We Build Bridges
From a free community development course by We Build Bridges
The Every One Every Day project began in 2017 in Barking & Dagenham and, over 6 years, it grew a network of 1000s of people in neighbourhoods across the borough who collaborated on different projects and activities to make everyday life a little bit better, for everyone.
The project was the first of its kind; a free-to-access network of high street spaces, where you could learn, discover and connect with others; a place where you’d be greeted by fellow neighbours and a friendly team to help you bring your ideas to life.
The vision was simple: Neighbourhoods where people regularly come together, build trust and friendship, and support one another in practical, every-day ways.
Is it possible to build a neighbourhood where people from all walks of life come out of their homes, meet, collaborate and create together? And could these kinds of activities - rooted in participation and practical cooperation - be a key to strengthening social cohesion, especially in diverse communities?
What was learned?
The Every One Every Day project is officially closed, but the resident collaborations, projects and social infrastructure it helped to create, live on in the borough. And due to this hands-on work and research, a comprehensive framework has been developed - structures, models, and tools that consistently bring people together across divides of culture, age, religion, income, and education - creating something rare: shared public life that feels accessible, useful, and, vitally, inclusive.
Inclusivity is not a feature of this approach - it’s the foundation. Bringing together people with similar backgrounds doesn’t build cohesion - there are so many opportunities in neighbourhoods to do this already. What matters is successfully draw different people into shared spaces, where they can work side by side on something meaningful and practical - opportunities that are largely missing in most UK neighbourhoods.
We need to build institutions and platforms that make our diverse neighbourhoods the best possible places to grow up and grow old in. This won’t happen magically – it never has. It takes a lot of effort and political will. It also needs concrete action - practical spaces, co-creation facilitation, careful strategies, inclusivity practices and the implementation of new models and design methods. These need to be invented by people living in their communities - and in this approach, these people have been part of innovating every aspect.
Based on this deep experience, a free to access, step-by-step online video course has been created - "We Build Bridges". It shares the full details of the approach - how it works, the research behind it, and how to implement it in your neighbourhood or city. The course compares this type of inclusive participation with other models and co-design strategies to understand the key differences.
Don't you long for stronger, community-rooted infrastructure in your area?
We are living through profound change. Economic pressures, political divisions, and widening inequality strain our communities and shared sense of belonging. Yet alongside these challenges lies extraordinary potential. In neighbourhoods everywhere, people still want to connect to something larger than themselves, to build friendships and mutual understanding. Through the project learnings, we can know what social infrastructure makes that possible - and how to support it. Done well, this work builds trust, strengthens connections, and sparks confidence that spreads far beyond any single person or project.
"We Build Bridges" is an innovative course designed to foster social cohesion through a fresh approach and practical tools - learning and implementing an approach to building social infrastructure in the neighbourhoods where you live or work.
This open access, online course is designed with maximum flexibility to fit your schedule and learning preferences. It is divided into three engaging sections, each featuring five concise modules. The entire course takes just 5 hours and 15 minutes to complete, and you can progress at your own pace - whether at work, home or on the go.
Created as a comprehensive guide, this course gives you conceptual frameworks that are easy to remember, along with many practical tools developed through the research. These will enable you to fully implement this approach in the neighbourhood where you live or work.
See more details here.
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From a free community development course by We Bui, 13/10/2026