Belonging and Community Debates at the Battle of Ideas Festival 2024

Public debates play a crucial role in shaping policies and addressing the most pressing issues of our time. The Battle of Ideas festival does just that, by bringing together policymakers, academics, researchers, and the public to engage in open, rigorous discussion on key societal challenges.

This year, the Belonging Forum worked with the Academy of Ideas to craft six debates focused on the central theme of belonging at the festival, offering a powerful platform to explore how to create belonging and tackle the issues identified in our Belonging Barometer research.

In this blog, we outline a summary of the rich debates that will help further inform our Charter for Belonging—a first-of-its-kind compendium of practical ideas that can bring people together to solve shared problems and heal isolation. 

A Sense of Place: How to Create Community and Belonging in a Fractured World

Kim Samuel, Founder of the Belonging Forum, opened the discussion on how to create community and belonging in a fractured world by highlighting the variety of places where people find belonging—particularly village halls and art classes. But it is not just about physical places that matter, of course. True belonging comes from connections to purpose, power, and people as well.

During her opening talk, Kim outlined how belonging is “a feeling of being at home wherever you are, having a sense of agency, a sense of place and a sense of grace.”  

Drawing inspiration from Reverend Dr Martin Luther King’s work, particularly his essays about our right not to live in poverty and the importance of fostering inclusive communities, we explored the role of public resources in making community. Kim argued that while each of us as individuals have rights and responsibilities as part of a community, we need to fight for the resources to invest in places that foster community.  As one community librarian in the audience noted, "Community clubs and libraries don’t run for free” – underscoring Kim’s argument for the need for proper funding to sustain the spaces where we come together.

The role of technology and isolation was a poignant theme raised by Abbot Christopher Jamison, President by the English Benedictine Congregation, who remarked that many are “physically alone but digitally connected.” As much as technology offers convenience, it often detracts from genuine human interaction. Abbot Christopher’s words that the “digital world can make connections, but it cannot make relationships” particularly resonated – especially poignant while in a room filled with passionate people engaged in debate, a sentiment that the audience shared.

Director of Schools at the Diocese of Lancaster, Michael Merrick, shared his heartfelt story about his own experience with loneliness despite having a large family, which struck a chord with many in the audience. Michael’s honesty about the isolation that middle-aged men often feel emphasised the need for more places of adult friendship (and in his case, male companionship) beyond just the family unit.

The drop in church attendance being a cause of increased social disconnection was a recurring theme in the room, as people honoured the church’s significant convening role in communities.

Social Democratic Party leader, William Clouston, summarised the consensus in the room when he shared the philosopher John Grey’s quote that, “For most people, the meaning of their lives is a local affair.” We need more public spaces—parks, pubs, clubs, community centres—where people can interact and belong.

Reclaim the High Street

There is widespread agreement that high streets across the UK are in decline, but they are also essential to our communities. This debate tackled this problem, how it affects our sense of belonging, and what to do about it.

Programme Director of World Architecture Festival, Paul Finch OBE, rightly remarked that these issues are “more complex than they appear.” High streets are more than just shopping hubs; they are places where people meet, socialise, and engage with their community.

The challenges facing high streets are vast: economic struggles, the rise of online shopping, and the increasing automation and self-service in supermarkets. Also, as architect Deborah Nagan said, the “homogenisation of high streets” with the same brands showcasing the same adverts people have seen online has limited “anything interesting popping up.”  

Sam Bidwell, Director of the Next Generation Centre, also noted that if high streets “don’t align with what people want then these places won’t succeed.”

The solutions we discussed to regenerate high streets chimed with Sam’s thoughts – curating high streets to suit local needs and making them more vibrant and accessible. This will require investment, but consumers can make an impact too. We can each support small businesses and choose to frequent local stores instead of defaulting to online shopping.

Ultimately, it was agreed that high streets must adapt to the changing needs of communities, becoming more than just places to buy goods, but also centres of community life. As Neil Davenport closed off in his final remarks, “Successful regeneration takes place when communities take control.”

Renting and Loneliness: The Housing Debate

This debate explored the relationship between housing and loneliness. With data from the Belonging Barometer revealing that renters are more likely to feel lonely, the panel chair asked the panel, “How do bricks and mortar shape our lives?”

Liam Halligan, a journalist at The Telegraph, highlighted the scale of the UK’s housing crisis, particularly the lack of new housing supply, which has worsened inequality. James Yucel, who is just 24 years old and from the campaign group, PricedOut, spoke of the crushing effects of poor-quality housing on young people like himself.

Sheila Lewis who works in social housing pointed out that in the 1950s, up to 70% of people rented, but back then housing was more affordable and relatively better quality. This fact, and related points, highlighted that while renting can work for communities, it must be done properly. Many people today feel forced into renting poor-quality homes with minimal choices. The housing market is stacked against renters, with high costs and limited options resulting in isolation and dissatisfaction.

This session underscored the importance of housing as a foundation for building communities and fostering belonging. When people lack stable, affordable housing, they are less likely to feel part of a community, contributing to feelings of loneliness and disconnection.

Boomers vs Zoomers: Bridging the generational divide

At the Battle of Ideas festival, a panel discussion on “Boomers vs Zoomers” explored the generational tensions and whether this is a historically unique situation.

One of the key points discussed, initially raised by Abbot Christopher was how the rise of individual autonomy has led to fragmentation. This autonomy, amplified by technology and social media, has created a world where generations are often siloed, exacerbating misunderstandings between older and younger people. This raised an important question about how we become communities that foster autonomy, and I would welcome you to share your thoughts with us on that question.

Another discussion point centred around older people embracing their authority. The panel argued that Boomers, given their wisdom and experience, should step into their role as societal leaders. They should also embrace that the age difference often leads to tension with younger generations, particularly Zoomers whose lifestyle is more frequently in a state of flux. Trinity College Dublin student, Felice Basboll, noted that Zoomers are “too afraid to open up intergenerational dialogue” for fear of rejection, which prevents younger people learning from older generations.

Natalie Turner at the Centre for Ageing Better brought a different perspective that older people are the most diverse generation due to growing inequalities, commenting “as we grow older, we accumulate advantage and disadvantage.” Although some Boomers have prospered from economic growth and stable careers, others have struggled, resulting in a wide disparity within the generation itself. This economic divide among Boomers complicates any easy assumptions about their influence or attitudes, adding complexity to the debate. Natalie commented on similarities between generations, noting that older people act on and care about climate change as much as younger people.

We are committed to convening our friends, partners, and the public to generate simple, practical solutions to end social isolation and build belonging and it was wonderful to see so many new and familiar faces getting involved. Stay tuned for more as we continue to co-create the Charter for Belonging, and we warmly invite you to contribute your reflections on the debate – if you joined in person or learnt from this blog – through our ‘get involved’ page.