Community Development Centre
Annual Review, 1998-1999

Community Development Centre
Annual Review, 1998-1999
by Community Development Centre, North Belfast

(Paperback) 26pp

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Community Development Centre, North Belfast

22 Cliftonville Road

Belfast

BT14 6JX

Tel: 01232 284400

Fax: 01232 284401

Email: info.nbcdc@cinni.org

This publication is copyright Community Development Centre and are included on the CAIN site by permission of the author and publishers. You may not edit, adapt, or redistribute changed versions of this for other than your personal use without the express written permission of the author, and the publishers, Community Development Centre, North Belfast. Redistribution for commercial purposes is not permitted.

Statement
from the Joint Chairs

A year of mixed emotions, that’s how we would describe it. Anxiety and frustration marked the start of the year due to the decision of one of CDC’s major statutory funders to announce its intention not to provide any funds after March 1998.

Hope emerged when the local community sector rallied round and mounted a letter campaign to the Secretary of State. Expectations were raised that matters might be resolved in our favour following a meeting with Lord Dubs. Finally joy when a funding package was eventually agreed and a Review Group established to consider a long term funding strategy.

CDC’s Board of Directors owes the Director and Staff a tremendous vote of thanks. As our appointed negotiator the Director successfully challenged the decision not to fund and in doing so she gained support from a wide variety of sources. She described the victory as a ‘Pyrrhic Victory’. A victory where the victors losses are as great as those defeated. We fully appreciate her feelings regarding the negotiating process and we recognise the pressure she was put under because the outcome would not only be significant for CDC itself but for the entire community sector.

Throughout the period in question work went on as usual, a testimony to the commitment and dedication of the staff. This had not been the first time that the staff here put their own issues on the backbumer, in favour of meeting community needs.

The politicians also played an important role in resolving our difficulties. We thank Mo Mowlam (Secretary of State) and Lord Dubs for their sensitive handling of the matter and also our local elected representatives. Cecil Walker, MP, and Assembly Members, Cllr. Billy Hutchinson, Cllr. Alban Maginness, Fred Cobain, Gerry Kelly and Monica McWilliams all intervened at various levels within local and central govemment.

The Board of Directors also appreciates the efforts made on our behalf by individuals within govemment agencies. Particularly The Northern Ireland Office, Voluntary Activity Unit, Central Community Relations Unit and Belfast City Council. The Client Services Committee afforded our Director the opportunity to address them on the issue and she has reported that the members gave her a very courteous reception. A well earned thank you to the local groups for their letters of support and also to those of you in the voluntary sector and other fields who took the time to write, phone and intervene where possible.

Our year did eventually end on a high note. During October the Centre celebrated its twenty fifth birthday. A 25 year commemorative booklet was launched and has attracted widespread acclaim. We can now breathe a sigh of relief and start to look forward to the next 25 years!

Theme
of Annual Review

‘The work of voluntary and community organisations is central to the Governments mission to make this a Giving Age. They enable individuals to contribute to the development of their communities. By doing so, they promote citizenship, help to re-establish sense of community and make a crucial contribution to our shared aim of a just and inclusive society’...

Message from The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, ‘Building real partnership’ , Compact between Government and the Voluntary and Community Sector in Northern Ireland, DHSS, 1998

Director’s
Address

This year I have been asked to incorporate into my address extracts from a speech given at our 25th Anniversary Celebration. The speech was entitled ‘We Can Be Heroes Just For One Day’ (remember David Bowie) One days celebrations in 25 years isn’t bad.

Producing our commemorative booklet: From Then ‘Til Now 1974-1999 evoked some powerful memories and mental images - some good, some not so good. I kept wondering - did we operate throughout all this, did this actually happen - how did we retain our sanity let alone keep an organisation running. I desperately wanted to be able to turn the clock back. Ridiculous, I know. I wanted to cry, scream and lash out. Again ridiculous but I genuinely felt a sense of hurt when I reflected on the history of this area and its people over those years. The thought of going through it all again is unbearable and that is the message I was attempting to put across to everyone and anyone.

I will begin my remarks by making a statement "I am unequivocal in my support for the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, warts, flaws, ambiguities and all! That is my position and I make no apologies for it".

The Good Friday Agreement encapsulates at the macro level what we in this organisation have been attempting to bring about over the past 25 years. Paragraph two of the Declaration of support in the Agreement reads.

"The tragedies of the past have left a deep and profoundly regrettable legacy of suffering. We must never forget those who have died or been injured and their families. But we can best honour them through a fresh start in which we firmly dedicate ourselves to the achievement of reconciliation, toleration and mutual trust and to the protection and vindication of the human rights of all" Para(2) Pg. 1 Good Friday Agreement 1998

You only have to look at our 25 year commemorative book which is framed in the wider political context and also linked to the local context to see that there has to be a new way forward. A new political disposition where everyone becomes a stakeholder. Murder, mayhem, fear, suspicion, mistrust have been all too familiar in this area.

