View - issue 20, 2013

Social Affairs magazine for community/voluntary sector Website: viewdigital.org

Issue 20, 2013

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IS THE SECTOR FAST ASLEEP OVER DORMANT ACCOUNTS?

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VIEW, issue 20, 2013

Celebration

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Mediation call

CONTENTS

Page 6 NOW trainees took centre stage when they celebrated their achievements in Belfast City Hall recently

Page 2

Page 11 Solicitor Dorcas Crawford, left, has urged parties involved in disputes to consider the mediation route

Close the gap

Living in fear

Pages 8-9 Closing the gap in educational achievement is an “economic imperative”, Save the Children has said

Page 12 One in four older women living in Northern Ireland have suffered domestic violence, according to a new report

Golden chance

Help on way

Page 10 The head of a youth-led grant-making body said there is a “golden opportunity” to develop “new generation philanthropy”

Page 14 Habitat for Humanity has distributed more than 5,000 shelter repair kits to families hit by the recent typhoon in the Philippines

PHoToLinE Photographer Kevin cooper has more than 25 years experience in Press and Pr photography. Kevin works to a wide range of clients in community and voluntary sector organisations as well as the trade union movement.

For quoTaTions conTacT Kevin cooper E: photoline@supanet.com T: 028 90777299 M: 07712044751

Editorial

VIEW, the online publication for the community/voluntary sector in Northern Ireland.

I

n our last issue of VIEW we highlighted in our front page story how Volunteer Now was forced to implement cutbacks after they suffered a sharp reduction in their funding.

We believe that if voluntary organisations are to continue to provide support to the public they need to receive adequate support and funding.

We are therefore concerned by Finance Minister Simon Hamilton’s comments about ending the “dependency culture” as he announced the allocation of dormant account funds to the Ulster Community Investment Trust (UCIT).

What this decision means is that the £3.2 million available

VIEW executive editor Brian Pelan will be allocated in loans rather than grants.

Whilst social investment organisations such as UCIT can play an important role in assisting the development of the voluntary sector, VIEW believes that funding in the shape of grants is key to

maintaining the current level of voluntary organisations.

If we go down the route of funding through loans rather than grants, many of the groups in the sector will simply cease to exist.

This would have a detrimental effect on those who look to these organisations for support.

The comment piece by fundraiser Neil Irwin on page five tackles the subject of dormant account funds.

He asks why the Government is not being vigorously held to account for its decision from the bodies representing community and voluntary groups.

We also believe that this question deserves to be answered.

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VIEW, issue 20, 2013

Christine Burnett

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– director of Saphara

I’ve been lucky enough to have travelled all around India – seeing the awe-inspiring Himalayas – and visiting the Taj Mahal at least 25 times

What is your job and how long have you worked there?

I’m the director of Saphara, a non-profit organisation that I founded in 2008. We run a cross-community educational programme for Northern Irish sixth-form students – the climax of which is travelling to India to work alongside Indian young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

dinner party?

It turned out she was deaf.

George Clooney and Mahatma Gandhi – with Oprah Winfrey to keep the conversation going.

9. Who or what has been your biggest inspiration?

6. What was the best holiday you have ever taken?

Slumdog Millionaire – though I know so many kids in that situation I find it hard to watch.

I’ve been lucky enough to have travelled all around India – seeing the awe-inspiring Himalayas – and visiting the Taj Mahal at least 25 times. But getting up to our own north coast to go surfing or walking the cliff paths with my wee dog Sophie is always a real treat.

3. Who is your favourite author?

7. What is your pet hate?

George Eliot, Maeve Binchey – and some great Indian authors like Amitav Ghosh.

People who park in disabled parking spaces – especially if they have big fancy cars.

4. What is your favourite TV programme?

8. What was your most embarrassing moment?

Escapist American shows like Blue Bloods and Homeland.

