As an organisation, we want our values to be the driving force behind all societal action and the work we undertake. We strongly believe in the importance of faith and the freedom to practice, share and talk about faith safely. In April 2018, the ‘Punish a Muslim’ Campaign spurred us into action to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with members from Barnet’s diverse, multi-faith population. Together we push for social change and take decisive action against hate crimes. We were approached by several community organisations who were unsure of what they could advise community members to do.

We worked with community organisations, including Barnet Mencap and the Barnet Multi-Faith Forum, to bring people together who have different lives but retain similar values.

In January, we put in a funding application for the Building A Stronger Britain Together (BSBT) campaign and received a grant. Our staff and Barnet Multi-Faith Forum (BMFF) received training on online ‘Crisis Communications’ from M&C Saatchi, who delivered this training.

They used our social media platforms to send targeted advertising messages of inclusion and diversity. This received a positive reaction across our social media. Additionally, the BSBT funding was put towards M&C Saatchi producing a video. The aim of the video was to showcase us, BMFF, and members of our diverse communities whose faith drives their social action to come together to oppose hate crime. This campaign strengthened our efforts to take action against hate crime in Barnet but has also given rise to a strong collaboration and relationship with the BMFF. This has helped us reach more of the community and spread positive messaging around inclusion, acceptance, and the importance of diversity.