Resilient Communities Conference at Cumberland Lodge

27 November 2019

This Conference explores thought-provoking, challenging and innovative examples that can lead the way towards more inclusive forms of community life and opportunities for shared commitments in the wake of events or developments that fracture and divide local populations. We will seek to explore pressing questions such as: 

• How can social cohesion be fostered to create communities which are more robust and resilient to such disruptive events?
• How can fractured communities be brought back together and reconfigured in their wake?
• How can different actors – state, civil society, local people and others – collaborate and respond to conflict and decline, whilst promoting positive trajectories for the future?

The conference will start at 10am on Thursday 27 February 2020, and finish at 4pm on Friday 28 February 2020. Participants are expected to attend the whole event.

This Conference will be held under the Chatham House Rule in order to enable frank and productive conversations. We will eventually publish a Cumberland Lodge Report that captures key themes and recommendations from the expert discussions, with the aim to inspire policymakers, academics, practitioners, corporations and other influencers.

In case you are unfamiliar with Cumberland Lodge, the charity was founded in 1947 and seeks to empower people, through dialogue and debate, to tackle the causes and effects of social division. We convene multi-sector, interdisciplinary conferences, seminars and panel debates to engage people of all ages, backgrounds and perspectives in candid conversations on societal and ethical issues that affect us all. We commission rigorous, interdisciplinary research to guide these conversations, and we refine key themes of discussion into practical, policy-focused recommendations.

We are pleased to be able to offer five bursaries for this conference, to support PhD students working in relevant fields with the costs of travelling to and from Cumberland Lodge. All conference costs, shared-accommodation and meals will be provided free of charge.

To find out more about the conference and to download the bursary application form (uploaded as a PDF on the right-hand side), please visit our website. The deadline for applications is Monday 20 January 2020.