The Dialogue Development Worker presented a workshop on Identity at a residential in Lusty Beg organised by Donegal Community Workers Co-op.

 

Community Dialogue in conjunction with Towards Understanding and Healing and LINC/CCWA organised a seminar in Derry/Londonderry entitled The Protestant Experience: Uncomfortable Truths? The event featured a couple of short sketches written by Jonathan Burgess, a well-known playwright from the city. Speakers included Brian Dougherty, Director of St. Columb’s Park House and Eamon Deane, Director of Holywell Trust.

 

22nd May 2013 The Protestant Experience: Uncomfortable Truths? Seminar Belfast      

Community Dialogue in conjunction with Towards Understanding and Healing and LINC/CCWA organised a seminar in Belfast entitled The Protestant Experience: Uncomfortable Truths? The event featured a couple of short sketches written by Jonathan Burgess, a well-known playwright from the Derry/Londonderry. Speakers included Brian Ervine, former leader of the Progressive Unionist Party and Linda Ervine Irish language co-ordinator in East Belfast. There were 60 participants.

 

 

 

 

 

Dialogue Development Worker delivered a workshop to the Matt Talbot Women’s Group in New Barnsley on Equity, Diversity and Interdependence.

 

Dialogue Development Worker delivered a workshop on Mediation and Conflict Resolution to the Participation and Practice Rights Project in Belfast.

Community Dialogue in conjunction with Donegal Community Worker’s Co-op and the Junction organised a seminar entitled the Sectarian States of Ireland. Guest speakers included Johnston McMaster from the Junction’s Ethical and Shared Remembering Project and Derek Poole Director of the LINC Project.

 

The Dialogue Development Worker delivered a workshop on Culture and Heritage to a group of community activists from the Belcoo area of Fermanagh.

 

24th April 2013 1st May 2013 Culture and Heritage Workshop Co. Fermanagh

The Dialogue Development Worker delivered a workshop on Culture and Heritage to a group of community activists from the Belcoo area of Fermanagh.

 

17th April 2013 Identity Workshop Belfast  

The Dialogue Development Worker in conjunction with Community Dialogue’s co-ordinator delivered a workshop on identity to a group of women from West Belfast.

 

Community Dialogue delivered a workshop on Truth Recovery to a group of Loyalist ex-prisoners at Farset International.

 

Community Dialogue facilitated a weekend residential on “Being Irish” to a group of community activists from Loyalist and Republican areas of West Belfast.

 

Community Dialogue in conjunction with Hector Aristizabal, a Colombian Theatre Practitioner who has delivered workshops in various conflict areas throughout the world including China, Bosnia and Afghanistan, delivered a series of workshops on Theatre of the Oppressed techniques to women from Lenadoon and other parts of West Belfast and men from Tigers Bay, a Loyalist area of North Belfast. The song, ‘One Small Step’ which had been written as a result of a series of dialogues with the women from Lenadoon formed the basis of the resulting play which was performed at Tigers Bay to 40 people. The drama process was interactive and enabled a dialogue to take place on the issues raised around parenting, racketeering and debt.

 

Absent fathers

Bitter kids

Broken promises

The will to live

Mr. Wonderful

Who walks away

Left to struggle

Day by day

 

 

If my kids are happy

I’m happy too

Yet it’s so damn hard

To make it through

I need some space

Some time to be

To ease the worry

Some time for me

 

 

Throughout our lives

Mistakes are made

That’s how it goes

That’s the price you pay

You learn to cope

By moving on

And through it all

You become more strong

 

 

Community Dialogue hosted an event around the Troubled Readings programme at Farset International in Belfast which involved a performance by two singers from Derry/Londonderry, Roy Arbuckle, who wrote the songs and Ann Tracey. Over 20 women from West Belfast were inspired to share their stories as a result of the songs.

