CRC Funds Public Achievement

The Community Relations Council is to award core funding to Public Achievement for the first time, starting in April and for up to two years in the first instance.  This is great news as this was the third time we had applied for funding.

The funding will support our training work with coaches in local communities across Northern Ireland and is a key component of our strategy to ensure that our work leaves a legacy in local communities and helps them to ensure that their communities are more democratic and inclusive.  The decision comes at a time of great uncertainty for the community and voluntary sector, so it is fantastic news.  This is particularly so given the uncertainty over two different strands of Department of Education funding (community relations and 'outreach'), as well as general uncertainty over the future of the educational structures and the implementation of the proposed new 'Education and Skills Authority'.

The news also comes as the Northern Ireland Executive has announced that it has agreed a new 'Cohesion, Sharing and Integration' policy to replace the former 'A Shared Future' policy.  The policy has not yet been published and we wait with interest to see what it contains.  There has been a policy vacuum around this area for over two years now, as the Executive had previously been unable to agree a policy.

Public Achievement Director, Paul Smyth, said today, "This decision is great news, and gives our organisation much-needed stability at a time of great change and uncertainty.  It is vital that we work even more closely with our partner communities and agencies to address our mission - Building Democratic Communities Together".  Young people are key to the future of our society, and our community workers and volunteers need to have the skills to engage young people as co-creators of more democratic spaces."