Women's News
 16th May Lo and Curran delighted with Northern Visions/NvTv Interim Funding Alliance South Belfast MLA Anna Lo and Laganbank Cllr Cathy Curran have welcomed the news that NvTv had secured interim funding after talks facilitated by Belfast City Council with DCAL and the Arts Council. Anna Lo said: "I raised this issue with the Culture Minister in April and I am delighted that NvTv has secured interim funding. NvTv makes an invaluable contribution to the arts community and creative industry of Belfast and Northern Ireland, providing jobs, developing specialised skills and bolstering the local community. I had grave concerns that the loss of NvTv would create a significant cultural deficit at a time when we need to prioritise growing our cultural product." Cllr Cathy Curran said: "I am relieved that NvTv have secured interim funding and sincerely hope that a solution for their funding can be secured in the long term. At a time when we are celebrating the success of events like Titanic Belfast and MTV Europe Music Awards, it is vital that we continue to support our local arts community and the development of a vibrant arts and creative sector. Both Anna and I will be monitoring this funding situation with great interest and wish NvTv all the best for the future."
15th May Big Lottery fund helps Engage with Age A new project tackling social isolation among older people has been given a grant of more than £400,000 by the Big Lottery Fund.
Engage with Age will use the money to fund the Hope Project. It will be launched at the seniors convention at Belfast City Hall later.
Margy Washbrook, from Engage with Age, said loneliness is one of the main issues affecting the elderly.
She said the money would develop programmes of activities for older people in six neighbourhoods across Belfast. "It means that we'll have time to try different approaches," she said.
"We're working with the people who are most difficult to reach, people who are very isolated. So they may take quite a while to find, they will take also probably quite a long time to persuade to get involved with what's going on. So the fact that we've got the money and we're able to employ staff whose sole job is to work on this project is a huge thing for us." 14th May Opportunities with Craigavon & Banbridge Women’s Aid Outreach Worker To deliver a high standard of support on practical, emotional and motivational levels to women and children affected by Domestic Abuse.
Essential Criteria includes:-
• A Knowledge of and a commitment to women’s issues, in relation to domestic abuse
• A minimum of two years experience in voluntary or paid capacity supporting women and children
• A clean driving licence and access to a car
Desirable:-
• Knowledge and experience of collating statistics, report writing, record keeping as required
• A recognised counselling qualification
• Experience of liaising with voluntary and statutory agencies
SALARY SCALE: NJC Scale 20 ~£18.453
Closing Date: 18th May 2012 Bank Staff To deliver a high standard of support on practical, emotional and motivational levels to women and children affected by Domestic Abuse.
Essential Criteria includes:-
• At least one year full-time working within a residential and/or community setting
• Knowledge of residential issues
• Excellent: Communication skills and befriending/helping skills
Salary: National Minimum Wage
A commitment to work within Women's Aid values and philosophy including self-help is essential.
Closing Date: 29th June 2012 For more information or an application pack contact Gayle, Office 1 First Floor, Legahory Centre, Craigavon, BT65 5BE. Tel No: 028 3834 3256. Email: info@cabwa.co.uk Executive Committee Members Craigavon & Banbridge Women's Aid (CABWA)seeks committed new Executive Committee members to provide leadership and strategic governance to the organisation. CABWA Executive Committee is on a voluntary basis and involves attending monthly meetings.
Experience or interest ideally would involve one or more from the following;
• Human Resources
• Ethnic Minorities
• Employer Responsibilities,
• Financial Management & Fundraising,
• Strategic Planning
• Experience of Domestic Abuse
CABWA is a charity and is Company Limited by Guarantee
Closing Date: 1st June 2012 For more information contact Toni McConville, Office 1, First Floor, Legahory Centre, Craigavon, BT65 5BE. Tel No: 02838343256. Email: toni@cabwa.co.uk
10th May 5 Decades Storytelling Facilitators Forthspring Intercommunity Group wishes to recruit facilitators to a register to co-facilitate storytelling sessions as part of its 5 Decades Project that is exploring differing experiences of the Troubles. Specific Duties: To co-facilitate storytelling sessions dealing with the past. To co-facilitate local people on both sides of the peace wall to tell their stories of the conflict through the provision of planned storytelling sessions. To support local people to deal at a personal level with the traumatic impact of the conflict. To enable, when appropriate, older people to share their stories of the conflict with younger people and enable younger people to develop an increased understanding of the nature and impact of the conflict.
Hours: Fixed hourly rate on a part-time casual basis.
Salary: £30 per hour. (Travel expenses will not be paid) To apply please submit a cv plus a covering letter indicating your experience and suitability for the role. A job description and information on the project is available from: Johnston Price, Forthspring Inter Community Group, 373-375 Springfield Road, Belfast BT12 7DG email: fscommunity@btconnect.com telephone: 02890313945. Closing date for application is Monday 14th May 2012 at 12 noon.
8th May
Pension age for women rising to 65 by 2018 – BBC News NI The Northern Ireland Assembly has raised the age at which women can get a state pension. By 2018, women will have to be 65 to draw a state pension. An estimated 7,000 women could be affected. In 2020, the age for both female and male state pensions rises to 66. To read the full story click here
7th May
Asda’s ‘Nominate a cause’ Asda have opportunities for community groups and projects to apply for it’s ‘Nominate a cause’ charitable giving. Anyone can nominate a project by visiting the website - http://storelocator.asda.com/store/belfast-living and going to the ‘nominate a cause’ banner on the left hand-side and completing the sections for your group or project of choice. If your project is selected Asda give back through a charitable contribution or a donation of time. 6th May JRF Report – Monitoring poverty & social exclusion in Northern Ireland 2012 How have poverty, work, benefits and education changed in Northern Ireland since 2009?
This new report from The Joseph Rowntree Foundation updates the 2009 report, written as the recession was hitting Northern Ireland especially hard. Northern Ireland had seen a steeper rise in unemployment than any other part of the UK. Since then, there has been long-term improvement in some areas but persistent problems in others.
