Active Communities
Community Cohesion Pathfinders: The First 6 Months
The Community Cohesion Pathfinder Programme is a key element of the Government's work on community cohesion. The Home Office and the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit have jointly committed £6 million of funding to find innovative engagement methods helping to benefit all local areas. The impact of the programme will extend far beyond the funded areas, as social cohesion is a key priority at national and local level. This first report of the Pathfinder Programme summarises the early experiences of project development.
Title: Community Cohesion Pathfinders: The First 6 Months
Author: Vantagepoint / Home Office
Number of
pages: 8
Date published: October 2003
Cohesive communities have:
a common vision and sense of belonging
a diversity of different backgrounds combined
equal opportunities for people from different backgrounds
strong and positive relationships developed between people from different backgrounds in their environment.
The violent disturbances occurring in Bradford, Oldham and Burnley in 2001 placed inevitable tensions to Britain's increasing ethnic and cultural diversity .
The Home Office Community Cohesion Unit manages the Pathfinder programme, with 14 local partnerships funded to pioneer community cohesion programmes. The 14 pathfinders launched in April 2003 which completed the six months of the 18-month programme are:
Bury
Charnwood
East Lancashire
Kirklees
Leicester
Mansfield
Middlesbrough
Peterborough
Plymouth
Rochdale
Sandwell
Southwark
Stoke on Trent
West London
Progress in the first 6 months
Engagement with leaders
Many Pathfinders have given high priority to finding ways of defining community cohesion that engage local audiences. Pathfinders have a range of approaches establishing cross community support including:
engaging with elected members through seminars, presentations, etc.
involving the elected Mayor in the Pathfinder Steering Group, encouraging a higher political profile
Each pathfinder must learn to establish engagement with local political leaders, using phase engagement strategies starting with voluntary and community sector before engaging with public bodies and established politicians.
Working with the voluntary and community sector
Many Pathfinder funded projects are directly aimed at providing platforms for different communities to meet through community activities. Strong voluntary sector involvement is a key factor of the likelihood of pathfinder success. Alongside this is the requirement of a general recognition of overlaps between local authority and voluntary sector programmes.
This success pattern relies upon:
working to exploit existing networks rather than invent new ones. (relevant to Pathfinders engaged in youth based initiatives where community based networks is in place.)
developing networks which focus on the traditionally excluded (asylum seekers, ethnic minority communities and faith communities).
Communication
Some pathfinders concentrate upon community strategies that target voluntary sectors and communities as a whole, rather than individual events. Strategies might include events, public information, and work with the press and local media.
Pathfinders have adopted a number of approaches to communicating a positive message about their programmes, such as:
developing a detailed dissemination plan
using the web extensively to provide information
adopting many approaches to convey intended method
developing a common understanding of issues and messages around community cohesion for sharing best practice.
Sustainability
Pathfinder programmes are geared to change perceptions within their area, tackling prejudices and creating a more positive perception of the changing nature of British society. The potential sustainability of Pathfinder programmes is an important emerging theme for the programme, even at this early stage.
Learning experiences
Key themes emerging from learning community cohesion expectations include:
using the community cohesion agenda to build better communication channels between services.
involving local housing authority and other housing providers in the programme
realism regarding pathfinder expectations and limitations.
Download: Community
Cohesion Pathfinders: The First 6 Months
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Last update: 16 September 2004