For course materials please click the following link.  (This will be updated further in due course)

ILM Supporting Community Based Learning

Two groups of young people from Abhaile Aris in Letterkenny and HUBB in Belfast had a highly successful historical tour of South Armagh and a guided tour of the Battle of the Boyne.  The purpose of the arranged tours was part of a Concensus program.

The group had exchanged trips to each others’ local communities in Donegal and lower North Belfast respectively, providing a unique experience for both groups.

They decided to supplement these trips with this joint residential that they developed themselves as an outcome that would be beneficial for their own learning.

Please see the presentations from yesterday attached here Pauline McClenaghan and Conal McFeeley

We shall be looking at what the next stage shall look like and will keep participants informed.

The seminar shall introduce the concept of Social Economy and consider the feasibility of community led enterprises. The products, current and potential, within the social economy and how they are marketable shall be considered. Obstacles to accessing markets, the role of the public and private sectors and cross border barriers will further inform the discussion. As a part of the seminar there will be Irish, Northern Irish and International perspectives.

The running of the event shall be as follows.  Please note a slight change in times to previously circulated timetable.

This activity is supported by EURES.

CONCENSUS in partnership with Dance United and Square Pit bring you MERGE. This is a dynamic and innovative large scale dance performance project that will include contemporary and urban street dancers, opera singers, a rap choir, BMX bikers, skate boarders and visual artists who will create a set in live time.

The performance space will be T13, a social enterprise which is Ireland’s largest urban playground.  It is a large warehouse in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, where the park installations and steep ramps will become the frame work for the set. The project is designed as an exploration of what traditional, contemporary and urban street art forms have to offer one another.

The high energy performance promises to be exciting, expressive, theatrical and cutting edge, with strong appeal to a wide cross section of community.

If you are aged between 16 and 25 years of age and want to be part of the steering committee for this innovative and exciting project please contact Eileen Millar on 028 9096 1111. Activities will include recruiting participants, recruiting the audience, informing the performance, supporting programme provision and evaluation.

Venue: Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre, 45/47 Donegall Street, Belfast.

The steering group is supported by the EU’s PEACE III Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body and works alongside local communities on community led programmes.

Merge: The Stages

Stage one: Preparation and planning. (June – July 2011)

Formation of the Steering Group, agreeing responsibilities and getting started!

2/3 hours a week commitment.

Stage two: Workshops & performance. (September – November 2011)

A six-week intensive workshop programme, which will lead to a large-scale performance in an urban skate park in the Titanic Quarter. The performance will be part of the Belfast Festival at Queens.

12-18 hours a week commitment.

Stage three: Dissemination & follow-on. (January – February 2012)

Stage three will see the completion of the evaluation, and the dissemination of the findings from such to stakeholders. An important element of stage three will be the identification of a small group of young people from the steering and participating group, who will go forward into the follow-on programme.  This shall be a small-scale workshop and performance tour in 2012/13.

Merge: Where

The project will be based in the greater Belfast area with participants coming from all areas of the city including north and west Belfast.

Workshops shall be on Donegall Street, City Centre Belfast.

The performance venue will be the Square Pit production, Urban Park Warehouse, T13, in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast.

Merge: The performance

The public performance of Merge will be multi faceted and large in scale. It will include contemporary and urban street dancers, opera singers, a rap choir, BMX bikers, skate boarders and visual artists who will create a set in live time. The performance, which will be part of the Belfast Festival at Queens, will take place in an Urban Park Warehouse in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast and the park installations and steep ramps will become the framework for the set. One end of the warehouse will be used to host a traditional seated performance, while the entrance and avenue to the seating will be used to create scenes and cameos of drama and action. The performance will be delivered to the highest professional standards by a team of highly experienced artists and will include a cast of 80 young people.

Public performance is a crucial part of the Merge project, providing a focus, a goal, and a recognisable and foreseeable achievement for the participants, that will serve as an affirmation of their work. The process allows the participants to become skilled and motivated members of a team whose aspirations and achievements emphatically surpass their own expectations.

Each participating school performed a 20min sketch in front of a packed auditorium and the festival judge was celebrated actor Dan Gordon. When speaking to Dan he said “What a fantastic opportunity for young people.  The Alley does it again!”

There were some great acting talents among the different schools; each brought their own presence to the stage. Kicking of the awards was Best Actress and it went to Maeve Bradley, Maria Carlin, Emer Conway, Mia Gillespie, & Chloe Peoples from Holy Cross College with “Dreamjobs.” Dan stated “They were all fantastic and I just couldn’t decide they all deserved it!”