Key points from the report - In the three years to 2009/10, 22% of people in Northern Ireland were living in poverty. Poverty for children, working-age adults and pensioners has risen since the middle of the last decade. The rise in pensioner poverty in Northern Ireland coincided with a fall in Great Britain. All the increase in poverty came in working or retired households. Half of the 120,000 children in poverty live in working households. On average, between 2009 and 2011, 34% of working-age adults in Northern Ireland were not in paid work. This is higher than the Great Britain average but similar to Wales and regions in the north of England. In 2011, 38% of working-age women were workless compared with 28% of working-age men. Children on free school meals are much more likely not to attain expected levels of educational qualifications. In 2010, 69% of pupils on free school meals did not achieve five GCSEs at A*–C (including maths and English) compared with 36% of other pupils and this gap has not closed over time.
To read a copy of the full report you can access it on the JRF website -
http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/monitoring-poverty-northern-ireland-2012
4th May
Evaluator and Researcher for Healthy Hearts in the West Responsible to: Community Planning Officer Health/Healthy Hearts Co-ordinator The Partnership seeks to employ an evaluator / researcher to develop and implement the evaluation framework for the Healthy Hearts Evaluator and Researcher for Healthy Hearts in the West Salary: NHS Band 6, pro rata
Hours: 22.5
Location: 218-226 Falls Road,Belfast BT12 6AH
Fixed Term Contract: To 31 March 2013
Job Purpose: To support the development and implementation of the ‘Healthy Hearts in the West’ Initiative evaluation framework in collaboration with representatives from the community, voluntary, statutory, and private sectors. To have regular professional support meetings with a nominated member of PHA Intelligence Unit To advise and support the Community Hubs in the evaluation of their activities To analyse data from the different elements of the initiative including Community Pharmacy, Community Hubs, Cardiovascular Rehab, Communication To coordinate support and analyse Fit Kids surveys in local primary and secondary schools Analyse data from the Primary Schools Exercise and Nutrition Programme To provide regular reports to the Healthy Hearts Co-ordinator and the Evaluation sub group. Provide a comprehensive evaluation report of the initiative
Job Specification
Essential Third level qualification and at least 3 years experience of data collection, analysis and report writing. Worked within the community sector (in a paid capacity) for a minimum of three years; and able to demonstrate an understanding of community development principals. Experience in developing evaluation frameworks and undertaking community evaluation assignments. Experience of working with the community, statutory, voluntary and private sectors. Detailed knowledge of health and social care issues A good working knowledge of the impact of health inequalities.
Desirable For an application form contact Stephanie Vallely at the West Belfast Partnership Board on 02890 809202 or by email stephanie@wbpb.org. Returned applications should be received no later than 2pm on Monday 14th May 2012 by hand delivery or post. Successful candidates should be available for interview the week beginning Monday 21st May 1st May Part Time Teaching / Facilitator Register Tutors and facilitators are invited to submit CV's to be held on a register for Shankill Women’s Centre, this register will be held by Shankill Women’s Centre and may be shared with other community organisations.
Previous teaching experience essential. CV should include previous teaching or delivery, employer reference details and expected salary. CVs will be held on file should vacancies arise. Closing date for submissions is 1st Aug 2012.
CVs can be submitted to Mrs Roberta Gray, Education Manager, Shankill Women’s Centre, 151/157 Shankill Road, Belfast, BT13 1FD. For more information contact the centre on 028 9024 0642 or robertag@shankillwomenscentre.org Visit the website: http://www.shankillwomenscentre.org.uk 27th April NI Commissioner launches Welfare Reform Publication The NI Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) launched two publications on the 26th April on Welfare Reform and its potential negative impact on families with children. Please find below links to the press release and the publications. Issues highlighted at the event include: few families with children will be unaffected NI, in comparison to the UK, has the highest proportion of children, higher levels of disability, and likely to lose more income than any other region outside London thousands of children and young people will suffer increased hardship and adverse life outcomes thousands of children and young people will suffer significantly reduced living standards
Press article: http://www.niccy.org/article.aspx?menuId=14348
View or download the reports at:
http://www.niccy.org/article.aspx?menuid=14265
27th April
Leadership in a Shared Society Project The WEA is the lead partner for the delivery of this project in the NE area (covers 6 councils – Limavady, Coleraine, Moyle, Ballymoney, Ballymena and Larne) and currently recruitment to the project is underway. The project aims to explore and develop specific civic and leadership skills in the areas of reconciliation, mediation, sectarianism and racism. The project will deliver tailored training and learning to three distinct groupings: (i) elected members, (ii) community leaders, (iii) shared elected members and community leaders together. The project will consist of: Delivery will commence in September 2012.
There are three half-day workshops for those interested to come along and find out more from some of the trainers who will be delivering on the project. These are morning events and will be held in Coleraine and Ballymena on 9th May and in Ballymoney on 10th May. To register for these please contact carol.aitken@wea-ni.com 27th April JOIN THE MAY DAY PROTEST 2012 Belfast Women say: “Empty Cameron and Clegg’s purse not ours” 1st May 2012 meet at Speranza’s just below Shaftsbury Square and then gather at the protest venue. 12.00pm. Back to the Future-Women and poverty, again Who are we? We are women who are (and whose families are): Community Workers, Civil Servants, we work in the Private Sector, and for the NHS, we work as volunteers, we are unemployed, lone parents, immigrant workers, we are pensioners and teenagers. We are from the communities of, North, South, East and West Belfast.: we are individuals and we are in organisations. BUT unlike the 23 Ministers who help to make up the British Government, we are not millionaires. PROTEST-This protest is taking place on the 1st May in Belfast is to show our opposition to Government Policy regarding the Welfare Reform Bill and the attacks on social services and jobs. The Reforms are complicated some have been implemented , they began last year and will continue for at least the next five years- It is not just the “reforms” in benefits that we are concerned about, but also the whole dismantling of the National Health Service and Welfare State. See our press statement and leaflet for more details, available on the day. Women, men, youth, community organisations and trade unions are all welcome.
