Local Development

The Local Development Project exists because the BHA believes that there is a lack of representation in some areas for humanists and non-religious people.  Our experience shows that local authorities communicate with their citizens about diversity, equalities and social cohesion via a complex web of forums, networks and consultations.  These feed into higher level organisations eventually reaching national bodies.

 At a local level, the non-religious are often left out of this dialogue due to lack of organised and recognised systems of communication and lack of recourses.  In many cases local authorities do not even consider including humanists and non-religious people as they are not considered to have any distinct needs as a group; unlike ethnic minorities or the religious.

However, this leads to a gap in knowledge at local level and exclusion of humanists and non-religious people from decision making bodies.  It can also lead to a lot of support for interfaith work which helps to add to cohesion between faiths but does not add to dialogue between the religious and the non-religious. 

Therefore, the local development project aims to:

• identify how humanists and non-religious people might contribute effectively to the work of equality bodies and networks, including groups which discuss religion and belief issues, within local authority areas
• identify how humanists and the non-religious might engage with relevant local government bodies
• set up and maintain a network of humanists and non-religious people to represent the policies of the BHA in their local area
• represent the views of humanists and the non-religious on bodies which take part in local discourse around religion and belief issues
• engage representatives of humanists and other non-religious people within local activity

  by:

  • Recruiting individuals around the country who are interested in taking on an active role in their locality for the BHA.  In some areas these individuals may already exist and will be working with their existing local groups.  However, in other areas, there is no group or the group is not active locally.
  • Setting up these individuals in a network supported by a dedicated staff member.  This includes a web forum, contacting each other and their local group if they have one, an e-newsletter and occasional visits from BHA staff.  In addition, 5 regional training workshops were run for the network to train volunteers in listening techniques and networking.

  The Local Campaigns Officer will co-ordinate activities and contact all local authorities and interfaith organisations.  Local authorities will be given written guidance on working with humanists and non-religious people and how to include them.
  

  Meanwhile, the recruited volunteers will be supported in making contact with their local authority and Council for Voluntary Services.  They will then see what initiatives there are in their area that deal with equality, diversity and community cohesion.  They will then work with these organisations in order to raise the concerns and voice of local humanists and non-religious people.
  

  The project was part funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government via the Community Development Foundation.  The fund was set up by the government specifically for faith groups and is called "The Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund (FCCBF)."  It was designed to promote and support understanding and dialogue within and between faith communities.  The BHA questioned the need for faith specific funding and campaigned to have the fund opened to all religion and belief groups and those contributing to general community cohesion around religion and belief issues.

  Although all local BHA affiliated groups who applied were unsuccessful, the BHA was successful nationally in securing funding for the Local Development Project.