Community Links (South Lanarkshire) was established in February 2002 as an independent community consultation and engagement organisation.  Originally evolving from the Social Inclusion Partnership, Community Links is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status now working across all the communities in South Lanarkshire with a particular emphasis on areas which fall into the worst 15% for deprivation as identified by the Scottish Index Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). We are one of the few dedicated third sector community engagement organisations in Scotland and have a strong focus on the asset based approach of working with communities.

Statement: Community Links carry out three interlinked projects.  These are:

Cross Community Action Research

This project will consider how sectarianism has impacted upon nine diverse communities across central Scotland and looks to tell a largely untold story about how sectarianism has affected different communities– in both the past and present.

By highlighting community experiences and the unique histories of communities in Inverclyde, Ayrshire, Glasgow, North and South Lanarkshire, Stirlingshire and Edinburgh the project will explore how complex interactions of history, culture, identity and place have shaped community level understandings, interpretations and attitudes towards sectarianism.  It will also show how sectarianism has, and continues to change in light of wider social and cultural changes.  Through this process, the proposed project will make an important contribution to our understanding of intra-Christian sectarianism in Scotland. 

Challenging sectarianism through social marketing

Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram  etc.) are important aspects of  contemporary social life.  They offer great potential for a range of social interaction both on and offline – from social gatherings to political mobilisations.  However social media also represents forums for the creation and distribution of offensive and sectarian material.  This project aims to educate social media users across Scotland who are at risk of engaging negatively with this material in order to limit social harms and militate against potential prosecution. 

Community Research: Larkhall

From mocking songs to apocryphal shop signs and traffic lights, Larkhall’s reputation precedes it and stereotypes abound. This project works with the community of Larkhall to challenge these stereotypes.  Previous work carried out by Community Links (South Lanarkshire) in Blantyre and Hamilton during the Supporting Communities to Tackle Sectarianism (SCoTTS) initiative examined how intolerance affected the community of Blantyre.    The experience of sectarian related negative stereo-typing was also a prominent source of community displeasure. This project builds on this experience looks to work primarily with adults in Larkhall.  In particular, there will be a focus on how Larkhall has come to be viewed prejudicially as a ‘sectarian’, ‘bigoted’ or otherwise intolerant place.

Definition of Sectarianism: We understand contemporary sectarianism as a complex of interactions between history, culture, identity, politics and place which have multiple, varied and uneven impacts on individuals and communities.  We think that it’s important to think about plural sectarianisms rather than a singular sectarianism.

• Contemporary sectarianism is different from the sectarianism of 20, 50 and 100 years ago in its causes and effects.
• Whilst some institutions are seen as bastions of sectarianism, their protagonists see their actions very differently: the right to celebrate identity and culture is important, as is the need to minimise destructively antagonistic actions and attitudes.
• Whilst ‘old’ spaces of sectarianism have declined (e.g. workplaces), new issues such as social media have emerged.
• Contemporary sectarianism, in a post-secular culture, has been decisively disconnected from its social, economic and religious roots – but sectarian attitudes and behaviours can still be connected to particular forms of social and political identities.
• Anecdotes, stories, and media representations are important to how individuals and communities understand and experience sectarianism.

Resources:

What is sectarianism on social media? Campaign

Community Cohesion

Name: Robin Jamieson

Address: Unit 1A

                 Clydeview Shopping Centre

                 Blantyre

                 G72 0QD

Website: http://www.communitylinkssl.co.uk/

Telephone: (01698) 827583

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