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Category: NEWS & EVENTS

Catching up with the CREW; Developing women in Rathcoole

Posted on by DOJ Team

The Rathcoole CREW are building community resilience, developing women in their community and having a great time doing it.

The Programme sponsors the Department for Communities’ Developing Women in the Community (DWC) Programme. It aims to provide women with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to take on roles such as leadership and decision making in their communities.

 

The Programme Team recently caught up with women from the Rathcoole area to hear about their experiences of the DWC Programme. The programmes are delivered by the Breen Centre who have delivered a pilot project and two follow up projects under Phase Two of the Programme. The group were joined by participants from the pilot project who have now formed their own women’s group – The Rathcoole CREW (Creative, Resilient, Empowered Women).

 

One of the first participants on the programme said: “I joined after Covid and at the time was in a dark place as I had just lost my Mother. This group has brought back my self-confidence. You come here and there’s laughter and we believe in ourselves and help each other out. It is empowering others, we now believe in ourselves and we’re looking forward and it’s bright.”

 

Self-confidence and mutual support were common points raised. One participant said: “It has pushed me. I would have been very shy but now I have completed an ILM Level 5 Leadership & Management course and I would never have done something like that before.” Another said: “I’m in the new group. I’ve found that I’m not alone and there are people like me. This programme has been life changing.”

 

The impact has extended beyond the programme and across the community. A participant said: “We have now started an under 14 girls football team and they’re joining the league in September. As well as the football, we’re teaching them self-defence, they’ve done litter picking in their community and we’re bringing them to the National Stadium for a tour. They train three times a week and I’ve now done six IFA coaching badges. Before this programme I would have sat in the house and had no confidence. This is a great example of the ripple effect coming from this programme.”

 

The women clearly feel more empowered now to make a difference in Rathcoole. One woman said: “The knowledge that different people bring about how to make changes has given us all a boost to change things. We don’t have a moan about things that aren’t working – we now know who to go and speak to, to do something about it.”

So, what does the future look like for this group? Working together to improve their community was the resounding theme. One of the women said: “My top priority in this community is addressing drug use. I want to talk to users in a one to one setting and ask them for their thoughts and what they think might help them. We need to ask them for their opinions to help us address the issue.”

 

As we left, one participant summed up how many of the women were feeling: “My kids have seen the huge difference that this programme has made to me. I wouldn’t have gone out before this. But it has been so great to meet people and think that they feel the same way as well.”

Present Future exhibition allows children and young people from PUL communities to showcase their hopes and dreams

Posted on by DOJ Team

A major immersive installation and exhibition showcasing the aspirations of children and young people from Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist (PUL) communities in Carrickfergus, Larne and East Belfast has taken place at the iconic Telegraph Building. The project was supported by the Executive Office through the Communities in Transition project. The event took place as part of the 4 Corners Festival.

 

Organised by Northern Ireland Alternatives and Wonder Arts it was entitled Present Future and features the voices and images of children and young people from East Belfast, Carrickfergus and Larne.

 

Director of Wonder Arts, Jonathan Hodge, explained the idea for the project emerged organically from a group of young leaders who are working to address issues in working-class Protestant communities.

 

“One of these was educational under-attainment and it was felt that this issue fitted well with the overall theme of the 4 Corners Festival – Dreams. Once the theme was agreed, the group participated in creative planning sessions where different ideas were explored.”

“The Cube and exhibition feature the voices of children and young people who have been involved in the Raising Aspirations projects. The younger children talk about what they would like to do in the future, and what is really positive about this is the diversity of aspirations they all have in terms of careers.

 

“The young people talk more about their own experiences of education and making their way in life. The voices have been set to a specially commissioned score by producer Ryan Vail.”

 

Other elements of the exhibition include a set of specially commissioned images of children and young people who have been involved in outreach projects delivered by Northern Ireland Alternatives and Wonder Arts in Carrickfergus, as part of Communities in Transition, exploring their experiences in their community. These images were projected large-scale onto specially erected screens in the Telegraph Building. Speaking about the project, Carolyn Mada from The Executive Office’s Communities in Transition Programme said: “This project is about encouraging children and young people to have dreams and make positive choices about their futures.

“It is also about challenging narratives and stereotypes about children and young people from working-class PUL communities and about encouraging young leaders to think about different ways of telling the story of their community, particularly through the creative arts.

 

“Finally, it demonstrates to children and young people that a career in the creative industries is a viable opportunity, particularly as this is a major area of growth within the local economy.

 

“The Communities in Transition Programme works to build capacity and resilience, providing support in communities which are most impacted by paramilitary activity and coercive control. This particular project has been very successful in achieving that.”

Helping parents to ‘Connect the Dots’ on drug and alcohol issues

Posted on by DOJ Team

Greater Shankill Youth Connects, through the support of Communities in Transition, has launched a brand new bespoke resource for parents to ‘connect the dots’ and develop their understanding around drugs, alcohol and young people. The ‘Dot Guide’ was developed by parents who are part of a working group that involves local Youth Practitioners and is led by Greater Shankill Partnership as part of the Shankill Youth Project.

The Shankill Youth Project was established to give a voice to local young people as well as increasing community resilience in response to local issues and concerns. The ‘Dot Guide’ initiative was developed following a consultation among young people on the subject of drugs and alcohol, which showed that many of them said they would turn to parents if faced with difficulties with drugs or alcohol.

A Parents Working Group, who were recruited as part of the project, felt it was a good idea to create a resource for parents to be better equipped when faced with drug and alcohol issues. Through this work they looked into the current drugs context within the community and the risks associated between substance misuse, organised crime, criminality and paramilitaries.

 

Participants of the programme have been involved in drug awareness training and have gained an understanding of advice and support available in order to increase resilience and capacity to better manage concerns relating to drugs and alcohol.

 

The Dot Guide resource is now live and available online at: The Dot Guide

 

It is hoped that parents will now be more informed to help young people which will ultimately reduce the risk of any escalating drug issues that can also lead to criminal behaviour and the negative influence of paramilitaries, creating a safer and more resilient community.