A District Council Good Relations T:BUC Programme has provided funding support to a training package and multi-lingual support hub for migrant newcomers to Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council.
The District Council Good Relations Programme (DCGRP) is a match funded good relations funding programme delivered jointly by The Executive Office (TEO) and District Councils as part of the wider Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) Strategy. The key aims of the programme are to improve relations between and within District Council areas and to support local solutions to local good relations issues.
Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon’s multi-lingual information hub for the area’s migrant newcomer communities is one such project that the DCGRP provided funding for. This project is providing support for training and information for both community representatives and those arriving here from a different country but who don’t have command of the English language. This is the first of its kind across the 11 District Councils.
The project comprises three strands:
- Strand 1 – OCN Level 3 – Training course delivered to 12 individuals by Law Centre NI. This was an accredited course and covered elements such as legacy and current benefits systems.
- Strand 2 – Online non-accredited training course “Introduction to Benefits” for 30 participants – hosted on the Law Centre NI learning portal.
- Strand 3 - Being completed in 22/23 this strand has had a longer lead in time due to the arrival of Ukrainians from their war-torn country and it was important that the video series included this nationality also.
An online resource was developed in collaboration with the Law Centre NI featuring 13 different languages across more than 30 videos. It provides tailored guidance and advice to people with different immigration statuses. The videos explain individual rights and entitlements around employment, health care, social security, housing, and education as well as signposting to key support organisations.
It was great to see the work that has gone into this project and demonstrates Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council’s commitment to promoting a welcoming and inclusive Borough.
TEO, through the District Council Good Relations Programme, was delighted to support them in their efforts. The video can be viewed here