Inter Faith Week 2009: A and report evaluation Inter Faith Week 2009: A report and evaluation • Promoting good inter faith relations • Highlighting the contribution of faiths Published 2010 by the Inter Faith Network for the UK to building community (registered charity no 1068934 and company limited by guarantee no 3443823 registered in England) • Increasing understanding between faiths and wider society 8A Lower Grosvenor Place London SW1W 0EN [email protected] www.interfaith.org.uk ISBN 1 902906 42 X Inter Faith Week 2009: A report and evaluation Inter Faith Week 2009: A report and evaluation 1 © Inter Faith Network 2010 except for copyright of material in Annexes produced by external organisations, including the material at Annex E, which is © Crown copyright 2009 Published by the Inter Faith Network. Prepared in consultation with the Department for Communities and Local Government Inter Faith Network for the UK (Registered charity no 1068934 and company limited by guarantee no 3443823 registered in England) ISBN 1 902906 42 X The Inter Faith Network for the UK 8A Lower Grosvenor Place London SW1W 0EN Tel: 020 7931 7766 Email: [email protected] Web: www.interfaith.org.uk 2 Inter Faith Week 2009: A report and evaluation Inter Faith Week 2009: A report and evaluation Foreword 5 1) Introduction 7 2) Background to Inter Faith Week in England 9 3) Planning for the Week 10 4) Resourcing the Week 17 5) Inter Faith Week – Parameters of the Project 19 6) National Launch 23 7) Faith Communities’ National Inter Faith Week event at Lambeth Palace 29 8) Events to mark the Week 30 9) Impact: How well were the Week’s aims seen as being met? 53 10) Conclusion 63 ANNEX A News release 66 ANNEX B News release 68 ANNEX C Media – Samples of local coverage 72 ANNEX D Inter Faith Week flyer and poster 78 ANNEX E Schools and Inter Faith Week 80 ANNEX F Events supported by CLG 116 ANNEX G Launch presentations 119 ANNEX H Exhibitors at the national launch 135 ANNEX I Samples of local week publicity 138 Inter Faith Week 2009: A report and evaluation 3 4 Inter Faith Week 2009: A report and evaluation Foreword The first national Inter Faith Week in England and Wales took place from 15 to 21 November 2009. In England it was facilitated in partnership by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Inter Faith Network for the UK (IFN), working with its member bodies. The Inter Faith Network was delighted to join with Government in working on the Week and that this spirit of partnership was echoed around England in the numerous events involving faith communities and local authorities and other public sector bodies. The Week in England was developed with the help of a CLG/IFN led Steering Group, with representation from the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Local Government Association and the Community Development Foundation. It drew also on the experience of Scottish Inter Faith Week, then in its sixth year, and we thank those from the Scottish Inter Faith Council who gave valuable advice. The English Regional Faith Forums (RFFs) played a very important role in relation to their respective regions, helping to encourage events and advertise these through their websites and, in a number of cases, to hold regional launches for the Week. The Week was not a centrally directed, ‘top down’ one with formal ‘badging’ of events but, rather, one where all were encouraged to join in. This report on the Week in England gives a flavour of some of the many different kinds of events and projects which took place during a remarkable Week: a week where faith communities came together at local and national level; where people of many different faiths and none learned more about the different religious communities and their contribution to society and visited their places of worship (often for the first time); and where people from different faith backgrounds talked, played music and sang together, and engaged with each other through inter faith sporting events, cooking demonstrations and joint projects from litter picking to tree planting. It was also, importantly, a week where people of religious and non-religious beliefs debated their positions and considered points of commonality. From the outset there was an intention to try to secure maximum involvement in the Week from young people. So we are delighted to report that it was a week when thousands of school children learned about inter faith issues through classroom and whole school activities; further and higher education students held inter faith events and joined in joint projects; and many more young people had a chance to talk about their own beliefs and learn about those of others through special conferences and events. We were very pleased that the Department for Children, Schools and Families commissioned special materials for the Inter Faith Week website for use during the Week and that the Inter Faith Youth Trust joined with CLG in supporting thirty five special Week related youth projects. We are also grateful to the National Association of SACREs and the RE Council for England and Wales for their part in encouraging schools to mark and make good use of the Week and to the National Union of Students and chaplaincies for their encouragement to students to take part. Inter Faith Week 2009: A report and evaluation 5 This report, written by the Inter Faith Network office in consultation with the Cohesion and Faith Division of CLG, looks at how the Week was planned and executed. We hope that it offers a helpful record of many of the excellent activities which took place, analyses some of the strengths and weaknesses of the planning and the challenges faced and provides a basis for thinking about future such Weeks. We thank, on behalf of both partners in the Week, all who contributed to the report and to the Week itself and to making it such a success. Dr Girdari Bhan, Rt Revd Dr Alastair Redfern, Co-Chair Inter Faith Network for the UK Co-Chair Inter Faith Network for the UK May 2010 6 Inter Faith Week 2009: A report and evaluation Inter Faith Week 2009 • Promoting good inter faith relations • Highlighting the contribution of faiths to building community • Increasing understanding between faiths and wider society 1) Introduction extensive trawl of other listings on the internet during the Week and The first national Inter Faith Week (IFW) in subsequently England and Wales was held from 15 to 21 November 2009. In England it was facilitated • Blogs of people who attended Inter Faith in partnership by the Department for Week events Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Inter Faith Network for the UK (IFN). • Responses to an IFN/CLG survey about the Week This report on Inter Faith Week in England has been written by the Inter Faith Network office • National and local radio and press in consultation with the Department for coverage Communities and Local Government. It documents the processes followed to develop • Presentations made at events the Week; surveys the range of events held for it; assesses the impact of the Week; and • Comments offered by members of the considers pointers for the next Inter Faith public who contacted the Week’s Week which it has recently been announced organisers through a dedicated email will take place from 21 to 27 November 2010. address given on the website Sources drawn on for this report include: The report, while wide ranging, cannot be comprehensive in the examples it cites of the • IFW Working Group papers hundreds of excellent events and projects which took place to mark the Week in • Reports to the IFN Executive Committee England. A more extensive listing will be put and to the Faith Communities Consultative on the Inter Faith Week website. A short Council of CLG and discussions by illustrated booklet about the Week is also members of these bodies planned. • Information on events sent to IFN and CLG, For the two national events involving including reports from national faith and Government and IFN, details of the inter faith bodies which received grant programme and speakers are given. funding from CLG for Week related events Elsewhere, for reasons of brevity, events are reported more briefly and names of speakers • Information on events drawn from the not generally included. Those interested to sites of the nine English Regional Faith find out more about the events described can Forums and their reports on the Week and contact the organisers. IFN can provide their from reports by local inter faith bodies contact details. • Information on events drawn from an Inter Faith Week in Wales was led by the Inter Inter Faith Week 2009: A report and evaluation 7 Faith Council for Wales (IFCW) in consultation websites and, in a number of cases, holding with the Welsh Assembly Government and a regional launches for the Week. A number separate report on this has been produced by have produced their own reports on the Week IFCW: “Inter Faith Week and Eisteddfod or carried detailed reports in their newsletter: 2009”.1 East of England Faiths Council Inter Faith Week 2009 in the East of England: Other reports on the Week Results of Regional evaluation survey undertaken by EEFC January 2010 A number of faith communities and inter faith bodies have produced news round-ups Faiths Forum for the East Midlands of their communities’ and constituencies’ Coverage in January/February edition of its participation in the week, for example the newsletter ‘Know Faith!’ Methodist Church document Inter