 

The Dialogue Development Worker delivered a workshop on Equity, Diversity and Interdependence to the Matt Talbot Women’s Group from New Barnsley.

 

Community Dialogue delivered a workshop on Cultural Traditions to the Matt Talbot Women’s Group and a group of men from the Lower Shankill in Belfast.

 

The Dialogue Development Worker delivered an accredited training course on facilitation to a group of women community activists from Turf Lodge in West Belfast.

 

The Dialogue Development Worker delivered a workshop on Equity, Diversity and Interdependence to the Matt Talbot Women’s Group from New Barnsley.

 

Community Dialogue in conjunction with Dialogue for Diversity facilitated on a weekend residential in Monaghan entitled “Who owns this Place?” A wide range of participants from both sides of the border attended.

 

Community Dialogue facilitated a residential at Castlewellan entitled “Exploring the Orange: What does it mean to be a Protestant, Unionist, Loyalist in a changing world?” Participants from various parts of Belfast         attended the weekend.

 

September to December 2012 Theatre of the Oppressed Drama and Dialogue Workshops Belfast        

A series of 6 workshops to each group on Theatre of the Oppressed techniques were delivered to the Matt Talbot Women’s Group New Barnsley, Forward Focus Women’s Group Lenadoon, Upper Andersonstown Women’s Group and Northern Ireland Community for Refugees and Asylum Seekers. The workshops culminated in a Masterclass facilitated by Hector Aristizabal, a Colombian Theatre Practitioner who has delivered workshops in various conflict areas throughout the world including China, Bosnia and Afghanistan.

 

 

 

The co-ordinator for Community Dialogue delivered Dialogue Facilitation training to the ‘Peace by Peace’ group who are cross border activists based in rural areas on both sides of the border.

 

A series of dialogue sessions have begun involving various community representatives from North Down. These dialogues will be ongoing over the next few months.

For a second year in succession, a group of students and tutors from Southern Methodist University paid a visit to Belfast as guests of Community Dialogue. They were addressed by Jim O’Neill the Dialogue Development Worker and Anne Carr, one of the founders and former staff member of Community Dialogue. The trip also involved a visit around various interface areas of Belfast.

 

Community Dialogue’s latest publication, Conversations around the Kitchen Table recounts the stories of five Asylum Seekers currently living in Northern Ireland, describing what life was like in their home country, the trauma of fleeing and their experience of life here seeking asylum. Miriam, who is a member of that community spoke eloquently about her own experiences and issues at the launch which was followed by a dialogue involving a wide range of participants on inclusivity.

 

Voices Women’s Group and Coole New Opportunities held a joint residential in Derry/Londonderry. This was an opportunity to develop a creative dialogue approach with this cross community group of women by getting them to identify popular songs from their past and sharing their memories with the other participants. Through the use of IT, the songs were played on a screen and then discussed.

 

Community Dialogue were invited to facilitate a dialogue session on peoples’ attitudes towards the Queen’s Jubilee. This was one of the first public events at the newly refurbished Barron Hall which had been badly damaged a couple of years ago. There was a good cross section of attendees with varying viewpoints and opinions which were widely shared.

 

The annual visit of students from the Peace and Conflict studies Department took place with over 30 students visiting Northern Ireland to talk to various community groups about the current social and political situation here. We held a dialogue session with them at Farset International and there is a potential opportunity for us to come to Bradford in the foreseeable future.

 

As a result of the session in Ballymoney we were asked to display the cartoons at Moyle District Council offices. As well as representatives from local community groups, three local councillors attended including the chair of Moyle District Council.

 

23^rd April 2012 Cartoons in Conflict Dialogue Ballymoney Co. Antrim

As part of our Big Lottery funded project which involves a series of exhibitions and dialogues using the cartoons that were donated to us by Parents Circle Families Forum, a session took place at the new premises of Ballymoney Community Relations Forum. There was a wide ranging attendance and involved a lively and stimulating discussion on the images displayed.