Faithnetsouthwest’s Annual General Meeting and Conference takes place on 6 October 2009, at the Taunton Catholic Centre, The Mount, Taunton TA1 3NR – highlighting the themes of Inter Faith Week and the events taking place during the Week.
The AGM starts at 10am. The conference will start between 10.30am-45am, depending when the AGM ends, please arrive prepared for the earlier start time. The conference will end at 3.30pm.
One of the key aims of the conference is to promote the aims of Inter Faith week and to ensure the aims and objectives of the week are pursued beyond Inter Faith Week itself, these aims are:
to strengthen good inter faith relations at all levels to increase awareness of the different and distinct faith communities in the UK, in particular celebrating and building on the contribution which their members make to their neighbourhoods and to wider society to increase understanding between people of religious and non-religious belief.
Presentations will be made by the Right Reverend Mike Hill - the Bishop of Bristol, Warwick Hawkins from the Cohesion and Faiths Division of the Department for Communities and Local Government and Farooq Siddique from the Government Office of the South West. There will also be an opportunity to hear more about the work faith groups are doing to support the local community, and workshops on engagement with faith communities and how faith communities can raise the profile of their work in the community and get their voices heard. There will be workshop sessions to enable everyone attending to give their views, as well as an opportunity to give questions to the presenters. The conference should be of interest to all faith groups and organisations who want to work with them on community issues and find out more about them.
This will be our first event since the creation of our new membership structure. Membership is free and the criteria for membership are set out in our objectives and membership code of conduct. Full and associate members are entitled to participate in our interactive website, have priority booking for forthcoming events and access to briefings and other information provided by Faithnetsouthwest – including our quarterly newsletter and fortnightly e-bulletin. Membership also gives the opportunity to have a say in forming priorities for the work of Faithnetsouthwest and receiving advice on developing community projects and working with faith communities. Full members are also eligible for nomination for membership of the Faithnetsouthwest Board of Directors.
For more information contact Faithnetsouthwest. Please pass on this information to anyone you think might be interested.
Details are also on our website: www.faithnetsouthwest.org.uk