Nobody knows more than us the difficulties of taking an aspiration, building consensus around it and then actually implementing and delivering that promise. Ours has not been an easy journey. Within CDC we have lived with tremendous uncertainty, witnessed our social and economic infrastructure being decimated and our communities torn apart by division and conflict. Flowing against the tide can be an uncomfortable place to be, challenging entrenched positions can be risky and working across communities has on occasions been downright dangerous. Despite this backdrop I can say with confidence that this organisation has served the entire community to the best of its ability without fear or favour.

If I sound passionate it is because I am passionate. Passionate about the work that CDC has and continues to engage in. It would be impossible and indeed dishonest to commit yourself to the principles and ethos of this centre if you were not passionate about its overall objective. Nor would it have been possible to overcome the many blocks and obstacles which have been strewn in our way. Passion, commitment, dedication and perseverance are the hallmarks of CDC’s history to date.

25 years ago at a time when the Sunningdale Agreement had collapsed, people with vision consolidated their efforts of the past few years. They created an organisation on a peace line between the Ardoyne and Alliance communities with a view to creating an alternative to violence and to ensure that local issues whether it be health, housing or unemployment continued to be addressed. That organisation, the North Belfast Community Resource Centre shared the collective support of both communities and has and continues to be reflective of the entire community. No doubt the language has changed. The founding members are unlikely to have used terms such as social inclusion and parity of esteem or mutual respect but in effect this is what they were doing and it is this feature which I believe makes CDC a very unique if not interesting organisation.

Many of the original founders have become frail and experience poor health, others we have lost track of and sadly there are those who have passed away. We are indebted to all of them for their courage and for their capacity through their words, actions and deeds to have given us such a firm and absolute foundation. It is our commitment to uphold human rights and to engage in inclusive development which has enabled this Centre to endure despite being confronted on an almost daily basis by the manifestations of division and conflict.

I am not going to further elaborate on the funding crisis of 1998/99. I believe our Joint Chairs have dealt with this most satisfactorily. Suffice to say it has been an extremely difficult year but one with many positive outcomes. We continued to deliver on all our core areas of work, we reestablished some old relationships and we also discovered many new friends. Another corner turned!!

Vivienne Anderson
Director

Launched the North Belfast Advice Consortium, March 1999 and produced report on "Addressing Local Needs"
• Provided 45 groups with meeting facilities

• Assisted 25 groups with Outreach Creche provision

• Supported 26 Groups with Transport Services

• Linked 26 Interface communities in Mobile Phone Network and produced report on the operation of the network "Drawing Back from the Edge" CDC, 1999

• Helped 24 organisations develop new innovative projects

• Facilitated 52 groups engaged in Single Identity and Inter Community Development

• Resourced 243 organisations with development and support services

• Provided 1,845 families with Welfare Rights Advice resulting in 2,200 seperate queries

• Claimed £72,400 in back dated benefits for claimants in receipt of Disability Living Allowance, Income Support and Attendance Allowance*

• Generated £293,000 of an increase in the collective annual incomes of above group of claimants*

• Raised £18,549 in support of Summer Intervention Programmes for young people (BEPB)

• Secured £1,213,190 working in partnership with local groups to fundraise for new initiatives

• Celebrated our 25th anniversary by launching a commorative booklet "From then ‘Til Now" in the company of local groups, statutory organisations, our MP Cecil Walker, Assembly Members Billy Hutchinson (PUP), Alban Maginness (SDLP), Monica McWilliams (NIWC), the Chairperson of North Belfast Sinn Fein and a range of other supporters

Working for Change
at a Local Level

Total number of queries dealt with between October 1998 - October 1999 = 2201 of which 92% were benefit related.

The Advice Team have also been able to report this year that in terms of known outcomes, that is those people who let us know decisions £72,900 was secured by way of back dated benefits covering Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance and Income Support with a total increase in annual income for our clients of £293,000.

Loughside Community Forum is an umbrella organisation for several community organisations. These communities which include Whitecity Community Association are all located on the Shore Road between Skegoniel Avenue and Whitewell Road.

All of the organisations are experiencing social and economic decline and because of their geographical position in affluent electoral wards have great difficulty in attracting much needed resources.

The role of the Forum is not to duplicate the work of participating groups but to work collectively on issues which will bring about wider community benefit through awareness raising, information sharing, the creation of network opportunities which will create community confidence and credibility.

	Disability Benefits (DLA, ICB, SDA, etc)
	Income Support
	Housing Benefit, ISA, Pensions
	Housing, Employment, Consumer & Legal Matters
	Housing, Employment, Consumer & Legal Matters

The Forum supported by CDC through the Community Bridges Programme has recently received financial support from NIVT Peace and Reconciliation funds to employ an Education Co-ordinator for their "Schools for Communities Project" which will work in partnership with local Primary Schools to address the needs of both the local community and local schools.

