When the Fellowship Programme is the inspiration for a £4.6mn programme to address disability employment
I enrolled on the CDPB Fellowship Programme as an opportunity for personal development and to consider ways in which civic society organisations can have a greater role in driving forward a sustainable peace. While the Fellowship Programme did provide opportunities to develop, grow and inform peace building, it has offered so much more.
The Fellowship Programme includes a unique assessment process in which leaders from across the region work together to identify a societal challenge and then seek to address that challenge. This process, Design Thinking, was delivered by Fujitsu and included a full day session at the Oxford residential. The persistent cost of living emergency, political impasse and public finance crisis were the backdrop to my group’s work. Together as a group of cross-sectoral leaders, we considered how the current societal context would impact upon disabled people and disabled person’s organisations.The challenge was vast and multi-faceted.
While this is a complex issue, the Design Thinking process kept disabled people at the heart of the challenge. The process identified that while funding and investment were important, disabled people wanted credible employment opportunities and ways to develop entrepreneurship. From this the seeds of the Empower programme were planted. Empower is a £4.6mn programme funded by the UK government and will support two thousand disabled, autistic and/or neurodivergent people to secure careers across all sectors and all levels of careers, including those who seeking to be entrepreneurs. Some of the Fellowship Programme’s partners are also partners in the programme, including Allstate NI, alongside Empower’s lead partners USEL, Disability Action and Specialiststerne.
Overall, the Design Thinking process was crucial to establishing the Empower programme. My group of cross-sectoral leaders were able to critically engage with this complex issue to identify multiple opportunities and provide the infrastructure to drive the programme forward. Further collaborative action and access to decision makers informed the decision of the UK government to increase the amount of funding available through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Throughout the process to obtain funding, Design Thinking was vital to ensuring two thousand disabled, autistic and/or neurodivergent people will receive essential support in the midst of our current societal context.
Nuala Toman, class of 2022-23 Fellow
Design Thinking session was delivered by Fujitsu.
Cultural Diplomacy Symposium – 29 June 2023, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
What is the role of the cultural diplomacy in our polarised and divided world? How can we foster a better understanding between cultures and nations? How can cultural diplomacy pave the way for wider cooperation and dialogue?
Hochhauser Auditorium
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
29 June 2023 | 10am – 5pm
This one-day symposium on cultural diplomacy provides a unique opportunity to gain practical insights and hear from former and current diplomats, art professionals and academics.
Together we will examine the role of cultural diplomacy and international relations, learn how we can foster effective diplomatic practices, examine positive stakeholder engagement, and explore how the arts and culture can enrich social cohesion in Britain and beyond.
This event is organised by the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute in London and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Sessions including:
• Cultural Diplomacy and International Relations
• Cultural Diplomacy in Action: Fostering Effective Diplomatic Practices
• Changing Britain: Art, Culture and Society
• Art of Healing
• Connecting Cultures: Cultural Diplomacy and Stakeholder Engagement
• Making It Happen
Speakers:
• Dan Mulhall, former Irish Ambassador to US, UK and Germany, Parnell Fellow, Magdalene College, Cambridge
• Lord Alderdice, Executive Chairman, Changing Character of War, Pembroke College, Oxford
• Adriana Sandoval, Cultural Attaché, Colombian Embassy
• Anaïs Aguerre, Culture Connect
• Cian Smyth, Ulster Presents
• Evgeniya Ravtsova, Victoria and Albert Museum
• Marta de Zuniga, Director of the Polish Cultural Institute in London
• Roisin Inglesby, William Morris Gallery
(more to be announced)
Centre for Democracy and Peace Building launches new intake for Fellowship Programme
The Centre for Democracy and Peace Building has opened applications for its 2023-2024 Fellowship Programme for leaders in politics, business, and civic society in Northern Ireland.
The Fellowship Programme is supported by the Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade, some of Northern Ireland’s biggest employers including Allstate NI, FinTrU, Fujitisu NI, Devenish, NIE Networks and Ulster Carpets, and the Irish American Partnership. It aims to support and equip participants to take on some of Northern Ireland’s most complex political, business, and civic challenges.
