Building on Faith in the community

The University of Teesside has been commissioned to undertake a survey to identify the role religion can play in social regeneration in Redcar & Cleveland, particularly in terms of neighbourhood renewal.

The survey is being commissioned by the Tees Valley Faith Communities Regeneration Group, a multi-faith group initially convened by the Churches Regional Commission in the North East.

Financed by the Government’s Community Empowerment Fund the project seeks to provide a direct source of communications from neighbourhood and community groups to Government and establish the role played by Faith Communities.

The Tees Valley Faith Communities Regeneration Group is working under contract with the Redcar and Cleveland Voluntary Development Agency (RCVDA) and the survey should bring to light ways in which faith communities are making a difference and bringing added-value to East Cleveland.

The survey, conducted by the University of Teesside's Centre for Life Long Learning, is being led by Dr Christopher Stevens. He said: "Faith communities already play an important role in bringing people together and this project aims to highlight how these groups could make an even bigger contribution to the community at large.

“One of the challenges we face is that not all faith communities are involved in the wider community and we need to encourage the involvement of the ‘hard-to-reach’ groups and particularly amongst these are some of the ethnic minority faith communities.” A draft report will be presented to all the faith leaders and others who have taken part in the survey on 28 November at 7pm in the Zetland Methodist Church at Redcar. The final report will be published in mid-January 2003.

For further information: Please contact Dr Chris Stevens on 01642 384262, e-mail: c.stevens@tees.ac.uk.

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