People across Northern Ireland are being invited to re-imagine their neighbourhoods with the help of a series of free online toolkits from Amplify NI, a National Lottery Community Fund project which supports people to take action to create fairer communities.
The three toolkits contain guidelines and a range of activities to help communities define local challenges and shape solutions with opportunities for social action.
Michael Conlon, Head of NI Programmes for Amplify NI said: “The aim of ‘Re-imagining Our Neighbourhood” is to help friends and neighbours to explore and discuss the things they love about the place they live, as well as to identify and take action on the things that need to change.”
Toolkits
The toolkits are divided into four different stages, in order to help guide communities through the re-imagining process:
- ‘Appreciative Inquiry’ helps people to explore what they love about the place they live and the future they’d like to see.
- ‘Community Research’ helps communities to think about how to explore a particular topic or issue in more depth.
- ‘Defining The Challenge’ offers a range of useful tools to support groups in deciding on the challenge to tackle.
- Finally, ‘Shaping a Solution’ aims to help communities explore and discuss the things they love about the place they live, as well as identify and take action on the things that need to change.
Wonderful community garden in Donegall Pass
Noreen Gravelle from Donegall Pass Community Forum used the ‘Re-imagining Our Neighbourhood’ toolkits to engage with her neighbours in order to establish a community garden on some local wasteland.
Noreen said: “Without our engagement with Amplify NI we would not have our wonderful community garden in Donegall Pass. The toolkits helped us identify the community need for a green space, a space to meet, connect and to have a cuppa together.
“Now that we have the garden, many people have met new friends, shared many ups and downs as well as coming up with even more ideas to tackle issues in the community.”
Re-imagining Our Neighbourhood toolkits
To find out more about how you could make a positive change in your community, download the three ‘Re-imagining Our Neighbourhood’ toolkits here: www.amplifyni.org/toolkits_for_change
Amplify NI is powered by The Young Foundation and funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.