Programme Manager - Interfaith & Belief

The Interfaith & Belief Programme is part of the Belfast Local Action Plan, supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

Overall Purpose

The Programme Manager - Interfaith & Belief is responsible for the management and delivery of the Interfaith & Belief Programme across Belfast in partnership with organisations / groups from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. To focus on good relations, peace building, understanding difference, addressing sectarianism and racism, and embracing diversity.

Key Tasks

Programme Implementation and Co-ordination

• Deliver the Interfaith & Belief Programme Implementation Plan in partnership with The Corrymeela Community, Belfast Islamic Centre, Redeeming our Communities (ROC NI) and the NI Interfaith Forum.
• Recruit, establish and manage Steering Groups for Streams 1 and 3 of the Programme to explore and co-design collaborative faith and belief materials for education and awareness raising sessions with young people, interfaith café culture initiatives and an exhibition / festival(s) celebrating the diversity of faiths and beliefs across Belfast.
• Plan and co-ordinate all activities / events associated with Streams 1 and 3, training and supporting of volunteers to be part of delivery, particularly Stream 1.

Partnership Development and Collaboration

• Organise regular meetings of the Interfaith and Belief Partnership to support the effective collaboration of partners and to ensure timely input into decision making.
• Build and sustain relationships between and within communities of different faiths and beliefs, with clergy / leaders across many faith and belief traditions.
• Create collaborative working partnerships with institutions and other groups, such as schools and youth groups, to outwork the objectives of the Programme.
• Support Redeeming Our Communities (ROC NI) as and when required in the delivery of Stream 2.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Record, monitor and update all Interfaith & Belief Programme activities to meet the data requirements of the programme partners, Belfast City Council and SEUPB.
• Provide monthly progress reports against targets to partners, Belfast City Council and SEUPB.
• Implement an evaluation framework across the Programme to contribute to learning and Programme development.

Communication

• Represent and promote the Interfaith and Belief Programme, building connections and networks to support the Programme’s objectives.
• Ensure the Programme adheres to the Communication Guidelines for Delivery Partners, as set out by Belfast City Council and SEUPB.

Finance and Administration

• To work within and manage project budgets in line with Corrymeela’s financial processes and policies and the requirements of the SEUPB.
• Report on the financial and programme activities quarterly through the JEMS system.
• Maintain administrative systems required to support the work of the project.

General

• Complete other duties as directed by Head of Programme at Corrymeela.
• To participate in ongoing professional development opportunities as required by the post.
• To engage with and develop relationships with a diverse group of key stakeholders.

This job description is not intended to be rigid and definitive but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. It is important to note that the responsibilities of the post may change to meet the evolving needs of the Interfaith & Belief Programme.

Overview of the PEACEPLUS Interfaith & Belief Project

The Interfaith & Belief Project is one of the Belfast’s PEACEPLUS Local Community Action Plan priority projects identified following an extensive co-design process working with communities and partners across the city. The vision for the Belfast PEACEPLUS Local Community Action Plan is:

Belfast will be a compassionate, culturally vibrant, an inclusive city, a shared, resilient, welcoming, and caring city. It will be a sustainable city shared and loved by all its citizens, free from the legacy of conflict.

The Corrymeela Community in partnership with the Belfast Islamic Centre, Redeeming Our Communities (ROC NI) and the Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum (NIIF) have been contracted by Belfast City Council to deliver this Programme the objectives of which are:

• Build, improve and sustain relationships between and within communities of different faiths and beliefs by addressing issues of trust, prejudice and intolerance and building mutual respect and a shared commitment to the common good.
• Increase knowledge and understanding of individuals and the collective history and heritage of different faiths and beliefs and to build respect for the distinctiveness of traditions.
• Facilitate positive cultural dialogue and expression within and between diverse communities, which increase levels of mutual understanding, trust and respect and help celebrate the contribution that different faiths and beliefs make to their neighbourhoods and to the city generally.
• Increase dialogue and respect between religious and non-religious groups and people.
• Increase understanding and integration of minority communities including newcomer families and young people.
• Investment into sustainable local community projects embedded in the common interests which help those most in need in society.

The community background allocated to this project is 43% Catholic, 30% Protestant, 27% Other or No Religion. This is based on the nature of the project and the target groups.

Targets/Outputs

Overall, the Interfaith & Belief Programme will engage 870 direct participants in cross-community, interfaith joined up collaboration, with a wider 1,430 plus participants engaged in capacity building, café culture events, training, learning and awareness activity through the three streams of the Programme. Target of a minimum of 6 hours and maximum of 24 hours contact hours per person across the three streams of the Programme is required.

Stream 1: Education and Awareness (Facilitated by Corrymeela)

Stream 1 aims to increase knowledge and awareness about different faiths and beliefs across Belfast. As a result, improve relations between people of different religions and non-religious backgrounds and build trust and respect through:

• Development of educations materials for 15 – 20-year-olds within youth settings and schools by way of a co-design process involving 15 interfaith & belief groups.
• Building the capacity of 6 volunteers to deliver 40 interfaith & belief youth awareness sessions using the materials developed by the collective.
• Curating an interfaith & belief exhibition which may be used as an accompaniment to the education resource or displayed in a city centre location.
• Facilitating and hosting interfaith café culture and interfaith & belief awareness events.

Stream 2: Unity and Peace – Welcoming Programme (Facilitated by ROC NI)

Stream 2 aims to increase awareness of the physical, human and community assets within different interfaith and belief organisations across Belfast, with a view to seeing how these can best be utilised within Belfast’s vision of a shared society and city through:

• Recruiting 20 participants from up to 10 faith and belief groups to co-develop the Unity and Peace Welcoming Programme.
• Research/online survey exploring the assets of volunteering, facilities and assistance to support new arrivals to Belfast including refugees and asylum seekers.
• Facilitating site visits across Belfast to showcase work undertaken by different faith and belief groups.
• Working towards achieving the outcomes of the Belfast Agenda by facilitating cross-sectoral focus sessions to explore and appreciate the role of faith in the city.
• Developing ways to share stories, creating a sense of belonging and reducing isolation, offering young people a route to engage outside of school, becoming integrated with locals through activities.
• Developing and delivering a shared project promoting collaboration and relationship building for future sustainability post PEACEPLUS funding. (£5,000 allocation)

Stream 3: Celebrating Faith and Belief Festivals in the City (Facilitated by Corrymeela)

Stream 3 aims to celebrate and showcase the diversity of faiths and beliefs across Belfast through a range of different events and activities with a view to building Belfast’s vision of a shared society and city, that respects all, and challenges prejudice, hatred and discrimination through:

• Recruiting 20 faith group leaders/members/volunteers from 10 groups to collaboratively plan 5 events per annum through a series of engagement sessions.
• On the basis of this developing a calendar of events marking key faith and belief festivals/holidays during the year which different belief groups can participate in collectively to celebrate together. Examples may include, but not limited to: Christmas, Ramadan, Easter, Diwali and Hanukkah. These must be new events and not existing activities.
• Prior to each event/festival facilitation of a themed discussion to generate engagement and interest.
• Proceeding each event/festival support a local interfaith network to deliver a local action project to address a particular local need to demonstrate faith in action, on an interfaith basis. (£2,000 allocation per local action project)