Celebrating Community Relations Week
Thu, September 14, 2017
Take part in the Causeway Prejudice Challenge
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has launched a new initiative aimed at promoting safe and welcoming areas for all.
The Causeway Prejudice Challenge is part of Council’s proactive approach to improving good relations.
The year-long programme will provide opportunities for elected representatives, Council staff, community representatives and the wider community to promote towns and villages as safe and welcoming places for all people. It aims to develop positive relationships between people of different community backgrounds, and to enhance skills to help participants contribute to improving the attitudes of people within their local areas.
The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Joan Baird OBE, said: “I was delighted to take part in the launch of this project ahead of Community Relations and Cultural Awareness Week, which provides an opportunity to celebrate all aspects of our culture and heritage, to promote cultural diversity and to tackle sectarianism and racism. This Borough-wide venture ties strongly with the week’s primary objectives to inspire new ideas, promote understanding, respect and engagement between and amongst all sections of our community. This year’s theme of ‘Safe space, shared place’ is clearly evident in this venture and I look forward to seeing how it develops.”
The Causeway Prejudice Challenge provides a platform for organisations and groups across a variety of sectors to demonstrate innovative approaches to good relations and highlight how we can build a united and shared community.
If you would be interested in finding out more please contact Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Good Relations Officer Jonny Donaghy on 028 2766 0294 or email jonny.donaghy@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk
The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Joan Baird OBE, helps to launch the Causeway Prejudice Challenge with assistance from Josey Grogan from Springboard. Pictured in the background are Lorraine Coulter, Joy Wisener, Patricia Cameron, and Jonny Donaghy from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Good Relations team and Steph O’Rourke (second, right) from Springboard.
Visit to Fort Dunree & the Famine Village
Glenshane Community Development Limited recently hosted a community engagement project in Glenshane House which explored the impact of the famine, the Anglo Irish Treaty and the creation of the Irish Free State in 1921.
The project was funded by a Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Building a United Community Fund and included a study trip to Fort Dunree & the Famine Village on the Inishowen Peninsula.
The community engagement project expanded the participants’ knowledge of the Anglo Irish Treaty. This legislation, forming the Irish Free State and Ireland’s inclusion as an independent country within the Commonwealth, has since been overshadowed by the Ireland Act 1949 which renamed Ireland “Eire” and removed the country from the Commonwealth. This learning was augmented by workshops on the famine and a visit to the Famine Village which made participants aware of how this event impacted upon the country at the time, leading to unprecedented death and emigration. It also looked at how its consequences are still felt today.
A spokesperson for the participants said: “In exploring these subjects through workshops and onsite visits, we realised that things are rarely black and white and that people who could see the bigger picture were needed to negotiate a better deal for their people, something which resonates today given the current political stalemate. Ultimately we feel that this project did help to improve Good Relations and we agreed that it would be in everyone’s best interest if our communities could benefit from visionary leaders.”
The Glenshane group pictured with a tank at Fort Dunree during their visit to the Inishowen Peninsula.
NRC students visit Ballymoney Museum ahead of Community Relations Week
Business Administration students from Northern Regional College in Ballymoney visited Ballymoney Museum ahead of Community Relations Week.
Students viewed a new exhibition which celebrates the unique history of Ballymoney Model School, and its subsequent change to a controlled integrated school. The exhibition showcases photographs and artefacts of classroom and playground life through the years, encouraging all members of the local community to come together and reminisce about their experiences.
The students were fascinated to see the large array of objects on display, ranging from prehistoric times to road racing and the town’s more recent past.
The students were exploring the Museum’s potential as a resource for research and as a way of understanding their local area. They were particularly impressed by the museum’s new local history and genealogy research centre.
Ballymoney Museum is open Monday to Thursday, 9am– 5pm, Friday, 9am-4.30pm and Saturdays 9am-5pm. Admission is free.
Students from Northern Regional College in Ballymoney pictured in Ballymoney Museum during their recent visit.
Good Relations programme organised by Roe Valley Residents Association
Residents from different backgrounds recently came together to participate in the ‘Building Brighter Futures Together’ project organised by Roe Valley Residents Association.
35 people were involved in the six-week project which was funded by the ‘Building a United Community Fund’ provided by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.
Throughout the programme, open dialogue was encouraged so that participants could learn about community, history and traditions. Workshops covered topics such as flags, emblems, and other religious and cultural affiliations and provided opportunities for participants to have more understanding and insight of other traditions. Guest speakers from the Orange Order and the Ancient Order of Hibernians provided detailed insight into each organisation and were able to dispel myths which have existed for generations.
