View 28 issue, 2014

VIEW KINCORA

Independent Social Affairs magazine for community/voluntary sector www.viewdigital.org Issue 28, 2014

CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE

STORY ON PAGES FOUR AND FIVE

C O N T E N T S

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Page 6 - Ivan and James Martin back Mencap appeal Page 7 – Child poverty figures ‘unacceptable’ Pages 12 to 15 – Major new exhibition at Linen Hall library delves into the past Page 15 –Sex workers and supporters hold protest outside Stormont

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Editorial

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Brian Pelan, Editor

s the latest issue of VIEW goes online, the all-party talks convened at Stormont, which were set up by Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers, appear to be stuck in a predictable logjam.

Welfare reform, which is supposed to be at the heart of these talks, hasn’t been mentioned much with the parties remaining tight-lipped on whether there is room for manoeuvre.

Every spending cut and deterioration of public services is put down to the resistance of Sinn Fein to benefit cuts and the resulting punitive fines imposed by Westminster.

This view has been actively promoted by unionist leaders and ministers as they conjure up all sorts of scare stories – ranging from mass redundancies in the state sector to hikes in prescription charges to the turning off street lighting. It has even been suggested that the welfare reform could be the issue to collapse the political institutions with DUP leader Peter Robinson warning of

Logjam at Stormont possible “nuclear options”.

To really understand what is going on we have to cut through a lot of propaganda. While it is true there have been cuts they have not (up to this point) been due to failure of the Stormont Executive to sign up to welfare reform.

Deductions from the Northern Ireland budget by

the British Treasury (estimated to be £87m in the first year), which are directly related to welfare reform, are not due to take effect until October.

Of course all of this political manoeuvring does not minimise the threat of welfare reform to working class people. Given the high level of welfare dependency in Northern Ireland the impact of the changes will be severe. It has been estimated that welfare reform will take around £750m out of the local economy – that represents a reduction of £650 a year to average reductions of £650 a year for every adult of working age in Northern Ireland (compared to £470 across Britain).

Away from Stormont, the Northern Ireland Congress of Trade Unions recently held a seminar on the welfare cuts.

Whilst there was unanimity in the room that they would be a “bad thing”, it was hard to see what strategy to effectively combat them emerged from the seminar.

Lobbying of MLAs has surely run its course by now.

Photoline

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

For quotations, contact Kevin Cooper at Email: photoline@supanet.com T: 028 90777299 or M: 077 12044751

‘Victims will feel betrayed

by Kincora decision’

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mnesty International has strongly criticised the UK government’s decision to exclude Kincora Boys’ Home in Northern Ireland from its inquiry into child abuse in the UK. In July, Amnesty led the calls for the Belfast children’s home to be included in the inquiry announced by the Home Secretary to investigate allegations of historic child sex abuse.

Allegations have persisted that a paedophile ring at Kincora was linked to British intelligence services, with claims that that police investigations into abuse at Kincora were blocked by MI5.

The UK government recently announced its exclusion from the terms of reference of the UK inquiry and asked a Northern Ireland inquiry to investigate the allegations instead.

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland Programme Director, said: “This announcement from the government to exclude Kincora from the inquiry is disappointing but, frankly, unsurprising.

“Victims will feel betrayed by this decision, while the public will believe that the conspiracy of silence, which has surrounded Kincora for 40 years, continues.

“Despite protestations to the contrary by the Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers, the Historic Institutional Abuse inquiry is simply unable to get at the truth behind the abuse and allegations of security services complicity at Kincora.

“Only an inquiry with the eyes of Westminster and the UK media – and the ability to secure the necessary powers of compulsion – is equipped to uncover the secrets long hidden at Kincora.

“In one fell swoop the UK government has both knocked public confidence in its commitment to reveal the truth of child abuse across the whole country, and undermined the Northern Ireland inquiry, which has been given a job for which it is sadly ill-equipped.”

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Ivan and James step forward to support Mencap appeal VIEW, Issue 28 2014

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By Una Murphy

VAN MARTIN may be better known for his ‘Sunday Brunch’ radio show on U105 but he is also proud the father of James, a Mencap Young Ambassador.

