Community cohesion has been defined in slightly different ways but, at its core, it means establishing shared values by the building of better relationships across cultural, faith, ethnic and other divides; through bringing people together physically or virtually, to promote tolerance and understanding of the 'other' and reducing the likelihood of tensions and conflict. In this case, the following working definition is used:
Community cohesion describes the ability of all communities to live and grow in harmony together rather than in conflict. It aims to build communities where people feel confident that they belong and are comfortable mixing and interacting with others.
Community cohesion work in South Gloucestershire is overseen by the multi-agency Community Cohesion Steering Group. The main role of the Community Cohesion Steering Group is to coordinate work to develop safe, inclusive, strong, and resilient communities across South Gloucestershire, sharing responsibilities, resources, and actions across agencies. This includes actions agreed in the formalised Community Cohesion Action Plan, securing resources to implement it.
The current community cohesion action plan can be viewed here.
For more details, please contact Asma Ahmad, Community Cohesion Development Manager