The Concept of Community Cohesion - Case Study Example

A community cohesion case study Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date: A community cohesion case study Introduction It is an apparent fact that the concept of community has been in discourses in diverse realms of academia in the past decades. This has culminated to extensive definitions of this concept by different proponents. Nonetheless, some these proponents distinguished between two major utilities of this concept. The first is related to the geographical and territorial idea of community. This is in terms of town, city and neighborhood. The second application of this concept is in the ‘relational’ sense which is primarily concerned with the quality of character of relationships among humans, without specific reference to location (McMillan & George 1986, p. 3). On the other hand, Flint and Robinson (2008, p. 15) cited that it is problematic to find extensive reference of the concept of community cohesion in the declarations of public policy and urban theorists before the disturbances which marred the Northern territories in the cities in the UK in 2001. This had resulted to limited interrogation and enquiry into the concept of community cohesion in different fields. Nonetheless, Flint and Robinson (2008, p. 15) also pointed out that despite this lack of robust reference of community cohesion in the previous decades, this concept has grown to become integral in political discourses and also among the policymakers who seek to articulate responses to disorders and violence rocking different societies. This increased popularity of the concept of community cohesion has seen increased efforts and strategies aimed at enhancing community cohesion. This has been spearheaded by different organizations around the world. This is epitomized by the Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and LSP partners. This body had in the recent past instituted different initiatives which had been integral in fostering community cohesion in this locality. The subsequent analysis will be anchored on one of the initiatives which were instituted by the Council and LSP partners. This is the ‘Meet Your Neighbours’ initiative which was formulated and implemented by the LSP partners aimed at community cohesion in Blackburn with Darwen. It will explore this initiative in terms of its principles as well as evaluate the successes and effectiveness of this initiative. In addition, it will analyze how it would have been marketed in a better ways and lastly give recommendations on this initiative as well as other future community cohesion initiatives in the future. Case study aims and objectives As mentioned in the preceding section, this analysis will focus on the case study of ‘Meet Your Neighbours’ initiative which was formulated and implemented by the LSP partners aimed at community cohesion in Blackburn with Darwen. The key foundation underpinning the formulation of the ‘Meet Your Neighbours’ initiative was to bring together young people. It was established by the Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, encompassing a peculiar partnership with the Department for Communities and Local Government, Improvement and Development agency as well as Unison North West. The primary objective of this case study was based on the principle of fostering linkages between young people who are from diverse cultural backgrounds as well as different religious faith. In addition, this initiative was aimed at the provision of a perfect environment which would be integral in encouraging debates which are characterized by honesty and openness. Lastly, the initiative had an objective of stimulating the exploration of views and perceptions by the participants around race, culture and religion. These aims and objectives are founded on the cognition by the Council and LSP that the community cohesion in this particular locality is not solely related to the cohesion of individuals and collectives from different ethnic. Instead, it is also related to many other things which are fundamental in creating a robust societal bond. These include the religious, cultural, inter-generational as well as geographical issues. Thus, ‘Meet Your Neighbours’ was structured with the aim of bridging the gaps between different young people across diverse faith groups through intercultural dialogue. This is best epitomized by the case in 2007 whereby eighteen girls in the teenage bracket were engaged in an interactive program. According to Cities of Migration (2013, p. 1), these girls came from different schools, one secular, one Islamic and the other one Roman Catholic. These girls left the comfort of their surrounding residential environments and families to engage in a weekend away at Darwen, Lancashire where they interacted and had time to know each other. The main aim of this retreat was to bring together these girls from different backgrounds and give them a chance to learn each other as well as engage each other in discourses. In addition, these girls were to talk together about their differences in terms cultural traditions and beliefs. Lastly, these girls were to discover about the different things which they had in common. During this time, Cities of Migration (2013, p. 1) cited that the girls had a chance to engage in discussions about their favorite activities as well as their future aspirations. In due course, these participants came to realize that they had common interests in different fields like music as well as extensive similarities in terms of ideas and aspirations. After two weeks, the participants reunited with their parents, friends, funders and teachers and they were urged to share their experiences with their colleagues in school. This case underpins the basic objectives and aims of the ‘Meet your Neighbours’ initiative. This is based on the backdrop that the pioneers of this program realized that opinions at the societal level are molded by diverse stereotypes and prejudices. Thus, it is fundamental for people in the highly heterogeneous societies to have an opportunity to meet and engage in honest and open discourses. This is key in shaping the extent to which these people understand each other and the nature of their interrelations amid their differences. Therefore, through a more profound focus on their individual and collective aspirations, interests, problems as well as shared experiences, there is a great probability of them moving above the misconceptions which previously separated them. Evaluation This program enjoyed extensive success amid some challenges which form the basis of the recommendations latter in this section. Successes and effectiveness In terms of the successes and effectiveness, this project was able to foster long-term friendship among the participants from different faiths who participated. This is evidenced by the fact that the girls who participated in this program in 2007 were able to initiate a reunion in the subsequent periods. This meant that one of the objectives of this program namely fostering