Connect Communities

‘Communities Connect'’ is part of a wider ‘CONNECT’ project supported by the PEACEPLUS programme led by the British Council – in partnership with Politics in Action and Create (Ireland).  The Arts Councils of Ireland and Northern Ireland are also associate partners.

Politics in Action is leading the Connect Communities  strand of the project, with two other strands ‘Festivals Connect’ and ‘Media Connect’ being delivered by our partners.  

Connect Communities is a community leadership programme aiming to bring together communities across civil society to address a wide range of issues facing our societies on this island.  From climate change to violence against women and girls, to unemployment, alienation and disconnection the project will support adults across Northern Ireland and the Irish border counties.  We want to bring the same fun and energy to this work with adults that we see in our programmes and campaigns with young people.  

The overall objective of this part of the project is to strengthen and connect communities by:

·      Increasing civic and political skills, confidence and motivation in target communities, to contribute to positive change through responsible collective civic action.

·      Identifying and challenging gender and other inequalities in their local communities and acting upon them.

·      Developing community-led action that contributes to addressing 21st century challenges including: climate, peace and social cohesion, gender inequalities, and digital media literacy

·      Providing communities with access to opportunities and pathways to apply skills and implement action projects.

The project also has communication objectives which aim at changes in target audience’s awareness and behaviour.  These are:

1.        Work with local partners to disseminate clear and attractive information about the project and help ensure recruitment of suitable participants addressing citizens, particularly those from different community backgrounds (achieving the SEUPB criteria for 80:20 in Ireland, 60:40 in NI), cultural, ethnic and political backgrounds, placing an emphasis on women, older people, minorities, those living with disabilities, LGBTQI+ and those living with the legacy of the conflict.

2.        Effectively communicate the work and impact of the Community Social Action Projects that emerge from the thematic workshops, engaging with key stakeholders to support their success. Impact should be communicated to the general audience through digital and traditional media. It should also be communicated to policy makers and local/national authorities and other key stakeholders from civil society that could support the success and consider the points of view of the communities in future politics and programmes.

Working with 17 local partners, there will be 3 key components:

·      Training for 30 Trainers in Politics in Action’s ‘Civic Community Work’ model.  Based on our successful programmes with young people in schools and community settings, we will be seeking experienced facilitators, who will help us to roll out the programme in local communities and on a cross-border basis.

·      ‘Community Mapping Workshops’ in each of the 17 areas (with a target of 450 participants) in partnership with local agencies where participants get to work together to think about the issues and opportunities their communities face, and the historical and political context.  There will be an online introductory meeting and then a one-day face-to-face workshop.

·      ‘Thematic Workshops’ will emerge from the issues identified in the Community Mapping Workshops and will be held on a cross-border basis – linking people around the themes they care about.  These will be residentials

·      Participants in these residential workshops will then develop local ‘Community Social Action Projects’ and will be supported by our staff and facilitators as well as the community partners.  These projects will engage even more neighbours in each of the areas. There will also be opportunities for participants and local projects to link in with the other project strands.

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