Democracy thrives on participation. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have a duty to continue to play our part in shaping a better society for everyone. Across Northern Ireland we certainly see a thirst for more healthy debate and a desire to collaborate to build a better society. Just last week the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission launched a plan to introduce a youth assembly. But what about citizens above the age of 13 to 17? How can we make politics and the ways we make decisions more accessible to everyone?

Throughout the month of August, Community Dialogue and AvilaMedia will run a series of ‘Political Education and Participative Democracy’ online workshops with people from across Northern Ireland. It’s part of Community Dialogue’s wider ‘Consensus Building Dialogues Agreeing a Shared Vision our Future’ programme, funded by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland. The workshops aim to increase participants’ political knowledge of Northern Ireland’s political system and build their confidence to bring about positive change.

About the Workshops

The series entails five weekly workshops, each lasting around 90 minutes. They will provide training on Stormont’s power-sharing institutions and NI’s electoral systems (to Stormont and to Westminster). Away from the topic of elections, they will also share information on how to get involved in other means of participatory democracy, for instance the NI Citizens’ Assembly and other local civic groups. 

The free-to-attend sessions will combine structured presentations with a reactive learning process, responding and adapting to the geography and interests of participants. To support participants’ learning experience, everyone will receive a Capacity Building Toolbox including user-friendly resources on a wide range of topics.

Launching the project, David Holloway, Director of Community Dialogue, said, “In recent community-focused projects we’ve run, a lot of participants have told us that the traditional way politics is carried out isn’t working and doesn’t enable ordinary people to have a say in decision making. Hearing community voices and taking politics beyond politicians – engaging civic society to bring about positive change in our communities – is a vital component in achieving a shared future for everyone in Northern Ireland.”

Issues the Workshops will Explore

Workshops will focus on addressing two questions which were asked in the 2019 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey:

  1. Do you feel that you have any influence when it comes to any of the decisions made about what happens in Northern Ireland?
  2.  Do you feel that you have any influence when it comes to any of the local decisions made around here?

Last year’s survey found that there is a significant gap between communities and their ability to effect positive change at the political level. Responses to the above questions displayed mutual dissatisfaction and disenfranchisement – something that unites NI’s two ‘majority’ communities.

In short, responses highlighted a strong desire to make politics work better for ordinary people. With this project we want to do exactly that. We want to empower people of all backgrounds, providing participants with the understanding and tools they need to enact positive change in their communities and to work together to build a better Northern Ireland.

Building Community Relations Online

When you think of community relations projects, you probably imagine groups sitting together in the same room. In the context of social distancing, however, this hasn’t been possible for this series. Despite the challenges posed, going online does have its opportunities.

According to Aisling Bishop, Communications and Project Support Officer at Community Dialogue, “We see this as an incredible opportunity to bring diverse groups of citizens together from across Northern Ireland and beyond Northern Ireland, attracting participants who normal circumstances might not have been able to attend. This will bring amazing new perspectives to our conversations. We hope this will provide an example of how grassroots organisations can innovate and make a meaningful impact in the ‘new normal’.”

How to get Involved

Everyone from all walks of Northern Irish life are encouraged to participate in one of the five workshops. Given the current public health situation, they will be run via Zoom. Dates of the sessions will be confirmed soon. In the meantime the team would love to hear from you. 

For further information and to express interest in attending, please contact avilamichael@avilamedia.org.