Dialogue Society Launches Office Branch in Brighton

Tue, 22 Oct 2013 14:00 in Community Engagement

Where: Dialogue Society, 201A Church Road, BN3 2AH, Hove, Sussex
Date: 22nd October 2013
Time: 14:00

The Dialogue Society is delighted to announce the official launch of its new Brighton branch office. The new branch office was officially opened today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by local residents, supporters and the Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Councillor Denise Cobb. Short speeches were delivered by the Mayor and by Ilknur Kahraman, the Co-Director of the Dialogue Society. The office will serve as a regional headquarters for Dialogue Society work and projects run in the South of England.

In her opening speech, the Mayor said: “Brighton is one of the most diverse places in the country and we know here that no two people are the same. However, we are often quite ignorant of the traditions, customs and lifestyles of those we come into contact with every day. There is an increasing need for initiatives that bring people together and build understanding and trust between people of different cultures, religions and ideologies. The Dialogue Society’s work to advance cohesion by connecting communities, empowering people to engage and contributing to the development of ideas on dialogue and community building will help us in Brighton to build a better future for local communities.”

Ilknur Kahraman, Co-Director of the Dialogue Society said: “The Dialogue Society has been working since 1999 to advance social cohesion, interconnectedness and greater understanding between people and communities in the UK. We have been extending our work beyond London since 2009 and have been working in the South of England for the past few years. The opening of a new branch office in Brighton is a natural development of an on-going effort in that vein. We are delighted to be in a position to be launching these new premises through which we aim to reach wider and deeper into Brighton’s diverse communities.”

#Ends#

The new branch office address is: Dialogue Society Brighton Branch, 201A Church Road, Hove, Sussex, BN3 2AH.

For photos of the launch event please click here. For further information please contact Mahmut Gunaydin This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Notes to editors

The Dialogue Society is a registered charity, established in London in 1999, with the aim of advancing social cohesion by connecting communities, empowering people to engage and contributing to the development of ideas on dialogue and community building. It does this by bringing people together through discussion forums, courses, capacity building publications and outreach. It operates nation-wide with regional branches across the UK. It was founded by British Muslims of Turkish background inspired by the teachings and example of Muslim scholar and peace advocate Fethullah Gülen. The Dialogue Society is not a religious or ethnic organisation. It aims to facilitate dialogue on a whole range of social issues, regardless of any particular faith or religion. It stands for democracy, human rights, the non-instrumentalisation of religion in politics, equality and freedom of speech.