Paul Arkwright

Engaging with & investing in local communities is part of answer to economic crisis

I spent the first part of this week in Belfast, at the UK-Dutch Apeldoorn Conference 2009. The conference brought together an intriguing mix of politicians, journalists, academics, business and local community leaders - and a few diplomats. We spent much of the time talking about trust and social cohesion - and what that meant for citizenship in an economic downturn.

The theme of trust was particularly apposite in Belfast, where the republican and loyalist communities have had to put aside deeply-ingrained conceptions about each other and get on with building a society which serves both communities equally. I was struck by the experiences of participants who actively engage in improving the communities in which they live, such as Genevieve Dowokpor, Chief Executive of Youthology, a youth social enterprise organisation based in East London, and Heleen Terwijn who has set up 9 "weekend schools" for immigrant children in underprivileged parts of Dutch cities. The views of those who tackle social problems at grass roots levels are always worth listening to - they help to put theoretical solutions into perspective.

The Apeldoorn Conference has always encouraged engagement between business and social issues. Carmel McConnell, founder of Magic Breakfast, a UK business and charity delivering free breakfasts to low income primary schools was an inspirational speaker urging us to turn ideas into action. And I had a fascinating insight into the world of the Dutch internet from Ben Woldring, one of the youngest entrepreneurs in the Netherlands. I left Belfast convinced that as part of our response to the economic crisis we must engage, and invest, more in local communities.  

Posted at 15:51 09 October 2009 by Paul Arkwright  |  Comments[0]