View issue 17, 2013

Social Affairs magazine for community/voluntary sectorWebsite: viewdigital.org

VIEW

Issue 17, 2013

WHY OUR ARE CHILDRENLIVING INPOVERTY?West Belfast, Derry andStrabane among the worstblackspots in the UK.See pages four and five

For FREE at http://bit.ly/1c2jb3Gfacebook.com/VIEWforNITwitter: @ViewforNI

VIEW, issue 17, 2013 Website: viewdigital.org

VIEW

EditorialVIEW, the online publicationfor the community/voluntarysector in Northern Ireland.

CONTENTSCONTENTSDrug abuse

Page 6VIEW hears fromcommunity workers bat-tling drug abuse in eastBelfast following severaldeaths in the area

Helping hand

Page 8 An aid clinic hasopen its doors to peoplein Greece who are struggling to surviveunder the harsh austerity conditions

Funds warning

Page 11Voluntary groupsshould not become toodependent on “mannafrom heaven” says STEPco-ordinator BernadetteMcAliskey, above

Sunflower night

Pages 12-13 Thank-youto all those at recentVIEW night in Sunflowerbar – Conor Pelan (left)playing at the gig

Football boost

Pages 14-15 Womenfootball players will give aboost to a Belfast cross-community enterprisewhen they play at Crusaders’ ground

Charity moves

Page 20 Lawyer JennyEbbage, above, looks atthe implications followingthe setting up of a charities body in the Republic of Ireland

Photographer Kevincooper has more

than 25 years experience in Press

and Prphotography. Kevin

works to a widerange of clients in

community andvoluntary sector

organisations as wellas the trade union

movement.

Kevin cooper

PHoToLinE

For quoTaTions

conTacT

E: [email protected]: 028 90777299

M: 07712044751

In this issue we report on theshockingly high numbers of children in Northern Ireland

who are growing up poor. A recent UK-wide survey by theChild Poverty Action Groupshowed almost 100,000 childrenhere are in poverty – defined as having less than £12 a day to live on.

With all the indications suggesting that Northern Ireland’seconomy is trailing behind otherUK regions, and the forthcomingwelfare cuts, this shameful situation is likely to get worse.

According to the study, westBelfast is the second worst childpoverty blackspot in the UK, with43% of children defined as poor.

The proportions of deprivedyoungsters living in Derry andStrabane are almost as bad. Furthermore, having parents inwork doesn’t always protect chil-dren from poverty. In the UK as awhole, 59% of poor children live ina home with at least one working

adult. We speak to Anne Moore ofSave the Children Northern Ireland, who argues that our lowwage economy is harming children’s life chances. Save theChildren is calling for the introduction of a living wage asone step towards alleviating childpoverty. We also speak to themanager of a west Belfast

childcare centre, who sees first-hand the impact financial pressuresare having on families and children.

Derry is now more than half-way through its year as theUK’s inaugural City of Culture.With one of the biggest events –the All-Ireland Fleadh – coming upin August, we ask what the legacywill be in the north west. JournalistUna Murphy canvasses some opinions on whether the community and voluntary, arts andbusiness sectors are seeing thebenefits from City of Culture.

Finally, with the Women’sEuro 2013 just finished in Sweden,the profile of women’s football ishigher than ever, and the sport isreally taking off in Northern Ireland. We hear how female players from Hungary and Ukrainewill give a boost to a Belfast basedcross-community social enterprisewhen they play in UEFA Women’sChampions League matches at Crusaders’ Seaview ground inAugust.

VIEW editorLucy Gollogly

1. Describe the nature of your role

I am Chairman of the Probation Board forNorthern Ireland (PBNI), an executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) of theDepartment of Justice. I took up office on De-cember 1, 2012. The Board is made up of 13 independently appointed members, and PBNIhas over 420 employees. The Board is taskedwith providing an adequate and efficient probation service and is responsible for determining its policy within the broad parameters set by Government and for monitoring the service’s performance againstobjectives. We provide assurance to the Minister on probation services and steer thestrategic vision of the organisation.

2. What are the main challenges?

Like everyone we are operating within a challenging financial environment with finite resources. The challenge is how to maintain thehigh performance of the organisation, to securethe resources to maintain a skilled workforceand adapt and innovate to become excellentand build on our successes.

3. As chair, how do you believe youwill impact on reducing offending andmaking communities safer?

I and the other Board members provide thestrategic direction towards the acknowledgedsuccessful standards of supervision maintainedby PBNI. It is this adherence to best practiceand professional standards, the core of which isthe Social Work qualification for probation officers which is regulated by the NI Social CareCouncil, which underpins PBNI’s success. I believe it is because of this that PBNI are ableto demonstrate low reoffending rates and ultimately contribute to reducing the fear ofcrime. This week we are launching the consultation period for our new CorporatePlan 2014-17 – which is the blueprint for howwe will do business over the next three years.

