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If you are interested in exploring this statement, Rural Community Network invites you to a conference on Thursday 1 May from 9.30am to 3.30pm in the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, Oxford Island.

As part of Community Relations week, this interactive event will examine if relationships matter and what the costs are of not building inclusive relationships. It will also explore what would need to happen in our own practice in order to build sustainable relationships as volunteers, politicians, workers and civil servants.

This year marks ten years on from the Belfast Agreement and a year since the restoration of devolution. With our own political structure, this is an exciting time for rural communities. Those who live and work in rural communities are facing a number of challenges and opportunities – to address these challenges and opportunities, we will all require strong relationships based on trust, equality and rights.

Michael Hughes, Chief Executive Officer with Rural Community Network highlighted the importance of the event saying ‘For many people living in rural communities, the inclusion in day to day activities and the opportunities to really feel a part of a positive change process remain but a distant dream. The rural community’s greatest untapped resource is its people and to allow all who live in rural communities to maximise their contribution and realise their potential, relationships need to be built.’ Michael continued ‘The conference gives us a small glimpse into how people can become vulnerable and excluded and how changes, some indeed very small, have made a huge difference to people’s lives. What is needed from this is a commitment from us all to address this vulnerability and exclusion, so that everyone living in rural communities feels part of their community and are encouraged and facilitated in demonstrating their talents for the good of all.’

Professor John Bryden from the University of the Highlands and Islands will bring a European perspective to the event as keynote speaker. There will also be a panel of speakers from the Equality Commission, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development along with the Community Relations Council.

Places are by invitation only. To reserve your place, please contact Teresa McKernan at Rural Community Network on 028 8676 6670 or email teresa@ruralcommunitynetwork.org.

Rural Community Network recently held an event designed to inform rural communities about how best to respond to the recently announced changes to the Northern Ireland Post Office Network. These changes will see a total of 42 post offices right across rural Northern Ireland closing, whilst a further 54 post offices will now be operated through a form of outreach service. In rural areas, where 61.5% of the population live, customers would be served by a total of 341 branches after these proposals, 155 of which would provide the only access to cash in their communities, according to Sheila McCann, Post Office Ltd’s network development manager for NI.

The half day event which was held in the East Tyrone College, Cookstown Campus on Tuesday 9 April saw over 40 people from rural communities right across Northern Ireland attending. Barbara Roulston and Sheila McCann from Post Office Limited gave a detailed presentation on both the context and rationale for the post office change programme, whilst Maureen Edmondson from Postwatch outlined some of the issues which rural communities should be considering in terms of the future postal service in their areas. In these presentations, both post Office Limited and Postwatch emphasised their willingness to engage with rural communities seeking clarification or support around this process.

The event also provided an opportunity for people from rural communities to raise questions relating to the Post Office change programme proposals and how these were going to impact upon their communities. In what was a highly informative session, many people were able to identify the next steps they and their community need to take in order to secure the postal service best suited to the needs of their community.

Michael Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of Rural Community Network, concluded ‘This event gave rural communities an opportunity to find out more about the Post Office Network change programme.’ Michael continued ‘This meeting forms part of Rural Community Network’s commitment to ensure that there is an effective consultation with rural communities on the issue of sustainable rural postal services. To this end we are actively engaging with both Post Office and Postwatch to ensure that rural communities are fully informed of the changes that are envisaged, as well as how best they can respond to them. Central to these considerations will be the need to ensure that the voices and the needs of the most vulnerable within rural communities are taken into account. In addition, I would take this opportunity to urge our elected representatives to get involved in this process and in so doing lend their support to our rural communities.’

For further information, contact Karin or Mark at Rural Community Network on 028 8676 6670 or email info@ruralcommunitynetwork.org

The workshop will focus on how a group makes a recruitment decision about a staff member/volunteer based on the information received from Access NI and also how a group deals with the implications of the decision.

Access NI has been established by Northern Ireland Office, Department of Health, Social Services and Public safety (DHSSPS), Department of Education and Police Service (NI) and will be fully operational from 1 April 2008. It will replace the POC (NI) Service currently provided by DHSSPS.

