Together for the Common Good calls for stronger local relationships – and releases free guide for local groups.
Together for the Common Good, one of CTE’s Bodies in Association, has published a free guide to help local groups build on the great community spirit that emerged during lockdown.
Let’s Continue to Build Community helps local groups consolidate neighbourly relationships. The guide includes four short sessions that lead to a simple action plan agreed by those involved. The session guide is free to download from the Together for the Common Good website here: https://bit.ly/LetsContinueToBuildCommunity
The four sessions can be run online or in person and are designed to bring together people who despite different backgrounds, life experiences and opinions are prepared to collaborate for the good of the neighbourhood. Everyone participating has an equal voice and leadership of the group can be shared, so there’s no need for one person to do it all.
Alison Gelder from Together for the Common Good said: “During the crisis, you have probably been connecting with many people and organisations across your community. Why not gather a group to take that energy forward?”
Participants could be neighbours, key workers, faith leaders, community leaders and volunteers, local business owners, representatives of the Local Authority, police, NHS, schools, people who have used the foodbank or other community services. The sessions are suitable for everyone of all faiths and non-religious backgrounds.
Jenny Sinclair, director of Together for the Common Good said: “We saw great community spirit emerging during lockdown and we don’t want to lose it. As the fallout of the pandemic unfolds, we’ll need to continue to work together to strengthen our neighbourhoods. This is a new resource we are offering to help people at this time – please try it.”
Framed around Common Good principles, the sessions provide an opportunity to encourage open conversation and mutual responsibility, building on goodwill already existing in the community.
For each session, the guide has a short piece to read in advance, and questions to prompt discussion and action. The sessions are not a series of lectures nor a set of neat and tidy answers, but a framework for constructive conversation and practical action. There are full instructions and tips on preparing for and running the sessions.
Geoff Knott, founder of Word on the Streets said: “As lockdown eases, many people will want a return to the status quo. But the COVID-19 crisis exposed many underlying weaknesses in our society, and as the economic impact hits, life will get tougher for many. That is why pursuing the Common Good is so necessary.”
About the free resource
The “Let’s Continue to Build Community” guide:
- consists of four sessions in the form of a free pdf download from https://bit.ly/LetsContinueToBuildCommunity
- includes instructions and tips on preparing for and running the sessions;
- includes an outline for each session, readings and questions;
- is written in non religious language to be inclusive for people of all faiths and none;
- enables leadership to be shared in the group: one person doesn’t need to do it all.
- is designed so the four short sessions can be run online or in person.
- stimulates discussion to enable participants to look at what is going on where they live and work through the lens of Common Good principles
What is ‘the Common Good’?
‘The Common Good’ is the shared life of a society in which everyone can flourish – as we act together in different ways that all contribute towards that goal, enabled by social conditions that mean every single person can participate. We create these conditions and pursue that goal by working together across our differences, each of us taking responsibility, according
to our calling and ability. The Common Good is something we build together – it fosters community spirit and strengthens the bonds of social trust. It transcends party political positions. Find out more at: https://bit.ly/CommonGood_Thinking
About Together for the Common Good
Together for the Common Good (T4CG) is a small charity working to strengthen the bonds of social trust. Our vision is of a world transformed, where more and more people take responsibility for the Common Good.
Our mission is to help people play their part and fulfil their vocational responsibility by putting Common Good principles into practice. We call people to work with others across different opinions and backgrounds in shared purpose, to strengthen our civic immune systems and uphold the sanctity of human beings and creation.
We do this through training resources, public conversations, online and printed materials, talks and sessions. We partner with people and organisations across the churches and with allies from fellow faith and non-religious traditions. T4CG works across the UK and beyond.
Find out more: www.togetherforthecommongood.co.uk
Contact: [email protected]
Together for the Common Good is a Body in Association of Churches Together in England.