We are keen to hear from members of the public and the community and voluntary sectorsabout how probation can build on its achievements to date and continue to help prevent reoffending in Northern Ireland.

4. What advice would you give to peo-ple who are being released fromprison and who are going back into economically disadvantaged communities?

We recognise that most of the individuals wesupervise will have issues related to their offending which may cause difficulty for them inreintegrating back into their own communitiesfollowing a period in custody. PBNI seeks to rehabilitate offenders through programmes andengagement with probation staff whose expertise will aid their resettlement back intotheir communities. We hold offenders to account for their offending behaviour whilstrecognising that the most effective way of preventing reoffending is working with the individual to address the factors in their liveswhich contribute to crime. The most common factors are drug/alcohol misuse, accommodation, mental and other ill health and unemployment, all of which can be exacerbatedby societal disadvantage.

5. Are the support services adequatefor offenders and what key stepswould improve them?

PBNI works in partnership with other statutoryagencies within criminal justice, and commissions the community and voluntary sector through community grants to providerelevant programmes to address identifiedneeds to aid rehabilitation. Probation officerswork in partnership with a number of othersupport services based in the community whichprovide additional support such as hostel ac-commodation amongst others.

6. What kind of support should be

provided to the families of offenders?

Probation’s method of working includes engagement with the offender in their ownhome and offenders are supervised in a holistic fashion. These are key factors crucial toour success.

7. What was it specifically about thejob that led you to apply for it?

I really believe in probation. The people in PBNImake communities safer by rehabilitating offenders and we can provide a public assurancethat we are the best in the UK at preventing reoffending. The officers manage the risk of people reoffending every day with the beliefthat they deserve an opportunity to change.

8. What are the most rewarding aspects of your work?

I am inspired by the probation staff I meet everyday. They directly hold offenders to account andare dedicated to protecting the public and raising awareness about issues such as childprotection and domestic violence. They make areal difference every day to individuals, familiesand society. It is also rewarding to hear the stories of people that probation has made a difference for those who have changed theirlives and moved away from crime and, crucially,to hear from victims who have been helped byPBNI’s Victim Information Scheme. The feedbackwe receive is that victims get a real sense of justice from the acknowledgement of the offences committed against them and the explanation of the conditions of a probationorder which will hold the offender to account.

9. How do you relax outside of work?

I enjoy gardening and to relax I like traditionalcraft activities such as willow weaving, patchwork and crochet. Making time for familyand friends is important to me and I particularlyenjoy visiting museums and galleries.

Website: viewdigital.orgVIEW, issue 17, 2013

Profile We talk to Vilma Patterson, Chairman,Probation Board for Northern Ireland, aboutthe challenges facing her organisation

The most effective way ofpreventing reoffending isto work with the individual to address thefactors in their lives whichcontribute to crime

‘’

Almost 100,000 children are livingbelow the poverty line in NorthernIreland – with west Belfast, Derryand Strabane among the worst child

poverty blackspots in the UK. The figures were revealed recently in a

report by the Child Poverty Action Group.The study measured the problem by councilarea and parliamentary constituency.

It showed 43% of children in BelfastWest are in poverty – the second highestrate of any UK parliamentary constituencyafter Manchester Central.

When the figures are broken down atlocal authority level, Derry has the fourthhighest level of child poverty in the UK at35%. West Belfast comes has the fifth highestlevel (34%). Strabane is at number 14, with32% of children affected.

The study also revealed it cost North-ern Ireland £1bn to deal with the consequences of child poverty, which wasdefined as families in which each person has

less than £12 a day to live on. The study showed the majority (59%)

of poor children in the UK live in a household where at least one adult works.

Anne Moore, policy and Assembly co-ordinator for Save the Children NorthernIreland, said: “That shows that the oldmantra that work is the route out ofpoverty isn’t true – it has to be well paid, decent work.”

Ms Moore said Save the Children wascalling for the introduction of a living wage –defined by the Living Wage Foundation as£7.45 an hour outside London.

“Instead of our government promotingNorthern Ireland as a good place to investbecause we don’t cost very much, theyshould be taking the lead in the public sector and paying a living wage, and encouraging the private sector to do so aswell,” she said.

Tracy Harrison is the manager of SmallWonders Childcare, a social economy

business owned by Shankill Women’s Cen-tre. She said many parents were struggling tosupport their families.

“A lot of them are doing a couple ofdifferent jobs just to try and break even. Andthere is so much debt out there – it’s frightening,” she said.

Her outlook is gloomy, especially withthe impending cuts to childcare subsidiesand other benefits.

“In this community, when parents startto lose their jobs, there are a lot of mentalhealth problems, there is a lot of turning todrugs and alcohol – then there are suicides.

