Peacebuilding a shared Northern Irish society
GRACE: measuring trust for better community relations by Allan LEONARD 21 September 2023 On the International Day of Peace, as part of Good Relations Week, research undertaken through a partnership between the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (Coventry University) and Community Relations in Schools (CRIS) was launched. The research examines the role of... Continue Reading →
Opsahl Commission 30th anniversary: ‘civic poetry’ still yielding insights by Allan LEONARD 4 July 2023 Laurence Simms (joint secretary of the British-Irish Secretariat) hosted a reception to mark the 30th anniversary of the Opsahl Commission, which invited and gathered oral and written submissions from individuals and civil society organisations about their suggestions for the way... Continue Reading →
‘A long-term devotion to complexities’: women, art and activism by Allan LEONARD 3 June 2023 As part of the Belfast Photo Festival and hosted by the Ulster Museum, several panels of women spoke about how the realms of artistic practice and activism have evolved over recent decades, with consideration of future change. National Museums NI... Continue Reading →
Shared Future News launches book asking ‘What Northern Ireland means to me’ by Shared Future News 29 April 2022 Shared Future News, a media organisation that publishes stories of peacebuilding, reconciliation, and diversity, held an event to launch its new book, What Northern Ireland Means to Me, as a compendium of its podcast of the... Continue Reading →
Appropriate and accessible storytelling in museums and heritage sites by Allan LEONARD 26 March 2021 During an Imagine! Festival event, academics and practitioners shared their knowledge and experiences of the use of storytelling in museum and heritage site environments, as a means of evoking emotion in appropriate and accessible ways. “Storytelling enables us to learn... Continue Reading →
Considering Grace: An invitation to listen by Allan LEONARD 5 November 2019 Considering Grace, by Gladys Ganiels and Jamie Yohanis, is a new book that explores how Presbyterians responded to the Troubles, through a series of narratives from 120 people who tell their stories of how they coped with trauma and tests of their faith.... Continue Reading →
Doing our part: Dealing with bonfires by Allan LEONARD 9 May 2019 Greater Shankill Alternatives, which is part of a co-ordinating initiative on restorative justice across Northern Ireland, hosted a workshop session that explored various aspects of the tradition of bonfires and the organisation’s approaches of engagement with groups who construct these structures for annual... Continue Reading →
Knitting together: CRC annual conference 2015 by Allan LEONARD for Shared Future News 28 September 2015 As Chair of the Community Relations Council, Peter Osborne, welcomed delegates to their annual policy and practice conference at Stormont Hotel, Belfast, he explained the event theme, “One Place — Many People”: “All of us in this room are... Continue Reading →
Art opens up community imagination Peacebuilding and the Arts: An Imagine Belfast Festival discussion by Allan LEONARD 11 March 2015 As part of the Imagine Belfast Festival, the Northern Ireland Foundation and Forum for Cities in Transition hosted a discussion event, “Peacebuilding and the Arts”, which explored how art has progressed peace in Northern Ireland.... Continue Reading →
Time to stop tightening our know: CRC policy conference 2014 by Allan LEONARD 16 June 2014 This year’s annual policy conference organised by the Community Relations Council considered how we might “Finish the Job” and find ways to resolve outstanding issues in the peace process. The conference attracted a wide range of practitioners, statutory agencies... Continue Reading →
More RESPECT for good relations: The power of sport by Allan LEONARD for Shared Future News 29 November 2013 Londonderry YMCA, in partnership with the University of Ulster (Magee), held a conference to "raise awareness of the power of sport in building more peaceful, prosperous, healthy, inclusive and welcoming communities". Entitled "Sport for Development in... Continue Reading →
Expressing identity, addressing division: CRC policy conference 2013 by Allan LEONARD 20 May 2013 This year’s annual policy conference of the Community Relations Council (CRC) was held in Derry-Londonderry, a fresh change from the usual Belfast venues. Indeed, the Maiden City has demonstrated leadership in community relations for many years. In his introductory remarks, outgoing... Continue Reading →