Community NI and You

Name: Geraldine Keys

Location: Omagh

Occupation: Coordinator for FOCUS (Forum in Omagh for Community Understanding and Support)

Within your role, what do you use the web for?

"For funding opportunities, to find out contact and location information for groups."

"The web helps me find out about other groups and what is going on in our own building!"

What do you use Community NI for?

"Putting on events, information and publicising the work of FOCUS."

"The information on consultations enables us to question politicians, keep up to date with policy debate, and help raise our issues of concern."

"Community NI lets us find groups that may need our support."

What do you see as the benefits of Community NI?

"Although I'm not great with IT, it's a quick and easy way to communicate with each other."

"The voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland is one very diverse range of groups and organisations; there are hundreds of branch networks, some spanning the entire province and others stretching out internationally. This 'networked' approach is ideal for a web-based portal."

"It really is the one place to find everything that helps our organisation do its day to day work."

What is your ultimate goal for the Community NI website?

"Although many networks are already connected up using email and have websites, there has been no single place where members of the public, parliament or funders could search and find voluntary organisations and community groups. Community NI, I hope, will be a way for these organisations to communicate and trade with each other."