Now, more than ever, we need community, togetherness, solidarity and hope. Our team has spent two years learning how to build connections within and between communities, through Steps to Togetherness – a national grassroots-led civil society movement, which we believe can now be scaled to shape the future for the better. Join us for a joyful and inspiring online session to absorb the many learnings from our evaluation (soon to be published) and be part of our plans for the future.
The Steps to Togetherness story will be told through the voices of some of our treasured partners from a range of localities in a podcast-style discussion. We’ll be facilitated by the one and only Dee Brecker. After the main discussion, you’ll be welcome to stay on the call and join an open conversation with the other brilliant and inspiring change-makers who will be on the call.
Steps to Togetherness is all about building connections within and between communities. We believe the most salient issues facing the UK all have a shared root cause: a lack of connection and community. In a nutshell, the UK over the years has been primed to be a highly individualistic society underpinned by systems shaped by a colonial mindset. These systems inherently create widespread disconnection, and therefore loneliness. Loneliness is terrible for our health and wellbeing. What is more, widespread loneliness provides the perfect conditions for divisive narratives to thrive, because loneliness makes us paranoid, angry and resentful. When we are divided, it becomes very difficult to bring about positive systems change, so it’s a vicious cycle.
Steps to Togetherness offers a vision for widespread behaviour change. We can all do our bit to help intercept this vicious cycle by connecting more in our neighbourhoods, workplaces and communities. 32 Steps to Togetherness is a resource of ideas for practical actions we can all take.
Over the last two years, thanks to the National Lottery (Bringing People Together grant stream), we have brought together and supported a range of partners who share this vision. With them, we have co-produced and delivered a wide range of programmes and initiatives
When we look at symptoms, problems can seem unrelated. When we look at their shared root causes, suddenly it becomes clear how they are all interlinked. Steps to Togetherness helps foster solidarity among different sectors and movements working on a wide range of (seemingly unrelated) social justice issues.
After two years of Togetherness, the movement is raring to go and ready to be scaled! The overwhelming excitement and engagement with Steps to Togetherness has led to a movement that far outstripped our original goals. Our evaluation concludes that this success is testament to the conceptual framework, partnership model and our approach – and how well-positioned we are to facilitate it. We’ve worked with a huge range of partners. We’ve developed a suite of tools – workshops, talks, materials, training, free capacity-building support – which we can readily tailor to different contexts. With an abundance of success stories and rich learnings, we’re confident we have the tools to successfully foster togetherness at scale. (Shoot us an email if you’re interested to see our DRAFT strategy for 2026-2029). Steps to Togetherness has never felt more needed, and we have never felt more ready.
Unfortunately, our current funding situation doesn’t quite match up. We have been thrilled to have been funded by a grant from the National Lottery for the last two years. Having come to the end of that grant period, we’ve been forced into an extended period of reflection whilst we wait to secure funds. We’ve been evaluating and strategising. So long as socially divisive and extremist racist views are being mainstreamed, we’ll remain determined to keep going.
The Togetherness movement is living on in a few ways – thanks to ad-hoc support from different partners and through our wonderful network of grassroots civil society organisations (see Storytelling for Togetherness). But until we secure a significant grant, it feels like having our wings clipped at a time when Togetherness, solidarity and hope have never been more needed.
We really hope this short but powerful online session will help to strengthen our position to secure new funding so that we can re-energise and further scale our social cohesion and community-bridge building work nationally.
Regardless of whether we get more funding to continue the Togetherness movement as we know it, we want to share everything we have learned! We have traversed the country and worked with some incredible partners in different places and on different themes. We’ve had a blast, and learnt so much about how to work well and efficiently, led by what communities know is needed and the strengths they and our treasured partners have. We’ve got inspiring stories, insights from a wide range of people and communities and tips, tricks and do’s and don’ts.
We also have oodles of further ideas for continuing, deepening and expanding the movement. We hope by listening to our story, you’ll spot opportunities for us to support and work with and alongside you.
If you have been part of Steps to Togetherness, this is an opportunity to celebrate, understand the wider movement that you have been part of, and support us as we dream big about continuation and scaling.
If you’re working on similar themes (such as loneliness, social cohesion and/or systems change) – sometimes we may be tempted to see each other as competitors. We invite you to put that to one side and come learn from our mistakes! The the joys that lifted us, the struggles that tested us, and the surprises that shaped the movement. Take inspiration! Steal our ideas! (But please remember to thank and credit us if you do!) We hope that when you come to the event, you may spot opportunities for us to work together in partnership, which we can then discuss.
You may have heard about Steps to Togetherness, but not known exactly what it is. You may have not heard of it at all, but be interested in the concept. If so, this is an opportunity to learn a lot very quickly in an easy-listening event.
If this is the type of work you might want to fund – we invite you, with no pressure or expectations, to pop along. We might be what you’re looking for. Either way, listening to this conversation will help you build clarity and gain valuable insight and knowledge.
In other words – there’s something for everyone and the more the merrier. Please do come and show your support.
This event is designed to be joyful and inspiring for all.
The podcast style discussion will be structured yet conversational, lasting about 1hr. Anyone wanting to talk more will be welcome to stay on the call for longer. It’ll be a warm, relaxed and inclusive atmosphere from start to finish, but more interactive during that second half. We’ll likely kick things off with a poem!