Belonging 2022: Leading on Social Cohesion

We are so excited to announce details of Belong - The Cohesion and Integration Network’s annual conference:

Taking place at Friends Meeting House, central Manchester on Friday 16 September, Belonging 2022 offers a chance to hear from practitioners, thinkers, leaders and experts from across different sectors on tried and tested approaches for fostering greater trust, social connectedness, belonging and cohesion. It’s also an opportunity to develop a collective voice: calling on policymakers to recognise the importance of community resilience, building connections and bridging divides amid increasing polarisation and inequality. We are pleased to offer a number of free tickets for Belong Network members: three free tickets per organisation for Founder Belong Network members, two free for Advanced members and one free per organisation for Standard Belong Network members. Charges apply thereafter and for all non-members.

Booking is open now for Belong Network members and from July 21 for non-members. Panellists and speakers do not need to register for a ticket.

What’s happening?

Two plenary sessions each with a keynote speaker, panel discussion and audience Q&A:

Morning: Resilience, Connection and Trust – the value of social cohesion

The UK continues to experience a succession of events that are having a profound impact on communities, and on our societal relationships. Events such as Brexit, the pandemic and the current cost of living crisis can exacerbate existing divisions in British society and create new ones, or alternatively galvanise people to come together. Often they do both.

Afternoon: Looking Forward Together

How can we build a story of a socially cohesive UK where places and communities retain a strong identity whilst recognising our interdependence across regions, nations, and between different groups and communities? How can we facilitate less polarising debate and more positive contact to help communities find common ground? Where do we have cause for optimism and on what issues do we have more in common?

Break-out sessions covering:

• Local Government approaches to building cohesion
• Measurement and evaluation techniques for assessing cohesion approaches
• Bringing people together through sport
• Tackling hate crime
• Volunteering and its role in building social connection
• The role of the business sector in fostering social cohesion

Advocacy discussion to build a collective voice on social cohesion to target policy makers

Who’s invited?

Everyone! Belonging 2022 is open to both Belong Network members and non-members - anyone with an interest in social cohesion and fostering connection and community resilience across charity, academic, private, public and civil sectors will find it of interest.

Is it online?

Yes it will be possible to watch online - but you will only have access to the morning and afternoon plenary sessions. If you’re unable to attend in person but would like to watch via Zoom please select an online ticket.

Please select the ticket which best describes your organisation or employer - contact [email protected] if you are unsure. And don’t forget to share this event with anyone else you think may be interested!

Event Venue

Friends' Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, Manchester, United Kingdom