What is Stronger Together?
Stronger Together promotes local, community activities that strengthen the connections between people. Stronger Together also encourages local people to have a greater say in what happens in their neighborhood and to take control over where they live and the decisions that affect them.
5 Principles of Stronger Together
1. Neighbourhood based
What happens in the community where we live, is what matters most to us. Stronger Together recognises the contributions that groups, clubs, informal associations and networks can make to neighbourhoods. It’s also about inviting local organisations and buseinsess to contribute to the community – it might be the pub running a community lunch club or a church making its space available for a knitting group to meet.
2. Focus on strengths
We think ‘what is strong; not what is wrong’. Stronger Together is about harnessing the strengths and potential of individuals and groups to help people help themselves.
3. Citizen-led
Things work best in neighbourhoods when local people are given the chance to be in the driving seat. Citizen action is more durable and sustainable than any short term programmes.
4. Relationship building
Isolation and loneliness is one of the biggest problems facing our society. As the poet John Donne said: ‘No man is an island’. We thrive when we are connected with our neighbours We can all help each other to stay connected.
5. Social justice
Celebrating the contribution that older people and people who have disabilities and health challenges can make to community life, we need to ensure that an inclusive approach is at the heart of Stronger Together. For example, if you want to set up a knitting club – how might the expert knitter who is now in a wheelchair going to be included in the group?