linkages between young people who are from diverse cultural backgrounds as well as different religious faith was achieved at the end of this retreat (Cities of Migration 2013, p. 1) In addition, it is imperative to note that this initiative helped in identifying the similarity between both genders in terms of their response to social interactions. This is evidenced by the fact that in 2008, 24 boys from different schools were also engaged in a similar retreat like the one outlined in the previous section. Previously, it was presumed that the boys would not respond well to a program which is purely founded on social interactions and conversations. Nonetheless, the outcome from this program comprising of boys revealed extensive positivity of boys to this program (Cities of Migration 2013, p. 1). This was key in benchmarking future interactions among the youths from both genders who came from different socio-cultural, religious and racial backgrounds in the subsequent years. This program is also credited for extensive effectiveness in terms of producing a toolkit which could be put into utility by other local authorities in diverse regions around the world. This was founded on the central role of this initiative in molding robust and long-term linkages between schools in the future which is chief in community cohesion. This fortified the aim of the LSP to produce a toolkit which would promote working with young people in different localities including schools aimed at promoting community cohesion (Strategic Blackburn Darwen Partnership, 2010, p. 5). The above success is imperative for the future of this program in terms providing a background for other similar programs around the globe. This is key for advancements in the future whereby the formulators and implementers of similar programs can use the successes of this program to shape their approach as well as the challenges to sharpen the their approach in different regions. Another success is that the participants of this program were able to disseminate the knowledge and experienced they had gained from their retreats with their peers in their respective schools. This was key in ensuring that not only the participants of this program gained increased experience which would enhance their cohesion with the peers but also their colleagues in school would also have a great chance of learning about the basic tenets of community cohesion. The dissemination of these experiences from the program participants is thus central in ensuring that other young people benefit from these retreats even though they did not have a chance to attend them. What could have been improved Nonetheless, there are some aspects which could have been improved in the implementation of this program. Firstly, the implementers of this program ought to have ensured increased engagement and participation of the young people. This forms the foundation of the recommendation by Cantle et. al (2009, p. 1) that there ought to have been increased efforts to in understanding and engaging with different communities. This is key in ensuring that that there is elevated dissemination of information to various sub-groups in the population. In addition, increased engagement and participation of the youths ought to been facilitated through activities at the community level. This is opposed to the activities which entail the participation of several individuals and inclined more towards exclusive participation of the community members. According to Blake et. al (2008, p. 62), some of these activities might include community festivals as well as reading days in the library. Majority of these activities are fundamental in getting the people together to engage in discourses on various issues which are related to their culture and religion among others which will heighten their cohesion. On the other hand, the participants in these activities ought to have been consulted in regard to their priorities using different methodologies like questionnaires or other more creative mechanisms to foster engagement when these people are attending the community events. This would have been key in increasing the cohesion among members of different communities who were attending these events. Marketing strategies In terms of marketing this program, more contemporary marketing strategies should be used in order to increase its effectiveness. This includes the internet whose popularity in marketing strategies has increased in the recent past. In addition, more platforms of marketing which are popular among the youths, for instance, the social networks like twitter and Facebook among others ought to be used in the marketing efforts. This would culminate in increased popularity of these programs geared towards elevated community cohesion in different parts of the globe. Recommendations and conclusion It is recommended in this paper that more strategies ought to be put in place to build on the neighborhood approach in the community cohesion efforts. Moreover, more clarity on the vision, direction and leadership of the organizations spearheading these approaches ought to be instituted. This would be key in increasing the transparency and accountability in the strategic approach of increasing community cohesion. Lastly, there ought to be a synergetic approach in enhancing community cohesion encompassing input from different stakeholders. In conclusion, the preceding analysis has evidenced the fact that there have been extensive divergences in the definitions of the concept of community. However, this concept has come to be utilized in two basic senses. On the other hand, the concept of community cohesion has gained increased popularity in the recent past. The case study of this analysis has been the ‘Meet Your Neighbours’ initiative which was formulated and implemented by the LSP partners aimed at community cohesion in Blackburn with Darwen. It has explored its aim and objectives as well as its core principle. Similarly, it has explored the successes and effectiveness of this initiative as well as the approaches which would have been prudent to improve it. Moreover, the analysis has investigated how it would have been marketed in a better manner and lastly forwarded recommendations on how it can be can be more viable to meet the dynamics of community cohesion. References Blake, G., et. al, 2008, Community engagement and community cohesion, University of London, London. Cities of Migration, 2013, ‘Meet Your Neighbours-Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’, retrieved 7th February, 2013 . Cantle, T., et. al, 2009, ‘Cantle report: Read the interim report in full’, retrieved 7th February, 2013 . Flint, J. & Robinson, D., 2008, Community Cohesion in Crisis? New Dimensions of Diversity and Difference, The Policy Press, Bristol. McMillan, DW. & George, DM., 1986, ‘Sense of Community: A Definition and Theory’, Journal of Community Psychology, Vol. 14, pp. 1-23. Strategic Blackburn Darwen Partnership, 2010, ‘Community Cohesion Strategy 2010 – 2013’, retrieved 7th February, 2013 . Read More