Funding a Bill of Rights debate

On the Rights Road

As the creation of a Bill of Rights re-emerges as a live issue in Northern Ireland, the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland will enable and enliven debate on the creation of the Bill.

The Foundation has secured funding for a Bill of Rights Project to include a Small Grants Programme and a parallel Training and Support Programme. This presents a critical opportunity for the community sector to play a key part in the framing and, more specifically, the outworking of the Bill of Rights. The project has started in November 2006 and will go on until April 2008.

• The main purpose of a Bill of Rights is to establish and guarantee the relationship between the state and its citizens.
• The Project will create local awareness and debate and encourage participation in the process of creating an appropriate Bill of Rights.
• The final delivery of an effective Bill of Rights is the concern of everyone interested in the search for long-term peace and stability in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has said that the Bill of Rights should:

“make a real difference to the lives of everyone in Northern Ireland - young and old, rich and poor, long established and newly arrived.”

Learning about social justice and human rights issues is critical to helping local communities shape the Bill of Rights that will be developed for NI and the local communities to participate in the decision making that lies ahead.

Small Grants Programme 2007

Small grants of up to £10000 are available to fund local community groups with projects that develop learning on the Bill of Rights. Projects must meet the following objectives:

• To animate interest within local communities for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.
• To maximise the involvement of local community groups and communities of interest in the formulation of that Bill of Rights.
• To increase awareness and commitment to the concept of human rights in local communities.
• To develop and promote a rights based approach to peace building in local communities.

There will be a grant minimum of £1000.

Contact us for an application pack or alternatively visit the Community Foundation website where you can access all the information you require to make an application.

Training and Support Programme

Twenty local community groups will be selected for the Training and Support Programme. Each group will develop an action plan assisted by Community Foundation staff. In addition each group will have access to a Mentor. The Mentor will be chosen by each group to assist with learning and capacity building on the Bill of Rights and Social Justice issues. These are issues that impact on all communities – rights are not partisan – they affect you and your family.

Participant groups have a small budget of £3000 which can be used to support their action plan and development.

The Training and Support Programme will include training and other opportunities for learning. Networking and contact between groups will be encouraged through conferences, workshops, exchange visits and other events.

The final delivery of an effective Bill of Rights is the concern of everyone interested in the search for long-term peace and stability in Northern Ireland.