Best Actor went to Stephen Gorman from St Cecilia’s College with his performance in “Sour Milk.” Caron Brannigan could the title as Best Supporting Actress from St Ciaran’s College with her role in “Two”, whereas Peter Sweeney from PCC Falcarragh took the award for Best Supporting Actor for his fantastic performance in “ Shakespeare’s Dream.”

Thornhill College scooped the title of Best moment of Theatre with there adaptation of “Blood Brothers” and the most coveted award, Best Play, went to St Cecilia’s College with their performance of “Granny Knickers.” This was St Cecilia’s 2nd award of the night.

The pupils from Loreto Secondary School made a great performance with their play “Reduce Abuse”, they may not have won an award but they were truly amazing and very talented. Holy Cross College entered a second play and this was called “Dancing with Lughnasy.” Although this play wasn’t as successful as the other the pupils should give themselves a pat on the back as they did an amazing job and each and every one of them was brilliant.

John Kerr, Alley Theatre Manager said: “I would like to congratulate all of the participating schools for a job well done. This was such a positive and wonderful festival and a big thanks goes out to our partners, Concensus & the Strabane Drama Committee for all their hard work and support. Without them this festival would not have happened”

Jacqui Doherty from the Alley Theatre said: “All of the schools deserve huge congratulations for all of the hard work and effort they put into their plays and performances. All of their practicing paid of and we look forward to welcoming them back to the Alley Theatre next year”.

Stagewrite directors from North West Regional College

A group of students from the North West College Derry along side eight primary schools from Strabane district who participated in the StageWrite program in the Alley Theatre in Strabane on Thursday the 10^th of March and Friday 11^th March 2011.

The program was support by Strabane District Council and The Concensus Program promoting peace and reconciliation and sustainable communities.

Well done to all the pupils who took part in Stagewrite 2011 showing that it certainly is ‘Funny Young World’ in Strabane.

StageWrite 2011 kicked off on Thursday 10th and Friday 11th March with 8 schools throughout the district taking part.  Stagewrite which is joint arts development opportunity between the North West Regional College (NWRC), The Alley Theatre, Strabane District Council and Concensus allowed pupils to write, direct and perform their own plays under the direction of NWRC Performing Arts students around the theme ‘Funny Young World’ Exploring Difference though Humour’.

John Kerr from the Alley Theatre explained ‘This is our 3rd year running StageWrite and every year we are astounded with the imagination the children have to come up with completely different and unique stories.  This year we had Newtownstewart Model Priamry School, St Patricks Primary School (Dunamanagh), Killen Primary School, Erganangh Primary School, St Anne’s Primary School, St. Columba’s  Primary School, Ardstraw Primary School and St Mary’s Girls Primary School.  Stories ranged from granny’s entering the Olympics to Superhero’s to our very own house swap in Strabane, there was even an impersonation of myself – StageWrite has seen it all this year’.

‘The key aim of Stagewrite 2011 is to provide Primary pupils the opportunity to build confidence and develop self-esteem as they move through the creative processes of developing, rehearsing and performing a uniquely artistic performance. This is the first time many of the pupils have been on stage and performed in front of a live audience. As well as this they were able to access industry-specific technical sound and lighting knowledge; skills that can be applied in the formulation of future school productions.’

Speaking at the event Performing Arts Lecturer at NWRC Anne McMaster expressed ‘I am so proud of my ND2 Performing Arts students as they have clutched their notes and scripts and became working directors for the first time and I can see how proud they are of their pupils who have all done a brilliant job in such a short time, these kids have laughed, danced and acted their hearts and souls out and I can see here that the audience is just as proud as we are’.

Cast and young director of one of the Stagewrite plays.

I came to know about the Global Xchange while I was volunteering with the Red Cross. I have been volunteering for the Red Cross and other humanitarian and youth development organisations for the past ten years. I have a passion for volunteering, I love working with the youth on Youth Development programs and I enjoy giving positive inspiration to my fellow youth because I always believe in one thing:

‘We (the youth) are never too Young to change the world’

Being part of the Global Xchange Program is one of the greatest achievements in my life because now I am one step closer to achieving my dream of ‘creating a positive impact in the minds of the youth all over the world.’

The Global Xchange is a multi-cultural volunteer exchange program that creates the opportunity for youths from different parts of the world to learn and share their different cultures and or create the forum for cross cultural dialogue for community development and social change. This is a way for you to make a real difference in the world we lived in. it gives 18-25 year old youths the chance to spend six months making a real difference in the lives of disadvantaged people. It is jointly managed by the British Council, voluntary services overseas (VSO) and a number of local partners all over the world with a mind-set of developing International voluntary exchanges and other activities to help create active global citizens who value volunteering, diversity, community development and social action. Our vision is to build a world where active global citizens’ create positive change and build mutual understanding and respect between different people.

