Jo is listed as a guest speaker for one of our discussions but she does not work at Cumberland Lodge. We cannot share her contact details and it is not always possible for us to pass on contact enquiries to past speakers.
Jo Broadwood is the CEO of Belong – The Cohesion and Integration Network, a national charity and membership organisation. Belong brings people and organisations together across sectors locally, regionally and nationally to improve integration and cohesion practice and to influence policy.
Belong raises the profile of work that seeks to bridge divides and strengthen social cohesion; providing knowledge, resources, training and skills. Together with its members Belong mobilises for a more cohesive, integrated, kinder society.
Since May 2020 Belong, in partnership with the University of Kent and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, has been undertaking a major research project, Beyond Us and Them on the impact of Covid-19 on societal cohesion. Amongst other striking findings, they have discovered that local areas that invested in social cohesion fared better than elsewhere during the pandemic. Their most recent findings are here and a paper on the implications for policy and practice is here.
Previously Jo worked for 10 years as a Community Cohesion advisor for the Department of Communities and Local Government supporting local areas to reduce community tensions and improve good relations. She has also worked in senior leadership positions in the civil society sector leading on the development and delivery of programmes to address conflict and violence in the lives of young people, and to build social peace.