“It becomes a vicious circle.”Les Allamby, the director of Law Cen-

tre (NI), said the welfare cuts already imple-mented in Britain had made things worse forfamilies there.

“Ensuring our welfare reform bill pro-tects families both in and out of work is anessential first building block in tackling childpoverty,” he said.

Many familiesare struggling to support their children. There is so much debt out there –it’s frightening

Lucy Gollogy looks at a recent report whichshowed that some parts of Northern Ireland suffer from shockingly high levels ofchild poverty

‘

’


Almost 100,000 children are living below the poverty line in Northern Ireland – with west Belfast, Derry and Strabane among the worst child poverty blackspots in the UK


Almost a year ago, an ambitious urban regeneration project in-tended to breathe life into the socially deprived inner city openedon the Newtownards Road.

But inside the £21m Skainos building, community workers are stillstruggling with one of the most pernicious problems in east Belfast –drug abuse. Eight sudden deaths in Belfast and Coleraine which werelinked to drugs have focused attention on the issue. Five of the victimsare believed to have been young men from east Belfast.

Mark Houston is the director the East Belfast Mission, which workswith other community and voluntary groups to tackle the problem.

“These people have died because drugs are being dealt quite openly ineast Belfast and drug dealers seem to be working with impunity,” he said.

He said he accepted people were afraid to take a stand against thedrugs trade because of the involvement of individuals from loyalist paramili-tary groups.

“There is a culture of fear around speaking out against paramilitariesbut speaking but anywhere in the UK against organised crime gangs deal-

ing in drugs I’m sure is very difficult,” he said. Although the police say no single drug was to blame for the

recent deaths, last week they renewed their warning about fakeecstasy pills known as ‘green Rolexes’ which contain the toxic

chemicals PMA and PMMA.Community workers say a huge variety of drugs,

including prescription drugs and so-called legal highs, are

being taken in the area. Michele Bryans confronts the reality of

drug and alcohol misuse in east Belfast everyday. She is the coordinator of East Belfast

Alternatives’ Street by Street proj-ect, which tries to engagewith young people.

“Drug use is definitelythe norm among groups ofyoung people and often theydon’t see it as an issue,” shesaid. Some of the children

using drugs are shockinglyyoung. “One night we came across an 11-year-old male

who was visibly under the influence of drugs and alcohol.It was quite frightening.” Ms Bryans said the recent deaths

do not seem to have put some young people off drug-taking. “We’ve had conversations with young people who

say they’ll continue to take it and it’s a risk they’ll take, which is alarming.”

Drug abuseand fear ineast Belfast


There is a culture of feararound speakingout against the paramilitaries ‘

’

In the wake of the recent drugsdeaths in the east of the city,VIEW talks to a number of peoplein the local community about their concerns about the growingproblem among young people

Edwards & Co. solicitors advises charities and the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland

on a wide range of legal issues including charity creation, charitable status and

constitutional matters, trading and commercial arrangements, employment law,

finance, fundraising and property law, as well as dealing with the Charity Commission

for Northern Ireland.

Our team offers a full range of legal services including mediation, criminal law, clinical

negligence and personal injury claims, as well as family/matrimonial work.

Practical advice and a sensitivepersonal approach. We prideourselves on our unrivalledcommitment to clients’ needs.

Contact Jenny and Teresa: Edwards & Co. Solicitors, 28 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LA.

Tel: (028) 9032 1863 Email: [email protected]

Web: edwardsandcompany.co.uk

The Greek health system is bucklingunder the strain of massive budget cuts,an expanding client list and worseningpublic health. A network of volunteer-

run health clinics has emerged to help ease the burden.

Giorgos Vichas is not someone with timeon his hands. Middle-aged, with a head of thickblack hair flecked with grey, he has a look ofalert determination - but for a moment his gazebecomes wistful.

“When I was studying to become a doctorwhat I really wanted to do was travel to placesthat needed voluntary workers,” he says.

Eighteen months ago Dr Vichas co-foundedthe Metropolitan Community Clinic at Hellinikoin Athens, for Greeks who found themselves inneed without health insurance.

"The crisis in Greece has caused a humanitarian crisis in terms of the health sector.I never imagined we would have to set up socialclinics and work on a voluntary basis," he says.

Like many European countries, Greek citizens pay for their healthcare by a system of

insurance, with contributions from employers,the state and the beneficiaries themselves.When someone loses their job, they lose theirhealthcare plan too. The state gives them ashort period of grace, but then they're on theirown and have to stump up the cash for treat-ment. When the “troika” of the European Com-mission, the IMF and the European Central Bankagreed a €240bn (euro) rescue package for

Greece in 2011 the condition was that theGreek government should make tax system improvements, cut the public sector workforceand lower public spending to reduce its debtburden. What nobody had really properly considered is the impact of austerity measures.