This six month program (October to March)  is divided into two phases; the first phase is in Durban, South Africa and the second phase is in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. There are four volunteers from each participatory country (total 20) which is Northern Ireland, South Africa, France, Sierra Leone and USA. There are two program supervisors; one from UK one from Durban.

Each volunteer has the opportunity to be with two other volunteers from different countries, one at the host home and another one at the placement organisation.

‘In Durban, I live with Lance James Blair from Los Angelos, USA And work with Simon Raoux from Paris, France’

One of the most important and interesting aspects of the Global Xchange Program is the Community Action Days (CAD’s) and the Global Citizenship Days (GCD’s). The exchange must have at least one CAD, on this day, the whole team gets together to tackle something big – a large scale project that needs many pairs of hands. It’s a chance to get the whole community involved. Sometimes, it involves fund raising for a local charity, organise a cultural education day at the local school or do a community clean up. The GCD on the other hand gives the volunteers to meet every week with the rest of the team to learn about community development issues covered in the global citizenship framework. Each session is run by a different counterpart pair, so you are likely to end up running two during the six months of the program.

First Phase – Durban South Africa

As I mentioned before the first phase of the program was in Durban, South Africa, this location kept in tune with the theme of our exchange

“Living our differences together – cross cultural dialogue for development and social change.”

This phase exposed the group to a community with different races (Whites/Afrikaans, Indians, coloureds (mixed race) and blacks). Despite different race, cultures, language barrier, crazy taxis, the group was still able to have a positive impact in the Durban and surrounding communities because we assume every obstacle as “part of the experience”.

We were placed in different organisations all around Durban and lived in different host homes with a counter-part. In South Africa, I volunteered with Hope2Educate. This organisation runs a project called GOLD, a peer education development project (Generations Of Leaders Discovered). It’s about unleashing the potential of young people to transform their lives and their communities, it’s about confronting the root issues of HIV and AIDS, it’s about restoring dignity, hope, and vision, it’s about young people realising their values and being empowered to make informed decisions. Informed decisions about challenges they face, it’s about equipping influential young people to impact their peers through positive peer pressure.

The Gold Peer education development agency (GOLD) is a dynamic non-profit organisation playing a key role in the transformation of underserved communities in South Africa. This is done through the role the roll-out of a long term youth peer education model in collaboration with community based organisations.

The GOLD model uses the methodology of peer education which harnesses the influence that young people have with their peers to encourage youth to develop health enhancing and purpose driven social norms. The vision of GOLD is to see a generation of young African leaders confronting the root issues of both HIV and AIDS and the youth risk behaviour through uplifting their communities and impacting vision and purpose to represent a future generation.

Apart from the work we did in our placement organisations we also did a lot of other community work (community action days – CAD’s). E.g.: Kwa Mashu march against crime, Street Kids Festival, Sakithemba – half way house etc. We also visited important places like the uShaka Marine World and enjoyed the sun at Sun Coast Entertainment World.

 Figures 3/4: Community Action Days in South Africa.

The phase ended with a fantastic debriefs camp. This was to evaluate and reflect on the work and contribution of the Global Xchange program in the South Africa phase. During the debrief we spend 2 days in the South African capital city of Johannesburg and then moved on to Kruger National Park where we spend and further 10 days. In Johannesburg we visited the Hector Peterson Memorial Museum in Soweto. We also visited the pervious home of Nelson Mandela and the Mandela/Apartheid Museum. In all these places we learnt a lot about the South African history and the Apartheid system that was used there. In Kruger National Park in spite of the blistering heat and bugs all around us we had enough time to reflect on the first phase of the exchange; discuss the successes and challenges of our activities individually and as a group.  

Apart from reflecting on the South African phase we also have some time to take in the scenery of the Kruger National Park and do some community work. We visited the Toy Library which is an organisation that provides care to young children, we also visited the Blyde River Canyon – the 3^rd largest Canyon in the world, following that we took a drive down to God’s Window and trailed up to the peak of the mountain through a mini rain forest.   