I was at Whiterocks surfing and I saw someone parking in a disabled spot with her surfboard on the roof of the car. I went over to her and said ‘excuse me – you’ve parked in a disabled space’.

2. What is your favourite film?

5. Who (alive or dead) would you like to invite to your dream

My dad who always believed that I could achieve whatever I set my mind to – at a time when most girls were not encouraged to aim high. It’s inspired me to want to give young girls in India the same opportunities.

10. What is your ideal job?

I’m doing it now.

11. What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

Dream big – follow your passion – you can change the world.

Christine Burnett is leading a Saphara trip for women from April 4–13, 2014, which will cost £1000 plus £600 fundraising.

Participants will see women’s empowerment programmes and educational projects. Contact Christine at 07747 611 156 or christine.burnett@gmail.com

VIEW, issue 20, 2013

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Money from dormant accounts to be paid out in loans and not grants

By Una Murphy

D

ormant accounts will to be distributed to Third Sector organisations in Northern Ireland next year, the Stormont Finance Minister Simon Hamilton has told a social finance conference in Belfast.

The money will be paid out to community and voluntary sector organisations not as grants but as loans because he said that grants can breed dependency.

Mr Hamilton said that payment by results and ring-fencing public procurement contracts for community and voluntary sector organisations was the way forward.

The Minister said that reform of the public sector would allow the government to use the Third Sector to reach people who are from “hard to reach backgrounds” particularly in the areas of health and justice.

He said that innovative ways were needed to deal with problems because merely throwing money did not solve them and too often the government was “paying for failure”.

The conference was organised by the Building Change Trust.

Nigel McKinney, Building Change Trust Director of Operations, said: “Social finance is less well developed in Northern Ireland in comparison to other parts of the UK. “Given a focus here on the development of social enterprise, and the expected move by government towards contracts based on payments by results, it is clear Northern Ireland community and voluntary organisations will need new types of financial products and investment to enable developments to take place.”

Finance Minister Simon Hamilton announcing the decision on the dormant account funds at Malone House, Belfast Image: Kevin Cooper

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VIEW, issue 20, 2013

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COMMENT

Page 5

Fundraiser Neil Irwin asks whether the sector was sleeping when the dormant accounts decision was taken?

RARELY was a fund more aptly named than the dormant accounts fund as for eight years it has remained stubbornly asleep in Northern Ireland. And now, money is finally being channelled through the Ulster Community Investment Trust (UCIT) – a mere eight years since the first announcement, many of us will simply reach for the snooze button.

What concerns me is the total disregard for the value of grant funding in the distribution of this income. This is not to say loan finance doesn't have a place in making a more financially sustainable third sector but what most communities and charities need now more than anything else is grant funding to impact on the immediate needs of disadvantaged and impoverished communities.

There was early excitement around an expected jackpot of £20 million in Northern Ireland when it was first announced by the then Chancellor Gordon Brown (that tells you how long ago this was) in December 2005.

He announced that money held in dormant bank accounts would be used to fund social and environmental purposes across the UK. I appeared on local radio for NICVA welcoming the news and the huge impact it could have. However, progress was not swift.

It is now over five years since the legislation received Royal Assent and passed into law in November 2008. A public consultation was carried out by the Department of Finance and Personnel late in 2009 (DFP) – has anyone seen the response to that? – before the then Minister for Finance Sammy Wilson announced that funding would be distributed to youth projects and organisations with an ethical objection to the Big Lottery Fund through loans to social enterprises.

Over the course of this time, the estimated jackpot of £20 million in Northern Ireland has diminished down to £3.2 million available for distribution. You could be forgiven for getting the impression that the DFP would feel this amount would be wasted if it was merely given away in grants but that ignores the enormous difference that this money would make.

You need only look at the impact that small grants have through funders such as the Big Lottery Fund Awards for All, BBC Children in Need and Community Foundation NI. Give them £3.2 million and you will see the difference this money could make in six months that would achieve outcomes for years to come.

