ABC's of Cohesion

A Practical Approach to Community Cohesion

The ABC's of Cohesion is a community cohesion tool that has been specially created by Dervish Arts in response to the changing world post 9/11 and 7/7 attacks in the US and UK. The perpetrators of the 7/7 attacks were home-grown British citizens who felt compelled to murder and maim in the name of Islam. The threat of radicalisation and extremism is a reality the world over, in the US, Europe and indeed Britain. The challenge for us Britons is to counter the threat made by extremists and to formulate a coherent strategy that can ‘keep out’ the radicals and prevent further radicalisation whilst also engaging wider society in a dialogue about cohesion and the role of tolerance, Islam and diversity in Britain today! The ABC's of Cohesion© are not meant to replace current national or local government cohesion strategies but rather to act as an enabler to community cohesion. Dervish Arts wants local communities to engage in a dialogue about how diverse communities can add value to Britain and commence a dialogue about how to define their role, all of this through art, literacy and music! ABC's of Cohesion Logo

The ABCs of Cohesion© have been created to pro-actively engage with every member of our diverse communities. They aim to tackle some of the difficult questions that our communities are facing in today's environment. So whilst being challenging, thought provoking and self reflecting the ABCs are also geared to ensure that fun and enjoyment are central through a medium of creative art!

There are three modules that constitute the ABC's of Cohesion©;

Appreciation: i.e. of one’s own culture and the creed and cultures of others
Britishness: i.e. we all belong to one country built on similar values , and
Community: i.e. united in tolerance and understanding we are stronger

The target audience of the ABC's of Cohesion© are schools, colleges and universities. Schools are a central point for most communities where children, parents and other professionals, of varying ethnicities, meet on an almost daily basis. It is also believed that young adults are most at risk or susceptible to radicalisation. This is why we believe that providing an informative and balanced view of diverse cultures to this demographic is so vitally important. The challenge for government and society is to bring indigenous and ethnic minority communities together in a safe and non threatening forum to engage in dialogue, this starts the journey of tolerance and understanding. Dervish Arts will strive to achieve this safe forum through the vehicle of creativity i.e. · Art, · Literacy, and · Music

...A is for Appreciation: 'Of other cultures and creeds'

The purpose of this module is to create a basic understanding of an individuals place in their local community, first and then, in wider society . There are some communities in Britain that have high levels of one ethnic mix e.g. Christianity or Muslim. Bradford is a classic example of a city where there are two segregated communities living almost totally disparately. An example of content for this module;

Beginning to understand traditional / different cultures
The history of Muslim Culture in Britain
The similarities of other faiths to Islam
Of the contribution and value added by Muslims to wider British community

... B is for Britishness: 'We belong to one country built on many similar values'

B is for Britishness The purpose of this module is to celebrate the value that we all add to the British way of life. Part of this process involves understanding our individual role and how we individually make our contribution. This module also asks the learner to think about how Islam (and other respective faiths) can co-exist together with an individuals other responsibilities to British society.

An example of content for this module;

To challenge questions like ‘Can you be British and Muslim?’
‘British values are they very different to cultural values?’
‘Identity – Difference is OK!’
Pro-actively empower those at risk of extremism

... C is for Community: 'Together we are stronger'

C is for Community This module is aimed at bringing every member of a community together to celebrate their respective community. The projects underway at school would ‘overspill’ into homes to engage parents! Only by achieving a willingness to celebrate tolerance and diversity can we become a truly united community.