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As the MLAs are ready to do business at Stormont after the summer recess, the latest NICVA members’ day on 14 September focussed on the opportunities for voluntary and community organisations to get their issues on the agenda of the re-established Assembly.
Over 120 people from all types of voluntary and community organisations that have a role in monitoring policy or trying to influence political parties and the Assembly were in attendance.
Katherine McDonald of Stratagem began the day by summarising the first four months of the Assembly and highlighting some of the challenges ahead.
The question of what role the voluntary and community sector can really play in the assembly was tackled by Cllr Roy Beggs MLA. He also gave a useful overview of a typical day in the life of an Assembly member.
In the afternoon Freda Donaghue from the Centre for Non-Profit Research in Trinity College Dublin traced the development of the voluntary and community sector in the south in order to help tackle the question of how the sector in Northern Ireland can organise itself to make an impact.
Pam Tilson from the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education delivered a workshop on building relations with MLAs.
A session facilitated by the Department of Finance and Personnel explained how money is distributed to government departments and the rules which govern how it can spent by each department.
Practical workshops on making use of the social model of health and using research to inform evidence-based policy were delivered by the Community Development and Health Network and NICVA.
Frances McCandless from NICVA brought the day to a conclusion by introducing a new initiative to help co-ordinate and support the work of lobbyists, campaigners and policy workers from the sector.
If you require any additional information from this conference or about any of NICVA’s policy work please contact:
Jonny Currie
NICVA
t: 028 9087 7777
e. jonny.currie@nicva.org.
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Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action is registered as a company limited by guarantee in Northern Ireland (No 1792) and is registered as a charity for tax purposes with the Inland Revenue