Family. Hometown. Country. Schooling. Friends. Class. Culture. Race. Our roots are powerful. They define us, nurture us, keep us grounded. They help us to grow and flourish – and sometimes they hold us back. Depending on your background, not only do your life chances vastly differ but also your perspective on the country, your values, your aspirations and often your politics. People from all walks of life are not exposed sufficiently to those outside their immediate networks. Separate schools, separate lives and separate futures. The opportunities are limited for people to mix with those who may offer a different perspective, to challenge inherited truths, to increase empathy and understanding. Brexit gave the country a jolt. For the first time many were aware that others felt violently different about their vision for the UK. The referendum exposed differences and we have struggled to find a way to back together. A new narrative But it doesn’t have to be that way. Research shows that when people are exposed to those with different life experiences, cultures, viewpoints and challenges, their biases are reduced and there are powerful benefits to be reaped. They will have both the will and the knowledge to understand the needs of others and act accordingly. The good news is that, after a painful process, people now want to build these bridges – but don’t know where to begin. The Roots Programme is a radical new programme that believes our society benefits if we bring together people with hugely different lives in an authentic and meaningful way. The premise is simple. We will take people from different walks of life and have them meet and eat, talk and debate matters that affect us all. We will unite them and build understanding around their differences and, importantly, their similarities. Authentic leadership To have a real impact, we need to do this for now and for the future. On the one hand, we will work with people in positions of influence in our major institutions and leaders in the communities affected by their decisions. On the other, we will work with state and private schools to have the creative, engaged future-influencers of our country build bridges across socio-economic divides. The programme is designed to do this within a supportive environment, harnessing the desire of those on all sides to seek insight, enlightenment and meaningful change – to show their roots and find out about those of others. The Roots Programme is there to facilitate workshops with all parties to lay the groundwork and ensure that there is meaningful change after the programme for the participants and their respective communities. This ambitious initiative is spearheaded by Ruth Ibegbuna: Ashoka Fellow, Clore Social Fellow and founding CEO of RECLAIM. Working with groups of leaders from business, politics and the media as well as families in working class communities across the country, we will run four Roots Programmes for adults and four schools programmes from January to December 2019.