British Council

https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-policy-insight/insight-articles/cultural-engagement-societies-stronger-covid-19

“By providing a platform for cooperation and exchange with those from diverse backgrounds and communities, our programmes have also helped build trust and widened young people’s opportunities and perspectives.”

“Research conducted by international agencies such as the UK’s DFID and the World Bank indicates that those societies with more open and inclusive systems are the ones that have been most successful at promoting growth and stable development over the long term.

Recovery efforts in the wake of COVID-19 therefore need to look not only at the immediate public health and economic crises, but also at how education and culture can help develop the kind of human and social capital that makes countries more adaptable and resilient. ”

“Building a bridge to more open societies

At times of crisis, the values that underpin free, pluralist societies can be lost as communities face restrictions and seek to prioritise their security in the face of threat.

International cultural engagement can provide a window through which young people can observe, experience and understand how different societies like the UK work.”

“Embracing diversity, building trust

Formal and informal education can also strengthen the social capital required to build resilient, inclusive societies.

In a crisis, cooperation is the key to an effective response, and high levels of social capital – the relationships, shared values and understandings that bind a group together – are the basis of collective action.”