The role UCIT, Charity Bank and other social finance institutions play in our sector is vital – this is not a criticism of them and their work – but dormant accounts funding could have achieved so much more with grants in a shorter time frame without the pressure of repaying the loan.

The devaluation of grant funding can also be seen in the lack of urgency to distribute grants through the £80m Social Investment Fund. The question is, does Government not appreciate the daily crisis many individuals, families and communities are in and the emergency need for funding to not-for-profit organisations simply, effectively and quickly through a grant award.

But there is a further question too. Why is Government not being vigorously held to account for this from the bodies representing community and voluntary groups? Grant funding, its protection and growth, should be one of the issues at the top of the agenda for our community umbrella organisations.

• Fundraiser Neil Irwin has spent 13 years researching fundraising methods and techniques and teaching charities in Northern Ireland how to use them to best effect. His website is www.nifundraising.org He can be contacted, via email, at neil@nifundraising.org

VIEW, issue 20, 2013

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Page 6

NOW trainees took centre stage when they celebrated their achievements at NOW’s 2013 Graduation Celebration in Belfast City Hall recently. This year’s graduation event theme was Employment & Empowerment and celebrated the achievements of 100 trainees with learning disabilities and autism who completed catering and skills courses with NOW. The project is delivered by NOW in partnership with Stepping Stones. Ann Osborne, acting chief executive of NOW, said: “We believe that specialist and discrete support is crucial to young people and adults of all abilities to support their engagement in training and employment.”

Do you need to bring your organisation to the attention of the mainstream media?

We offer expert advice on digital publishing and how to market your services and stories. Contact Brian Pelan on 07901 955 999

Practical advice and a sensitive personal approach. We pride ourselves on our unrivalled commitment to clients’ needs.

Edwards & Co. solicitors advises charities and the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland on a wide range of legal issues including charity creation, charitable status and constitutional matters, trading and commercial arrangements, employment law, finance, fundraising and property law, as well as dealing with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.

Our team offers a full range of legal services including mediation, wills,criminal law, clinical negligence and personal injury claims, as well as family/matrimonial work.

Contact Jenny and Teresa: Edwards & Co. Solicitors, 28 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LA. Tel: (028) 9032 1863 Email: info@edwardsandcompany.co.uk Web: edwardsandcompany.co.uk

VIEW, issue 20, 2013

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Page 8

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Austerity should not be ex

VIEWdigital video report - www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR4O0a0yn7A#t=49

Above, from left: Fergus Cooper, Save The Children with Nigel Smyth, CBI; Jim Clarke, CCMS and Professor Tony Gallagher from Queen’s University Images: Neil Harrison

VIEW, issue 20, 2013

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Page 9

xcuse to fail our children

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By Lucy Gollogly

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losing the gap in educational achievement between rich and poor children is an “economic imperative”, Save the Children has said.

It has teamed up with the CBI Northern Ireland, Queen’s University academics and the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools to challenge the Executive to close the gap by 2020.

Speaking at the launch of the Too Young to Fail initiative in the MAC in Belfast on November 15, Fergus Cooper, head of Save the Children in Northern Ireland, said: “In Northern Ireland, of those children from the poorest backgrounds, only one in three achieve the basic standard of education that we use as a benchmark, as against 68% of their peers.

“We think that is unacceptable and we believe it needs to change.”

Mr Cooper said he wanted the Northern Ireland Executive to follow the example set by Finland, which invested heavily in education during an economic recession in the early 1990s.

Its education system is now considered to be among the best, and most equal, in the world.

“We think that austerity and limited budgets should not be an excuse to fail our children,” he added.

The figures in the Too Young to Fail report suggest that gains of £1.2 billion to the Northern Ireland economy could be achieved by 2030.

It recommends more investment in children’s early years and more help for parents to support their children's learning, as well as increased accountability for schools.

