The PEACE Programmes Learning Platform Level 1

Part A theoretical learning, practical learning and applied learning. This part of the project, aims to build on the community relations theme of the Cityside Community Engagement Initiative and will be known as LEAD (leadership, empowerment and development), which can be best described as laying the foundation for the development and sustainability of our current activities and objectives and will provide the essential baseline for developing a cadre of leadership to engage within, build on and expand the community relations and peace-building theme we have been involved in. This is intended to build the capacity both within this area and our organisation to be key community relations activists within a volatile and hard to reach constituency. There is currently a noticeable deficit in grassroots leadership within the north Belfast area and this part of the project is designed to fill that void and source, encourage and harness the next generation of leadership for sustainability. 1. We will identify a group of around 15 individuals, from a cross-section of community, such as women, young adults, adults etc, who have the potential to become leaders within that community. These young people would have the potential to become youth advocates/peer educators, likewise the women identified would have the potential to develop a woman’s voice in what is still a male dominated society. This cross-section will therefore facilitate a multi-faceted approach to leadership development which will be intended to build relations between and within many strands of community, and allow the opportunity for community relations building across these various strands in a equal developmental approach. 2. To develop an indigenous capacity building/leadership programme and engage with a community relations trainer/provider such as TIDES, to design an appropriate learning experience which will incorporate a range of activities, including workshops, study visits, residential, with a menu of accredited courses etc along the key themes of mediation, identity, sectarianism, cross-community collaboration and partnership, committee skills active listening, empathy and collaborative working. The study visits, as well as promoting models of good practice, would also introduce elements of team building crucial towards group development. We will also incorporate within this learning experience key activities which address interface relations, shared space and shared regeneration of neighbourhoods. This will provide an active and comprehensive learning experience where local people can develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to engage within the community relations arena effectively, thus developing a cadre of leadership as a valuable organisational and community resource. 3. We will provide the necessary support network for this cadre of volunteers/leaders through group meetings, events and also on an individual basis, providing feedback and support towards their development. 4. This group of volunteers/leaders will be deployed through placements within existing projects, activities and initiatives with a strong community relations theme, to provide a further level of experience from the practical side, thus giving them the confidence and practical experience of community relations settings within a variety of organisations and initiatives. 5. The volunteers and leaders will also be consistently monitored and their input and development managed in a manner that meets their individual needs and expectations in an appropriate way. 6. During deployment these volunteers/leaders will also be ‘shadowed’ by experienced personnel as part of that monitoring process and also to provide the necessary support network until the development of their confidence and experience allows free flight within a community relations setting if appropriate. 7. The necessary committee skills and experience will be gained from taking part in NBCD and TG committee meetings.