For reference: Social Cohesion keywords/definitions
- Trust
- Belonging
- Identity and pride
- Co-operation
- Connection
- Dialogue
- Inclusion
- Strong intergroup relations
- Reduced social isolation
- Increased participation in civic and socio-cultural activities
Procedure to use the Action Template
- Select / Copy the text on this page
- Paste into an email draft to yourself
- Fill in the content in your email draft
- Remove what you don’t need
- Click *send*
Social Cohesion Talking Points
Purpose: Explaining the impact of your project in plain language to someone in a conversation.
In this situation, the goal is not to memorize a perfect script, but to remember the logic of your brief so you can speak naturally and adapt it to the person in front of you.
When having these conversations you should therefore keep these four things in mind:
- How these interactions signal they contributed to social cohesion
- The project context
- The activity
- The interactions observed
Instructions
Review the paragraph you wrote last week in your Social Cohesion Brief to refamiliarize yourself with your overall message!
In the template below, content is divided into:
- Standard text you do not need to change
- Fill in the blanks from your website and your Brief
Once you have completed the Action Template:
- Review and edit the text to reflect your unique organizational voice
- Check in with the Organizational Voice coaches and the Pitching coaches to refine further
We have included prompts in [[ SQUARE BRACKETS ]] indicating which part of your Brief applies.
Please make sure you delete these directives when you are done.
Advocacy Talking Points Template
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A. Why it matters
[[ Refer to STEP ONE in your Brief ]]
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Social cohesion is about how connected people feel in their communities: through trust, belonging, participation, and relationships across different groups. It really grows when people have meaningful and creative opportunities to come together.
We created this project because we saw a need for [add your community need, gap, or opportunity] in our [name your community or region].
Through [describe the program / activity / artistic experience], we brought together [participants or groups] to take part in [what the project was].
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B. Results
[[ Refer to STEP FOUR ]]
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What we noticed was that participants benefited in many different ways, like [social cohesion outcomes – what increased]
When we think about the impact, a standout moment for me was [describe a specific observed result or impact].
And that’s really what social cohesion looks like in practice: [restate your most prominent social cohesion outcome].
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C. Next Steps
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I’d love to discuss how you can support our journey. [add your ask reinforcing any key value in STEPS 1-7]
At [your organization’s name], our work is [[ Select key points from STEP 7 ]]. Arts and culture creates space for social cohesion to grow, and is reflected in things like trust, belonging, inclusion, and connection. When it comes down to it, these are what people are looking for in their communities, even if they don’t always name it that way.
In many cases, these moments are supported by what we see more broadly in the sector as well. For example, the Artworks Report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce proves that people engage in arts and culture because it helps them connect with others and feel a stronger sense of belonging. We saw that reflected directly in this project.
Note: Check our Five Steps Guide for Writing Economic Impact Talking Points for additional tips.