This is an invitation to individuals or people you know who may be interested in finding out more about setting-up a social enterprise.
The Southside Partnership DLR Social Enterprise are arranging an information session at 10am on Thursday, 30th of March at the award winning social enterprise The Together Café. It was awarded café of the year by independent.ie in December 2022. They have also just announced a collaboration with ‘Happy Out’ to open their second café at Dun Laoghaire Baths.
The session will include:
Information on Southside Partnership DLR supports
A talk by the founder Therese Coveney about the experience of starting, developing and running a social enterprise
An opportunity to network while experiencing a working social enterprise.
As it’s a café, there are a limited number of places and we’ll confirm them as people RSVP. If you’d like to reserve a place, please email Helena as soon as possible here: helena.oneill@sspship.ie
We hope you can make this unique event and look forward to seeing you there.
The Trustees and Staff of ACSONI are inviting the African & Caribbean community across Northern Ireland to our second community conversation, which will take place at 2 Royal Avenue, Belfast, BT1 1DA on Friday 14 April 2023, starting at 4pm, streaming simultaneously via Zoom online; registration via link will be available closer to the date of the meeting..
It will be an opportunity to meet the Trustees and Staff and know in more detail about our programme of work and how it relates to the needs of our community. More importantly, it will be a time when you can help to identify additional issues for priority attention.
A 12-week public consultation on a review of the Race Relations (NI) Order 1997 has been launched today.
The review is a key action within the Executive’s Racial Equality Strategy, intended to strengthen Northern Ireland’s race legislation so that it offers at least the same level of protection, if not better, than other jurisdictions across these islands.
Launching the consultation, Denis McMahon, Permanent Secretary of The Executive Office said: “We are committed to making Northern Ireland a welcoming and fair society. However, we understand there is still a need for redress if people are not treated how they deserve to be.
“This review of the current race relations legislation will ensure that anyone who has been discriminated against, because of their ethnicity, will have the best protection possible. It should never make a difference who we are, what we look like, or where we are from.
“The new Bill will have an effect across all walks of life. We also want to make sure it is fair, so I would encourage everyone to look at the changes we are proposing and take the opportunity to have your say.”
The Executive Office has been working and engaging across key stakeholders across the range of sectors and has developed proposals for amendments to the current order to create a brand-new draft Racial Equality Bill.
Dr Livingstone Thompson, long-term champion of Racial Equality and Good Relations and Chair of the Racial Equality Subgroup said: “As Chair of the Racial Equality Subgroup, I welcome the initiation of the public consultation on the Race Relations Order. This is an important opportunity for us to ensure that, at the very least, legislation offers similar protection against racial discrimination as it does in other jurisdictions.”
“However, alignment with GB and Ireland must not be seen as the ultimate goal of this undertaking. The objective must be that Northern Ireland takes the lead to ensure that this jurisdiction is characterised by its strong opposition to racial and all other forms of discrimination, not only as a matter of law, but also as a matter of everyday societal practice.”
The consultation document and details of how to respond can be accessed at the following link https://www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-review-race-relations-ni-order-1997
Pictured (L-R) at the launch of the public consultation for the review of the Race Relations Order at the Stormont Hotel, are: Takura Donald Makoni, Nisha Tandon, Denis McMahon and Ivy Goddard.
It was an evening of sharing, caring and learning at Enniskillen Castle on the evening of 22 March 2023 when residents of Enniskillen from a diverse range of ethnic communities that make up Northern Irelands cultural mosaic came together for a Global Voices Local Choices Workshop. The workshop was facilitated by NMNI’s Community Engagement Officer, Agrippa Njanina and his colleagues from Enniskillen Castle Museum.
The workshop was presented by Esther Ogunleye, a member of ACSONI’s Education Working Group.
National Museums NI, ACSONI and Northern Ireland Museums Council have partnered to deliver a program that addresses the decolonisation of the collections of the National Museums and retelling of one-sided historical stories relating to world cultures.
The series of workshops, community engagements and institutional changes at the National Museums Northern Ireland are contributing significantly to the often overused mantra of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. ACSONI is encouraged and excited to be involved in the Global Voices Local Choices project and will continue to bring you updates of our progress.
Counselling All Nations [CANs] launches report: “Hearing Our Needs” Exploring the emotional wellbeing and mental health needs of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (B.A.M.E.) communities across Northern Ireland.
On 15 March 2023 Counselling All Nations [CANs] launched groundbreaking joint report with CANS and Queen’s University Belfast exploring the mental health and emotional wellbeing needs of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities in Northern Ireland. Counselling All Nations Services (CANS), is a registered charity set up to respond and provide culturally sensitive counselling (in English or a common minority ethnic language) to adult people living and working in Northern Ireland whose first language is not English.
The report was launched at Riddel Hall, Queen’s University Belfast guest speakers included Professor Stuart Elborn – Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast. Dame Fionnuala Jay-0’Boyle, DBE DStJ LLD (Hon QUB) HM Lord Lieutenant of The Co. Borough of Belfast. Professor Siobhan O’Neill – Mental Health Champion for Northern Ireland.
