As we reconstruct our communities following the COVID-19 crisis, we must reflect on what sort of community we want to build. These seminars will help us in this process. It will be addressing how we build those bonding relationships with family and close friends which are the essence of supportive community life. In each seminar four speakers from different traditions and contexts will speak to the topic, followed by discussion. The speakers will include:

• Chang Ji Fa Shi (Chen Buddhist)
• Assoc/Prof Bob Dixon (former director of the Catholic Pastoral Research Office)
• Ps Scott Hawkins (Urban Life, Ringwood)
• Rev Glenn Loughrey (National Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Anglican Commission and vicar St Oswald’s, Glen Waverley)
• Swami Sunishthananda (Vedanta Hindu Centre

Through these seminars we will seek to find what is common between our different traditions and backgrounds and understand our differences. Building Linking Community People also need links with organisations and institutions so that they are able to access the resources they offer. These include health, education, financial, emergency, retail and many other services. People need to be confident that these organisations will serve them well with their interests at heart. This seminar will explore how religious institutions can contribute to building communities in which there are strong links and trust in organisations.