Swedish Government learning from Southwark

They were welcomed to 160 Tooley Street by Deborah Collins, strategic director, communities law and governance, and Stephen Douglass, head of community engagement to learn from Southwark's way of promoting cohesion and shared values.

The delegation took part in an interactive workshop led by Michael Cleere, community cohesion co-ordinator, on the council's success in promoting cohesion and integration, celebrating diversity and ensuring similar life opportunities for people from different backgrounds.

Later that day they were taken on a borough tour and introduced to the work of Cambridge House in Camberwell, where they experienced one of the centre's many projects - the adult learning disabilities group, 19+.

They also visited Hannibal House in Elephant and Castle, where they learned about the work of Community Action Southwark (CAS), the HIV prevention project LEAT, Volunteer Centre Southwark, and the Pecan project for young people.

The Swedish State Secretary for Integration and Gender Equality, Christer Hallerby said: "We experienced life in a truly diverse part of London and discovered that Southwark has a long history of successful engagement with migrant communities.

"I was particularly impressed by the level and quality of partnership working between the voluntary and statutory sectors. You have a vibrant community in Southwark and it is well deserving of its international recognition as a centre of excellence and innovation. I hope we can replicate some of this in Sweden".

The visit was organised by Government Office for London (GOL) and Southwark Council's community engagement division.

Stephen Douglass, Head of Community Engagement, described the exchange as "...a great opportunity for sharing our examples of best practice and for building international partnerships. Visits of this kind also help us to reflect on the work we do, and to constantly improve our performance".