Barnet Council is this week launching its Connecting Communities campaign, co-produced with local residents to spotlight the range of community groups and organisations that bring people together across the borough.
One of Barnet’s greatest strengths is its strong sense of community. Our Resident Perception survey shows that 85% of residents agree that people from different backgrounds get on well together – and we know that at the heart of this are the many different activities run by so many dedicated organisations and residents here.
This campaign is about spotlighting those opportunities and has grown out of the ‘Community Conversations’ that took place during last year’s Hate Crime Awareness Week, and has engaged more than 60 community groups from a range of backgrounds. It’s also been informed by the community roundtables that have been held over the past two years.
The main phase of the campaign, running over the next six weeks, highlights 11 community-based organisations through short films, demonstrating how they help to make up the rich fabric that is the tapestry of Barnet life. Those organisations are:
- Barnet Community Food Growing Project
- Barnet Mencap
- Barnet Multi Faith Forum
- Burnt Oak Nepalese Community
- Center of Excellence
- Colindale Communities Trust
- The CommUNITY Quilt Project
- Dare2Dance
- Grange Big Local
- Living Way Ministries
- Meridian Wellbeing.
We’re encouraging residents and members of community groups across the borough to visit our website hub and check out our digital patchwork quilt of short films and activity at www.barnet.gov.uk/connecting-communities. We would also like to grow this space for connection and community by asking residents and groups across the borough to send photos, videos and details of their events.
Alongside these short films, we have already started branding our annual community events – celebrating International Women’s Day, Windrush, Refugee Week, Pride, South Asian Heritage Month, Black History Month and our winter festivals – as part of the Connecting Communities campaign, using a logo co-produced with local residents.
Councillor Sara Conway, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Community Cohesion and Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, said: “The Connecting Communities campaign reflects what we have heard about how people feel better when they’re more connected, and know more about the activities and events available that bring people together locally. We’ve worked with residents to deepen our understanding of what that means to them, and how we can improve awareness and connections.
“Connecting Communities highlights the wonderful initiatives going on around Barnet, alongside the Art in Barnet programme, to easily show residents what’s on in their areas. This is a borough full of hidden treasures, with unsung heroes running the most amazing projects - and it’s time to shine a light on it all.”
ENDS
This campaign is funded by an MHCLG Recovery Fund grant, provided to communities impacted by the public disorder that took place across the UK last summer.