The City of London Corporation is excited to be launching a series of City Belonging Networks - aimed at bringing Employee Resource Groups and individuals together across the Square Mile to create events, improve communications and consultation and foster community.
Since its launch in summer 2023, the City Belonging Project has brought thousands of people together from across Square Mile workplaces to celebrate important events, share information and create a stronger sense of community in the City.
City Belonging Networks represent the next stage of that journey: ensuring that everyone who works in the Square Mile is able to be connected to their communities in a way that reaches across workplaces of different sectors and sizes. With more than 600,000 people working in the Square Mile and 1,000 workplaces with more than 100 staff, we are home to countless communities of identity, background, interest, experience, faith and more – which we will work to bring together.
These networks will be a channel for two-way communication and engagement between communities, the City of London Corporation and other institutions in the Square Mile, from the City Police to the Barbican Centre. They will put on events and activities to serve their community, as well as being a vehicle for consultation, and wider civic and democratic engagement.
As part of the City of London Corporation, we will support City Belonging Networks by helping to put together a steering group, securing events spaces, identifying potential sponsors and partners, maintaining mailing lists and ensuring that as many workplaces as possible nominate a representative to each. Where community networks already exist within the Square Mile, we will collaborate with them wherever possible, ensuring that City Belonging Networks support their work.
We already have expressions of interest from individuals and organisations in starting City Belonging Networks for Women, LGBTQ+, Latin Americans, Neurodiversity, Military veterans and reservists and a number of faith and national communities.
If you would like to discuss creating a City Belonging Network for your community, please get in touch by completing the interest form or by emailing belonging@cityoflondon.gov.uk