What do you think of civil society in Northern Ireland? CIVICUS is a global alliance dedicated to strengthening civil society and citizen action throughout the world. Its members include voluntary organisations, foundations, research institutes and individuals from 106 countries. NICVA is the National Co-ordinating Organisation for the CIVICUS supported research programme - the Civil Society Index (CSI). The CSI is an innovative action-research project that assesses civil society worldwide so as to create a knowledge base and an impetus for strengthening initiatives.The Index defines civil society as “the arena, between family, government, and market, where people voluntarily associate to advance common interests”.
It assesses four dimensions of civil society
* the structure
* the external political, legal, socio-economic and socio-cultural environment
* the values practiced and promoted in it
* its overall impact
How can I participate? A series of regional stakeholder consultations will take place to gather information on civil society in late November – early December. We propose to hold five consultations with approximately 15-20 participants each who have an interest in civil society in Northern Ireland Most of the participants will come from within the voluntary and community sector but it is also essential to include those with an interest in civil society from government, the media, churches and the private sector. Participants will be requested to respond to a short written questionnaire and to meet to discuss findings.
The findings from these consultations will play a key part in the final CSI country report.
For more information, please contact J.J. McCarron, Research and Policy Officer at NICVA.
028 9087 7777
jj.mccarron@nicva.org
