Building stronger community connections is top priority for the Assembly

Forging better links with the community and voluntary sector is at the heart of a new initiative which was launched at the Assembly recently. For many years, we in the Northern Ireland Assembly have strived to help individuals and groups working in the community and voluntary sector to work more effectively with MLAs and the Assembly Committees.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Jun 2013, 14:58 BST
William Hay. Picture: Michael CooperWilliam Hay. Picture: Michael Cooper
William Hay. Picture: Michael Cooper

This new initiative will provide a range of training programmes on the work of the Assembly and its Committees and will give local community based groups with the opportunity to learn more about the Assembly and how their input can make a very real difference.

On Friday, 7 June, Assembly Community Connect will be coming to Ebrington Barracks to host a ‘Get Involved’ event. As someone who represents the Foyle constituency I am mindful that it is not always possible for smaller groups and those from further afield to come to Parliament Buildings and these ‘Get Involved’ events are specifically designed to take this new initiative out into local communities.

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I am also well aware that people working in local communities can often feel a sense of disconnect with government. The political landscape can be daunting for those who do not readily understand the process or who may feel they can have little impact on informing legislation and policy. Assembly Community Connect is designed to address these issues and we believe that it will provide tangible benefits for local organisations.

I am keenly aware of the wealth of experience and knowledge that the local community sector can share with MLAs and this is why the ‘Get involved’ programme is vital.

I expect to see more groups, of all sizes and with a wide range of issues, engaging more effectively with their elected representatives as a result of Assembly Community Connect. An informed and responsive Assembly is a two way process which involves both MLAs and the people and I think Assembly Community Connect is a wonderful way to strike this balance.

As well as training for groups, our MLAs will also get the opportunity to work on the ground with local community and voluntary sector organisations within their local constituencies. MLAs will spend time with a particular community or voluntary group, getting to grips with the issues that concern them and seeing what they can do to help As part of this event on Friday, I will be going to Action Mental Health--which this year is the Assembly’s Charity of the Year--to see the work that they are doing on the ground.

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Other programmes within the Assembly Community Connect initiative include ‘Get to Know the Assembly’ which is an introductory level training course aimed at groups who have had little or no contact with the Assembly. It will provide a basic overview of how the Assembly functions and how community and voluntary sector groups can interact with MLAs and Assembly Committees.

Groups, which have already worked with the Assembly, can receive more in-depth training in the ‘Insight into the Assembly’ programme. This could include sessions on particular topics such as how a bill becomes a law or guidance on how to give evidence to a Committee.

For further information on Assembly Community Connect, interested organisations can contact the team on 028 9052 1785 or by emailing [email protected]

Related topics:MLAs