News

The inclusion of advertisements below for resources or courses does not constitute an IFF endorsement for these:  

KINGSTON MUSEUM NEEDS YOU!

 Call to consultation – Faith Based Learning Resource

postponed to October - date to be advised

Kingston Museum Art Gallery

 Please join us to hear about an exciting new learning resource which focuses on the subject of faith and religion.  Kingston Museum in partnership with Global Arts is beginning to plan an educational resource using a beautiful multi-faith textile piece as its inspiration. This artwork will potentially become part of a loans box and on-line resource which will be available for use by schools.  It will combine a range of media to provide RE, art and humanities teachers with the tools to explore ideas of faith, culture and art. We need your help to ensure the resulting resource is useful for teachers and students. Please join us for an hour as we explain the project and seek feedback to inform its development. Participants may put their name down at the event to hear about future developments and the potential to access this resource once developed. Booking details below:  Contact:           Peta Cook Telephone:       0208 5476462Email:               peta.cook@rbk.kingston.gov.ukwww.kingston.gov.uk/museum

Better Places, Better Planet

 by Chris Church

This practical guide will help you to integrate looking after the environment into your work with communities.  It provides ideas for action, and will show you the changes you can make, whatever the resources available to you.

Developed from a popular plain English guide and reflects the new and fast-changing environmental agenda

  • Inspiring case studies to show you what’s worked for other community projects
  • Explains how to get your voice heard by people in power
  • Shows how improving your local neighbourhood can have the biggest possible impact

ISBN 978-1-901974-84-3104 106pp £6.95

 

 'FAITHS TOGETHER' COURSE AT HEYTHROP COLLEGE 

Heythrop College, University of London, is delighted to be able to promote a further version of the very successful programme, “Faiths Together”, starting in September 2008.

 “Faiths Together” is a unique learning opportunity in which people of faith commit to learn about, from and with each other, with a view to becoming better contributors to mutual understanding and social cohesion. 

We hope the course will be of interest to you, your colleagues and friends.

Both last year’s course and the forthcoming programme have proved very popular. As we have limited space available and expect a lot of interest, we urge any prospective participants to contact us as soon as possible. I have information leaflets and application forms which I can post to you on request.  

For further details and an application form, please contact:

 

Faiths Together

Heythrop College

Kensington Square

London W8 5HQ

 

Email: faithstogether@heythrop.ac.uk

 Frances Lane Course administrator  

 

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT CONFERENCE 21 OCTOBER 2008 BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE

CDF's 2008 conference is about demonstrating community development's contribution to empowerment practice. Whether you're a policy-maker in looking to see real examples of how policies translate into practice, or a community development practitioner wanting to know more about government policy, this event is for you.

  • See how community development values and methods can build capacity within communities, and help public authorities to support community empowerment
  • Network with key figures in the field
  • Debate the issues around empowerment
  • Get updates on the latest policy trends
  • Share experiences with others facing similar challenges
The Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, will deliver the keynote speech.

To download a booking form, click here.

 

Communities and Local Government consulting on 'Empowerment' White Paper

Following Communities Secretary Hazel Blears’ announcement on 5 March about the new Empowerment White Paper, we are inviting you to join in the discussion about how you can help us to progress this agenda, by running your own local event.

This is your opportunity to feed into the Empowerment White Paper and tell us what you think Government needs to be doing to give citizens a bigger voice locally.

The Community Development Foundation ‘Power Pack’ is now included in the 'Our Files' section of this website (in national documents folder).  It provides practical advice on how to organise a meeting with your local group to discuss empowerment and the other topics featured in the White Paper.  Fact sheets on the main themes being covered in the White Paper will be provided, with a series of discussion questions and easy-to-complete forms to submit your views.

Click here to visit the Communities and Local Government website, where you can read a launch document about the White Paper.

Please email UnlockingTalent@communities.gsi.gov.uk if you would like further information.

 

Other Government documents:

Response of the Communities Secretary of State Hazel Blears MP to the report of the Commission on Integration and Cohesion:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/682056?version=1

To read the following recent national documents on community cohesion and other inter faith discussions, please see the 'Our Files' section on our website:

  •  'Face to Face and Side by Side: a framework for partnership in our multi faith society’  report from the Dept of Communities & Local Government
  • Our Shared Future (final report of the Commission on Integration and Cohesion)
  • The Government's response to the report of the Commission on Integration and Cohesion
  • Building cohesive communities:The crucial role of the new local performance frameworks
  • Community Cohesion - notes by the CDF
  • Faith, Cohesion and Community Development
  • Community Spaces
  • Single identity groups: CDF review (summary)

 

Equalities and Communities: Challenge, Choice and Change
 By Alison Gilchrist

This book is a guide for everyone committed to working on equalities issues.  The book sets out a clear framework for tackling inequalities in joined-up and realistic ways. The author recognises that equalities work can be full of dilemmas and complications and provides useful and thought-provoking advice. The book contains information about current policy, legislation and relevant resources. 