The POC (NI) service will no longer accept applications for checks from 17th March 2008. Groups who are required to carry out checks under POCVA legislation must therefore register with Access NI in order to ensure access to checks from 1 April 2008.

Rural Community Network held a very successful event on 11 March to discuss the contributions of rural post offices to local communities and possibilities for future rural postal services. The event was attended by sub-postmasters and members of Rural Community Network and the Rural Support Networks.

The timing of the event was to create the space for discussion prior to the announcement on 1 April by Post Office Ltd with regard to post office closures in Northern Ireland and proposals for the development of a number of outreach services. This will be followed by a six week consultation period.

Due to both the withdrawal of government business such as benefit payments and changing customer habits, Post Office Ltd has been making significant losses through its post office network. For example, during 2006-2007, Post Office Ltd made losses of £4 million every week across the UK. In Northern Ireland, one in every five rural branches has fewer than 100 customer visits a week. As a result of these losses, Post Office Ltd has been implementing a change programme across the UK with the goal of closing 2500 post-offices across the UK and introducing 500 new outreach services. The government has provided £1.7 billion until 2011 to fund this change programme. On 1 April, it is Northern Ireland’s turn to hear about the changes proposed.

Karin Eyben, Policy Officer with Rural Community Network stated ‘Those who attended the event were clear about the formal and informal contributions of rural post offices to local communities.’ Karin continued ‘There are a whole set of community services provided by rural post offices in addition to the official 180 services such as providing a point of community contact and information.’

Michael Hughes, Chief Executive Officer with Rural Community Network added ’Rural post offices provide a vital service for sections of the community, particularly for older people, those with poor literacy and numeracy skills, lone parents, those on benefits and newcomers such as the migrant population.’ He continued ‘The changes proposed will particularly impact on those who are most vulnerable and disadvantaged and it is vital that their voices are heard during the consultation period.’

Whilst those present at the RCN event acknowledged that changes are needed, there was a clear recognition that the future of rural postal services needs to be planned and thought through by those who run rural post offices and by local communities. Rural Community Network will explore how best this planning can be rolled out in those areas that will be impacted upon by the closures to ensure that what is put in place offers a meaningful alternative to those current Post Office services.

RCN will be holding a meeting in Cookstown on 8 April at 10.30am. Both Post Office Ltd and Post Watch will attend and brief participants on announcements made on 1 April followed by a question and answer session.

Please contact Karin or Mark at Rural Community Network on 028 8676 6670 for further information or if you would like to attend, alternatively email info@ruralcommunitynetwork.org

Members of Kircubbin Regeneration Programme and Rectory Park Resident’s Association have recently completed training on Rural Community Network’s Capacity Building Towards Rural Reconciliation Programme.

The Capacity Building Towards Rural Reconciliation programme, funded by the EU Programme 2000 – 2006 through the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland Measure 2.7 Building Community Capacity and Promoting Active Citizenship, targets rural community groups who are focusing on improving co-operation within the local area and offers training on community development, good relations and peace building. There is also an opportunity to apply for a grant focused on good relations in the area and the support of a Community Development Officer to help develop ideas and projects for the group.

Francis Caldwell, member of Rectory Park Resident’s Association complimented the programme saying ‘This programme has enabled our community group to look at the possibilities of working with the wider Kircubbin community as opposed to focusing solely with residents who live in our park, we look forward to developing a project which will create links with all people in Kircubbin.’

Carol Ann Hewitt, Vice Chair of Kircubbin Regeneration Programme, added, ‘Our group has been successful in regenerating Maxwell’s Courtyard as a modern community building over the last year, however the training we have just completed has helped us to think about getting all people living in the Kircubbin district to take ownership in this building and we can now plan to organise events which will benefit all the local population’.

Caroline Maguire, Rural Community Network added ‘The programme is about making connections in rural communities and encouraging relationships to develop’. She continued ‘The training encourages participants to develop skills in community development and to find out more about each other in a relaxed environment and the grant encourages the participants to put what they have learnt in the training into practice.’

The groups will be working on developing a joint project which will focus on greater participation and inclusion of the wider community over the next few months.