Father and son, who are set to host the radio show on Christmas morning, were at the launch of the ‘Big Step Forward’ fundraising appeal for a new Children and Families’ centre in Belfast recently. It will be built on the site of a primary school which closed five years ago.

The new centre will house Segal House nursery which supports 50 children with a learning disability, autism or serious unexplained developmental delay.

James said: “Segal House helped me to speak and I appreciated the physio. I want more children to have what I had.

I also met my girlfriend Barbara at Segal Nursery but she wasn’t my girlfriend then – after all we were only four.”

James (22) works three jobs – in a kitchen and front-of-house in two of Belfast’s eateries as well as using his computer skills in a business centre – and has a better social life than his parents, according to Ivan.

Ivan said the nursery is like a “one stop shop” – a phrase he dislikes – but which fits the bill to describe the services offered there, including support for parents as well as physio, speech and occupational therapy for children.

“In the early stages of a child’s life the parents are still adjusting to the fact that they have a child with Down’s syndrome or are learning disabled and they need someone to say “Your child deserves the opportunity to learn.”

Carolyn Stewart, Segal House nursery manager, is looking forward to moving to the new site.

“Our dream is to be open the full year for children and their families and offer more parenting and summer programmes as well as after school activities.”

Vanessa Elder Mencap’s Northern Ireland regional fundraising manager said she hoped the public would get behind the fundraising campaign for the new centre.

• Go to http://mencapbigstepforward.org to see how you can support the campaign.

Teamwork: Ivan and James Martin

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Ellen Finlay Comment

‘Shameful figures on child poverty are unacceptable’

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he Child Poverty Alliance (CPA) is co-chaired by Children in Northern Ireland and Save the Children NI. It came into being in 2008 as a loose alliance of organisations to raise awareness of child poverty within Northern Ireland.

We are an inclusive coalition committed to campaigning for an end to child poverty by working collaboratively with an evidencebased approach.

The CPA has been constructive, pragmatic and solution focused based on the evidence of what will work.

We engaged with Government and elected representatives seeking to inform public policy and hold Government accountable for tackling child poverty.

Our strategic objectives are twofold: to hold government to account for the application of its strategy and programmes to end child poverty in NI and reframe

and inform public understanding of child poverty and gain support for measures to support families.

Every child needs and deserves a safe, happy and fulfilled childhood.

We all have a moral duty to challenge the structures that have contributed to children and young people in Northern Ireland growing up in poverty.

Worryingly, the evidence clearly shows that the rights of children and young people in Northern Ireland are not high on the political agenda with many continuing to face inequalities.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) predicts that relative child poverty will increase to 30.9 percent Before Housing Costs (BHC) and absolute child poverty to 38.5 percent (BHC) in Northern Ireland by 2020-211.

These unacceptable and shamefully high figures demonstrate a complete lack of

Meeting to be held at Stormont to discuss child poverty

commitment to the UNCRC and lack of urgent action to end child poverty and address inequality that our children face in their daily lives.

To highlight these issues, the Child Poverty Alliance on November 3, in the Long Gallery, Stormont, will be launching a report ‘Beneath the Surface, Child Poverty in Northern Ireland’.

The report contains a compilation of articles on the issue of child poverty, drawing upon the thoughts and research of leading thinkers in the field of child poverty and inequality with recommendations and actions on how to address child poverty.

We are also expecting a number of Executive Ministers to attend the event to take part in a panel discussion, outlining what their department is doing to address child poverty.

• Ellen Finlay, Policy Officer for Children in Northern Ireland

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Mairead McMahon Comment ‘Parents and employers will suffer as a result of the closure of Childcare Voucher scheme’

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n Wednesday 1 October, the OFMdFM Committee completed their consideration of a Legislative Consent Motion that would extend the provisions of Westminster’s Childcare Payments Bill to Northern Ireland.

