Monday, 05 January 2009

Spare a thought

Dalia pic It would be nice to think that organisations like the Dalia Association in the Palestinian Territories could really be given the chance to show what community development can do. (Thanks once again to Hildy for the link).

Their site carries a thought-provoking note from Avila Kilmurray, Director of the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland:

What was overwhelming about the situation faced by the Dalia Association was the need to work in a society where freedom of movement is so stringently curtailed; where a people are grasping desperately at protecting their own story and culture; and where even the best efforts at reconstruction can be swept aside by the politics of the day.

The pic is from the Dalia site, taken by Muthanna Al-Qadi.

5 Jan 2009 19:10:29

1 Comment

Kevin:
Thank you so much for your support for Dalia Association's work. Building community will be even more important given the devastation Palestinian communities are facing.

Your readers may be interested in this letter from Dalia's Executive Director.
http://hildygottlieb.com/2008/12/29/letter-from-palestine-4/

Again, many many thanks for your pointing to the good work they are trying to do.

Hildy

Posted by: Hildy Gottlieb | Wednesday, 07 January 2009 at 16:11

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Try a little MSI Communities and Local Government today published guidance on 'meaningful social interaction,' reassuringly sub-titled 'How encouraging positive relationships between people can help build community cohesion'. It needs to be seen in the context of the work and recommendations of the Commission on Integration and Cohesion, and more broadly of the debate on how policy can influence behaviour. I happen to think this is an under-appreciated topic and deserves more policy attention, and more media attention, than it gets. And to be fair, the document also deserved a bit of copy-editing: that might have helped avoid the feeling that this theme is given a relatively low priority in a tiny corner of a huge government department. Here's my quick take on it for the Joe Public blog.

Kevin Harris

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