26th April
Shankill Women’s Centre recruiting for teaching/facilitator registration Part-Time Teaching/Facilitator Register
Shankill Women’s Centre is currently recruiting for courses that will run 2012/13. Tutors and facilitators are invited to submit CV's to be held on a register for Shankill Women’s Centre. This register will be held by Shankill Women’s Centre and may be shared with other community organisations. Previous teaching experience is essential. CV should include previous teaching or delivery, employer reference details, expected salary and awarding body used for accreditation. CVs will be held on file should vacancies arise. CVs can be emailed to robertag@shankillwomenscentre.org or posted to: Mrs Roberta Gray, Education Manager, Shankill Women’s Centre, 151 – 157 Shankill Road, Belfast, BT13 1FD
25th April
Free training offered by The Women’s Training Project, Ashton Centre The Women's Training Project, based in the Ashton Centre, is open to all unemployed women living in North Belfast and offers free, accredited training including ICT, Sage, Basic Food Hygiene and Personal Development. Childcare may be available. Find out more about the full range of training by contacting Tracy McWhinney, T: 028 9074 2255 or E: tracy.mcwhinney@ashtoncentre.com
24th April
Business in the Community Pro Help Programme ProHelp is a local network of over 100 professional firms committed to providing free advice and support to local community groups and voluntary organisations. Requests are outlined in a monthly newsletter circulated to all ProHelp members. The Programme Manager then matches the organisation with Business in the Community ProHelp members. After an initial meeting, the organisation and ProHelp member meet and work on the project together. There are three different ways that community-based organisations can benefit from ProHelp: 1. Professional Firms — expert guidance on a range of issues including legal, financial, architectural, IT, Marketing 2. Project Support/Business Advice — advice from a range of business representatives including strategic planning, project development and human resources 3. Mentoring — a personal mentoring initiative matching local community leaders with business representatives for at least six one hour sessions Groups can contact the Programme Manager, Denise Cranston, at denise.cranston@bitcni.org.uk or by calling 028 9046 0606. 20th April
Small Wonders childcare centre gets £700,000 of EU funds A childcare centre in west Belfast is to get £700,000 in EU funding to promote its cross-community work.
Twelve new jobs are to be created at the Small Wonders project off the Shankill Road.
It is the group's second education facility and aims to provide childcare places for children from the Falls and Shankill areas.
The project is jointly funded by the executive and the Irish government.
Betty Carlisle from the Shankill Women's Centre, which manages the initiative, said it would have long-term benefits for the community. "I think for the children that they're going to be growing up thinking this is just quite normal and it would be a quite normal walk through those barriers up there and come to the Shankill community and vice versa for kids in the Shankill," she said.
Congratulations to Shankill from all the staff at WRDA!
18th April Healthier Choices, Healthier Families Do you have a child aged 8-11 years and have concerns for their health?
Would you as a family like to work towards being a healthier, happier family?
This new 12 week programme includes: Physical activity sessions - a chance to get active together Fun and games - quizzes, outdoor adventures Cool cooking Supermarket tour Healthy eating - what’s in our food?
Early Years is planning to commence one of these programmes in Thomas Street Methodist Hall, Portadown on Thursday 26th April at 6.00pm. Make a positive change to your family’s health and lifestyle today! For further information or to register, contact Diane Boyd on 028 8554 9416 or 07791 334 012 or email dianeb@early-years.org.
17th April
Village Surestart offers new dimension for children Village Surestart's sensory room in Belfast adds a new dimension of learning across all areas of the curriculum. For example, sand and water play changes under UV lights with the addition of Tonic water and washing powder stimulating sight, touch and smell. Painting with UV paints encourages creativity. Using projector wheels users can tell stories and promote imaginary play. The shape projector and the changing of colour support mathematical development.
The sensory room is an excellent addition to Village Surestart's quality day care facility and was opened in 2010 with funding from Children in Need. This room is the only interactive sensory room in a day care setting in Northern Ireland. All the equipment can be controlled by the children, even by those as young as six months old. This facility is free to parents and professionals by appointment.
You can see more on Village Surestart's website www.villagesurestartchildrenscentre.co.uk . To arrange a visit or find out more details contact 028 9043 7701 or email villagesurestart@btconnect.com
17th April
Buy Better together Challenge issued by BIS Have you devised new ways of buying collectively to help save money? Or do you have an amazing idea about communities working together that will deliver social benefits, that’s just waiting to come out?
The Buy Better Together Challenge is an exciting initiative by Co-operatives UK and Department for Business Innovation and Skills to inspire new models of community buying, stimulate enterprise and promote shared learning. A £60,000 pot will go towards training, mentoring and seed funding for stand out projects, including £15,000 for the overall winner.
The Challenge is open to groups and organisations within the public, voluntary or business sectors, which focus on creating new or developing existing community buying schemes. The Challenge is open for applications until 15th May and more information is available at: http://discuss.bis.gov.uk/buying/the-buy-better-together-challenge-feb-2012/ 16th April Interchange opportunity with the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and the PSNI The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure is seeking to appoint a Secretary - Ministerial Advisory Group on the Ulster Scots Academy for a secondment of one year, with the possibility of an extension for a further 12 months, subject to the agreement of all parties. The secondment opportunity, aimed at individuals at a middle management level who have the relevant skills and experience to undertake the duties outlined. The secondment will begin as soon as a suitable candidate has been identified and a release date is agreed.
Interested candidates should complete a candidate proforma, available at www.interchangeni.org.uk and return it through the Interchange Manager to interchangesecretariat@dfpni.gov.uk by 2.00pm on Tuesday 24th April 2012. For further information about the post, please contact Anne Tohill in The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure on 028 9051 5107, or by email to anne.tohill@dcalni.gov.uk.
Interchange Opportunity with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is seeking to appoint a Business Improvement Manager for a secondment of six months, with the possibility of an extension for a further six months, subject to the agreement of all parties. The secondment opportunity, aimed at individuals at a middle management level who have the relevant skills and experience to undertake the duties outlined. The secondment will begin as soon as a suitable candidate has been identified and a release date is agreed.