“Spending Christmas away from home is not easy but what makes it more difficult is the environment “Kruger National Park”, 420km from Johannesburg, the nearest shopping centre is 35km, there we were in the middle of nowhere kept company by our groups and the bugs, animals and heat (45°C). Despite all these factors this amazing group (the one family) made the best of the circumstances to turn these days into the best we’ve had. You can’t believe my Christmas and New Year in Kruger National Park turned out to be one of the most amazing and craziest I have ever experienced in my life”

The Second Phase – Belfast, Northern Ireland

Welcomed by the -2°C freezing weather when we arrived in Belfast was not easy. Especially after coming from 45°C, the transmission was so difficult but we “live our differences together” and considered the freezing weather as “part of the experience”. Again what helps the team to keep going is “the weather is cold but the people are warm – yeah aaaamaaziiiiiiiing.”

Just like in the first phase we were distributed to our new host homes and work placements.

“I’m still happy with my brother from another mother (Lance) because he is still marvellous and we always get along well. In this phase my work counter-part has changed to Ayanda “NEH!” (South Africa), instead of Simon (France). When I was told that my placement organisation is Concensus I was happy because it was not one of my first choices and I had little information of what it was all about, fortunately it turned out to be the best organisation I have experienced in my life with marvellous workers (Tim, Roseleen, Frank, Brian, Aisling – you are the best! No wonder the entire group wants to work at CONCENSUS”

I have enjoyed and made good use of every second that I have spent with Consensus thus far because with them I am just a few steps away from achieving my dreams. I am interested in every project because the projects help build my career, knowledge and skills. In Concensus I have learned a lot of useful skills such as facilitation, project proposals and funding, ICT etc. These skills are only the tip of the ice burg. Apart from these skills I travelled to many places which gave me an edge over the Global Xchange group. Some of the most memorable places I have visited while working in Concensus was the trip to Derry to meet with youth from Armagh, Derry and Letterkenny and most importantly being part of the last official “Bloody Sunday” march in Derry. This is truly an unforgettable experience in my life.

With Concensus my hopes of sharing and inspiring the youth and people who might think that there is no hope in life is becoming a reality because I now have the opportunity to tell my story to many people, most importantly the youth in Belfast and it’s environ. It sad that I will have to leave Concensus behind in a few months’ time nevertheless I aim to utilise every second of my time there in a positive way.

“To all the youth all over the world, never give up. When one door is closed another is always waiting for you to open. Stay positive, work hard there is light at the end of the tunnel. Let no man tell you that you are not going to make it. No matter what, few years ago I was like you, hopeless with a bleak future but I am sure nothing is going to stop me from being what I want to be.”

On a cold November evening  the youth committee for the Portaferry Drop In / Youth café warmed the hearts of the Portaferry Community Collective with their very impressive presentation of their work and ideas for a much needed youth space in the town.  The fruits of a youth survey of the town, research by the committee and eight weeks of dedication, the elected committee outlined their vision for a youth space for 15-21 year olds, asked for support from the community for their idea, and identified possible venues for the café /drop in.  They then invited adults to join the committee and very ably took questions and suggestions which included the production of a business plan and the presentation of their idea to Ards Council, Portaferry Regeneration Ltd, the Education and Library Board, in February 2010. 

The group are bound for a residential with young people from Warrenpoint in New Year to share ideas, develop a plan and offer a new vision for the future.

Concensus supported 48 players and 4 teams to register for the first time in Basketball NI leagues and Armagh Magic, Ards Wolves, Kilkeel Knights, and Dungannon Cavaliers and a new Lisburn club were among those that locked horns in a friendly, but competitive tournament cheered on by their many supporters. As Jim Martin, Club Development Officer with Basketball NI states, “We have seen a tremendous increase in number of people from overseas playing in our leagues which has been mutually beneficial; it has greatly improved integration of people but has also improved the game and the clubs in Northern Ireland.” 

The event was a credit to the team leaders and the NI Lithuanian Association which has been recently constituted and was followed by a presentation of medals and celebration of Lithuanian music and dance at the Holiday Inn, Ormeau Avenue in Belfast.  As Belfast Lithuanian Association chairperson, Andrius Cislikauskas, said, “Basketball has been an important way for people to meet local people, others from Lithuania and other countries, and get involved in community activity.”  A EURES survey of 60 people was conducted at the event that invited people’s comments on work and social life here and suggestions for the Association to take forward.

A group of young people from Moville who have completed a course in Food & Fitness accompanied by Community Chef Brian Mc Dermott presenting a cooking demonstration to their local community on the pier at Greencastle. The event was supported by the Concensus initiative promoting sustainable communities and Peace and Reconciliation.

