Guest blog post by The Faith and Belief Forum
We are back and it’s full steam ahead as the Walsall for All Community Dialogue Project begins its next stage. Following the lockdown pause when we were not able to run any dialogue sessions, we have redesigned the project to be COVID-secure, supporting people living in Walsall to have meaningful conversations with others through an online platform.
The project continues to work towards its original aims but this time around with an online focus. We recognise that the last several months have been challenging and turbulent for many people on many levels. For that reason, we believe that now, more than ever, it’s important to connect and reconnect people in a supportive environment to talk about the things that really matter to them.
What is the Walsall Community Dialogue Project?
We are working with Walsall for All to create spaces for local people to come together to engage in conversations about the things that are important to them. The project aims to capture the voices, stories and experiences of those living in Walsall around the themes of identity, diversity, belonging and living together. The project also gives local people the opportunity to engage in conversations and create connections with different people in the borough who they may not usually have the opportunity to meet.
Engaging with groups in Community Dialogue
In phase one of the project, we worked with 16 different groups from across Walsall and in phase 2 we will be working with 18 groups, some of whom took part in phase one and some of whom are completely new to the project. Groups will meet together for their first dialogue session and then be linked with another community group for the second and third dialogue sessions. They will also have the opportunity to contribute to a showcase which will be created towards the end of the project.
Get involved! Opportunities for groups and individuals to be part of the project
If you live, work or volunteer in Walsall and are interested in meeting new people from across the borough, this may be just the project for you. Across three facilitated online dialogue sessions, you will have the opportunity to:
Share your experiences and stories with others
Talk about the things that are important to you about living in Walsall
Meet people from different backgrounds from across Walsall
If you, or a group that you are part of, are interested in getting involved in the project, please register your interest by filling in this form and we will be in touch. If you are having trouble accessing the form, or want to learn more, please get in contact with Daisy King: daisy@faithbelieffourm.org or Jaishree Patel: jaishree@faithbeliefforum.org