Professor Tony Gallagher of Queen’s University said he hoped the initiative would open up a constructive discussion about the education system.

However, he said there had been “more non-decisions than actual decisions” by politicians over the past 15 years.

“We have political stasis on a whole range of education issues and that is deeply depressing. Even when these issues come onto the agenda, we tend to run very quickly onto the political rocks,” he said.

Jim Clarke, chief executive of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, said: “Our education system, if it were compared to our medical system for example, is archaic.

“We would not tolerate in medicine some of the practices that we tolerate in education when we look at the progress over the last 50 years or so.

“We need a fairly radical review of some of the structures of our education system."

VIEW, issue 20, 2013

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Page 10

A global success as YouthBank model thrives T

he head of a youth-led grant-making organisation hit by cuts said that the economic downturn could be a “golden opportunity” to develop “new generation philanthropy”.

YouthBank, which is administered by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, is an all-island initiative of grant-making committees run by young people.

Vernon Ringland, International Coordinator of YouthBank, said: “In a time of economic downtown, here’s a golden opportunity moment in the sense of saying how do we formulate something that is new generation philanthropy?”

Mr Ringland said allowing young people to make decisions about projects that met their needs had a huge positive impact.

“The critique is that it is expensive. The critique is that it is long winded,” he said.

“It’s a matter of choices and

they are strategic choices. That argument hasn’t been won.”

YouthBank matches the young people’s fundraising pound-for-pound up to a limit of £3,000.

Past projects have included a comic exploring alcohol and drug misuse and suicide in Derry and a sticker campaign highlighting drink spiking in south Belfast.

The YouthBank model has been replicated in 25 countries including Bosnia, Turkey and Azerbaijan and there are plans to expand into Africa, Asia and north America.

“The success of the story, because it’s a simple story, is that others have wanted to replicate and scale it up themselves,” Mr Ringland said.

However, half of its 10 branches in Northern Ireland have shut over the past few years due to cuts to their host organisations. YouthBanks remain in Banbridge, Craigavon, Derry, Fermanagh and

north Belfast and there are 13 in the Republic.

“If it was to go away, I think it would be a massive lost opportunity,” he said.

“If there was a critique here it is that donors are reluctant to put funding into the hands of young people.

“They’re more interested in putting funding into programmes because they are structured and pre-thought and meet a particular need.

“For the things that are a bit lighter on their feet and proactive, I think there are less of those opportunities and funders are less sure of how you measure that.”

He said the programme’s peer-to-peer structure, with which donors were sometimes uncomfortable, was in fact its strength.

“They are the trusted link. I couldn’t get into where they get to because of their age range, their own vernacular and how they talk and explain things.”

VIEW, issue 20, 2013

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Page 11

Dorcas Crawford, above, argues that mediation offers a good way to resolve complex disputes

Opting for mediation instead of going down the court route

By Dorcas Crawford

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he third sector plays a truly unique role in the Northern Ireland economy. In the course of their work, many people involved in the sector will have to tackle tough challenges that directly affect the lives of some of the most vulnerable people.

In light of that focus on front-line need, the last thing that organisations will want to deal with will be dispute resolution – either with suppliers or internally.

The nature of oversight in the third sector – with boards having to monitor and negotiate with staff about the direction a third sector body is taking – can produce a robust culture of debate.

This is important and necessary when trying to work out strategies to deal with complex issues.Yet if this is not carefully managed, debate can turn from dispute to legal action.

Mediation offers a way to resolve such complex disputes without resorting to the courts. Taking the heat out of the situation and using an impartial facilitator, mediation offers people the chance to come up with ‘win-win’ solutions – unlike traditional litigation which favours a much more adversarial approach.

There are few areas of business where budgets aren’t under pressure, but this problem is particularly acute in the third sector, where increased spend on administration may mean a reduction in the provision of services.