The first day started with a visit to the Northern Ireland Office of the European Parliament where we were given a presentation on the Rural LEADER programme and possible  future funding options, by the new European Agricultural representative for Northern Ireland. This was followed by a visit to the Parliament buildings where Bairbre De Brun gave a presentation on the workings of the parliament illustrating the differences between the Parliament, the Commission and the Council. Bairbre’s aide Katie then took us to the seat of Parliament and we were given further clarification on the day to day running of parliament. This was followed with lunch where Bairbre joined us and some interesting discussion ensued.

After lunch we were back again to the NI Office and we were joined by the North Antrim Community Focus group. Noel Griffen gave an overview of the role of the NI office of the European Parliament. This was followed by a session which gave everyone the opportunity to introduce themselves to the wider group and make any possible links for future working.

The second day included a visit to Breendonck concentration camp, this was a harrowing experience made all the more so by the plummeting temperatures and heavy snowfall and the knowledge that the camp inhabitants had suffered brutal working conditions with little food, in similar circumstances.

The two days provided a great opportunity for learning and networking and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

The aim of the programme was for the group to identify a joint Peace and Reconciliation project and develop an Action Plan to help deliver the project. Throughout the programme the group focused on identifying common community issues, sustainable communities, SMART objectives for action planning and funding streams.

The group identified a number of possible projects and agreed on two main projects. (1) The role of the British and Irish Army throughout the conflict. It was agreed that the RAA would take this proposal and develop it as a separate project while the current group would develop a second project, namely, (2) Dispelling the Myths of the Battle of the Boyne. This topic was agreed upon as it has resonance for both groups, through historical and cultural significance and geography, being so near to Omeath. It was agreed that each group, the Royal Army Artillery and Active Retirement Ireland Omeath will separately collate their understanding of the Battle of the Boyne, as taught to them through schools, community and family. The groups will then come together to share their understanding and identify gaps in knowledge and understanding. An Historian will then be invited to the following meeting to fill in the gaps and dispel any myths. The information learned will contribute towards the development of an informational DVD which will be distributed to local Schools as a learning aid.

On the evening of the first day there was a prize giving session and reception in the Guildhall with the Deputy First Minister in attendance. This event celebrated a number of women who had successfully gained qualifications through a variety of training courses. These included a number of Women who had achieved their qualification through the Concensus programme.

I would like to thank ICTU for the invitation. It was a good experience and I enjoyed meeting other delegates and increasing my learning and awareness. 

Aisling Cartmill

The aim of the Course was to engage in social and educational environments. As part of the course, the group visited Stormont for a questions and answers session with local politicians.   The programme was supported by the Concensus initiative promoting the Development for Inclusivity and Sustainable Communities.

The aim of the programme was to encourage young people to lead a healthier and more active lifestyle , while gaining new skills in cooking. The programme was supported by the Concensus initiative promoting the Development for Inclusivity and Sustainable Communities.

Lithuanians can boast third place in this year’s Basketball World Championships, and those living in Northern Ireland have been using the sport to bring people together in different cities and towns around Northern Ireland.  Ards Wolves, Kilkeel Knights, and Dungannon Cavaliers are among the teams competing in Basketball NI leagues across the province and on Saturday they lock horns in a friendly, but surely competitive tournament cheered on by their many supporters. As Jim Martin, Club Development Officer with Basketball NI states, “We have seen a tremendous increase in number of people from overseas playing in our leagues which has been mutually beneficial; it has greatly improved integration of people but has also improved the game and the clubs in Northern Ireland.” 

The event has been put together by team leaders, Belfast Lithuanian Association and CONCENSUS Initiative of the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre which offers local people the opportunity to take practical actions to address issues of importance to their local community.  It will be followed by a presentation of medals and celebration of Lithuanian music and dance at the Holiday Inn, Ormeau Avenue in Belfast.  As Belfast Lithuanian Association chairperson, Andrius Cislikauskas, said, “Basketball has been an important way for people to meet local people, others from Lithuania and other countries, and get involved in community activity.  Saturday is a celebration of our being in Northern Ireland and we invite people along to meet us at the PEC”.

The CONCENSUS Initiative is promoted by the Belfast Unemployment Resource Centre and funded by the Special European Union Programme for Peace and Reconciliation. 

The EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland (2007-2013) (the PEACE III Programme) is a distinctive European Union Structural Funds Programme aimed at reinforcing progress towards a peaceful and stable society and promoting reconciliation. The focus for this programme is on reconciling communities and contributing towards a shared society. The Programme carries forward key aspects of the previous peace programmes (PEACE I and II) with a continued and renewed emphasis on reconciliation.