Whilst there is still the technicality of a vote on the floor of the Assembly, what has in effect been agreed is the introduction of the Tax-Free Childcare Scheme in Northern Ireland, and the closure of the Childcare Voucher Scheme to new entrants, from Autumn 2015.

We’ve done a lot of work to examine who will be affected by this decision, and whilst we know that some families will benefit from the new Tax-Free Childcare Scheme, we also know that a significant proportion of parents and their employers will suffer as a result of the closure of the Childcare Voucher Scheme.

We don’t need to explain the impact of what seems to be an unprecedented period of pressure on public finances to anyone in the third sector; nor do we need to re-iterate the lessons we’ve learned in recent years about the value of supporting parents, and particularly mothers, to stay in work and progress their careers if they

wish to do so.

But given the fact that OFMdFM representatives are not ashamed to admit that they don’t know who will be worse off as a result of this legislative change, we thought it would be helpful to give you some facts and figures to let you decide for yourself whether you think that’s an acceptable basis on which to make such a radical policy shift: • 11,000 parents in Northern Ireland are collectively saving £9 million per annum through the Childcare Voucher Scheme.

• 1,400 employers in Northern Ireland are collectively saving £4 million per annum through the Childcare Voucher Scheme; • The cost to Northern Ireland of allowing those savings to continue for an additional 1,000 parents next year would be £1.3 million.

• The cost of closing the Childcare Voucher Scheme to the public sector alone will reach £1.3 million per annum in increased paybill costs.

There are lots of principled reasons why we strongly believe that the Childcare Voucher Scheme should remain open

Warning: Employers for Childcare claim that the cost of closing the Childcare Voucher Scheme to the public sector alone will reach £1.3 million per annum in increased paybill costs

beyond Autumn 2015, and what worries us most is that no-one seems to have thought them through.

Has budgetary provision been made for the increased paybills in the 1,400 employers across Northern Ireland?

Do parents even know that the support available to support help with the costs of childcare will change significantly next year, and that if they don’t make the right choices quickly, they could lose out on thousands of pounds?

We don’t believe Northern Ireland is fully prepared to deal with the consequences of this change, because despite the potentially huge economic significance to both employers and working parents, it would seem that insufficient priority has been attached discussions around its impact to date.

The real danger is, of course, that by the time those directly affected realise the negative impact of this legislation, it will simply be too late for them to do anything about it.

• Mairead McMahon is Director of Charity Services at Employers for Childcare Charitable Group – www.employersforchildcare.org

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

Outlining a strategy for tackling homelessness VIEW, Issue 28, 2014

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VIEW editor Brian Pelan talks to Jim Dennison, who was appointed as the new CEO for the Simon Community earlier this year, about his vision for the organisation

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Can you tell our readers about your background and why you chose to work in this area?

I left Queen’s University with a degree in politics so I’ve always been really interested in the dynamics between people who make decisions and people on the ground.

Q

You were appointed as the new CEO of the Simon Community in January of this year. What did you bring to the position.

A

I suppose what I brought to the job was a very real understanding of the dynamics of community development and housing and how they are interlinked. I brought a background of persuasion and influence and being able to put together good solid coherent arguments. I brought with me a background in research and how you bring that research into meaningful projects, as well an ability to manage organisations.

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Are you going to change what the Simon Community has been doing

No. I think it’s an important progression route. A lot of people think that Simon is just an accommodation service. In my view, Simon should do a lot more than that. It had been doing that before my arrival but I want to up that.

Q A

Tell me about your new strategic plan that you recently launched at Belfast City Hall?

One of the questions that I was asked at my interview for this position was: “What do you think of our strategic plan?” Of course it was the old strategic plan so I had to be very diplomatic and say there are a lot of very good elements in it. However it is not clear in it who you are and what you stand for. So this new plan is about why we exist and that is to serve

Strategy: Jim Dennison people. People underpin all of this plan.

We’ve moved away from having 12 strategic objectives and 58 mission statements to having three core strategic things that we will do over the next three years. The most important part of our work is organising our people and investing in our staff.