It may even be the case that the statutes or ordinances of a charity limit the amount that can be spent on disputes. It therefore makes sense for individuals and organisations to come together and find mutually beneficial agreements.

The third sector is one where relationships between participants are particularly important and legal wrangling can be destructive in this context.

Mediated solutions, on the other hand, offer the opportunity to fix feelings as well as the dispute itself and the cost is significantly lower.

Mediation allows the parties involved to reach their own solution, facilitated by the neutral mediator. In my experience these are the kind of solutions that stick because those involved have a stake in making them work.

At Edwards & Co, we’re leading the way in developing professional mediation solutions. While the courts are always there as a backstop for certain situations, we’re working with organisations across Northern Ireland to show that mediation works.

• Dorcas Edwards is a senior partner at Edwards and Company.

For more information about mediation, visit the website edwardsandcompany.co.uk or call 028 9032 1863.

VIEW, issue 20, 2013

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Page 12

One in four older women are victims of domestic abuse

By Una Murphy

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ew research in Northern Ireland has revealed the high rate of domestic abuse against older women.

As many as one in four had suffered violence, psychological abuse and controlling behaviour and over 70 per cent had an on-going relationship with their abusive partner, a conference in Belfast has heard.

Women’s Aid has launched a campaign with posters and leaflets to be displayed at GPs' surgeries and libraries to highlight the problem of domestic violence suffered by older people and to let them know where to get help.

“We want to let older women to know that it is never too late to seek help and make a change and they do not have to suffer alone,” Patrica Lyness, Management Co-ordinator of Belfast and Lisburn Women’s Aid, said.

“We want older women to feel safer and less isolated and let them know that they can come direct to Women’s Aid for help," she added.

Ms Lyness said the organisation would provide a new service to women aged 60 plus run by women for women which would provide direct support, time and space to talk about the violence and abuse many older women suffered.

“It doesn’t in many cases mean women leaving their homes, a lot of our work is about keeping women safe in their own homes, offering them one to one emotional support and devising a support and safety plan.”

Women’s Aid developed the new support services – funded as a pilot scheme in the Greater Belfast area by the Big Lottery Fund – because the organisation found there were few older women using their refuges and outreach projects. Two staff will work for three years with older women and raise the

issue with other agencies.

Dr John Devaney, Queen’s University lecturer, told the ‘Growing Old With Domestic Violence’ conference in November that the voices of older women suffering domestic violence were rarely heard.

There was a fear, he said, among older women about “washing your dirty linen in public” and they had grown up with traditional beliefs such as “you’re made your bed so you’ll lie in it”.

He said that over time the nature of domestic violence suffered by older women changed with a decrease in physical abuse but an increase in psychological abuse and controlling behaviour.

Many older women developed ‘self-soothing’ behaviour through drinking alcohol, smoking or using prescription drugs.

• The Domestic and Sexual Violence Helpline in Northern Ireland is 0808 802 1414.

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Page 13

Comment Queen’s University lecturer Dr John Devaney examines the reasons behind a high level of domestic violence against older women in Northern Ireland

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Many victims have lived with domestic violence for a number of decades and are from a generation where this type of abuse was tolerated

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omestic violence is a significant social, legal and health issue.

Government studies indicate that both women (one in five) and men (one in 10) experience domestic violence from either their current or former partner.

It accounts for 25% of all violent crime in the UK, yet it has been estimated that in Northern Ireland only 29% of domestic violence is reported. Locally the police respond to an incident of domestic violence every 21 minutes of every day, and 29% of all murders in the year 20012/2013 (five in total) had some form of domestic motivation.

Over the last three decades, despite a growing public awareness of domestic violence, younger women are typically assumed to be the main victims. Service providers and policy makers can believe that violence stops at age 50 and there is a noticeable lack of literature, research and policy guidelines on the issue, yet one in six of all reports to the PSNI of domestic violence involve those aged over 50.