There are now around 40 community clinics operating across Greece. Dr Vichas'sclinic has 9,500 patients on the books but witha nationwide unemployment increase of 20% since last year (215,735 people) the number of people flocking to the clinic is growing fast.

Stamatis Govostis, a man in his late fifties,is in no doubt what would happen to him if itweren’t for Dr Vichas and his team of volun-teers. “That's easy,” he says - his eyes wateringwith emotion. “I would be dead.” He says hefeels like an old workhorse who, after workingall his life as a waiter, is simply being left “to suffer and die”.

• The full BBC article can be read athttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/maga-zine-23247914

I feel like an old workhorse who is simply being left to dieAs the debate about the financial state of the NHS continues torage, VIEW publishes an edited extract from a recent BBC article which looked at how communities in Greece are copingwith the effects of austerity and the setting up of a communityclinic to aid people in desperation

People protesting in Greece about the effects of cutbacks which have ravaged the health system

I never couldhave imaginedwe would have toset up socialclinics‘’


masterclasses VLearn media skills, soak up tips and hands-on learning from expert Media & IT practitioners

TV Interviews – Broadcast MediaWorkshop with Julia Paul

Social media strategywith Louise Friel

Shoot, Edit & Upload! with WillisMcBriar and Louise Friel

This intensive one-day masterclass willteach you about the mechanics of TV interviews. It’s tough getting in front of theTV camera but seasoned broadcast journalist and writer Julia Paul will be giving a Broadcast Media Masterclass onhow to get the best out of the experiencewith practical tips and exercises.

There are more opportunities than evenbefore to spread the word about your organisation; but it is important to workout a strategy to use social media. LouiseFriel, an experienced IT consultant andtrainer, offers practical exercises andsound advice in this one-day workshop.

Learn to shoot, edit and upload videocontent to web and social media sites in aday. These hands-on, full-day and half-daymasterclasses will teach you how to usecheap cameras and free (or nearly free)software to deliver you organisation’smessage via Youtube or Vimeo and thenpublicise it using Facebook and Twitter

DetailsDates & times:Sept 4, 9.30am - 4.30pmLocation:VIEWdigital, Cromac Regeneration InitiativeOrmeau Road/DonegallPass, Belfast. BT7 1DTPrice:£139 – includes lunch andrefreshments Event capacity: 10

DetailsDates & times:August 15 9.30am – 4.30amOctober 17 9.30am – 4.30amLocation:VIEWdigital, Cromac Regeneration InitiativeOrmeau Road/DonegallPass, Belfast. BT7 1DTPrice:£99 – includes lunch and refreshments Event capacity: 10

DetailsDates & times:September 19, full-day;September 26, 9.30am -12.30pm: September 26,1.30pm - 4.30pmOctober 3, 9.30am -12.30pm Location:VIEWdigital, Cromac Regeneration InitiativeOrmeau Road/DonegallPass, Belfast. BT7 1DTPrice:£99/£89 – includes lunchand/or refreshmentsEvent capacity:six to eight

Book now on telephone: 07528 367312 or send an Email to [email protected]. Visit www.viewdigital.org/media-training-workshops for further information

Arecent article in The Irish Times –http://bit.ly/13xUI15 – talked about thenegative perceptions some policy makers

have of the community and voluntary sector.The article followed the launch of a groundbreaking report ‘In Other Words’ which putcommunity and voluntary organisations in thespotlight and looked at how they are perceivedby those responsible for making and implementing policy.

The aim of the report was to establishwhat policy makers really thought of the advocacy and lobbying work done by community and voluntary organisations, howthey value it and what they think we can do better. On commissioning the report we knewit would raise challenges and accepted that withopen arms.

As a sector we are not naïve, we knowthat the work we do is not always perfect. What we needed to know was what decision-makers thought of us – good, bad andugly.

The report does have negatives. Policymakers question if our organisations are deeplyconnected to the realties on the ground, and ifwe consistently put the needs of these communities first.

They are worried that the diversity of voices and organisations might un-dermine our impact, and that we face

contradictions in being both service providersand government watchdogs. These are issues weworry about too, issues that the sector hasbeen collectively trying to unpick through projects like The Advocacy Initiative. The sectoris showing leadership, it wants to deal decisivelywith any truth behind these criticisms, and buildrelationships based on trust where these viewsare founded on misperceptions.

Democracy is much more than ticking abox every five years. Real democracy is aboutan engaged citizenry, collectively forging whatPresident Higgins calls a ‘new Republic’. The decision-makers we spoke to recognise the roleof community and voluntary sector in makingsure that the concept of ‘citizen’ is not limitedto an elite section of Irish society.

