team offered their assistance on the day. VANEL’s Chief Officer Paula Grant and Restorative Justice Champion, Marcus Czarnecki offered their support and were present on the day.
Click here to view a short video of the conference on YouTube which tells the whole story of the day.
For further information please contact Jill Wilson at Communities Together (jill@nelcommunitiestogether.co.uk) or Tracy Todd at the Equality Practice (Theequalitypractice@gmail.com)