feature: Rejoicing in our diversity
14 May 2008
A new Community Cohesion forum for Haringey has been officially launched by the council.
Haringey is one of the most diverse areas not only in London but probably in Europe, with people from all over the world making their home in the borough.
The good news is that 80 per cent of residents say Haringey is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together. And the diversity of the borough is one of the main reasons why people like living here, according to the consultation carried out for the Haringey Community Strategy.
“We are proud of our diversity and our record of good relations between different groups,” says council leader Cllr George Meehan. “But all of us need to keep working to maintain community cohesion.”
The new forum will therefore bring together representatives of different groups across the borough, to promote good relations between all communities in Haringey.
Explains Cllr Meehan:
“This is not just about different racial, ethnic and religious groups, but about relations between people of different ages, different areas and different sexes and sexualities, and between those who are ill and disabled and those who are not.
“It is about forging a sense of common belonging that bridges the differences between us, and that will be the focus of this new forum.”
That was also the message from Equality and Human Rights Commission head Trevor Phillips, speaking to councillors and partner agencies last month.
Haringey was in the lead in tackling the question of how to be fair in a world of growing difference, said Trevor, who was born and brought up in Wood Green, and still lives in the borough.
“I was lucky to get the opportunities I have had,” he said. “Our challenge is to take the luck out of equality, so that we move towards a society where your destiny is not determined by your origins.”
To find out more about the Haringey Community Cohesion Forum contact Inno Amadi on 020 8489 2580.
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