Interested candidates should complete a candidate proforma, available at www.interchangeni.org.uk and return it through the Interchange Manager to interchangesecretariat@dfpni.gov.uk by 2.00pm on Wednesday 2nd May 2012. For further information about the post, please contact Nichola Murphy in Process Improvement Unit, PSNI Headquarters, on 0845 600 800 ext: 21004, or by email to nichola.murphy@psni.pnn.police.uk.
6th April
Hanna’s House Spring Edition Ezine Welcome to the Spring edition of the Hanna’s House Ezine. We hope you will find it relevant and interesting and that we can engage you in a conversation on the feminist issues that we are passionate about. This season’s focus is on the subject of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (UNSCR 1325), and ideas on how we can implement the resolution throughout Ireland and the positive impact it could have on women who have been affected by conflict. To read these articles open the PDF here: Hanna's House Spring ezine or go to www.hannashouse.net and to keep up to date with our activities around the country which include film and networking evenings, seminars, parliamentary briefings and an all-Ireland conference in Croke Park on 5th November click into www.facebook.com/hannashouse we look forward to seeing you at one of these events. 6th April
WSN Policy Point Newsletter Jan - Mar 2012
Latest edition of WSN Policy Point Newsletter. Guest contributors this quarter include – Kellie Turtle from Belfast Feminist Network giving her reflections of the International Women’s Day march, and Anne Moore from Save the Children who writes about Child Poverty and Working Mums. Click here to view the Newsletter http://www.wsn.org.uk/files/file/Policy%20Point%20Newsletter%20Jan%20to%20March%202012.pdf
5th April
Save the Maternity Service at the Mater hospital Services at the Mater Hospital have been under sustained attack over the past year. Already a number of important clinical services have been lost, including gynaecology. Now Maternity services are also under attack. The Trust has proposed to take away consultant led maternity services and replace them with midwifery led services. This means that women’s choice about how and where they give birth is being taken away. First time mothers, women needing an induction or caesarean, or suffering a complicated pregnancy will be referred away from the Mater to the Royal Maternity Hospital. A recent report on the state of the Royal Maternity Hospital found it ‘Not Fit’ for infection control purposes. The Trust proposal is aimed at running down the Maternity service and the specialities that support it, including accident and emergency. It is a decision made by a bureaucrat, not in the interest of improving health and access to health services, but to save a few pounds. The Mater has a long and proud history of support for the greater North Belfast Community through the darkest days of the troubles. It has been a safe place for women from both communities to seek the help and support they need. It has provided excellent medical and teaching facilities as well as employment for the local communities. All of this is under threat!! The Belfast Trust has begun a consultation on this proposal. Follow the link http://www.belfasttrust.hscni.net/about/RightService-RightPlace-Maternity.htm. We urge you to take the time to make your voice heard and let them know how you feel about this threat to this vital service for women from North Belfast. For more information visit our face book page http://www.facebook.com/pages/SAVE-THE-MATER-HOSPITAL or contact the SAVE the MATER HOSPITAL CAMPAIGN: 07818000483 4th April Urgent information for Working Age Couples with Children who get Working Tax Credit Couples with children who are receiving Working Tax Credit where one partner is receiving Carer’s Allowance are at risk of losing their full tax credits unless they contact the Tax Credit Office by 6th April. From the 6th of April the Government is increasing the number of hours a couple with children has to work in order to receive Working Tax Credit (lone parents are not affected). Instead of needing to work for 16 hours or more a week couples with children will have to work 24 hours a week or more. If they are unable to find the extra hours they will lose their entitlement to Working Tax Credit. However, following campaigning from Carers UK and other groups including the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group and USDAW the union, the Government has announced that couples including someone on Carer’s Allowance will be exempt from this increase from 16 to 24 hours. This means that a couple with at least one dependent child and where one partner is entitled to Carer’s Allowance, will continue to be able to receive Working Tax Credit if one parent is working for at least 16 hours a week. This includes people with an ‘underlying entitlement’ to Carer’s Allowance - where you are entitled to the benefit but it is not being paid to you because you receive other benefits which are seen to ‘overlap’ with Carer’s Allowance. The Tax Credits Office should already know that someone in your household is receiving Carer’s Allowance if you informed them of this when you claimed Working Tax Credit. However if you are not sure, and particularly if you have started to receive Carer’s Allowance since you claimed Working Tax Credit, you should contact the Tax Credit Office to tell them you are entitled to Carer’s Allowance. To contact the Tax Credit Office, you can call 0345 300 3900, email via www.hmrc.gov.uk/contactus/email.htm or write to: Tax Credit Office, Preston, PR1 4AT You should provide your full name, date of birth, National Insurance Number and email address (if you have one) and inform them that you fulfil one of these exceptions. New entitlement to childcare costs As well as protecting carers from this change, the Government has announced that couples receiving Working Tax Credit which include someone receiving Carer’s Allowance will now be able to claim extra tax credits for childcare if they pay for registered/approved childcare. Again, if this applies to you, you should inform the Tax Credits Office to ensure you receive the extra amount. You can do this from 6th April, but should do it by 6th May 2012. For more information on the Government’s other changes to the benefits system, read our Welfare Reform Frequently Asked Questions at: http://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/focus-on/item/2479-welfare-reform-your-questions-answered
3rd April
TJI announce 5th Annual Summer School on Gender, Conflict & UNSCR 1325 The Transitional Justice Institute (TJI) is pleased to announce its 5th annual Summer School on Transitional Justice on the theme of: GENDER, CONFLICT AND UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1325
25th-29th June 2012, University of Ulster, Jordanstown campus The Summer School will be held from 25th-29th June 2012 at the Jordanstown campus of the University of Ulster, located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland. The Summer School is a week-long residential course, consisting of a series of interactive lectures, workshops and roundtable discussions. It is aimed at both postgraduate students and practitioners working in the field of gender, conflict and human rights. This year the summer school will give a broad and comprehensive overview to the regulation of women’s rights and needs in conflict and post-conflict situations. Given the recent ten year anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, a particular focus of the summer school will be on the creation, enforcement, and capacity of UNSC 1325 and other related United Nations Security Council resolutions to addressed the needs, exclusions and rights of women in conflict and post-conflict settings.