The Castle Cultural Society was formed in 1997 and since then has transformed itself to embrace similar communities and forge partnerships with key organisations such as Fernhill House, Ulster Scots Heritage Council and the North Belfast Protestant Interface Group.

The Castle Cultural Society has identified through Consultation Days (organised through CDC by the Protestant Interface Group) that Protestant communities in North Belfast lack a sense of place, are stripped of their cultural skills which damage cultural confidence and consequently community relations. The Society promotes individual and collective confidence building through a series of single identity workshops, seminars and cultural events that will promote the Protestant culture in such a way that it will encourage acceptance and understanding of cultural diversity.

The Society has recently obtained P&R funding through NIVT for an Educational Officer who will in partnership and consultation with local community groups design a strategy which will meet the aims and objectives of the Society.

Shalom Care is a voluntary run domicilary care service. The project enables elderly and physically disabled adults to remain living at home by providing assistance with personal care, meals etc. Shalom provides the Carers of these individuals with much needed support. Individuals who benefit from the organisation are amongst the most vulnerable in the community with complex needs. It is estimated that some 27,000 people, a quarter of the population in North and West Belfast suffer some symptoms of Mental Illness. Most of these families struggle in silence. Carers are under severe emotional stress, caring for people 24 hours a day, with no time to spend on themselves or their own lives. With the support of the Links Team, Shalom Care has been able to secure £157,293.00 from the National Lottery Charities Board to develop a Respite Care Project. The project has just recently recruited a team of seven.

The SWAT Steering Group is made up of local representatives from Sunningdale, Westland and Torrens communities in North Belfast. In order to try and develop the community infrastructure within the 3 small Protestant peaceline communities the group aims to assist with the sharing of resources, ideas and skills as well as employing a Community Development Worker to support and encourage community projects in all three areas. The Links Team have been assisting the group with funding proposals to NIVT, MBW, National Lottery Charities Board. £20,000 to date has been secured for salary costs for one year. Training has also been provided on "becoming an employer". The group are also currently working with Business in the Community in order to become a company limited by guarantee.

It is generally recognised that North Belfast has some of the most concentrated deprivation in Northern Ireland, the New Lodge being one of the most deprived wards within the city. Here the Family Centre is a locally run project providing support services to women, children and young people in partnership with the N&WH&SST. Support from the Links Team has concentrated on assisting the project with the recruitment of a new Manager and Administrator, ensuring access to training and recruitment and selection procedures, securing funding agreements from the Belfast European Partnership Board, capacity building and action planning. Located on the interface the Family Centre provides opportunities for both communities to access essential support services.

A rolling training programme has been put in place, helping to promote good practice, share skills and experiences and develop their work effectively.

Areas of training have included fundraising skills, monitoring and evaluation, child protection policy, employees’ rights and responsibilities, financial management. The Forum is also key to allowing workers to develop new relationships and provide support to each other.

Don Hill, DHSS and Cecil Walker MP
Launch of the North Belfast Advice Consortium, March ‘99

Developing
Strategic Approaches

Strategic
Examples

North Belfast Advice Services Consortium

The Consortium was launched in March 1999. Its overall aim is to create a more cohesive, pro-active and effective independent advice sector in North Belfast. Much has been written about the multidimensional nature of poverty and deprivation and how this is being experienced within North Belfast (see Addressing Local Needs, a report of the North Belfast Advice Consortium). The Consortium has been developed as a practical working model to address local needs. It also represents a unique inter-community approach to tackling poverty and disadvantage in a segregated community. Over the past 8 months the Consortium has engaged in a series of regular training initiatives and has also developed a wide range of working relationships with key professionals in the area e.g., GP’s, Social Workers, Social Security Agency, CPA’s.

The North Belfast Women’s Forum was established in April 1998. Since then an active steering group has been overseeing its work, a detailed action plan has been drawn up and a major piece of participatory research is underway. The research ‘Obstacles and Barriers to Women’s Participation in Education, Training and Public Life’ will have a major impact on future provisions for women and consequently is being supported by the North Belfast Partnership Board, Urban Institute and the Equality Commission.

The North Belfast Senior Citizens Forum was originally established by CDC in 1993 as part of the European Year of Older people and Solidarity Amongst Generations. 1999 is the United Nations Year for Older Persons and CDC is delighted to report that the Forum is now firmly established and recognised as a vital voice for older people not only within North Belfast but much further afield. Older people are the fastest growing section of the population throughout Europe and while Northern Ireland has fewer older people in percentage terms than most of Europe, the problem and opportunities presented by these changes are similar. This year the Forum has consolidated its place in decision making structures such as the North Belfast Partnership Board, N&WH&SST and Belfast Healthy Cities.

