A national conversation about what unites and divides us, and how we can help reconnect with each other.
On 5th July, the birthday of the NHS, the /together coalition helped bring millions of people together in a shared moment of thanks, as the ‘Clap for carers’ was heard again in streets across the UK.
/together, of which British Future is proud to be a founding member, believes that moments like these – when we come together to focus on what we have in common – are important.
Now we want to find out how we can do more of this. We want to find out whether the Covid crisis has helped bring us closer together – and how we keep hold of that new community spirit into the future.
Talk/together hopes to be the biggest-ever public conversation the UK has seen. From our conversations across the UK we will form the most authoritative picture yet of how COVID-19 has changed our society and what has stayed the same; of the divisions we fear; and the changes that people want to see in order to build a kinder, closer and more connected society.
Talk/together comprises:
- An open online survey, hosted at www.together.org.uk, which everyone is invited to complete today.
- A nationally representative survey later in 2020.
- Citizens’ discussions’: a series of conversations with members of the public in 25 locations across the regions and nations of the UK.
- Stakeholder discussions, which will enable us to hear the views of councils, faith and civil society organisations, business, sport and others who have an interest in social connection.
- An open call for evidence, for people who want to give us their views or share the work they are doing with a wider audience.
- Partnerships with local organisations, who will conduct their own talk/together activities.
Face-to-face discussions across the UK will start in September 2020, public health advice permitting. We will publish some of of Talk/together’s initial findings in autumn 2020, and a final report early in 2021. We will also use our evidence to argue for policy change and the practical action we need to achieve Together’s aims.
How you can be part of Talk/together
- Complete the open, online survey at www.together.org.uk and encourage your networks, colleagues and friends to do the same.
- Contribute your ideas and views when we launch the open call for evidence in September 2020. We will also be asking people to submit evidence by using their phones to making short films that we can use on social media.
- Organise your own talk/together activities and send in your findings. Once it is easier to meet, we hope organisations will organise community discussions, conduct interviews or get members of the public to complete the survey. We want to encourage organisations to pair up and hold such events. For example, a church and mosque or two schools with pupils from different backgrounds come together for a discussion, or an event bringing people together who live in different parts of your city or town.
If you are interested in organising a talk/together event in your area, please email talktogether@together.org.uk.
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