Strategic objective:
Effective communities

Citizenship is a means by which individuals, communities and society as a whole can be strengthened. Effective citizenship fosters a sense of identity and belonging and is essential to building a fair, cohesive society from which no-one is excluded.

We promote an understanding of citizenship that has its basis in civic life and shared decision-making. This is especially important today. Society is facing major challenges around diversity and inclusion. Respect for, and engagement with the formal political process is at a worryingly low ebb.

  • We want our communities, our workplaces and the other spaces in which we live to be places where active, effective citizenship is nurtured and encouraged;
  • We believe that diverse communities can be strong, confident and outward-looking and that these qualities are best fostered through engagement, participation and an understanding of our shared rights and responsibilities;
  • We want to stimulate critically informed, reflective and confident discussion about what ‘community' means in the twenty-first century and about how fluid, changing, diverse communities best work.

By 2013, we will have:

  1. Continued to develop policies, programmes, projects and publications that explore the complexities of identity, belonging and diversity as aspects of citizenship in a fragmented world;
  2. Brought a citizenship perspective to areas of policy and practice that seek to build understanding across diverse communities, differing lifestyles and apparent cultural divides;
  3. Raised the profile of citizenship and participation as means of resolving problems and contributing to the diverse and tolerant communities we want - for our personal safety as well as for future social, economic and cultural success;
  4. Examined and evaluated the role of schools and colleges in promoting community cohesion and inter-cultural understanding, employers in facilitating employee volunteering and corporate responsibility in the workplace, and community development professionals in nurturing local engagement and leadership development;
  5. Set out an inspiring vision of citizenship as a means of reducing anti-social behaviour, supporting higher educational attainment and building employability, especially amongst young people.

Further information

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