Hearing Our Needs is a shared research project initiated in 2019 as a partnership between Queens University Belfast and Counselling All Nations Services (CANS) to further understand the mental health and emotional well-being needs of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities in Northern Ireland. Comprising of seven workshops held in Dungannon, Derry-Londonderry, Coleraine, Belfast, Bangor, Enniskillen, and Newry – the research team invited participants from a range of backgrounds including emergency services, counsellors, community leaders, academics, union representatives, politicians and others to join the conversation.
The workshops were structured by three key questions:
“Are we getting [BAME Mental Health Needs] right?”
“How are we getting [BAME mental health needs] right?”
“How can we move forward together?”
The report can be found on ACSONI’s on the links below.
Project Report : HEARING OUR NEEDS Research exploring the Mental Health and Emotional Well-being needs of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities in Northern Ireland. CANS Hearing Our Needs Project Report
Youth Link: NI is inviting youth workers, teachers, volunteers, and other practitioners who work with young people, in different contexts, to participate in Keeping the Peace, a conversation series that will bring into focus different aspects of peacebuilding and community relations.
As part of the Practical Reconciliation Project funded by Community Relations Council (CRC), Youth Link: NI will provide the space for practitioners to reflect on the progress that we have made in Northern Ireland and consider how we can continue to build together on the vision for a shared, inclusive, and flourishing community, for everyone who calls this place home. Youth Link: NI will capture the views shared and use these to inform the development of practical tools and resources that can support young people explore peace & reconciliation themes in today’s context.
The first conversation in the series will focus on the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement (see flyer attached). April 2023 marks the 25th Anniversary of the signing of this Agreement, and this session will be an opportunity for youth workers, teachers, and volunteers to:
Reflect on the impact of the Agreement and take stock on where we are at now as a society.
Share the challenges that are experienced by young people in our communities; and
Consider what is needed to address these challenges to improve outcomes for young people and build a sustainable peace.
WHEN 2.30pm – 4.30pm Tuesday 4 April 2023 WHERE Youth Link, 638 Springfield Road, Belfast, BT12 7DY
To register your attendance for the first conversation session, please can you complete the following formhttps://forms.gle/b9xZ8Wn63wAxZdiL9by 4pm on Thursday 30 March 2023
Youth Link are also engaging with young people as part of the project. If your youth group would be interested, and/or you would like further information about the wider Reconciliation Project in Youth Link, please contact Joanne Stainsby, Research and Curriculum Development Officer, joanne@youthlink.org.uk
Please also feel free to share this with your colleagues.
ACSONI Board of Trustees, management and staff were delighted this Friday 10th March to host the first in a series of Community Dialogues with members of the community, community organisation representatives and other stakeholders. The meeting was held in person at 2 Royal Avenue in Belfast and was supported by an online Zoom Uplink.
Unfavourable weather conditions and other commitments did not deter members of the wider African & Caribbean community or those with linkages from attending in person or online. ACSONI Board of Trustees, management and staff are humbled and encouraged by the support and attendance of old friends in the sector as well as new members of the community who participated for the first time in an ACSONI community driven initiative, the support is felt and valued.
Updates on issues raised and actions initiated will be published in an official statement via the website in the course of the week.
Dr Livingstone Thompson, Chair of ACSONI Board of Trustees welcomes the community gathering. He is flanked from left to right by Omer Osman [Business Manager], Shannon Doherty [Key Support Worker], Rebecca Schwindt {Finance Administrator, Simon Barr [Trustee], Lorraine Gatsi-Barnett [Treasurer], Takura Makoni [Policy Officer], Anurag Deb [Secretary]Members of the community were represented online via Zoom as well as in person.
Omer Osman, ACSONI Business Manager elucidates his role to the gathering during the introductions
Concerned members of the community made their contributions.
Community groups were represented by their delegates and made their submissions and recommendations.
Health & Mental Wellbeing specialists in the minority ethnic sector were on hand to make observations, recommendations and give guidance in matters concerning the overall wellbeing of migrant residents of Northern Ireland within the context of ACSONI’s mission statement. Dr Lekan Ojo-Okiji Abasi – CANs [Counselling All Nations]Fellow sector organisations and activists were in attendance [Tura Aratura – Africa House NI]Alfred Abolarin [Head Convenor – NIACLC, Founder – MME Council, Founder & Head of Strategy ACSONI, 2003] puts across his cogitations to the assembly.Former Manager of ACSONI, Arts & Culture professional and Artist manager Joseph Ricketts articulates his views.
The community dialogue was an opportunity to meet new and familiar people, network and build foundations for smart partnerships that benefit the whole community including visitors to this island.
The community dialogue was the first of a series of continued and regular community consultations which are necessary mechanism in the ACSONI strategic plan.
There was unanimous agreement that ACSONI should continue regular community dialogues and maintain the spirit of collective responsibility and inclusiveness that has sustained the organisation for several years.