Across the 33 interviews conducted by

seven participant researchers, social justice advocacy was described as: “about mobilisingthe power of people who are excluded”, “speaking up for people who would probablyotherwise wouldn’t have a voice”, “acting as theconscience of society”.

These are the tasks that decision-makersassign to community and voluntary sector organisations. Representing the most excludedis an enormous responsibility, and we are grateful to those policy-makers who are pre-pared to help us reflect on how we can live upto it.

The community and voluntary sector willcontinue to digest and learn these lessons.

We would live in a better society if every-one engaged in this type of mature reflection. AsJohn F. Kennedy famously put it “leadership andlearning are indispensable to each other”.

• Anna Visser is Director of The Advocacy Initiative. The AdvocacyInitiative is a three-year communityand voluntary sector project that pro-motes understanding, awareness andeffectiveness of social justice advocacyin Ireland. The full report ‘In OtherWords: Policy Makers’ Perceptions ofSocial Justice Advocacy’ is available todownload atwww.advocacyinitiative.ie

Anna Visser, director of the Advocacy Initiative inthe Republic of Ireland, replies to a recent article inthe Irish Times which reported on criticisms aboutaspects of the voluntary sector in the State

Comment

We needed to know what thedecision makers thought of us

Democracy ismuch more thanticking a boxevery five years‘

’

Real democracy is about an engaged citizenry, forging what President Michael D Higgins, above, calls a ‘new Republic’


By Lucy Gollogly

Bernadette McAliskeyhas said community andvoluntary organisations

should not become too dependent on “manna fromheaven” in the form of government and otherfunding.

Ms McAliskey was oneof the speakers at the recentlaunch of a research paper bythe University of Ulster’sNick Acheson on the independence of the sectorin Northern Ireland atNICVA earlier this month.

The civil rights campaigner and former MP isnow the coordinator ofSTEP, a not-for-profit com-munity development organi-sation based in Dungannon.It receives no core govern-ment funding. She said theyconcentrated on small scale,grass roots projects.

“We never believed inthe manna from heaven. Wealways believed that he whopaid the piper ultimately, inwhatever way he did it, called the tune, for he tookthe pipes away,” she said. Ms McAliskey saidEuropean peace fund moneyhad led to some good workin Northern Ireland, but thatit had distorted the aims ofsome organisations.

“(The European peacefunds) may well be remembered on reflectionhistorically as the instrumentalisation, co-optation and seduction ofindependent action aroundspecific frameworks. I think ifwe look back strategically,

the swamping of communitywork and grass roots organi-sations with significantamounts of money to behavethemselves in a manner thatwas predetermined by somebody else, I think is amajor distortion.”

Jenny Ebbage, partner atEdwards and Co solicitors,said that independence mustbe a defining characteristic ofany charity, especially in lightof the requirements of theforthcoming Charities Act.

“What I see is peopledrifting into social enterpriseand drifting into taking on contracts that really arestretching their charitablepurposes to the nth degree ifnot breaching them, in thedesperation to keep their organisation alive,” she said.

“I do think - and it’s avery personal view –that there are a number oforganisations that are really compromising themselves and blurring those lines andfailing their beneficiaries, because they are ending up becoming an agent of a funder because that’s all theycan do to survive.”

Nigel McKinney of theBuilding Change Trust, whichhosted the event, said:“There has been a big shift inhow the sector is funded inrecent years away fromgrants and towards contracting.

“The challenge is notonly to consider the implications but more importantly set out what canbe done to preserve and develop independence in thiscontext.”


We never believed inmanna from heaven‘

’Bernadette McAliskey tells meeting that community sectorshould not become too dependent on government funding

Left to right: John McMullan, Bryson; Aidan Campbell, Rural Community Network; Seamus McAleavey, NICVA; Dr NeilAcheson, University of Ulster; Nigel McKinney, Building Change Trust and Bernadette McAliskey, STEP


VIEW recently hosted a night at the Sunflower bar in Union Street, Belfast, to build support for the magazine. We would like to thank all those who took part at the event, including the musiciansand guests. Clockwise from left; Valentina Mango; Clare Leftfield Mc Williams; Calvero; Sean Doone, Conor Pelan; Kevin Cooper, left, George Dorrian and Glynn Roberts; prize-winners CaitrionaHudson, left, and Moya Murphy; and VIEW co-founders Una Murphy and Brian Pelan Images: Brian Pelan; Kevin Cooper

A VIEW OF SUNFLOWER NIGHT

VIEW, issue 17, 2013

Report: Una MurphyImages: Kevin Cooper

BEND it like Beckham helped put women’s football on the map. Adecade after the film the sport is one of fastest growing in theworld.Women football players will be giving a boost to a Belfast based

cross-community social enterprise when they play at Crusaders’ Seaviewground in August.

Teams from Hungry and Ukraine are among top flight players whoare taking part in UEFA championship matches when they take on teamsfrom Ireland, north and south on Seaview’s all-weather pitch.

