Unity Festivals
an annual open park event in London which was inaugurated in 2011 to bring people together in order to promote community harmony and unity.
Introduction
The Unity Festival is a positive platform where people from all backgrounds can meet and mingle comfortably, get to know each other’s communities and subsequently become more involved in their local neighbourhoods. The purpose is to unite together and experience the fun of a community festival where people learn to contribute and have ‘faith’ in each other.
Aims of the Festival
To create ‘Awareness’ about ‘having faith in each other’
To provide a platform for ‘Dialogue’ to share ideas and set action for Unity, amongst
people of all backgrounds, cultures and faith
To ‘Reach Out’ to others who can benefit from this message of unity in action, by helping
to initiate projects within local communities
The Unity Festival attracts around 30,000 people and has an online following from over 23 countries. Due to the success of The Unity Festival in Southall, The Unity of Faiths Foundation is currently drawing up plans to organise other festivals in the UK as well as internationally.
2011
The Festival attracted around 9,000 people and the community began to hear about what Unity was about.
2012
The crowds increased to over 20,000 people and Southall was being to get established as the foundation for Unity’s work.
Communities
The Unity of Faiths Foundation is regularly involved in working with local groups in the UK and abroad in trying to aid and facilitate dialogue between groups and organisations. The team participates in seminars and workshops on issues of unity and bringing people together.
At part of making the projects inclusive, The Unity of Faiths Foundation encourages volunteerism and mentoring. In the 2013 Unity of Faiths Festival, more than 50 volunteers participated in the organisation of the event.
The types of outreach work done by the Foundation is outlined below:
Connecting
The Unity of Faiths Foundation has links with diverse groups of people and communities. The Foundation endeavours to connect groups and organisations working for unity.
Community Partnerships
The Unity of Faiths work with various local organisations in order to help delivery projects and messages related to peace. In 2014, this included partnering with the Muslim Community to deliver a local Iftar in Southall under the banner of Together in Service and The Big Iftar. With the Chinese Community, the Foundation worked on the 3rd Chinese Cultural Festival in London. With the Hindu community, the Foundation got non Hindus involved to participate in the Shoba Yatra by having a float travelling through the streets of Southall as part of the festivities. On each of these projects, Unity of Faith’s Foundation mission to bring people of different faiths and backgrounds to a common cause and get people connecting and working together.
Mentoring
The Unity of Faiths Foundation is committed to offer volunteering opportunities to people and especially the youth. It continues to mentor young people in various areas of its work, and during the festival season more than 50+ volunteers are working with us on all kinds of productions.
One of the newer projects of the Unity of Faiths Foundation is establishing a football team, TUFF United. The ethos is to allow young people some supervised recreational activity for young people who otherwise will not get any opportunities. Unity of Faiths Foundation is working with the support of a local training ground and the goodwill of official football trainers.
Leadership in Unity
The Foundation is keen to invite prominent individuals and role models who are committed to convey the message of unity. In 2014, Shri Ram Jethmalani spoke at the House of Commons and at the Law Courts about his extraordinary career in politics, law and now in his quest for unity across the globe.
