Belong Network is pleased to announce the creation of three new Communities of Practice, bringing together groups and organisations which have a similar focus of work.
The Communities of Practice are focussed on three key topics: race and faith hate crime, sport, and local authorities.
A big focus for the Belong Network is enabling our members to build and maintain strong networks with others in the sector – allowing them to share knowledge and best practice, develop a collective voice and build resilience. We hope these groups will allow our members to do just that. The groups will also work to build the evidence base and develop ‘what works’ approaches to the aspect of cohesion and integration work that they are involved in.
The members of the three groups are:
Race and Faith Hate Crime: Anne Frank Trust, Youth Sport Trust, Faith and Belief Forum and Solutions Not Sides
Sport: Youth Sport Trust, StreetGames, Sport for Development Coalition and Sport England
Local Authorities: Waltham Forest, Manchester, Walsall, Kirklees, Calderdale, Barking and Dagenham Councils and Greater London Authority
Building Networks
The Communities of Practice aim to offer opportunities such as observing and evaluating each others’ work, sharing success stories, resources and examples of good practice, and building members’ professional networks.
They are currently open to Belong Network members at an Advanced or Standard level who are carrying out relevant or related work.
Belong Network CEO Jo Broadwood said: “A big focus for the Belong Network this year and beyond is helping our members develop and strengthen their professional networks. It builds their own resilience but also those of the communities they serve. In a varied and fast-moving sector like social cohesion and while resources remain stretched it’s also vital that charities and local authorities are able to share resources and best practice.
“Coming together as local authorities or around a shared topic such as sport or hate crime also amplifies our members’ voices – so we can continue to call for social cohesion and integration to remain a priority for national and devolved policy makers.”
To find out more about any of the Communities of Practice, contact Belong Network membership and engagement manager Amy Glendinning on amy@belongnetwork.co.uk.