Northern Ireland Community Relations Council - About Us - Press Releases

26 March 2012

The Community Relations Council is holding its 9th annual Live Issues conference today in Belfast’s Wellington Park Hotel.

Attended by almost 100 community relations workers from across Northern Ireland the conference aims to give community relations practitioners a forum to debate issues, exchange ideas and strengthen networks. The results of the discussion will feed into CRC’s Policy Conference on 14 May which will be attended by policy makers.

The theme of today’s conference is ‘Building into the Future’.

According to conference Chair Tony Kennedy

“The conference programme is aiming to focus on what we can do now in the midst of significant change to construct a vision and purpose for the community and voluntary sector.

What we build today shapes tomorrow, it is in this spirit that the Council hopes that delegates will be encouraged and imbued with a fresh vision and purpose for the task of continuing to grow a new society that is at peace with itself.”

The keynote speaker is Jamie Treadwell , co-founder and director of a cross-community youth organisation called Youth Initiatives. Over his career he has been an experienced creator, builder, and leader of transformational organisations and projects in North America, Europe, and Lebanon. He is now an executive coach based in London, specialising in strategic creativity and leadership.

Jamie will be addressing the theme of ‘Finding new vision in the journey, for the journey’.Having worked internationally with a broad range of divided communities Jamie will look at Northern Ireland in terms of where we have come from but more importantly what opportunities are there for taking communities forward.

In addition to the keynote address the conference will be hosting workshops which will cover a number of themes including;

Developing strategies for organisational and community vision
The Peace Monitoring Report – Practical responses for local communities
Crossing Borders in Rural Communities
Inter-cultural Arts Programmes

For further information contact

Ray Mullan 90-227500 email rmullan@nicrc.org.uk

Conference Programme

9.15 – Registration – Patricia Marsh/Judith Hamilton/Gordie Walker to over

9.40 – Welcome & Orientation – Paul Jordan will welcome delegates and go over general housekeeping issues.

9.45 – Chairs Address – Tony Kennedy to welcome delegates on behalf of the Council and give an overview of the programme. Tony to introduce Jamie Treadwell.

9.55 – Building into the Future – “Finding new vision in the journey, for the journey” Jamie Treadwell

10.45 – Coffee Break – Paul Jordan to direct delegates to coffee station and workshop locations.

11.00 – Workshops part 1 – CRC staff to attend each workshop as time keepers and to assist with movement to second workshop.

12.05 – Move to workshops part 2

12.15 – Workshops part 2 – CRC staff to attend each workshop as time keepers and to direct delegates to the main room.

1.20 – Closing remarks – Paul Jordan to introduce Jacqueline Irwin to close the conference and give directions to lunch which will be served on ground floor.

1.30 – Lunch