Equalities and Communities will enable you to:

  • reflect on personal experiences and share knowledge with managers and colleagues
  • learn new ways to approach sensitive subjects and potential points of conflict
  • overcome practical barriers to equality
  • set clear goals and measure progress against them
  • help communities to understand differences and develop shared identities.

Published 20 November 2007 ISBN 978-1-901974-80-5 £9.95 110 x 180mm Pb 124pp In association with CDX. Braille, disk and large print formats are available on request - please email publications@cdf.org.uk if you would like one of these.

Support for victims of honour based violence

The Government supports victims of honour-based violence through a new national helpline for victims, partly funded by the Government and run by charity Karma Nirvana.  Karma Nirvana launched the Honour Network Helpline earlier this year, which is staffed by victims of forced marriage or honour-based violence. It is active seven days a week from 9.30am to 9pm on 0800 5999 247. For more information on Karma Nirvana go to http://www.karmanirvana.org.uk/.

Shazia Qayum of Karma Nirvana said: "All the team at Karma Nirvana are survivors of forced marriage or honour-based violence. A forced marriage is a marriage where one or both partners do not consent to the marriage or consent is extracted under duress.   "Everyone has a right to choose who they marry and when they get married. You are not wrong for having made the brave decision to leave a forced marriage." Honour-based violence is defined as a threat to someone's wellbeing because they have not, according to family and local community members, conformed to religious or cultural expectations. Examples could include individuals being forced to marry, kidnapped, being physically or mentally abused and in the worst case scenario being murdered.

Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker has indicated:  "We are developing a cross government action plan to tackle honour-based violence which includes forced marriage, honour killings and female genital mutilation. "The plan is being developed with ACPO and other CJS agencies and aims to improve the response of police and other agencies to all forms of honour-based violence and ensure that victims are encouraged to come forward with the knowledge that they will receive the help and support they need. The plan will also address raising awareness and improve training and monitoring amongst communities and professional bodies."

Members of the public seeking advice, help and support on honour-based violence should call the joint Home Office/Foreign Office Forced Marriage Unit on 020 7008 0151. It receives around 5,000 calls each year.  

Kingston Interpreting Service (KIS)

KIS was launched in 2004 and provides a means of communication for people who do not have English as a first language and people who have a sensory impairment.

The service has grown over the last 3 years to include a multi-lingual helpline in 5 languages. You may be interested to read our annual report which contains information about the service and the multi-lingual helpline. It can be found on our intranet site on the following link.

http://cm.kingston.gov.uk/intranet/2007_08_report-4.pdf

Tel: 020 8547 5818

 

Dispelling the Myths & Bridging the Gaps

Islam and British Muslims Awareness Course

THIS INTENSIVE COURSE COVERS THE FOLLOWING TOPICAL AREAS:

􀂾 Islamic Systems of Belief, Worship and Spiritual Motivation

􀂾 Sharia Law: Objectives, Priorities and Application in a British Context

􀂾 Family System & Status of Women in Islam

􀂾 Religion versus Culture and Appreciating the Cultural and Religious Sensitivities

􀂾 Islam and Muslims in the UK: Community Structure, Dynamics and Mosques

􀂾 The Current Problems of Islam and Muslims Today

􀂾 Schools of Thought, Sects and Islamic Groups

􀂾 The Islamic Classification of the World: Abode of War? or Abode of Peace?

􀂾 Dissecting Terrorism and Jihad in Islam: Objectives, Classifications and Implementation Laws.

􀂾 Addressing Sensitive Questions: Alienation, Radicalization, Fundamentalism, Extremism,

Suicide, Belonging, Segregation, Integration, Assimilation, Identity, Democracy, Human Rights

DTE Consultancy Ltd. Company registration numbeEmail: booking@dtec.org.uk Mobile: 07885 736 164 Fax: 02380 211 007

Costs – For individuals: Attending any of advertised  dates and venues, the total cost is £150 per person. This includes all-day training, information pack, lunch, and all refreshments. 

 Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm

Dates in 2008: 05 November - Isle of Wight; 10 November - Crawley;

18 November - Basingstoke; 24 November - Bournemouth; 02 December - Isle of Wight

04 December - Brighton; 11 December - Guildford; 15 December - Basingstoke

16 December - Exeter; 17 December - Truro; 18 December - Plymouth;

07 October - Brighton; 08 October - Isle of Wight; 09 October - Basingstoke;

13 October - Salisbury; 16 October - Guildford 20 October - Truro;

21 October - Plymouth; 22 October - Exeter

27 October - Southampton; 29 October - Portsmouth;