Future Local Lab
Local Government ExplainedFaith communities: Resources for local government
Sid Hayward, LGIU
Curated case studies and resources for local government to work with faith communities. Examples this week come from Scotland, England, Belgium and the U.S.
Curated case studies and resources for local government to work with faith communities. Examples this week come from Scotland, England, Belgium and the U.S.
Have your own example to share, get in touch!
Case studies on working with faith communities
SCOTLAND: Glasgow church converted into cinema for Easter film festival
In 2023, a film festival was held in Glasgow in the Easter school holidays, with a twist. For the first time ever, the 19th-century Govan and Linthouse Parish Church was transformed into an independent cinema. The Screen 51 Film Festival hosted three feature, three fringe and two family-friendly screenings. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) led the project Together for Childhood, and joined forces with the church and We Together CIC. The festival has been organised as part of Govan’s wider response to the cost of living crisis and is being supported by the National Lottery Community Fund.
The National
ENGLAND: Camden celebrates local faith groups with ceremony
This year saw the Borough of Camden’s first ever Faith & Belief Awards ceremony, whereto vital work of local faith organisations and non-profits were celebrated. Organised by the Camden Interfaith Network, winners included local charity Faiths Forum for London, which have organised a series of interfaith Iftars nationally, and Hopscotch Women’s Centre, which was recognised for its work to help settle over 1,500 refugees from Afghanistan since 2021, while training council staff on cultural understanding. Individual awards were awarded to people who have made a lasting contribution to Camden and helped to boost cohesion.
Camden Council
BELGIUM: Antwerp aims to set record-breaking community dinner
The City of Antwerp set its sights this year on breaking a unique record, while bolstering community cohesion in the process. Local authorities aimed to break its own record for the longest community dinner table, at over 2 kilometres long, doubling 2023’s record of 1km. The initiative is also a coexistence, communal cohesion project, as the event, hosted on 31 March, coincides with both Easter and Ramadan. All residents were invited to attend and participate to celebrate the holiday while setting a record in the process. Around 7,000 people ended up coming out for the community meal.
The Brussels Times
USA: How interfaith activism can galvanise cities
This case study from Bloomberg looks at Rami Nashashibi, executive director of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) in Chicago and recipient of a $625,000 “genius” grant from the MacArthur Foundation. The IMAN addresses city issues ranging from affordable housing to food justice to arts programs. Inspired by local Jewish-American activism and black Pentecostal-led criminal justice reform, the IMAN specifically delivers a range of direct social services via a food pantry, health clinic, and career development initiative. It has also launched a popular day festival, featuring festivities, musical performances, sports tournaments and carnivals.
Bloomberg
Resources on local government and faith communities
CASE STUDY: Engaging faith communities in public health through ‘Healthy Faith Settings’ toolkits – Birmingham City Council
This case study from the LGA explores how Birmingham City Council’s public health team engaged with the different faith communities in their area, developing a series of community profiles and toolkits for faith leaders to use, to embed public health info into their own work and settings.
INTERVIEW: The power of faith groups to tackle health inequalities
This interview with the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally looks at her work to bring together faith leaders to explore health inequalities in London. It explores what the multi-faith initiative, the Health Inequalities Action Group, has achieved, and how all faith groups can work to improve health inequalities in ways other groups can’t. The group has also published a report on the issue, On faith, place and health: harnessing the power of faith groups to tackle London’s health inequalities.
REPORT: Adjudicating faith: 20 years of secular decision-making for religious spaces
This paper examines 20 years of planning appeals in Victoria, Australia, across multiple faiths. The report argues behaviours in which an ostensibly secular, disinterested regulatory framework obscures deep disquiet at the role and place of religion in the urban fabric of multicultural communities.
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