Local research has highlighted that over time the physical violence may lessen, but that the financial and psychological abuse continues, and that the impact of

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such violence and abuse is significant. With advancing years comes increasing social isolation as individuals retire from employment, family grow up and move away, and friends die.

There are a numbers of reasons for why domestic violence in the second half of life is so poorly understood.

Firstly, many victims have lived with domestic violence for a number of decades and are from a generation where this type of abuse was tolerated.

For many women now in their 60s and 70s their income may be tied wholly to their partner’s pension, and the prospect of leaving a home that they built over many years is not practicable.

There may also be pressure from adult children to remain together, or for the victim to provide their partner with care.

Secondly, there is a presumption amongst some professionals that domestic violence does not persist into old age, and that if it does it cannot be too bad if the victim is not prepared to leave.

There is good evidence to show that large numbers of those experiencing domestic violence in later life are

prescribed high levels of drugs to cope with the consequences of abuse (for example – depression, anxiety, poor sleep patterns) rather than being provided with emotional and practical support.

Finally, whilst recent Government initiatives have seen an increase in the range of supports provided to the victims of domestic violence, these are often not tailored to the particular needs of older victims who may be physically infirm or need accommodation and services that cater for their very different needs to those of younger families.

The impact of living with domestic violence for decades is very clear in the self reports of victims who talk candidly about their overuse of prescription medication, their reliance on alcohol and the impact on their mental health.

As a society we are facing an increase in the proportion of people living for longer. Whilst this is to be welcomed, as we all benefit from the wisdom and contribution that older people make, we also need to be mindful that some older people may need the support of family, communities and wider society as they live with domestic violence grown old.

VIEW, issue 20, 2013

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AID RELIEF FOR PHILIPPINES

A boy who was wounded by flying debris due to Super Typhoon Haiyan stays at the ruins of his family's house in Tacloban city

Habitat for Humanity delivers vital kits to disaster victims

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abitat for Humanity has already distributed more than 5,000 shelter repair kits to families most affected

by Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. The news came as Ulster Garden Villages Ltd. announced a donation of £20,000 to Habitat for Humanity’s Philippines Emergency Appeal.

Habitat’s disaster response in the Philippines includes the distribution of 30,000 shelter repair kits and 50,000 clean-up kits in typhoon-hit areas and building disaster-resistant homes during the recovery. Only minimal damage was caused to existing Habitat homes in the affected areas.

The shelter repair kits are being distributed in Cebu Province, one of the areas most affected by the typhoon. Items in the kits include plywood, lumber, corrugated iron sheeting, a hammer, handsaw and nails. The kits will help families make repairs to their houses which were damaged by the typhoon.

“We are extremely grateful to Ulster Garden Villages, and everyone from across

Northern Ireland, who have generously donated to our Philippines Emergency Appeal,” says Jenny Williams, Chief Executive of Habitat for Humanity Northern Ireland.

“Access to shelter is one of the most personal human needs in the aftermath of disaster. It provides families with protection from the weather, disease and crime. It is the solid base from where people can rebuild their lives. Habitat is the world leader in shelter aid. Globally, our Disaster Response programme has served more than 150,000 families since the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, and we are determined to reach as many families as possible in the Philippines,” says Ms Williams.

“Thanks to the generosity of the people of Northern Ireland we are making an immediate difference to the lives of families in the Philippines and helping to rebuild for the long-term too. To those who have not yet donated, please give what you can today. By donating to Habitat you can be sure that funds reach families

on the ground as quickly as possible,” says Ms Williams.

Super Typhoon Haiyan smashed into the Philippines on 8th November causing widespread destruction, flooding and landfall. More than 10 million people have been affected and four million people have been displaced. More than one million homes have been destroyed or damaged.

Valerie Ingram, Executive Director of Ulster Garden Villages, said: “Ulster Garden Villages normally allocates funds to projects within Northern Ireland that have a positive impact on Northern Ireland, but given the severity of the situation in the Philippines and the need for emergency assistance, we felt that this was a cause that needed our urgent support.”

