| Path: Home > Conferences > Forthcoming > Jun 08 > Community Cohesion |
How Colleges can promote Community Cohesion
| Date: | Monday 16 June 2008 |
| Venue: | London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 33 Queen Street, London EC4R 1AP |
| Ref: | C1693/0608 |
| Fee*: | Fee:
£190 (non-refundable);
NB: NIACE does not charge VAT on conference and course fees |
[Background] [Audience] [Programme] [Application Form]
Background
What does the current focus on community cohesion mean for further education?
DIUS (the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills) and the AoC (Association of Colleges) have issued a public consultation document entitled ‘The Role of Further Education Providers in Promoting Community Cohesion, Fostering Shared Values and Preventing Violent Extremism’, February 2008. It proposes promoting community cohesion as central to combating the perceived threat of Al-Qaida terrorism.
The Commission on Integration and Cohesion report ‘Our Shared Future’, June 2007, defines its terms: “Cohesion is principally the process that must happen to ensure different groups of people get on well together; while integration is principally the process that ensures new residents and existing residents adapt to each other”.
It envisages “an integrated and cohesive community as one where:
 | There is a clearly defined and widely shared sense of the contribution of different individuals and different communities to a future vision for a neighbourhood, city, region or country |
| There is a strong sense of an individual’s rights and responsibilities when living in a particular place – people know what everyone expects of them, and what they can expect in turn |
| Those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities, access to services and treatment |
| There is a strong sense of trust in institutions locally to act fairly in arbitrating between different interests and for their role and justifications to be subject to public scrutiny |
| There is a strong recognition of the contribution of both those who have newly arrived and those who already have deep attachments to a particular place, with a focus on what they have in common |
| There are strong and positive relationships between people from different backgrounds in the workplace, in schools and other institutions within neighbourhoods.” |
We need to consider how further education fits in since “the development of a culture of learning will help to build a united society." The Learning Age, DfEE 1998
Aims
This conference will examine the role of colleges in promoting community cohesion by considering difficult questions such as:
| Why should we bother? What’s in it for the staff and students? |
| How can colleges celebrate diversity and meet their obligation to promote good race relations? |
| Is multiculturalism dead? Are we sleepwalking to segregation? How critical is English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)? |
| What is meant by ‘promoting shared British values’? How relevant is citizenship education? |
| How can we improve inter-cultural skills and communication between people of different cultures? |
| How should secular colleges relate to faith leaders? How do colleges locate/ source community partners? |
| Are colleges meeting the requirements to eliminate racism, and equality impact assess their practice? |
| How vulnerable are our students? Are colleges potential breeding grounds for terrorism? |
| Is Basil Fawlty’s philosophy (‘Don’t mention the war!’) relevant? |
| What are the implications for the Olympics? |
What participants will get out of attending the event
This conference will enable participants to learn from authoritative speakers and critically share experiences and solutions from colleagues who work in different parts of the country.
How participants can use the information gained from the event when they get back to base
Participants should be motivated to take back ideas for a practical strategy and be better prepared to make a case for government funds to support community cohesion initiatives.
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Audience
The event will be of particular interest to all involved in Lifelong Learning, in particular:
| College Principals and senior staff |
| Managers of adult and community-based learning |
| Equality and Diversity Managers |
| Heads of ESOL and associated provision |
| National Union of Students (NUS) Officers |
| Student liaison officers and counsellors |
| Trade unionists and other advocates |
| Staff involved in outreach and work in the community. |
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Programme
| 09:45 | Arrival and registration (tea/coffee available) |
| 10:15 | Welcome and introduction to the day Chair: Paul Mackney, NIACE Associate Director (FE) |
| 10:20 | Minister’s address: Bill Rammell, Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education |
| 10:40 | Speaker: Dr Abdul Bari, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain |
| 11:00 | Questions and discussion |
| 11:15 | Tea/coffee break |
| 11:30 | Speaker: Stella Mbubaegbu, Principal, Highbury College, Portsmouth |
| 11:50 | Speaker: Sally Hunt, General Secretary, University & College Union |
| 12:10 | Questions and discussion |
| 12.25 | Lunch |
| 13:30 | Round table: ideas to take back; errors or issues omitted from contributions |
| 14:00 | Workshops (Please indicate your choices on the application form)
1) ESOL, adult learning and community cohesion 2) New National Occupational Standards for Intercultural Working 3) The statutory duty on further education colleges to promote good race
relations 4) Student debate and community cohesion 5) Faith issues in further education |
| 15:15 | Plenary session including perspectives from Lynne Sedgmore, DIUS
advisor on Community Cohesion (formerly CEO of Centre for Excellence) |
| 15:45 | Close of conference (tea/coffee available) |
This programme is correct at the time of going to press. The organisers reserve the right to make changes to the published programme in the event of one or more of the advertised speakers being unable to attend. Delegates will have no claim against NIACE in respect of such changes.
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Application Form
(This form is for people not using the online reservation system above.)
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Download Application Form for
this event (PDF file) Tip: to save toner, don't print the cover page |
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When you have printed out the Application Form, please complete the relevant sections on pages numbered 5 & 6 and post them along with your purchase order (1) and/or cheque to: Gurjit Kaur, NIACE, 20 Princess Road West, Leicester, LE1 6TP or Fax it on 0116 254 8368. Please retain pages numbered 2, 3 & 4 for your information. For further information (or if you would like to be sent a paper version of the application form) please contact Gurjit Kaur, Tel: 0116 204 2833, email: gurjit.kaur@niace.org.uk stating your full postal address. (1) Application Forms from individuals must be
accompanied by a Sterling cheque or Banker's draft. Invoices will be raised on
organisations only if a Purchase Order is sent along with the Application Form.
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