Sheffield Faiths Forum—supporting faith groups:
- to be more effectively involved in decision-making in the City
- to work together within local communities
- to help the needs of excluded people be heard and met, and
- to improve faith awareness in Sheffield.
Sheffield Faiths Forum is a voluntary organisation launched in March 2007 and is supported by OFFER (Sheffield’s Community Empowerment Network).
Sheffield Faiths Forum exists to:
- increase the ability of faith groups to be heard and influence decision-making within the City; and
- ensure that the extensive skills and experience of local faith communities are valued and utilised to their potential.
Members of the Faiths Forum have been recruited from the main faith traditions within Sheffield on the basis of their skills and experience in their faith community and civic life.
The Forum supports a network of around 400 faith groups, faith related agencies and faith based community projects to engage in the wider life of the city. It has also developed formal links with statutory, voluntary and community partners and the Local Strategic Partnership (Sheffield First).
Why was it developed?
The development of the Faiths Forum was led by faith groups and faith leaders in Sheffield in order to support faith group involvement in key issues for the City including regeneration, community cohesion, responding to emergencies and crises, improving faith awareness and explaining the contribution of faith communities to wider society.
How is it run?
Sheffield Faiths Forum is an unincorporated voluntary organisation which is administered by OFFER (Open Forum for Economic Regeneration). There are two full-time staff employed by OFFER supporting the work of the Forum.
The Forum is currently funded through Central Government grants targeted at supporting inter faith activity. The Forum’s funding is managed by OFFER.
In June 2008, Sheffield Faiths Forum was chosen as one of only 73 projects nationally to receive 3 years funding (until March 2011) through the ChangeUp Improving Reach fund.
What does it do?
The Faiths Forum meets on a monthly basis and manages an ongoing programme of events and projects which support our aims at both a city-wide and neighbourhood level.
Each year the Faiths Forum consults with faith groups in the city to set its priorities for the coming year – those identified for 2008/09 include:
- Community Cohesion
- Neighbourhood based work
- Young People
- Faith group visits.
Background - find out about our history and how Sheffield Faiths Forum was developed
SFF Members - find out who are the current members of Sheffield Faiths Forum
Values and aims - find out about our values, purpose, aims and characteristics
What is OFFER?
OFFER is the city-wide network for all of the voluntary, community and faith organizations in Sheffield (the VCF sector).
OFFER exists to support VCF organisations and networks to work in partnership and strategically influence the creation of successful, inclusive communities in Sheffield.