Northern Ireland Community Relations Council - About The Council - Background Info

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Community Relations Week 2010

Duncan Morrow introduces Community Relations Week which runs from 26 April to 2 May. An updated version of the events programme will be available on the CRC website.

Violence is no longer the daily tragedy of the past decades and yet challenges remain. Agreeing to a new beginning is the first step, but it is the first in a long road that only ends when the hold of fear and threat on too much of our life has been removed. Courage and persistence are still required if we are to become a place that is truly shared, fair and peaceful. Can we put threat behind us and imagine and create a better future for this generation and the next?

Changed times need changed conversations. We need fewer conversations about ‘if we have peace’, and more about ‘now that we have peace..’. A commitment to shared prosperity needs new conversations about shared space, about who can live where (and who can’t) and about who can safely say what and where. The old sores of sectarianism and separation must give way to new conversations and plans about safe and open cities, a real welcome for all and delivering services to everyone – not just to my crowd or yours.

Community Relations Week provides an opportunity for community and voluntary organizations as well as public bodies to highlight the way ahead and to lead the way to a more positive future where diversity is celebrated and welcomed and interdependence is taken for granted in our way of life. This year CR week is a platform to think about the future, an opportunity for this and the next generations as we shape a future free from sectarianism, racism and segregation. It is time to change the conversation for ever, talking about how we live together, not why we can’t.

Almost 150 events have been organized across all parts of Northern Ireland and beyond. These reflect progress in projects already underway as well as ideas and plans for future action. Most of these events are open to the public. We hope that you will find time to attend some of them as we have conversations which can shape a future which is no longer just another version of the past..

To view events all regions or your local council area click on the links below.