The academic component of the summer school is also complemented by a social programme which provides the opportunity for participants to get to know a little about the local area. Social events include a tour of the North Coast, a murals tour in Belfast, film screenings and a Summer School dinner at Belfast Castle. Two bursaries are available for the Summer School. In order to support local engagement with the Summer School, at least one bursary will be awarded to a local practitioner in the field of gender, conflict and human rights. Applications for bursaries will be considered on the basis of financial need, experience, and benefit to the applicant. Deadline for applications is 4th May 2012.
Further details are available on the TJI website: www.transitionaljustice.ulster.ac.uk 2nd April Training and learning opportunities available from the WEA The WEA recently launched its 2012 Timetable of Short Courses and Workshops which provides opportunities for those wishing to enhance, update or gain new skills. One day workshops are available in areas such as Improving Negotiation Skills, Managing Conflict, Digital Photography for Marketing and Web Design. There are also short courses on offer which focus on the topics of Organising and Managing Community Events or Developing Facilitation and Training Skills. Bookings are currently being taken for these events which will be taking place from May 2012 in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry. Further information can be found at http://www.wea-ni.com/training-calendar or contact Kelly Barbour at the WEA on T: 02890 329718. E: kelly.barbour@wea-ni.com 30th March Lenadoon Women’s Group – New Courses for April Lenadoon Women’s Group will be running a number of new courses which will be starting in April. These include: If you would like further information on the group or on any of the programmes please contact Ciara, Joanne or Greta on Tel: 028 9061 1205. 30th March Alliance for Choice training programme recruitment Alliance for Choice have the pleasure to announce that they have been successful in accessing a small grant from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust to roll out our 6 week education programme on Women, Equality and Reproductive rights, across Northern Ireland. We are seeking to recruit and pay local women from Derry and the North West, Newry and South Armagh, Mid- Ulster, Belfast, and Fermanagh who will recruit 15 women for a 6 week training programme called ‘A Woman’s guide to the 21st Century’. To be considered for this opportunity we are inviting you to attend a training day in Belfast on Wednesday 18th April 10.30am-4.30pm facilitated by our Trainer Eileen Fegan. This will provide all the relevant information about the project. Travel expenses will be reimbursed. Places are limited to 15 and to ensure a regional balance will be considered geographically. To apply please send an e-mail to Judith Cross jude.cross19@btinternet.com outlining: • Name
• Contact details
• A Short paragraph outlining your links with local women and/or community groups The deadline for responding is Friday 13th April@ 5pm. Further details on the training venue etc. will be forwarded once you have been accepted onto the training day.
29th March
Feminist poet Adrienne Rich dies aged 82 - The Irish Times Poet Adrienne Rich, whose socially conscious verse influenced a generation of feminist, gay rights and anti-war activists, has died at the age of 82.
Rich died at home on Tuesday from complications from rheumatoid arthritis, said her son Pablo Conrad. She had lived in Santa Cruz, California, since the 1980s.
Through her writing, Rich explored topics such as women’s rights, racism, sexuality, economic justice and love between women.
She published more than a dozen volumes of poetry and five collections of non-fiction. She won a National Book Award for her collection of poems Diving Into The Wreck in 1974. In 2004, she won the National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry for her collection The School Among The Ruins. According to her publisher, WW Norton, her books have sold between 750,000 and 800,000 copies, a high amount for a poet.
She gained national prominence in the US with her third poetry collection, Snapshots Of A Daughter-in-Law, in 1963. Citing the title poem, University of Maryland professor Rudd Fleming wrote in the Washington Post that Rich “proves poetically how hard it is to be a woman - a member of the second sex”.
To read the full article.... http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0329/breaking14.html#.T3RQnlTPLEU.facebook 29th March Female genital mutilation officially banned in Ireland - The Journal
A bill outlawing the practice was passed by the Seanad this afternoon having already gone through all the stages in the Dáil.
As well as prohibiting the practice, the new legislation means anyone resident in Ireland who takes a girl abroad to have FGM performed will now be subject to prosecution in Ireland.
AkiDwA, the network of African and migrant women in Ireland which had campaigned for the legislation, said that the Bill sent a clear message to parents and guardians that FGM will not be tolerated.
Senator Ivana Bacik , who had first proposed the Bill, said that the legislation had been long overdue. Over 3,000 women living in Ireland are believed to have undergone FGM.
To read the full story.... http://www.thejournal.ie/female-genital-mutilation-officially-banned-in-ireland-399707-Mar2012/
28th March
E-Governance Programme - Boston, MA & Louisville, KY September 11 - 21, 2012 Up to ten individuals, including senior public officials, information technology (IT) professionals, and public affairs personnel from Ireland and Northern Ireland will be selected to engage with their American counterparts to explore strategies on how to integrate technology with government, employ IT to drive public sector productivity, encourage open communications between government and citizenry, and foster deeper citizen involvement in the governing process through technology. This programme will feature academic seminars, visits to Federal, state, and local government agencies, and meetings with information technology and E-government experts.
The programme is sponsored by the Irish Institute at the Centre for Irish Programs, Boston College, and the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Programme-related costs including travel, accommodation, tuition, and the majority of meals are provided. The programme is not open to U.S. citizens, Green Card holders, or past participants of U.S. Government-funded Irish Institute programmes. Short-listed applicants must be available for interview either 25th April in Dublin or 26th April in Belfast. Please note that the programme is by necessity highly selective, and that consequently, not all applicants will be interviewed and not all interviewees will be invited to participate. To apply: Visit our website www.bc.edu/irishinstitute for an application form. The completed form, in addition to a letter of interest, must be returned by email to Ms. Thea Gilien at gilien@bc.edu before 5 p.m. GMT on Thursday, 12th April. The mandatory letter of interest should include: reason for application, your ability to contribute to the programme, and potential for sharing your experience upon your 28th March ISCYP Protest takes place A very powerful protest took place on the steps of Stormont today, 27 March 2012 against cuts to ISCYP services.