Through its regional, national and European linkages the Forum is an important voice in addressing issues of global restructuring of populations, life expectancy and the issues these raise.

Mobile Phone Network:
This is one of a series of responses initiated by CDC to reduce the likelihood of violence in North Belfast. CDC operates the network throughout the summer period and at other times when tensions are high. The phones which were distributed out to 26 local interface communities this year are not an end in themselves but merely a tool to assist with communication. The phones are used for various purposes: for local community activists to keep in touch with their group members; to call for assistance incase of trouble; to contact people across the interface if their appears to be potential for trouble; to contact the police and other relevant statutory bodies.

For more information see series Community Based Response To Violence In North Belfast
On The Edge 1997 Report of Community Enquiry into Community Perceptions of widescale public disorder.
Drawing Back From The Edge (May 1999)
Independent Intervention: Monitoring the Police, Parades and Public Order.
CDC and Democratic Dialogue (1999) ISBN 1900281112

The Network is now 8 months into its year long training programme on child protection. The programme was set up in response to the legislative and good practice requirements now being placed on committees and volunteers in relation to child protection. To enable the committees to become confident with and act upon the information received it was agreed to run the project once a month for a 12 month period. This allows the learning to be put into practice on an ongoing basis and reviewed, thereby making this programme not only a training but also a developmental process. £5,000 funding for the project was secured from the N&WH&SST, with Unicorn Consultancy providing the training. Participants will receive a record of achievement and certificate bearing the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work’s Kite Marks of Quality Assurance.

In October 1998 CDC helped organise two public meetings to allow local people to give their views to the independent Commission on Policing. Research work has also involved looking at practical issues relating to the reforming of policing in an international context and the Centre is also involved in the consultation over the implementation of the Patten Report.

CDC’s activities are not confined to North Belfast or even Northern Ireland. Instead we have been participants in a range of initiatives placed within a European and our global context. Working with initiatives such as Northern Ireland Growth Challenge through to the European Anti Poverty Network and on again to the Department for International Development are important ways of ensuring that the structural nature of poverty and disadvantage remain on the agenda and are not considered the sole responsibility of local communities. During the past year CDC has been involved with the State of the World Conference, the Vital Voices Women’s Conference along with other opportunities through which issues affecting Northern Ireland can be considered in a wider context.

Advancing Peace - Building And Reconciliation

During the past year CDC has continued to be at the forefront of promoting peace building and reconciliation. From local facilitation and mediation on disputes to operation of conflict reduction models and to working at various levels to promote human rights, and social justice. Our work over the year has brought us into contact with a network of peace building organisations across the globe and has enabled us to direct and influence future peace building funding programmes and initiating CDC’s capacity to engage a wide ranging audience in its efforts to promote greater social cohesion has gained recognition and local and central government level, in the Republic of Ireland and on the international stage. Working with other countries experiencing conflict in a practical and problem solving way, has led to the Centre becoming involved with a wide range of partners, for e.g., those involved in the Sahara Desert Dispute to right of minority groups in Canada and in sharing experience with institutions like the National Democratic Institute which is involved in various peace building initiatives throughout the world. CDC is extremely careful about such relationships - in particular we look for reciprocal learning opportunities and also to ensure that CDC remains relevant to its locality and all the accountabilities that that brings.

Where do we start. Traditionally of course it is the funders so perhaps we should start there. Thank You - You are all very well aware of your role in assisting CDC;-

Belfast City Council
Belfast European Partnership Board
Belfast Education and Library Board
BBC Children in Need
The Childhood Fund
Community Relations Council
Central Community Relations Unit
IFI Community Bridges Programme
NIVT
NICVA
National Lotteries Charities Board
Proteus
Private Donors
Making Belfast Work

In addition we thank the following people who assisted us throughout the year

• Flynn & McGettrick, Solicitors

• Cleaver/Black, Auditors

• Northern Bank Ltd, Antrim Road, Belfast

• CDC Members - For their support and ongoing assistance

• Advisory Groups - Much appreciated for giving their voluntary time

• Friends - Who are organising on our behalf in the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and at home.

• Review Group - Joe Wright VAU, Maeve Walls VAU, Jack O’Connor MBW, Marguerite Hunter Blair BCC, Vivienne Anderson CDC

• Consultants - Price Waterhouse Coopers

• Elected Representatives - Cecil Walker MP, New Northern Ireland Assembly Members Cllr. Billy Hutchinson, Cllr. Alban Maginness, Cllr. Fred Cobain, Cllr. Nigel Dodds, Gerry Kelly and Prof. Monica McWilliams

• Client Services Committee, Belfast City Council

• Colleagues - in many places who supported us during a difficult year

• Dr. Marjorie Mowlam and Lord Dubbs