Players like international and Crusaders Strikers’ Clare Carson willbe taking part. Clare and her team-mates volunteer to train young girlsinterested in football. “We help out at cross-community fun days forgirls”, she said. “International women footballers from places like Hungry,where they are all full-time players, will give a boost to the game locally”,she said.

The women were training under the watchful eye of Sara Booth, theIFA Women’s Domestic Football manager and Stephen Calvert, the

Crusaders Strikers’ manager, when I went to meet them.Stephen said: “Our programme is starting to pay off with in-ternational success for our youth teams in the last five years.”

The ground is also home turf for Seaview Enterprisescross-community project which was set up with Crusaders andNewington youth club and is based on Barcelona’s ‘Mes que unclub’ – More than a Club. Their goal is to tackle community divi-sions in north Belfast through sport as well as build a new stadiumcomplex on the city’s north foreshore.

“We have developed a unique programme to get women intosport as well as gays and lesbians and ethnic minorities”, BernardThompson, Project Manager of Seaview Enterprises said. “Weput people through different qualifications and then they volunteer their time back into the community again”.

He added: “Hosting UEFA women’s championship football is a big occasion andone Crusaders is going to relish.”

Bend it likethe women atCrusaders


WHAT has Derry’s2013 City of Culturedone for the commu-nity and voluntarysector?

The local council is publishing adraft Legacy Plan andhas asked people tosubmit their views.The public consultation willclose at the end ofSeptember. A conference was heldin Derry in July toshare views on howthe City of Culturehas been of benefit toarts, business and thecommunity and voluntary sector.

Derry City Council said it is: “committedto delivering change to those most disadvantaged in our communities.”

VIEW asked some community and voluntary groups for their thoughts aboutDerry’s City of Culture year.

Marie Brown, Director of Foyle Women’sAid, said she is still waiting for a responsefrom the City of Culture team about a proposal on tackling the culture of domesticviolence in the city. She would also like City ofCulture to mark the opening of a project, forwomen who have suffered domestic violence,in October.

“Personally, I think it is great to see thecity with a bit more buzz about it but morecould been done through linking in with vulnerable groups. We have tried to get involved and have put in a proposal about theculture of domestic violence but we’ve had noresponse yet,” she said.

“In terms of legacy, it depends on whatyou are talking about. There should be aneconomic legacy in terms of jobs and I wouldlike to know what the plan will be after theCity of Culture is over.”

SHINE is Europe’s largest organisationdedicated to supporting individuals and families as they face the challenges arisingfrom spina bifida and hydrocephalus. NorthernIreland Director Cathy McKillop said so farthe City of Culture has been a brilliant experience for members.

“The City of Culture has been fabulousfor us.”

Amanda Doherty, a freelance actor, setup a community organisation Actors Gymnasium last year. She feels more could bedone to done to nurture local talent.

“My key worry regarding legacy wouldbe the huge portions of the budget devoted tooutside companies which will leave just assoon as the money does. Not only does thismean the companies awarded key projects forthe City of Culture year will not be here fromnext year onwards but those who are based inthe city may face reduced motivation for theircontinuing efforts having been second or thirdbest at a year when it is most critical to addto the local voice of the cultural community.”

Tell VIEW what you think about theCity of Culture and the legacy to thecommunity and voluntary sector inthe North West? Email: [email protected]

Amanda Doherty

What do you think about theYear of Culture?


Employers For Childcare CharitableGroup are asking every parent in Northern Ireland to share their experiences of childcare by completingthe Childcare Cost Survey 2013.Whether you are a parent that looks after your children yourself, uses childminders, day nurseries, after-school clubs, grandparents, siblings or a mix of all of the above.Goto www.childcarecostsni.co.uk to complete the survey now.

If you would like your community/voluntary organisation to be selectedfor The Big Picture in the next issue ofVIEW, send images, marked ‘Big Pictureentry’ to [email protected]

The Big Picture


NEWS IN BRIEF

It’s time to applyfor social awards

Bid to get morewomen on air

Human rights issues debated

A visionary ideato help Africa

Black Moon nightin west BelfastBlack Moon – the club night set up by and runfor people with learning difficulties in Belfast’sBlack Box - will be holding a Wild West-themednight of dancing and entertainment as part ofthis year’s west Belfast festival (Féile anPhobail).‘Black Moon Goes Wild West’ takesplace on August 6 at the Devenish Complex onFinaghy Road North, Belfast.

BBC Expert Women’s Day Northern Ireland islooking for women with recognized expertise inareas including politics, business, law, medicineand money matters. A broadcast training andnetworking event is being held on Wednesday,September 18, at BBC Northern Ireland, Blackstaff House, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast. Thisfree event follows highly acclaimed ExpertWomen’s Days in London and Salford, whichtrained specialists who have gone on to makeappearances on Channel 4, CNN, BBC News 24and Radio 4’s Today programme. For more information on how to apply for the event goto bit.ly/expertwomenNI.