The protest was attended by around 200 local young people and parents from West Belfast and Greater Shankill who access the services. Also in attendance were ISCYP staff members. Geraldine McAteer CEO of the West Belfast Partnership and Jackie Redpath the CEO of the Greater Shankill Partnership outlined the reason for the protest and the current funding position.
Staff and service users were able to discuss at length with MLAs from West Belfast and further afield the impact of the cuts and why the services need to be maintained.
They spoke with West Belfast MP Paul Maskey, UUP leader Tom Elliott, Mike Nesbitt from the UUP, John McCallister from the UUP, Environment Minister Alex Attwood, Health Minister Edwin Poots, DSD Minister Nelson McCausland and local MLAs Jennifer McCann, Sue Ramsey and Fra McCann. A meeting will be held at 4pm today by the civil servants from DSSD, DHSSPS, DOJ and DE to determine funding levels.
20th March
A ‘Safe Place’ in Dungannon A new service in Dungannon aims to raise awareness of services available for anyone experiencing domestic abuse. Safe Place is funded by the Dungannon Community Safety Partnership and has been created by the social economy business Onus, in conjunction with local PSNI and Cookstown and Dungannon Women’s Aid. Safe Place is a recently developed initiative, where victims can access information on services provided in relation to domestic abuse. Local businesses, agencies, Churches, Council facilities and community groups will display the ‘Safe Place’ logo, to indicate they have information within their premises. Any additional businesses who would like further information on the Safe Place initiative or ‘Pathways For Participation’ to support people living with abuse would be welcomed. Information can be obtained from Colette Stewart at Onus on 028 2563 2136 or by visiting the website www.onustraining.co.uk 18th March
Support NICRAS
NICRAS (Refugee Community Organisation) require your support. NICRAS is a Refugee Community Organisation (RCO) which was established in 2002. It is the only refugee led organisation in Northern Ireland that represents the interests of refugees and asylum seekers in Northern Ireland. In order to support its destitute members, NICRAS collects food and essential toiletries which are distributed every week. These individuals and families have no recourse to public funds and without support from NICRAS and other organisations, would have nothing at all. NICRAS is currently very low on food and is, therefore, appealing for support. Our greatest ongoing needs are for the following food and toiletry items: Food: Rice, tinned fish, UHT milk. Toiletries: Toilet paper, soap, shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, sanitary towels, male/female deodorant.
If you would like to donate other food or toiletries, or if you have any household items or furniture that you would like to donate, please call us on 90246699 or email us on info@nicras.org.uk before you do so.
7th March Adult Learners Week – EGSA Help EGSA raise the profile of Adult Learners' Week in Northern Ireland (12th -18th May) this year. Send details of any events/activities you are holding during the week, start planning a special event and let EGSA promote it or send case studies of inspirational learners to info@egsa.org.uk. Find out more on EGSA's website.
2nd March
Childminding Solutions
NICMA has launched a new initiative entitled Childminding Solutions. This new emergency childminding scheme is aimed at families, who require childcare at short notice, in an emergency or at a time of need. This service will also enable parents to attend training. Childminding services will be offered in a childminders home, tailored to meet the specific needs of parents in local areas and may include weekend and overnight care. As a parent you can be confident that your child is being cared for by a local registered childminder, who holds appropriate insurance cover. Search the NICMA website www.nicma.org to access a childminder in your local area or contact Lyn Bradley on 0871 200 2063 Monday to Thursday 9am - 4.30pm, Friday 9am - 1pm.
There is no fee to access the list of registered childminders. Charges for childcare will be negotiated on an individual basis.
2nd March
Irish women earn 17% less than men
Women are still earning substantially less than men in Ireland despite efforts to promote equality in the workplace. According to a study by the European Commission, women here earn on average 17.1 per cent less than men. The study also indicated that only 123,000 women in Ireland earn more than €50,000 per year in comparison to 254,000 men.
The report, published today to coincide with European Equal Pay Day, noted the gender pay gap existed even though women did better at school and university than men. It found women across the European Union earned on average 17 per cent less per hour than their male counterparts.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0302/breaking15.html
13th February
We are seeking your views on Supporting Families Big Lottery Fund is having a consultation, between now and 4 May 2012, on our proposals for Supporting Families in Northern Ireland and this will help us to develop a new funding programme. We know already from our Big Thinking consultation in 2008/09 that there is a need for a programme to benefit families. Evidence from local, national and international research into support services also show a need for this programme and highlight the challenges faced by families. Our plan is to develop a programme to support the needs of these families and in order to get it right, we want your help! We have £15 million available to deliver a programme between 2012 and 2015. Under this programme, we are proposing to provide funding for up to 5 years for activities that develop the skills of families with children under the age of 12, so that they can provide supportive and nurturing relationships that improve their children’s lives. We foresee making grants of £100,000 - £500,000 to fund revenue activities which support the programme outcomes. We want to ask you about our proposals including the programme outcomes, programme delivery and the target beneficiary group. Help us in our consultation between 13th February 2012 and 4th May 2012 by filling in our online survey. You can have your say on the proposals for the Supporting Families programme, which is open until 4th May 2012, by taking part in an online survey available at: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/northernireland/about-ni/big_proposals_ni.htm
13th February
L Project release charity single The L Project has just released their charity single "It Does Get Better". The aim with this first project is to raise as much money as possible to help combat LGBT bullying using the most talented lesbian UK performers. It's a lovely song - download now available from iTunes, Amazon etc for 69p ish - go on and make a difference. At the end of the You Tube video after the credits (6.15 – 7mins) there are very poignant pictures of young gay or perceived to be gay people who have taken their own lives because of bullying.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EUifVn-TC4&feature=youtu.be
6th February
WINI Is Recruiting New Community Health Champions & Community Health Information Workers Do you care about your health, the health of your family, friends & community? Do you have a special interest in a health related topic? Do you have some time to spare?
Would you like to be a Community Health Champion for your local community, learn new skills and be part of a nationwide programme? If you would like an application pack or wish to discuss this work in more detail, contact WINI on Tel: 028 9038 2022 or email: info@womensinformationnorthernireland.com
2nd February
Charity Commission Report The Charity Commission has recently published a report into the first 100 concerns that it has received, and how it has investigated them.