Q A

Would you ever sleep in a hostel?

I haven’t slept in one yet but I plan to. I have been to every one of them and spoken to every member of staff. I haven’t yet told them that I’m coming out to spend some nights with them.

Q

If you saw someone on the street, would you stop and talk to them or give them money?

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We have cards that have the number of our freephone helpline on them and I would give them out.

I have given money in the past, but I think it’s better to provide support to people who are homeless and living on the streets.

‘If welform reform is introduced in Northern Ireland, it will have a knock-on effect, there is no doubt about that’

Q A

What’s your view on the welfare reform debate in Northern Ireland?

From everything I have seen and read if welfare reform is applied here, it will have a knock on effect – there’s no doubt about that. People are on the cusp anyway and if you start to take money away from that as well as rising costs on top of that, we will see a lot more people becoming a lot more vulnerable.

Q A

Does Simon see itself as a service provider or a campaign organisation?

We’re absolutely a service.Yes, we want to try and inform and guide decision makers but we’re not a lobbying organisation. We’re not in a place where we can demand things.

Q

Would you worry that funding would be affected if you were to take on more of a campaigning role about homelessness

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I don’t think that government would ever be that vindictive to us. I don’t think that we need to stand with placards shouting.

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Jim Dennison, the chief executive for the Simon Community in Northern Ireland, outside his organisation’s headquarters in Belfast

FOOD BANK IN BELFAST I

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MAJOR NEW EXHIBITION AT LINEN HALL LIBRARY, BELFAST – MORE IMAGES AND STORY ON PAGES 14 AND 15

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IN THE HUNGRY 1930s VIEW, Issue 28, 2014

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On the beach at Newcastle (c1912)

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Procession in Gt Victoria Street, Belfast, en route to Newcastle for ‘waifs day’ at the seaside (c1910)

A GLIMPSE INTO A PAST LIFE C

elebrations are taking place at Belfast Central Mission (BCM) to mark the 125th anniversary of the charity which was founded in 1889.

As part of those celebrations the Linen Hall Library, Belfast, is presently hosting an exhibition of BCM’s archive photographs, documents and artefacts.

On display are some of BCM’s nationally important collection of early 20th century Hogg images of life in the Belfast slums together with a variety of items representing BCM’s involvement in the life of the city.

Also to mark the anniversary, Wesley Weir, BCM’s archivist, has written

an updated history of BCM throughout its first 125 years using some of the content of the vast archive. ‘Through Changing Scenes’ is available from BCM. Dr Myrtle Hill, (until recently) Senior Lecturer in Women's and Gender Studies, Queen's University, Belfast said: “The archives are both fascinating and unique, offering fresh insights into life in late 19th, early 20th century Belfast from a wide range of perspectives.

“Though urban missions were both highly vocal and visible in the 19th century, poor record-keeping, inadequate preservation and an often narrow analysis threatens to undermine

their historical significance.

That this collection of documents, photographs and other ephemera has survived in such quantity and quality is itself unusual.”

Julie Andrews, Director of the Linen Hall Library, said: “We are delighted to be hosting this excellently researched exhibition that gives a realistic look at the hard life many had to survive in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”

The exhibition, which is open to the public and is free of charge, ends on November 29.

• For further information contact jharvey@belfastcentralmission.org or Tel: 028 90241917

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Tom Hickey confidential hickeysworld.com

Trickle of protests against water charges has turned into a flood

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Residents opposing the introduction of water meters in the Republic

ater meter installers arrived in our estate some months ago but no one protested. They carried out their work but didn't install a meter outside my home for technical reasons. And then residents began blocking the installers in Cork.

Good old Rebel Cork. That action quickly spread nationwide and culminated recently in a huge protest in Dublin.

In the years of austerity following the Republic's banking disaster criticism of extra taxes like Universal Social Charges were loud and consistent. As taxes went up and services to the disabled, the disadvantaged and marginalised sectors were reduced, voices were raised, but

protests were few. We didn't like the medicine, but got on with our lives, too busy trying to hang onto our jobs and pay the bills.

