What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, London (and the rest
of the England) was in a state of shock as riots
(and subsequent looting) held the authorities hostage for about a week or
so. Writing
on this subject a year ago, I stressed that if anything what was needed was a
collective response from both the government and wider society in dealing with
the complex background context that had fermented the riots. I talked about the need to engage with each
other and to start the process of linking to not only
understand each other but to strengthen communities, add to social cohesion and
contribute to personal and professional development through friendships made
and work undertaken across the partnerships.
However since then,
despite assurances of addressing some of the real issues, it seems that not
much has really been done. There have
been some compensations paid (but it appears not in the same amounts that were
promised), buildings have been rebuilt and people have been jailed. There has been very little done to address
some of the underlying factors that led to the riots. Several news reports on the anniversary of
the riots spoke to local residents who claimed
that the status quo had remained and what change had come about was as a result
of the communities coming together despite Government assurances of helping.
It is
the community that has taken the first step to collectively move forward from
blame to positive action to address the root causes. One such community forum
took place on the 1st of February 2012, which looked specifically at
how grassroots organisations responded and should respond to such an incident,
taking into account the moral and values-based dimension of the problem. What was particularly unique about this forum
was that it brought some of the principled players, who were involved directly
with the riots: either as perpetrators, victims or people who prevented the
riots taking place in their own back yard, and allowed them the space for
sharing success stories and best practice and to have real engagement between
the youth and people who are involved with making real changes within their
communities. In the wake of the anniversary of the riots, the report
of that forum has been published and makes for some interesting reading.
The views in
particular aired by the youth should point us to their frustrations and
concerns especially in relationships with the authorities, police stop and
search, the quality of education, lack of job opportunities, and the lack of
resources to develop facilities for the youth in their areas. The young participants who attended
the forum were candid in identifying that some aspects of negative youth
culture, misuse of social media, a breakdown of respect within society, and a
lack of purpose were important issues to be addressed. The voices of the youth speak out and tell us
precisely where our time should be more productively used, in ensuring that it
doesn’t happen again.
What this report
tells us is something that was already common knowledge despite the best
efforts especially by the Government to paint it otherwise, that the riots that took place in London and other cities in the
summer of 2011
cannot be
viewed or solved in isolation, without taking into account the wider picture. At the heart of the crisis is the
frightening failure of
integrity in
society and in the words of the former Bishop of Worcester “we need to attune
our moral compasses and move away from a ‘system of disregard’ that had emanated
from the top of society and had made its way to the bottom”.
In order for us to tackle the roots causes of the
riots there is a need for new insights and alternative solutions. We have to develop values that can counter
consumerism that will come not only from an education process but also by
developing closer relationships between families and communities. In it is a
role for faith communities in particular, to move out of institutional power
politics and to provide a narrative and a
space in which one can start to explore some of these discussions of ethics,
values and morals. Thus communities must recognise that the solutions to
their challenges lie first with themselves and how they focus on the youth who
are the drivers of the future with the provision of support, advice and guidance. This involves tackling real issues of the
lack of aspirations and motivation amongst young people and enabling youth to
find meaning and purpose in their lives. Throughout Britain,
there are seeds of hope. As the report
shows, these are sown by community groups and
organizations who out of the bankruptcy of
failed regeneration efforts, are stepping into fill the gaps.
In working to change the system of disregard decision
makers and figures in authority like the police must increase real engagement
with communities through regular consultations with community leaders, groups
and schools thereby reducing resentment amongst grass roots communities. The challenge for all of us, particularly decision
makers, would be to facilitate and ensure that such initiatives are sustainable
and spread throughout the country at all levels.
There thus needs to be space and confidence established and more importantly
sustained for this type of engagement to take place which can lead to the
creation of stronger communities that can
share best practices but also come up with organic solutions to their problems.
This year London
has been seen in an entirely different light.
The Olympics have showcased the city in all its summer glory, warmth and
hospitality. Add to it, the remarkable achievements
of Team GB athletes and there is a really strong feel good factor and pride in
the nation at the moment. The
anniversary of the riots has been largely overshadowed by the games and some
would cynically say that, the games have been a distraction, masking the real
issues underlying London and the UK in the midst of a deep recession and other
social issues. Those same news reports
on the anniversary of the riots spoke to people from the communities at the
heart of the riots last year, who claimed
that the Olympics did not touch them nor did they feel ‘inspired’. This is where the real challenge lies now in
the legacy of the Games. Whilst the
motto of London 2012 has been ‘To Inspire a Generation’, it is not just
inspiration that is needed. It is real support;
guidance and hand holding that can create a space for the next generation to
flourish.
Since inner city
communities bore the brunt of the impacts of the riots, they should be the
first recipients of this legacy and hence we need to communicate with marginalized communities.
To do this, it is vital to identify key ‘gatekeepers’ who have influence within
marginalized communities such as teachers, former gang members and religious
leaders, who are part of the solution and not the problem. What the
Olympics have served to show is that results are borne from hard work,
dedication and perseverance. The
achievements of the athletes goes very much against the grain of the markets
dominated life, we have allowed ourselves to fall into, where more is better if
it is done quickly and without much effort. This is the inspiration that needs
to be drawn from the Olympians who now have a responsibility to engage with
these at risk youngsters to inspire them to achieve beyond their dreams.
People can be
inspired but without access to facilities and an opening up of opportunities,
that inspiration fizzles out to disillusionment. Currently there is little
scope in the school curriculum to provide young people with a bigger purpose in
life and so it is important for ‘out of school’ experiences such as sports and
working and serving in the community to be developed. The government will have its part to play in
correcting the structural weaknesses in society that lead to social inequity
and isolation, however there has to be a bigger role for wider society. The great sense of pride (and unity) that has
swept the nation and allowed them to embrace as the best of British, the
multiculturalism of the opening ceremony and the plethora of medals by people
who capture the diversity of the UK society, has to be channelled and utilised
in order to inspire and offer opportunities for
the next generation. London 2012 cannot
afford to be written off as a party for a few weeks, but in essence, we will have to sustain that spirituality of
commonality, which we discovered during the Olympics that will
allow us to recognise the common space and substance that will provide the fuel
for social change.
In short, we must learn to listen closely to one
another, not simply because it is polite, but because it is just possible that
we might learn something important about ourselves, become better human beings,
and build a better global village in the process.
This was first published here in Fair Observer
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