Belong’s Shared Ground programme develops people’s skills to identify and address divisions and contentious issues in our towns and cities, including by sharing ways to assess community sentiment and develop tension-monitoring systems.
Just as importantly, we explore how to foster good relations and support local leaders who can promote positive strategic responses to local issues and communicate effectively.
That’s why we’re delighted that Julie Siddiqi MBE will be the guest speaker at one of our Shared Ground online sessions. Julie’s activity focuses on developing interfaith relations and collaborative social action. Her background is in community grass roots work spanning over 25 years. She founded a local charity for Muslim women; is co-founder of The Big Iftar which organises hundreds of grassroots community events around the UK during Ramadan; has been the Executive Director of the Islamic Society of Britain; and co-founded Nisa-Nashim, the Jewish and Muslim Women’s Network. Bringing lots of her passions and expertise together, Julie recently established Together We Thrive, a social enterprise, network and online platform to train and inspire Muslim women to fully participate in society at every level, and to challenge patriarchal attitudes in all communities.
Julie will join one of our sessions in a programme which includes a range of high-quality contributions from experienced practitioners and academics, scenario-based exercises to develop practical skills, and opportunities for information-sharing and discussion.
To find out more about Shared Ground, and how to join the programme, click here or email us on hello@belongnetwork.co.uk