Educational visits were also part of the programme and these included visits to the Belfast Peace Walls, Windsor Park, the Somme Heritage Centre, the Aviva Stadium, the Battle of the Boyne Visitors’ Centre and Dublin Museum. Closer to home, there were also study visits to the Bogside, the Museum of Free Derry and the Siege Museum.
Project co-coordinator Karen Campbell said: “I think one of the best outcomes of this project was that participants felt valued and included, and appreciated that their differences were respected as differing identities were explored and shared in a safe environment. Many talked of their own experiences throughout the Troubles and this also provided an excellent learning opportunity for the younger participants on the programme who had not lived through the conflict. The project enabled everyone to challenge their own perceptions and to build mutual respect. For many, this was the first time that they had engaged in a Good Relations project and it was encouraging to see friendships develop and a growing trust of one another. There is an eagerness within the group to progress further with these topics over a longer programme, which we hope will be possible in the future.”
Good relations funding for West Bann Development
West Bann Development is delighted to receive funding from Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s ‘Building a United Community Fund’.
The funding will be used to facilitate a number of cultural and community trips under the theme of “Different Eyes on History”, including a visit to Dunluce Castle and Corrymeela which will look at ‘unearthing the past to inform the future’.
At Dunluce Castle, Dr Colin Breen, author and Senior Lecturer, will lead participants as they explore culture and shared heritage as a useful way of introducing a new way of thinking about communities today. He will address questions like ‘did we all experience deprivation and poverty?’ and ‘were there instances when we united so that we could all survive?’
Dr Breen said: “This is an excellent opportunity for people of all ages to get involved in an interactive experience to learn about their past and to get a sense of place, as well as a better understanding of their shared history, cultural heritage and the connections between the different traditions.”
The organisers would also like to acknowledge the support of IFI through the Peace Impact Programme.
For further information on how you might get involved in this programme, please contact Catherine Regan on 028 7032 7859.
A celebration of Indian culture held in Limavady
Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre in Limavady held a celebration of Indian Culture, dance and food to mark Community Relations Week.
The colourful event was organised by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Museum Services.
The event celebrated the diversity of the community living in the Causeway Coast and Glens and created an open forum to showcase Indian culture through art, movement, smell, and taste.
The evening was the final event to accompany Sanskriti, a stunning travelling exhibition which explored Indian culture and the experience of Indian families in Northern Ireland.
Under the theme Safe Space: Shared Place, events held to mark Community Relations Week cover issues including dealing with the past, language, faith, interfaces, Traveller culture, and promoting diversity. The awareness campaign is coordinated by the Community Relations Council.
Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre in Limavady held a celebration of Indian Culture, dance and food to mark Community Relations Week. Pictured here are dancers Milna Jaison and Kouslyaa Samasuadram displaying their traditional Indian dancing skills.
Celebrating an Evening of Indian Culture, Dance and Cuisine are Daniel Pers and Mukesh Sharma.
Have your say on Good Relations
What are your thoughts on issues surrounding good relations?
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is keen to hear your views ahead of Community Relations Week.
You can make your voice heard by taking part in a short, anonymous survey.
They are available at Roe Valley Arts & Cultural Centre in Limavady and Ballymoney Museum from Saturday 9th September to Saturday 23rd September.
Encouraging people to take part, the Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Joan Baird OBE said: “Good Relations is about improving relationships in our community between people of differing religious beliefs, political opinions and racial groups This is an opportunity to have your say about issues in your area and to feed into the consultation for Council’s new Good Relations strategy. Consultation will be carried out with a wide range of groups over a period of time – the opportunities made available during Community Relations week are part of this process and we hope you will get involved.”
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, like all public bodies, has a statutory duty to promote Good Relations within the organisation and in the community by tackling sectarianism, racism and other forms of intolerance.
Local priorities are identified every few years by analysis of statistics and consultation with the local community, and this helps to inform the development of Council’s Good Relations Strategy and Action Plan. The work undertaken over the next few months will help Council to meet local needs until 2023.
This year, Community Relations Week will run from Monday 18th September until Sunday 24th September.
Please note, Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre is open from 9am-5pm Monday-Wednesday & Saturday, 9am-9pm Thursday & Friday. Ballymoney Museum is open 9am-5pm Monday-Thursday & Saturday, 9am-4.30pm Friday.
