Young and old celebrated the diversity of Lancaster and Morecambe at an event organised by Global Link at the Ashton Memorial recently, to raise awarenes of ‘scapegoating’ the practice of cultures to blame minorities for all society’s ills.
Young people from Ripley St. Thomas High School, and older people from the Friendship Centre attended an event organised by Global Link development education centre at the Ashton Memorial. The participants shared food, learnt about the history of migration into the Lancaster area, and went through the ‘Witch Hunts: then and Now’ exhibition, housed at the Ashton Memorial until November (apart from when it is in schools).
They used the exhibition as a stimulus for a joint philosophical enquiry into why it is that humans in all societies at different types feel the need to scapegoat others.
Anthony Finnerty from Global Link said, ‘Scapegoating – or blaming the vulnerable or ‘different’ – for society’s ills is a human instinct. The exhibition explores this theme in Lancaster 1612, Nigeria 2012, and the UK in 2012, and was an ideal stimulus for a philosophical enquiry exploring diversity and community cohesion’.
The event was the culmination of an Awards for All Lottery-funded project which trained community workers in the ‘Philosophical Enquiry’ methodology, and which ran ‘philosophical enquiries’ with a number of diverse groups. The enquiries explored issues relating to diversity, migration and community cohesion.
Celia Gardner from the Friendship Centre who attended the event said, ‘I enjoyed talking about things that you think about but don’t always talk about.’
Joy Robinson from the Friendship Centre said, “I enjoyed the ‘Witch Hunts: then and Now’ and the ensuing discussion, particularly the connections between 1612 and 2012.”
– For more about the work of the Lancaster-based Global Link visit: www.globallink.org.uk