AMNESTY International’s annual journalist panel and Q&A event returnson Monday, August 5, at noon at St Mary’s University College, Falls Road, Belfast. The freeevent discusses current human rights issuesbeing debated in the press and the importanceof investigative journalism in reporting on stories that would otherwise remain untold.The speakers are ex-BBC Spotlight reporterKevin Magee, Barry McCaffrey of The Detail andAllison Morris of the Irish News.

AN initiative to recycle old or unwanted pairsof glasses is helping people as far afield as Africaand India. Belfast City Council is backing aBelfast Lions Club initiative to send old pairs ofglasses to eye camps in developing countriesand Eastern Europe. Belfast Lions are co-operat-ing with the charity Extern and social enterpriseArtsEkta on the project. To donate used glasses,place them in the blue bins in the council’s fourmain recycling centres in Belfast.

By Lucy Gollogly

Poorer women are likely to bear the bruntof the Republic’s new law on abortion, theNational Women’s Council of Ireland has

warned.The council, which represents 160 volun-

tary groups, said that the conditions placed onwomen were so onerous that those who couldafford to would continue to travel to accessabortion services.

An estimated 5,000 women from the Republic and Northern Ireland travelled toBritain for abortions last year.

The Protection of Life During PregnancyBill allows for abortions where there is a “realand substantial” risk to the life (as distinct fromthe health) of the woman from physical illnessor suicide. There is no provision for victims of rape, incest or in cases of fatal foetalabnormality.

The bill was passed by the Seanad (upperhouse) last week. It could still be referred tothe Supreme Court in the coming days.

Jacqueline Healy, women’s health andhuman rights worker at the National Women’sCouncil of Ireland, said they were “very disappointed” with the bill.

“There is a slight improvement in thatthere is legal clarity in emergency situations

but in the other situations we feel that womenare going to get on a plane and go abroad –they’re just going to do what they’ve alwaysdone.

“I think the people who will probably trythe legislation most will be people who can’tafford that journey. So that is where it will betested and played out.”

She added: “It was always going to be a political compromise and that politicalcompromise is compromising women’s accessto reproductive health.”

In Northern Ireland, consultation on draftguidelines to clarify the law on abortion forhealth professionals has just ended.

Earlier this month the Northern IrelandHuman Rights Commission said they could fallfoul of European law on a number of grounds,including the right to information.

Emma Campbell is vice chair of Alliancefor Choice Belfast. She said the attitude ofpoliticians north and south is out of step withpublic opinion.

“Even though we are supposed to be ademocracy, they are using religion to make policy,” she said.

She added: “Every time a woman has toleave Northern Ireland or Ireland to go to England for an abortion she is being rejected asa citizen. I think it’s disgraceful.”

Poorer women ‘likely to bear the brunt of newabortion law in Republic’

India dentist Savita Halappanavar who died in October last year after beingrefused an emergency abortion at Galway University hospital

APPLICATIONS for this year’s Social EnterpriseAwards are now open. Northern Ireland haswon the main award for ‘Social Enterprise ofthe Year’ for the last two years and is lookingfor its third overall UK winner. The awards reward and showcase the very best of socialenterprise. The winners will go forward to theUK finals in London on November 27. This yearthere will be 10 main award categories open tosocial enterprises, as well as categories open tosupporters and investors of social enterprise.The closing date for applications is Tuesday,August 6. Visit socialenterpriseni.org for moredetails on how to apply.


For the last 19 years I have worked with acharity called Men’s Action Network(MAN) www.man-ni.org as Director,

supporting and promoting men’s health andwellbeing.

While my main job is creating ‘safe spaces’to hear and support the life experiences of menI am also involved, along with a lot of other verypassionate and committed people, in identifyingthe key concerns relating to male health, promoting a wider understanding of these issues and tackling the impact of this inequality.

Each year in the week prior to ‘Father’sDay’, (always the third Sunday in June), the Men’sHealth Forum in Ireland (MHFI), www.mhfi.org,identifies a core theme and helps facilitate Men’sHealth Week. Many individuals, organisationsand agencies focus on and deliver men’s healthevents right across Ireland and beyond.

The two starkest statistics in men’s healthare that men die at least five years younger thanwomen and also complete suicide four times asoften. You may well see it will take an enormousfocus and commitment on men’s health to address the myriad of factors which influence

these figures. One initiative aiming to do this is the

Men’s Policy Forum (MPF) currently meeting atand supported by NICVA. The MPF’s remit is tochampion the plethora of socio-economic issues that impact men and lobby at a local, regional and governmental level accordingly.

