Championing community Identity

There has been a lot of discussion about the local role in dealing with community cohesion. But that agenda seems to have been restricted to simply addressing the issue of better integration of Muslim communities (and trying to reduce the risks of further terrorist attacks). Important though this is, putting that issue into the wider context of maintaining community identity and achieving some sense of shared identity better captures the challenges. Central to this process is storytelling. Creating a story about a place that people can believe in, helps create that sense of shared identity and buy-in.

We believe community identity is not just about ethnic diversity or 'community cohesion', but about a shared space which needs to be nourished by leaders.

This means identifying the story of your place, finding the common elements everyone can sign up to as well as creating spaces where people can discover and understand their shared values and interests.