Local Property Tax was introduced last year, and this time the agitation became a lot louder.

Refuse to pay became the catch cry of the day, until we were told the Revenue Commissioners would enforce collection with the power to deduct payment from wages or social welfare. Ouch!

And then along came Irish Water. A trickle of protests became a flood as an unresponsive company and a series of startling revelations fired up a battered electorate.

Enda Kenny promised a couple would only pay â‚Ź238 for their water. Irish Water got â‚Ź278. The Government pledged there would

be a free child allowance of 38,000 litres. That became 21,000. Then there were revelations about the high pay and bonus culture at Irish Water.

More startling was the news that anyone who wanted to claim free water allowances would have to provide a PPS number. People refused and tore up their application forms. When the Government lost two by-elections with water being the dominant issue, the response was a swift tax concession for water bill payers.

So you'd imagine when my application form arrived I refused to sign. Eh, no. I filled it in like the good citizen I am. The only consolation is I'm not metered yet so can be as wasteful as I like. But I won't, of course. I'm afraid my rebel days are over.

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Harry Reid speaking frankly

Questions asked at Stormont on whereabouts of disability strategy

Snaking along a Kafkaesque labyrinth in search of a disability strategy . . .

I

t is a bad moment. A slow motion hexed collision. The teacher’s anaconda eyes skewer me with the look of an employer repelled by an applicant’s incongruous belch at a job interview.

Profanity had scorched the ears of eight-year-old innocents, and she had spied the expletive expending banshee culprit.

Seeking sanctuary from the lashing tail of hurricane Gonzalo whipping across Stormont estate, I’d ducked behind the wind-break of a parked school bus.

Swearing at the violent buffeting I’d just escaped, I came face to face with both the huddled school party and my mistake.

Sensing that this was not now a place of welcome, I shrugged the apology of a tangled marionette and launched myself back out into the gale heading for the café where Massey Avenue meets Stormont.

Earlier the same morning I’d watched her chivying a crocodile of eight year olds squirming and squirting themselves into the Great Hall at Parliament Buildings ahead of their tour of democracy in action, or at least the Northern Irish karaoke version of it.

For my part I joined a flock of lobbyists and advocates being led into the Kafkaesque labyrinth of corridors that led to Room 274.

This was to be the scene of the October meeting of the All Party Group

on Disability.

Anyone familiar only with the Punch and Judy show of the Assembly’s chamber, or the fighting talk delivered down a TV camera from elsewhere in the Stormont Death Star, would be pleasantly taken aback by the industrious activity and the manner in which it is conducted, in the institution’s All Party groups.

Now almost four dozen in number, All Party Groups exist for MLAs of all stripes to collaborate to make concrete progress on bread and butter issues of mutual concern to both themselves and the people who have elected them.

Today in Room 274 the compelling issue of concern is what can be done to inject some life into, and propel some concrete action from the Executive’s Disability Strategy.

It all should have been something of a no brainer.

Published in February 2013, the Strategy acknowledged that as only dead people experienced a higher level of social exclusion, inequality and disadvantage than people with disabilities, real imagination and energetic commitment had now to be harnessed to radically challenge and change a situation that was universally acknowledged as a genuine scandal.

Launched by the two OFM/DFM Ministers, as part of their Executive-wide responsibility for coordinating concrete

progress on equality issues, the Disability Strategy had the advantage of coming out of a decade of official discussion, research and planning.

Those at the All Party Group meeting on this blustery Tuesday morning in October listened as the evidence stacked up that the promise and momentum of all this work had floundered. Those present from disability organisations recounted not only a lack of concrete significant action designed to make the Strategy happen, but that the Clerk of the Assembly’s OFM/DFM scrutiny Committee had reported that reviewing progress under it wasn’t even on the Committee’s work-plan.

Later, having made it to the appropriately named Storm in A Teacup café located where Massey Avenue meets Stormont estate, I reflected on MLAs decision to host an event on February 17 to call to account all those across Government departments charged with taking the clear actions needed to improve the lives and future prospects of disabled people here.