To support Men’s Health Week, the MHFfacilitated an event at NICVA to showcase workalready being done in this area, and it was hearting to see the strides that are being made.A summary of these issues was offered byGerry Skelton (MPF member and Lecturer atBelfast Met), namely: • Men are co--creators of their health and wellbeing and need to take responsibility for it• Men’s ill health, higher mortality rates (deathby over/under work, self harm, suicide, etc), isnot inevitable and men are worth saving• Men’s health and well being is often not takenseriously enough by men, society, serviceproviders, policymakers, media, etc• There is a dearth of services dedicated to ad-dressing men’s issues generally and men’s healthspecifically

• For those like the Forum wishing to have animpact on men’s health it’s important to knowwhat matters.• Our response to others matters. Self--responsibility matters • Our decision to be well informed ––or uninformed about Men’s health matters• The signals we give out matters: Do we com-municate unwarranted judgement? Do we enjoypopularising the pejorative ‘banter’ that rele-gates men’s health to an apparent joke. For example, ‘Man flu/Men flu. In many ways our attitude regarding men’s health is central tohow we choose to behave towards it

Looking back on the events of the week,too numerous to mention, I think that it wasimportant that we celebrated and validated thework being done around men’s health, becauseit is within collectives such as the Men’s PolicyForum that awareness is raised and supportgiven to the life experiences, needs and wellbeing of men.

•To find out more about the forum goto www.nicva.org/policy/policy-fora

Michael Lynch, the director of Men’s Action Network,looks back at an event, that his charity was involvedin, which was aimed at trying to get men to take theissue of their health seriously

Comment

Men today die at least five yearsyounger than women and theycomplete suicide four times as often

Do we enjoy popularising the pejorative ‘banter’that relegates men’shealth to an apparentjoke? For example,Man flu/Men flu

‘’


By Jenny Ebbage

There has been recent movement in the es-tablishment of an independent CharitiesRegulatory Authority in the Republic of

Ireland which will come into operation nextyear.

This could have implications for charitiesoperating throughout the island of Ireland. Forexample, if a Northern Ireland charity carriesout activities or occupies land in the Republic ofIreland then it will be subject to the Irish Charities Act 2009 and may have to registerwith the Irish Charities Regulatory Authority(CRA).

Under Irish charity law it will be an offencefor a body which is not registered with theCRA as a charity in the Republic to hold itselfout as a charity.

The Northern Ireland charity will not needto register if it can show that it is establishedunder the law of Northern Ireland; is entitledunder that law to be described as a charity orcharitable organisation; its centre of management and control is outside of the Re-public of Ireland; it doesn’t occupy any land orcarry on any activities in the Republic of Ireland;and its literature and other published materialcontains a statement setting out its place of establishment in Northern Ireland.

At the moment there is no clarity aboutwhat occupation of land means so it couldcover a mere licence of a property. There is noclarity on what carrying on activities entails butthis could cover administration, fundraisingevents for beneficiaries or even a relationshipwith another charity in the Republic.

There is no “halfway house” kind of registration like the Section 167 Institutionsregistration proposed for non-Northern Irelandcharities operating in Northern Ireland so it’s either a full registration with the CRA ornothing.

Unlike Northern Ireland, all the charitiesthat are “deemed” i.e. those who have an enti-tlement to tax relief from the Irish Revenue Commissioners and a CHY number will be automatically registered in the Republic of Ireland. So registration will be immediate but subject to a review process.It is worth notingthat some of the charitable purposes in the Republic of Ireland laws are different fromNorthern Ireland.

For example, amateur sport is not a charitable purpose although other provisionsapply to sports organisations.

There is also no human rights or advancedof equality charitable purpose in the Republic ofIreland and the advancement of religion has adifferent meaning.

There is no designated religious charitystatus in Ireland either. There is however a retention of a statutory presumption that a giftto advance religion is of public benefit and thisis different from Northern Ireland.

There will also be an annual registrationfee charged for registration with the CRA andthere are different accounting thresholds likelyto apply to financial statements.

All accounts are to be on an accrual basis so this could be different from the ac-counts requirements for charities in NorthernIreland

The statement of accounts has to be submitted to the CRA if the gross income isover €10,000.00 and the charity is not other-wise exempt. There will be an annual report tobe filed.

Northern Ireland Charities which are active in the Republic of Ireland or which haveproperty interests there should consider an application for CHY status now with the IrishRevenue Commissioners if they have not already done so.

• I would like to acknowledge the assistance of Dr. Oonagh Breen,School of Law University College,Dublin, in providing some of the materials for this item.

Living in aparallelcharityuniverse

Jenny Ebbage, senior partner at Edwards and Co solicitors in Belfast

View issue 17, 2013

Documents

Transcript of View issue 17, 2013