(Photo: John Leggat)National forum maps out creative ways forward after the 2011 riots in the UK.

by Michael Smith and Anjali Guptara

A forum held at the Initiatives of Change centre in London on 1 February brought together some 100 community and faith leaders and representatives of non-governmental organizations to discuss ‘After the riots: from blame to positive action’.

The forum was organized jointly by Burning2Learn leadership training programme for young people, the Civil Society Forum, the Cordoba Foundation, and Initiatives of Change UK.

The event was a listening forum, explained Don de Silva, Head of Programmes at IofC, welcoming participants on behalf of the organizing committee. ‘Many of the individuals here have hands on experience in dealing with critical issues, such as social exclusion, family life, youth offending and community cohesion.’

Dr Peter Selby delivers the keynote (Photo: John Leggat)Dr Peter Selby, former Bishop to Her Majesty's Prisons and former Bishop of Worcester, gave the keynote address, saying that that custodial sentences and bail provisions for some of the rioters had been too harsh. It reflected ‘a system of punitive attitudes’ that disregarded what affect this would have on the welfare of young people and the future of society. He contrasted this with ‘individual acts of over-indulgence at the top’ by some bankers and politicians who ‘bent the rules to their own interests’ and were resistant to regulation and control. ‘If you propagate a system of disregard you are acting outside the guarantees of a moral universe. Last August was a call to live for a system of regard.’

During the day there were presentations by young people involved in the riots and by people working for solutions through community building and social work. Anas Altikriti, Chief Executive of The Cordoba Foundation, closed the forum observing: ‘What we have learnt today is that the greatest resource and asset we have is people ... All of us can make a change. All over the world, we see the resurgence of the youth as a force to transform society.’ A young rioter commented afterwards: ‘I did not know that there were many people who cared and listened to people like us. This event is a rebirth for me.’

A full report is available on the UK IofC website, or it can be downloaded as a PDF file below.

Watch a clip of the forum: