GUIDING PRINCIPLES
SOCIAL COHESION
The Leaders Who Dare to Dream Foundation's programme: the Breaking Down Borders Africa Initiative aims to bring youth together, and at the core of achieving that aim is the promotion of social cohesion:
According to the UN, a “cohesive society is one where all groups have a sense of belonging, participation, recognition and legitimacy… Such societies are not necessarily demographically homogenous. Rather, by respecting diversity, they harness the potential residing in their societal diversity (in terms of ideas, opinions, skills, etc.).”
UNICEF refer to social cohesion as “the quality of coexistence between the multiple groups that operate within a society. Groups can be distinguished in terms of ethnic and socio-cultural origin, religious and political beliefs, social class or economic sector or on the basis of interpersonal characteristics such as gender and age. Quality of coexistence between the groups can be evaluated along the dimensions of mutual respect and trust, shared values and social participation, life satisfaction and happiness as well as structural equity and social justice.”
As a civil society organisation, we have incorporated social cohesion into their work through:
Identify and using mechanisms that support solidarity and conflict management
Support social networks that bring divided groups together
Working through and collaborating with CSO alliances and coalitions
Working across identity-lines; build CSO coalitions across identity-lines
Reflecting and improving social cohesion values in our organizational practices
Fostering a common sense of belonging, a shared future vision and a focus on what different groups have in common
Encouraging participation and active engagement by people from different backgrounds in political processes and community activities