Will it, I wondered, herald the much needed wind of change to finally address the third class status of disabled people here?

Without a crystal ball I couldn’t answer my own question, but I can guess, and then again in turn hope.

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A LOVE AFFAIR WITH

Staring Stua and Rosie Le

Movie fans: Stuart Sloan and Rosie Le Garsmeur Image: Brian Pelan

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H CINEMA

art Sloan e Garsmeur

Fed up with high prices and expensive popcorn, Stuart and Rosie decided to serve up their own free cinema nights for movie lovers

F

rom its cinema heyday in the 1950s and 60s, Belfast is now home to a handful of multiplexes and the Queen’s Film Theatre.

Hoping to add something different to the usual fare of films which are largely aimed at a younger audience, Stuart Sloan and Rosie Le Garsmeur have launched Second Chance Cinema with the help of funding from the British Film Institute.

“We wanted to try and create something cheap and positive for the mind,” says Stuart.

“Cinema in Belfast used to be a cheap night out,” adds Rosie. “Not anymore. It can cost you a small fortune to go to a multiplex now.

The couple have already held a weekend of free screenings at the South Bank Playhouse on South Kimberley Drive in south Belfast.

Another free weekend of films is being lined up for Friday, November 28, to Sunday, November 30, at the same venue.

Stuart said: “Here at Second Chance Cinema, we are always on the lookout for unseen and unique Northern Irish content and we could like to put out a call to any filmmaker who would be interested in screening something.

Everything is welcome as long as it has some connection to Northern Ireland. Please email us at secondchancecinema.belfast@gmail.com” Both Stuart and Rosie admitted to some “creative tension” in the process of chosing the line-up of film.

“We are both passionate about films,” added Rosie.

“We would love some day to own a cinema, but we will have to win the Lottery first.”

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John McInally National Vice President Public & Commercial Services Union

‘We need to state clearly there is an alternative to austerity’

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arlier this month the Northern Ireland Congress of Trade Unions. held a seminar in Belfast to highlight opposition to proposed welfare cuts.

Below is an edited version of a speech given at the meeting by John McInally, Vice President of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS).

W

elfare reform, like austerity, is no more than a slick political term intended to mask what is in reality a one-sided and unremitting class war being carried by big business and the Tories against the unemployed, disabled and the low paid.

Welfare reform has been on the agenda of all the major Westminster parties for some time now but has been greatly ramped up under the Tories’ austerity programme. It is characterised by the elite’s twin obsessions of attacking the poor and cutting and privatising our public services.

It is ideological. It seeks to say that the poor are responsible for their situation in order to justify the removal of the safety net and the destruction of the social security system.

It is about the systematic destruction of the welfare state. There are many fancy definitions of what constitutes the

Some of the audience at the seminar on welfare cuts in the Wellington Park Hotel, Belfast

Images: Kevin Cooper

welfare state. But for our class there is a very simple definition – when your neighbour has fallen on hard times you have two choices – You can offer them your hand and raise them up or you can kick them in the guts.

The Tories believe in the latter course.

That is immoral of course. But it is worse than that. It makes no economic sense.

Every serious study and all experience shows that supportive social security and welfare systems are more economically efficient, cheaper and more inclined to promote social cohesion rather than aggravate social division and inequality.

Welfare reform has been accompanied but what can only be described as a remorseless hate campaign conducted by the politicians and sections of the media.

The reason for this hate speech is to provide the ideological basis for these attacks. This narrative is an attempt to promote the lie that poverty is a “life-style choice”. And that those claiming benefits are sub-human and undeserving of help and support.

I want to state this very clearly. Any politician who is not prepared to oppose the welfare reform policies is complicit in bringing an onslaught upon the communities they claim to represent.

There is a massive responsibility on

the unions to take up the question of welfare because it concerns their members too.

It also means unions fighting against attacks on their members’ terms and conditions. But also about defending everything we have won over past generations of struggle.

In fighting welfare reform there needs to be closest possible cooperation between the ICTU, the STUC and TUC. This is arguably the biggest issue facing our movement and we need to unite.