The report will benefit charities who want to get their governance right. This women’s groups dotted across Northern Ireland, many of whom have been granted charitable tax status.
Access the report here http://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/RSS/Updates/Charityconcernsreach100.aspx
1st February The Pink Ladies Pins and Wedding Favours The Pink Ladies have designed and are selling their very own ‘Pink Ladies Pins’ which are on sale for £1 fromt he Gasyard Centre. The Pink Ladies also provide Wedding Favours for your special day. If you are interested in purchasing either a pin / wedding favours or would like more information, contact Michelle on 028 7136 5330 or email michelle@bbhealthforum.org 31st January The search is on for the 2012 Family Support Organisation of the Year 2012 promises to be one of the greatest ever in terms of celebration and events for Northern Ireland. Not only will this year bring the Titanic 100 Festival in April and the opening of the new visitor centre at the Giants Causeway in September but 2012 will also see the inaugural ‘Ni4kids Family Awards’ take place on Friday 11 May at the stunning new Titanic Belfast building. There are 13 award categories in total including Mum, Dad and Child of the Year but the awards that may be of particular interest to members of NICVA are the awards for ‘The Family Support Organisation of the Year Award which is in recognition of the brilliant teams of individuals in organisations and charities that offer families with young children an extra shoulder to lean on.
There is also a Childcare and Coach of the Year Award which again could be for individuals and teams who work on a voluntary or charitable basis. This is a great opportunity to receive some well deserved recognition and we want voluntary and community organisations across Northern Ireland to be nominated for these awards. To find out more or to nominate visit www.ni4kids.com/familyawards or email: awards@ni4kids.com 27th January BelFemNet Monthly Feminist Forum In 2012 Belfast Feminist Network are hosting a series of monthly discussion forums exploring a range of issues currently impacting women and the feminist movement. We've taken our lead from the areas of interest our growing feminist community has identified and we hope you'll find the programme as exciting as we do! Participating is easy - just come along to WRDA, 6 Mount Charles, off Botanic Avenue on the first Thursday of every month at 7pm. Feel free to just pull up a seat and listen or jump in and flex your feminist vocal chords with as much input as you like. There will be a panel of 3/4 speakers at each forum to help get the conversation started, all of whom will be experienced in the particular area up for discussion. The rest is up to all of us.
So that's the serious part...now for some fun. Each month we will also have a social activity to give us the chance to build new friendships and discover new things about old ones. Plans for these events are a little looser but the dates and activities are included on the programme below. Please feel free to volunteer ideas for social events or help to organise these. 2nd Feb - Feminism and the LGBT community 22nd Feb - Musical fundraiser in La Boca, 9pm 1st March - Women and Money 8th March - Special extra forum for IWD in The Ulster Hall at 5pm: Local women, global perspectives: The challenges facing women in Belfast's international communities. 8th March - Celebration of women, La Boca, 9pm. Music and wine and good times. 5th April - Multiple feminisms - exploring difficult questions within the feminist movement
Strictly feminist dancing: night out on the tiles TBC for end of April 3rd May - Activism and advocacy - approaches to changing the world. 16th May - Movie night TBA 7th June - Reproductive rights - where next in the fight to change abortion law? 23rd June - Feminism al fresco - a picnic in the park! In July we will be partaking in a little seasonal activity we like to call "Reclaim the marching season"...this will involve a fun, feminist slant on the idea of taking to the streets to express ourselves. 5th July - planning and costume making session in WRDA 7th July - a big feminist march, uniting groups to bring women issues into the public arena at a time of the year usually dominated by more patriarchal agendas.
For more information on any of these events please contact belfemnet@yahoo.co.uk or check the website www.belfastfeministnetwork.wordpress.com
26th January
The National Women's Council Ireland is moving!
The NWCI is moving premises from 9 Marlborough Court, Marlborough Street to 4th Floor, 2/3 Parnell Square East, Dublin 1. Due to the move, our main phone line and email service will not be available until Tuesday 31st January. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and we look forward to welcoming you to our new offices.
25th January
Older Women shouldn't dismiss Cervical Cancer Risk - Telegraph
Too many think that the smear test is "irrelevant" for them, according to a YouGov poll for Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, because they wrongly think the cancer is just caused by sleeping around.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9028190/Older-single-women-dismissing-cervical-cancer-risk.html
23rd January Childcare Affordability NI Petition The high cost of childcare leaves many families struggling, however there is financial help available to bring down the cost of childcare. Currently ONLY 13% of families are utilising support available. Parents can access either the Childcare Voucher Scheme or the childcare element of Working Tax Credit. Both forms of help can lead to thousands of pounds in savings. The low level of uptake is due to the lack of awareness amongst parents and indeed our employers on the financial benefits. Both forms of help come directly from the Treasury and are not taken from the Northern Ireland (NI) block grant. Therefore, an increased uptake amongst parents would be good news for NI Plc. Bringing down the cost of childcare means that more parents will stay in the workplace and will have more disposable income. This is good news for employers and our local economy. Employers for Childcare are calling all parents, employers and MLAs to back our petition to increase awareness on financial support available to help drive down the costs of childcare, thousands of families in Northern Ireland are losing out financially. Follow our progress by liking us on facebook or visit our website www.employersforchildcare.org to sign the petition.
23rd January
Child Poverty across the UK Report
In January 2012, End Child Poverty published the ‘Child Poverty Map of the UK’ report.
http://www.edf.org.uk/blog/?p=15972
6th January
Shankill Women's Centre seek tutors SWC is continuously updating our tutor register. We invite a wide range of tutors/facilitators for accredited and non- accredited courses to deliver courses/classes in the centre. If you have the skills and experience required send us a copy of your CV to robertag@shankillwomenscentre.org.
