| What are Communities of Interest? |
Across the District there are communities of interest - they are more invisible, less obvious, than communities with geographic boundaries, like Thornton or Braithwaite.
They pull in and link, through common experiences and concerns, individuals scattered across the whole District.
However they experience difficulty, discrimination or lack of recognition when trying to put their views forward.
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Communities of Interest are:
- Communities who share an identity
- Communities who share an experience and concern
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Communities who share an identity
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Whatever the group, it is an identity that is life-long - it is part of what that person is,
and it plays a part both in how others see them and how they see themselves.
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Examples:
- an ethnic identity, such as African or Eastern European
- people with a long-term disability
- the lesbian, gay or bi-sexual community
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Communities who share an experience and concern
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The community is linked by a life experience that, in many cases, individuals will grow through and come out of,
but others will take their place; the issue and the need remain the same.
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Examples:
- carers of elderly or disabled people
- young people on drugs
- people who are homeless
- refugees and asylum seekers
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