Network digest
June/July 2009
To include any items in next month’s digest, please email m.shaw@gold.ac.uk.
News
Adam Dinham has been appointed Programme Director for the Religious and Inter Faith Literacy Leadership Project - an 18 month inter-university, multidisciplinary partnership that will provide a two-tiered leadership development programme for Higher Education leaders and managers. The project will facilitate a cultural change in Higher Education Institutions that will enable them to play a leading role in society with regard to matters of religion and belief. It aims to empower Higher Education leaders to develop strategies to ensure that appropriate provision is made for the needs of staff and students from different religious backgrounds and that good campus relations are fostered through improved engagement with, and between, different faiths.
The Higher Education partners involved in the project are: University of Birmingham; Bradford University; Cambridge Inter Faith Programme (Cambridge University); Newman University College; Surrey University; Warwick University; University College London; and York St John University.
The project will start in September 09. Led by York St John University, it is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce).
(http://www2.yorksj.ac.uk/default.asp?Page_ID=6303&Parent_ID=2539)
Funding Central Launched. NCVO and the Office of the Third Sector launched a new one-stop-shop for funding this month. This is a free service for the voluntary and community sector, providing information on funding opportunities, as well as resources to support sustainable income strategies, including advice on how to tender and negotiate contracts. For more information see www.fundingcentral.org.uk
Tower Hamlets have launched their 'Religion/Belief Equality Scheme'. The Scheme has been developed in consultation with local residents, the Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum and the council’s partners and staff and prepared in anticipation of forthcoming new duties on public authorities to promote equality across all strands, including religion & belief. This is the first of its kind and an example of how local authorities can work with and gain understanding faith groups. One of the Scheme’s key principles is to recognise the role of the faith communities in contributing to the wellbeing of people in the borough and to support them in fulfilling this role. As such, this is a welcome positive endorsement of the important role played by faith groups in local communities. For further information see, www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
The Faith based Regeneration Network’s National Conference report is now available to read or download on the website http://www.fbrn.org.uk/
You will also find videos of the three speakers: Sadiq Khan MP, Mohammed Abdul Bari and Stewart Etherington.
Events
Volunteering @ warwick - call for papers
NCVO/ VSSN Researching the Voluntary Sector Conference, 7- 8 September 2009, University of Warwick, UK The NCVO/VSSN Researching the Voluntary Sector Conference is the primary UK conference for the voluntary sector research community. It brings together over 120 academics, practitioners and policymakers with a shared interest in the voluntary sector and voluntary action. Many of the delegates are from overseas, providing a real opportunity for shared learning with researchers from different countries and contexts. The aim is to build the evidence base by sharing new, emerging research, and then to make the most of that evidence base by connecting researchers with the policymakers and practitioners who use research. The conference is an ‘open space’ to share new or existing research, so this call for papers is an open invite to all researchers working on or with the sector. This includes new researchers (such as PhD students) wishing to present for the first time.
See http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/events/latest/?id=13492
Courses
Facilitation & dialogue skills for inter-faith groups
The St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation & Peace are running a five week evening course aimed at anyone leading or participating in mixed faith groups. The course offers experiential exercises, dialogue, teaching and reflection to support productive conversations. Many of the principles will also apply to working with diverse groups in general. For further information, please see, http://www.stethelburgas.org/aainterfaithleadership_skillsforrunninginterfaithgroups.html
'Expressions of Diversity: A Contemporary Introduction to Muslim Cultures'
Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, Aga Khan University in partnership with Simon Fraser University (SFU),Vancouver, is offering a Summer Programme titled 'Expressions of Diversity: A Contemporary Introduction to Muslim Cultures'. This course will be held at AKU-ISMC's premises in London from July 20 to 31, 2009.
The Programme has been designed with a good mix of classroom and off-site activities. It is ideal for those seeking a short but comprehensive introduction to multi-faceted nature of Muslim cultures. Topics such as the context of pre-Muslim Arabia, the foundational sources of Islam, political developments, the making of the legal thought, the flourishing artistic and scholarly environment, the engagement with modern ideas and institutions and key contemporary issues will be discussed during the Programme. Faculty from AKU-ISMC, SFU, and other academic institutions will be teaching in the Programme. Detailed information is available on the AKU-ISMC website: http://www.aku.edu/ISMC/shortcourses