2nd January Free German Lessons for Women and/or Children Free German lessons for all levels are being offered privately by Barbara Schute, a German woman living in Belfast. The lessons can be held at her house or at any other convenient location. Lessons are being offered from 9th January 2012. To arrange or for more information please contact Barbara at BarbaraSchuetze1954@web.de
22nd November NICVA's Gender Budgeting Masterclass takes place On Friday 18th November the Centre for Economic Empowerment’s third masterclass examined the important and emerging field of gender budget analysis. The seminar was addressed by Professor Ailsa McKay of Glasgow Caledonian University, a leading authority and practitioner of gender budget analysis in Scotland and the UK. Professor McKay was joined by Lynn Carvill. a women’s sector lobbyist with the Women’s Resource and Development Agency (WRDA) in Northern Ireland, who is working with others to establish a Northern Ireland Women’s Budget Group. Full details of the day including all the presentations and comments are now available on the NICVA website: http://www.nicva.org/news/masterclass-studies-gender-budget-analysis 17th November Consumer Council launch Price Comparison Tool Do you want to help the people you work with learn more about saving money on their gas and electricity bills? Whether paying by direct debit, using standard credit or Pay as You Go, the Consumer Council’s gas and electricity price comparison tools can help the people you work with find the best value. To download the tool, click on the following link: http://www.consumercouncil.org.uk/energy/price-comparison-/
17th November
Women and the Cuts Toolkit Available Now Analyse the equality and human rights impact of the cuts on women in your area – the new TUC/Coventry Women’s Voices toolkit shows how! Coventry Women’s Voices and the TUC have launched the Women and the Cuts Toolkit for unions and local groups wanting to do a human rights and equality impact assessment of the cuts on women in their town or city. The toolkit looks at the impact of the cuts in eleven key areas: For each area it provides an over-view of what cuts are happening and how these cuts will affect women, including the impact on specific groups of women such as BAME women or disabled women. It then shows how to research the likely local impact of these cuts, giving links to sources of national data that can be broken down by area, suggestions for where to look for local data and a guide to carrying out local consultations. The toolkit also contains guides to promoting the findings of local research through campaigning, lobbying and media work. Unions and voluntary groups will be able to use this toolkit to provide evidence of what the cuts will mean for women in their area. With many of the cuts having been devolved to local councils, primary care trusts and other local public bodies this local evidence is vital to highlight what the impact on women will be in practice. You can access the toolkit here: Women and the Cuts Toolkit
10th November
New 'Our Future' Website Launched The Northern Ireland Foundation is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation that develops programmes around a shared and better future in Northern Ireland (community relations), the exchange of international best practices (conflict resolution), and local community activism (rural/urban regeneration). One of their projects is Our Future Together, which is a social website to bring together people who work or are otherwise interested in a shared and better future in Northern Ireland: http://ourfuturetogether.net The website serves as a means to inform everyone what organisations and groups are doing, to encourage greater awareness and engagement. Our Future Together content is created by its users -- any member can voice opinions in comments and blogs, share photos and videos, and create events in an online calendar. The goal of the Our Future Together website is to bring coherency to everyone’s work in community relations in Northern Ireland. To achieve this, our target is to have a dozen large organisations sign up to the Our Future Together website, using the site as a communications channel for their internal and external audiences.
31st October
Third Sector knowledge portal launches in Northern Ireland The Third Sector Research Centre, in partnership with the British Library and Big Lottery Fund, have launched a new online Knowledge Portal to enable greater access to research on the voluntary and community sector. The Portal is a new destination site for research and information, bringing together reports from voluntary and community sector organisations, academic analysis, and government studies in an easy to use online catalogue of links and downloads. Peter Wanless, Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund, formally launched the Portal as a diverse, reliable new resource for the sector across Northern Ireland and the whole of the UK.
The Portal could help your organisation’s publications reach a wider audience. Please contact Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) if you have relevant research or recommendations for inclusion either by email: knowledgeportal@tsrc.ac.uk or Twitter: @3rdSectorPortal 31st October 2011 European Women’s Lobby Advocacy Movement The European Women’s Lobby has initiated a broad European advocacy movement lobbying for comprehensive EU action on violence against women and for a European Year on combating and preventing violence against women. We believe that we would send a strong message if all EWL national coordinations and European member organizations joined the Coalition. If you want to join, please register on the website, or send an email to pape@womenlobby.org. Moreover, please ask your member organizations to join the Coalition. Your help is also needed to get the support of decision-makers at national level, don’t hesitate to contact your national decision-makers to have them join the Coalition.
19th October
Belfast Rape Crisis Centre Appeal This is an urgent appeal by the Belfast Rape Crisis & Sexual Abuse Centre for your unwanted clothes, shoes and books for our charity shop in Belfast.
Please clear out your bookcases and wardrobes for items you might be able to donate. Or maybe you could organise a collection from family, friends or colleagues of items they no longer need. Anything at all you can donate will be gratefully received.
"The Charity Shop",130-132 Albertbridge Road, (Next door to Sure Start), Belfast, BT5 4GS. Opening hours are 10am - 4.30pm Monday to Saturday.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this appeal.
11th October
NUS launches new website for female students A new website aimed at supporting female students who have experienced violence has been launched by the National Union of Students (NUS). The Hidden Marks site is a response to the Union's research report which revealed one in seven female students experience a serious physical or sexual assault during their time as a student. The site is intended to be a "one-stop shop" for information on different support services that are available. Visit the site at http://hiddenmarks.org.uk/2010/
7th October
New Rights NI website RightsNI is a new blog established to provide an arena for people from or connected to Northern Ireland interested in discussing current human rights based issues. Through the blog RightsNI hope to bring to your attention current rights issues and to explore their importance and implications for all concerned. The regular contributors have a diverse range of backgrounds, including practitioners, campaigners, activists and academics. We will also post pieces from guest contributors who can offer unique insights into emerging issues. If you would like to contribute in some way please get in touch through the Contact page. RightsNI hope to stimulate discussion and, to that end, we welcome comments from all their readers.
http://rightsni.org/about/
9th August
Women and Parliaments revised – Engender.org.uk Dr Catriona Burness has revised Women and Parliaments in the UK to include the results from the UK General Election last year and the elections to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly in May this year. This is a fantastic resource which includes listings of all the female MPs since 1918 and all the current and former female members of the devolved governments as well as statistical summaries.
(Check out WRDA’s mention on page 31!) To download the report click here |