CRC recently hosted a Zoom seminar for 50 people on the 22 May 2020 for all our Core funded and North Belfast Strategic Good Relations Programme groups to explore opportunities to connect and share ideas. We also explored new ways of working to address the challenges we currently face during the Coronavirus pandemic, and how to promote Good Relations work online.
The Shared Learning Forum was an opportunity to hear from some of the groups and how they have managed to bring their Good Relations work online. The examples demonstrated how using online technology can be part of their work, building relationships and communicating with one another.
The Shared learning Forum heard from Tides training, The Londonderry Bands Forum, Intercomm and Building Community Resource Centre on how they have each been tackling the challenges faced, in their own ways, to achieve positive results and build existing relationships with their key stakeholders.
Supporting Each Other’s Efforts
The Forum also provided the participants with a chance to discuss issues facing them and learning from each other, and ways in which other groups in the programme have addressed similar issues. At a very human level the Shared Learning Forum also enabled people to talk to one another and support each other’s efforts to work through the crisis facing us all.
The event demonstrated that delivering programmes of work online are only part of the activity being delivered and shouldn’t take away from the very real pastoral care being provided by groups within and between communities at this time, such as food parcel and educational pack deliveries, friendly neighbour schemes, engagement with vulnerable members of the community.
Next Shared Learning Forum
The next Shared learning Forum is scheduled for 30 June 2020 where the Forum will follow up on issues raised at previous events.