We also need to define ourselves not just by what we are against but what we are for.

We need to state clearly there is an alternative to austerity. We need real social security for all members of society. Social security is not just about benefits, it concerns us all – it is about homes, childcare, pensions, pay levels and much more. It is about whether we live in a civilised society or not.

If politicians are not prepared to represent us and give voice to our grievances and aspirations then we have to do so ourselves.

Most of all we need to speak out against the great lie that things are the way they are because there is no alternative.

There is an alternative. But we are going to have to fight to achieve it.

VIEW and Audiences NI join forces to promote Driving Digital event

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udiences NI Chief Executive Margaret Henry has invited members to ‘Driving Digital’ in partnership with VIEWdigital.

Due to the success of last year’s Digital Day, ‘Driving Digital’ will be held on November 20 at the Duncairn Arts Centre in Belfast and it will explore how digital technology is shaping the future for arts organisations.

Audiences NI are delighted to announce a programme of informative topics and inspirational speakers who are paving the way for digital innovation in the arts.

Speakers include MTM, a London based research company who will take the audience through their Digital Culture Report. exploring how arts and cultural organisations in England use technology.

They will share their key findings on how digital is essential to arts marketing, preserving and archiving work and how digital can deliver a positive impact on audience development, creative output and operating efficiency.

Leeds Art Crawl will discuss how they

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used digital civic participation to map public art work and encourage audiences to curate their own art crawls.

Emma Keith is a producer for National Theatre Live, were she oversees the ground-breaking initiative NT:Live, which reaches a global audience of more than 2.5 million people in more than 35 countries.

Recently, Emma has led on the world’s first live broadcast of a theatre production in 4K (Ultra HD) to cinemas, pushing the technological boundaries of live broadcast.

Emma will deliver an insight into what inspired the initiative and what’s next for audiences.

Margaret Henry said, “Digital technologies offer the arts and cultural sector so many opportunities from content creation and distribution to audience engagement and development.

But digital isn’t new anymore and audiences now expect and value interaction across all channels.”

“Audiences NI’s event in partnership with VIEWdigital offers our members the chance to hear how digital matters to audiences, how other arts organisations

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Audience NI chief executive Margaret Henry: “We are delighted to announce a programme of informative topics and inspirational speakers

are reaping the benefits and start to form some ideas of what the NI arts and cultural sector want in terms of a digital strategy and action plan.

VIEWdigital co-founder Una Murphy said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Audiences NI on Digital Day. “Digital technology plays a key role in VIEW magazine – the only online social affairs magazine independently produced by journalists and aimed at the community and voluntary sector. “ “We are looking forward to meeting lots of new people working in the arts and creative industries and sharing our experience with them.”

This is an unmissable event for anyone working in the arts and creative industries, to reserve your space at the event, email projectsandevents@audiencesni.com.

Audiences NI members receive two free spaces according to their membership package.

For additional places or non-member places please contact the email address above.

Enterprising move for Volunteer Now VIEW, Issue 28, 2014

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By Una Murphy

arlier this year VIEW reported on the blow to Volunteer Now - which supplied volunteers for last year’s World Police and Fire Games - from a massive government funding cut Following a round of redundancies the charity has marked the formation of a new enterprise to bring more funds into the organisation.

Chief Executive Wendy Osborne warned that the severe 50 percent cut in core funding from the Department of Social Development had had a huge impact on the charity.

“Cut too deeply and lose completely”, she said. “We are still feeling the sharp edge – that size of a cut made us more vulnerable.”

She added: “Some things we did before we are not able to offer, some services were free in the past but not now.”

The charity has now set up a social enterprise – Volunteer Now Enterprise – which offers training for volunteers across the island of Ireland as well as in Britain.

Ms Osborne praised volunteers such as Alan Henning the English taxi driver who was killed after volunteering to bring relief supplies to families in Syria.