Over 120 women, men and children attended a cultural celebration in the Bridewell, Magherafelt recently to celebrate International Women’s Day 2008. The event, co-ordinated by Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network, Rural Community Network and the Latinoamerica Unida Association, brought all walks of life together under the theme of ‘Making World Connections’.

An inspiring collection of objects and photographs were brought along to the event demonstrating just how many connections the people who attended had with other parts of the world. The evening incorporated workshops and culminated in singing and dancing displays from across the globe.

Siobhan Doherty, Co-Ordinator with NIRWN said ‘I found the event inspiring and fun. We were delighted with the massive turn out and with the diversity of our community represented at the event. Everyone participated in full and even though we thought at one stage we were going to run out of space, participants were allowed the opportunity to discuss their world connections, examine their understanding of our differences and similarities across the world and basically do this to the backdrop of great cultural entertainment laid on for the night’.

Charo Lanao-Madden, Good Relations Officer with Rural Community Network said ‘The central topic of this event was making connections and that is exactly what happened on the evening’. Charo continued ‘Diversity was a key factor for success and with a mix of nationalities, ages and genders, participants really engaged in the discussion about the similarities and differences that exist between women from around the world.’

Sonya Whitfield from Dungannon attended the event and said ‘I really enjoyed the evening, it was fun learning - we all learned something and we all shared something.’ Another participant, Caroline Maguire from South Armagh also enjoyed the social event saying ‘it gave us time to reflect on similarities and differences’.

For further information, visit www.ruralcommunitynetwork.org or www.nirwn.org.uk

Rural Community Network is currently working on the RIPPLE Project (Rivers Involving People, Places and Leading By Example) in conjunction with Ballinderry Fish Hatchery and World Wildlife Fund.

To date, six meetings have taken place where local people had the opportunity to share their memories of the Ballinderry River and contribute to the development of a plan for the River. Speakers such as Mick McGuckin, Chief Executive of Cookstown District Council and Mark Conway, a local resident, contributed to the event with their personal reflections of what the Ballinderry River had meant to them.

Ann Marie McStocker, Community Development Officer with Rural Community Network, said ‘Rural Community Network was delighted to be asked to be involved in this project and brought a participatory approach to the process of engaging with the relevant communities.’ Ann Marie continued ‘This was a real opportunity for communities to voice their views within a community led process. Rural Community Network has found that this valuable style of approach is an effective way of encouraging communities to become involved in decisions which affect them.’

Michael Hughes, Chief Executive Officer with Rural Community Network commented ‘Under the Water Framework Directive (Northern Ireland) 2003 legislation, each district will be asked to prepare a River Basin Management Plan. The Ballinderry River Plan produced at community level by local people will be used to inform the overall River Basin Management Plan for Northern Ireland and the process is one that should be replicated across the region.’

Come along to our next meeting on Thursday 3 April at 7pm in Loughry College, Cookstown .The meeting will commence with an historical walk along the River, followed by a presentation of a community vision for the future of the River.

For further information, contact Ann Marie McStocker at Rural Community Network on 028 8676 6670 or email annmarie@ruralcommunitynetwork.org alternatively contact Mark Horton at Ballinderry Fish Hatchery on 028 8676 1515.

Cappagh Historical Society recently opened its doors to the whole community by organising a ‘Memorabilia Evening’. The event brought together people from the wider Cappagh area to examine historical objects from the locality and talk about events of the past.

The event was supported through funding from the EU Peace II Programme, Capacity Building towards Rural Reconciliation which is being delivered through Rural Community Network.

Caroline Maguire, Community Development Officer with Rural Community Network said ‘This event has highlighted that local people are the backbone of rural communities. Through this programme, we have tried to build the capacity of local people in rural communities and we have given them a small amount of resources to develop stronger relationships and make new connections. The result of this small investment tonight has surpassed all my expectations.’

Local people brought along a vast array of fascinating objects relating to the local area’s heritage including old turf cutting equipment, forestry equipment, household items and objects from local shops and churches. These were accompanied by some old bicycles, a 1948 Ford Anglia and some old engines.