• Habitat for Humanity was founded in the Philippines 25 years ago. It works all over the country and has served more than 70,000 families through a variety of housing solutions, including in disaster situations.

VIEW, issue 20, 2013

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AID RELIEF FOR PHILIPPINES

UNISON NI throws its weight behind support campaign

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NISON in Northern Ireland has over 700 members from the Philippines working in health and social care, in schools and in the community/voluntary sector.

A spokesperson said: “We know how worried many of them are about their own friends and families at this difficult time. We want to encourage individual UNISON members and our branches to show solidarity with our Filipino members. People need clean water, food, shelter and medical supplies.”

All the money raised will go directly to the Disasters Emergency Committee. If you are a UK taxpayer please tick the gift aid box. This means that the government adds to whatever donation you make e.g. a donation of £10 from you is £12.35 to the charity.

UNISON member Ligaya Mansayon, who works in a nursing home in Belfast and who has family and relatives living in the Philippines, has urged people to support relief efforts.

UNISON member Ligaya Mansayon who is from Panay Island in the Philippines The UNISON donate page is mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/unisonni

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VIEW, issue 20, 2013

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The Big Picture

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Above: Mimi Unamoyo from the Congo. Mimi is one of the participants in a Belonging project, organised by Laurence Gibson and the Belfast Migrant Centre. An exhibition about migrants living in Northern Ireland will run from December 9 to December 13. More details about the event can be found by contacting Taylor Holland, interns@belfastmigrantcentre.org – 02890 438962 Image: ©laurence gibson If you would like your community/voluntary organisation to be selected for The Big Picture in the next issue of VIEW, send images, marked ‘Big Picture entry’ to editorial@viewdigital.org

VIEW, issue 20, 2013

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Page 17

Paying the price of austerity

Trade unionists and representatives from the community/voluntary sector in the Republic at a recent meeting in Liberty Hall, Dublin.

Organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the audience heard how how the sector had been decimated by funding cuts in their budget. Calls were made from the floor and from various speakers for a joint strategy to be organised in opposition to the austerity programme Images: Brian Pelan

VIEW, issue 20, 2013

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Page 18

Fiona Murray addressing the audience at last year’s TEDxBelfastWomen event

A chance to hear women give the ‘talk of their lives’

By Lucy Gollogly

people that know TED and love it and people who just haven’t heard of it.

Once you’ve been exposed to TED you become a fan.

“The TEDxBelfastWomen event brings together creative and innovative voices from across Northern Ireland.

‘We strive to provide not only a platform for our speakers, but to bring new and innovative ways of thinking to the audience, so that they can be inspired to explore their own passions and ambitions.”

Kathleen, who was involved with the first TEDxBelfastWomen event last year, said that the events could help create lasting connections. “People are sharing ideas and stories and it can lead to other bigger and greater things,” she said.

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usinesswomen, writers and social media experts are among those who will aim to ‘give the talk of their lives’ at the second TEDxBelfastWomen event on December 6.

The event, which takes place in the Skainos centre in east Belfast, is part of the global non-profit movement TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), which aims to spread innovative ideas.

The focus of this year’s TEDWomen main event in San Francisco will be to celebrate invention in all its forms.

TEDxBelfastWomen is one of more than 150 TEDx events taking place around the world, presenting local speakers around the theme ‘Invented Here’.

Speakers include finance expert and author Susan Hayes, Professor Catherine Clinton of Queen’s University and former Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition politician Jane Morrice.

Kathleen Holmlund, project manager

Speakers: Susan Hayes and Jane Morrice of the TEDxBelfastWomen event team, said: “You have two types of people – the

• The event takes place in the Skainos centre in east Belfast on December 6 from 9.30am-3.30pm.

Visit www.tedxbelfastwomen.com to buy tickets priced £25 (includes lunch).