She said people like Mr Henning and others such as those working to battle the

Above: The front cover of VIEW when we covered the funding blow for Volunteer Now, right, and chief executive Wendy Osborne, left, with Elaine Sheridan from MindWise Ebola outbreak in Africa were “putting themselves out on the line because they are putting themselves out for other people.”

“It speaks to me about the power of volunteering wherever we are”, she said.

Volunteer Now Enterprises manages

the Investing in Volunteers standard in N. Ireland and has also delivered volunteer management training in partnership with Volunteer Ireland in the Republic.

Charities who have achieved Investors in Volunteers awards include Mindwise and Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Contact

Harry Reid Associates

S P

pecialist consultancy in:-

communication – campaigning – advocacy roviding

strategy – digital content – training Mobile: 07717 582208

Email: harryreid53@gmail.com

Twitter: @HarryReid53

Website: harryreidassociates.com

An archive offer you can’t resist VIEW, Issue 28, 2014

E

ver fancied seeing your publication in a prestigious collection preserved in a valuable archive for future generations to look at?

If so, the NIPR National Collection of Northern Ireland Publications based at The Linen Hall Library – Belfast’s oldest library and only remaining subscription library on the island of Ireland wants to hear from you. “People who have been though difficult situations such as homelessness often find that creative activities like writing help them. We would like to speak to groups and advise them on how to get their publications printed and saved in our archive, Joan Crooks, manager of NIPR said. “A lot of organisations including Voypic, Simon, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission have already contributed their publications to the archive but we would like to hear from more community and voluntary sector groups, she added. “We want to ensure that the collection is as comprehensive as possible and we don’t want any part of the community left out.

We want to preserve for the

Page 23

www.viewdigital.org

Joan Crooks, manager of NIPR at Linen Hall Library in Belfast future this social history and heritage. We also catalogue publications and the collection is accessible for consultation in the library, which is important for research purposes as these publications may not be preserved anywhere else�, Ms Crooks said.

The National Collection of Northern Ireland Publications is

(308 :063 #64*/&44 0/-*/& 8*5) "/ &9$*5*/( $3&"5*7& "(&/$: 3&410/4*7& 8&#4*5&4 .0#*-& "114 $3&"5*7& */5&3"$5*7& .&%*" 406/% %&4*(/ %0."*/4 )045*/(

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not on public display but is stored in acid free archive boxes behind closed doors in the library.

The archive can be accessed through an online catalogue via the NIPR website www.nibooks.org and requested in the Irish and Local Studies Department on the fourth floor of the library.

The Big Picture

VIEW, Issue 28, 2014

www.viewdigital.org

Page 24

A group of protesting sex workers and supporters outside Stormont recently during the debate on Lord Morrow's Anti-trafficking bill. They were objecting clause six of the bill which, if passed, will make any payment for sexual servic illegal. Sex worker and campaigner Laura Lee said: “This is going to hit the m vulnerable sex workers.�

Image: Brian P

If you would like your community/voluntary sector organisation or campaign be selected for The Big Picture, send your image, marked Big Picture entry, t editorial@viewdigital.org

y g to ces most Pelan

n to to

VIEW, Issue 28, 2014

www.viewdigital.org

Page 25

VIEW, Issue 28, 2014

RNIB NI launches help guide for parents of visually impaired children

S

inger Andrea Begley was among the invited audience to the recent launch in Belfast of a new RNIB NI guide, called ‘Looking ahead: a parent’s guide’ for parents of children who are blind or partially sighted.

There are 2,346 children and young people aged 0-25 who have sight loss in Northern Ireland.

At present RNIB NI support 800 children and their families, but the need for its services has increased. .

Rosaleen Dempsey, RNIB NI Children and families service manager, said, “Our guide offers parents a useful starting point for answering some common questions, we have designed it to be user friendly and easy to understand.

If you would like to request a copy of ‘Looking ahead’ or require any additional information, contact RNIB NI’s Children and families service on 028 9032 9373 or send an email to childrenyouthni@rnib.org. uk

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Andrea Begley, left, and Rosaleen Dempsey at the launch in Belfast City Hall