The event highlighted the shared history of people from all backgrounds living in the area and Bennie Monaghan, Cappagh Historical Group Member who spoke at the event said ‘Tonight has shown that people from all backgrounds living in this area have a great deal in common - we have a history of working together out in the fields and in the mills and through this project we want to continue to work together to ensure we collect everybody’s story to record for future generations.’

Kenny Beattie, one of the group’s newest members added, ‘Events such as this Memorabilia Evening are a great way of bringing the community together, having a bit of craic and sharing information.’

The group hopes to work on a local history book over the next year and hope to host further events over the coming months to collect additional information and stories which will help to produce their book.

Rural Community Network has updated and redesigned its Resource Fact Sheets - a tremendous practical resource for your community. While the Fact Sheets are aimed at community development workers and facilitators, they are equally as useful to people involved in community groups. They are not prescriptive and the material can be adapted to and customised to meet the particular needs of the group.

The focus of the Fact Sheets is on ‘rural’ however the information can be transferred to those working within the urban areas. They include practical information on Forming a Community Group, Annual General Meetings, Community Audits, Action Planning and Networking as well as looking at areas such as an Introduction to Funding Applications and Undertaking Community Consultation.

The 20 Fact Sheets include six new areas which have been developed through the experience of staff and groups involved in the Service Centre Hubs Programme and the Rural Community Estates Programme. Building Peace – The Role of a Service Centre Hub, Understanding Governance and Exploring Equality and Social Inclusion are just three of the new areas examined.

Aidan Campbell, Community Development Officer with Rural Community Network explained ‘The Fact Sheets present information in an easily accessible format and are a good guide for groups to check out how they have been approaching an issue or task.’ He continued ‘Fact Sheet Two, based around forming a community group, gives sound advice to community activists about the practicalities of setting up a group. The importance of ensurng two way communication with the community and the group is highlighted as are some of the ethical issues people need to consider, such as ensuring the membership of the group is balanced and representative of the area. Fact Sheet 13 on partnership working gives a checklist that groups can use to gauge the development of their partnership working and is a good reality check to allow groups to reflect on the advantages and pitfalls.’

To obtain a pack, please contact Libby at Rural Community Network on 028 8676 6670 alternatively visit the website www.ruralcommunitynetwork.org

Members of Killelagh & St John’s Community Association and Michael Davitt’s GAC, Swatragh have recently completed training on Rural Community Network’s Capacity Building Towards Rural Reconciliation Programme. The associations consequently held a cross community balloon release and a Christmas event which was funded by the Programme.

The Capacity Building Towards Rural Reconciliation programme, funded by the EU Programme 2000 – 2006 through the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland Measure 2.7 Building Community Capacity and Promoting Active Citizenship, targets rural community groups who are focusing on improving co-operation within the local area and offers training on community development, good relations and peace building. There is also an opportunity to apply for a grant focused on good relations in the area and the support of a Community Development Officer to help develop ideas and projects for the group.

Heather Boyd, Treasurer of Killelagh & St John’s Community Association complimented the programme saying ‘This programme created the space for members of the two groups to talk about our background and culture and we discovered that we have a lot in common’. Heather continued ‘The small grant attached to the programme allowed us to do something practical and beneficial for our community and helped to break down barriers among the wider community.’

Caroline Maguire, Rural Community Network added ‘The programme is about making connections in rural communities and encouraging relationships to develop’. She continued ‘The training encourages participants to develop skills in community development and to find out more about about each other in a relaxed environment and the grant encourages the participants to put what they have learnt in the training into practice.’

For further information or to receive an Expression of Interest Form, please contact Caroline Maguire at Rural Community Network on 028 8676 6670 or email info@ruralcommunitynetwork.org

Rural Community Network (RCN), Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network (NIRWN) and YouthAction Northern Ireland hosted an action packed event in Eskra Community Centre. Attended by over 40 young people from rural communities in Tyrone and Armagh, the event aimed to bring rural young people from different communities together to raise awareness about various issues that impact on their lives as well as a chance to meet new people and have fun.

All young people that participated in the event are currently involved in YouthAction Northern Ireland’s Rural Outreach Programme. This project, funded by the Department of Education through the Southern Education and Library Board, aims to increase youth provision in rural communities and improve the lives and opportunities of rural young people.

The workshops that took place were agreed by a group of young people who attended a needs assessment event in May 2007. These included a workshop run by PHAB NI on ‘Inclusion Matters’ where the participants experienced sporting activities normally organised for people with disabilities. The Southern Area Health Promotion Department delivered a workshop on self-esteem, looking at stress and depression, followed by a relaxation session exploring alternative ways of overcoming these issues. The issue of cultural awareness was also explored and gave the young people an insight into the lifestyles of other communities and traditions from themselves. The hip-hop dance session delivered by YouthAction N.I. proved to be another very popular workshop giving the young people an opportunity to develop teamwork encouraging young people to work together. There were also opportunities to participate in a games session with time to mingle and meet new people.

One young person highlighted the impact of the event by saying ‘it’s good to know that we have so much in common with people that we automatically see as different’, while another said ‘I learned how to take time out from every day goings on and just relax’.

Michael Hughes, Chief Executive Officer with Rural Community Network, expressed his delight in the enthusiasm of the young people who attended the event. He said ‘The young people have certainly realised the importance of being more inclusive in terms of disability and cultural differences and that everyone has a part to play.’

The partnership between RCN, NIRWN and YouthAction N.I helped to make the event such a success as all organisations involved recognise the benefit of a joint approach to lead to more inclusive rural communities especially in providing opportunities for young people. All the organisations wish to thank the facilitators that supported the event on the day as well as to the young people that participated in the event and helped to make the day a success.

For further information, contact Rural Community Network on 028 8676 6670 or YouthAction Northern Ireland on Armagh 028 3751 1624
South Tyrone 028 8555 6882
Strabane area 028 7131 8854

Rural Community Network was delighted to host an event lately which celebrated the success of its Rural Women’s Sectoral Programme. The two year Programme was funded under DARD through Measure 4.6 of the Building Sustainable Prosperity Programme with the aim of promoting and encouraging opportunities for rural women’s participation in decision making.

Over 60 rural women travelled from across the region to take part in an inspiring day where they listened to Baroness May Blood speak on the importance of community activity for women. Majella Murphy, a member of Rural Community Network’s Board of Directors, told of her journey within the sector and of the challenges and opportunities that had been integral to this particular Programme.

The afternoon’s agenda incorporated workshops on peace and reconciliation which will assist in informing future work within Rural Community Network. Through a ‘timeline’ which featured key events in the women’s lives, the participants identified areas where good relations/community relations already existed within their work and areas which could be further developed.

Michael Hughes, Chief Executive Officer with Rural Community Network said ‘The Women’s Sectoral Programme had a very clear community development focus with peace and reconciliation underpinning all of the planned activities.’ Michael continued ‘What was evident from today’s event is that every group had a localised response to a localised issue. This clearly demonstrates the continual need for flexible approaches to funding and social policy to ensure maximum benefit for rural communities.’

One of the delegates at the event exclaimed ‘I’ve now realised that women have a voice and we can effect change in our homes and communities and will encourage others to do the same.’

An Evaluation and Practice to Policy Study will be available from the end of November. To download your copy, please visit www.ruralcommunitynetwork.org or alternatively contact the office on 028 8676 6670.

Several women from Monea Women’s Group in County Fermanagh undertook training in the fields of car maintenance and carpentry. The women decided to break into the male dominated areas to show that they could change a tyre just as well as any man!

As one of the groups funded through Rural Community Network’s Rural Women’s Sectoral Programme and DARD through Measure 4.6 of the Building Sustainable Prosperity Programme, this is just an example of some of the work being carried out to build the skills of women throughout rural Northern Ireland.

Rosaleen McElhone from Rural Community Network commented ‘The new Assembly may have rejected the need for positive action to address the fact that women are underrepresented at decision making levels but the Rural Women’s Sectoral Programme is committed to this field.’ She continued ‘The key objectives of the Programme include supporting the active involvement of women from all traditions of rural Northern Ireland in wider policy as ensuring active engagement in the process.’