Through bespoke sessions delivered by leaders and individuals in the top of their field such as former adviser to three prime ministers and the Principal of Hertford College at Oxford, Tom Fletcher, and former Irish diplomat, Tim O’Connor, Fellows are challenged to step outside of their comfort zone, with sessions including in-studio media training with Northern Ireland’s largest commercial radio broadcaster, conflict management with the PSNI, as well as residential sessions at Oxford University and in Dublin.
The unique programme is delivered by the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building to support the peace process in Northern Ireland, focus on innovation and capacity building, and encourage collaborative decision-making.
Past participants of the Fellowship Programme include Diane Forsythe MLA, Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA, Pádraig Delargy MLA, and Connie Egan MLA, Director at Diversity Mark, Nuala Murphy, and Head of Policy and Engagement at the Law Society, Jamie Warnock.
Applications for Centre for Democracy and Peace Building 2023-2024 will close on Friday 23 June. To apply or to find out more, visit:
Fellowship Advisory Board Chair, John Healy, said:
“The Fellowship Programme is a fantastic opportunity to gather ambitious leaders from diverse backgrounds and spark new conversations about the future of Northern Ireland. It has been a privilege to watch each cohort overcome difficulties and grow together in their abilities. Their open-mindedness, optimism and dedication to seeing Northern Ireland progress and truly prosper has been inspiring. I would encourage anyone who wants to enhance their own leadership ability, or who simply wants to learn from other leaders from different walks of life, to apply for this programme”.
Fellowship Alumna and Director at Diversity Mark, Nuala Murphy, added:
“Taking part in the Fellowship Programme has been one of my greatest achievements. I invested in the experience from start to finish, especially the completely unique opportunity to collectively seek out how to build a better future for all in Northern Ireland so that we can live up to our giant potential. The Fellowship has given me renewed hope for this place we call home, especially in my work in diversity and inclusion via Diversity Mark. I am confident in our future leaders’ ability to help this place we call home to evolve into a truly inclusive place to live, to grow up, to bring up a family, or to start a business, embracing the diversity of all our communities, our cultures, and our identities. That’s the renewed start that this place needs and it’s one I’m really excited to be part of in the future”.
Fellowship Alumnus and Chair, Migrant and Minority Ethnic Council & The African and Caribbean Leadership Consortium, Alfred Abolarin, said:
“Being part of last year’s Fellowship cohort was a great honour. Not only have I had the chance to learn and develop but I have had the opportunity to build relationships with so many individuals. I feel better equipped to build on the successes of the organisations I am affiliated with and contribute positively to navigating through difficult and complex issues that society contend with. A highlight for me was seeing people from different backgrounds and with different viewpoints come together to learn with a shared aim to see Northern Ireland thrive”.
Centre for Democracy and Peace Building Annual Report 2022 – 2023
CHAIR’S REMARKS
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in N Ireland/Ireland, which was been celebrated by the visitations and addresses by current and former Presidents of the United States of America, current and former Prime Ministers of the UK, current and former Taoisigh of the Republic of Ireland and the President of the European Commission.
Notwithstanding the important events that have taken place earlier this year, it is important to remember that democracy, reconciliation and peacebuilding is an ongoing daily process and not an one off event. In that respect I hope that peace efforts here in N Ireland will continue to bear fruit which will reflect unity in diversity in all aspects of our lives, and in our institutions of government, which I hope can be restored shortly.
As we mark this important anniversary on the island of Ireland, there has never been a greater need across the world for people to work for democracy and reconciliation and to continuously participate in peacebuilding. We have witnessed ongoing terror and violence in Ukraine and a war waged against innocent people and democratic political institutions. Only lately, we have seen the horrors of terrorism and violence in Sudan and Yemen. All the violence perpetrated against communities and people is underlining the compelling imperative and importance of the ongoing process of democracy and peacebuilding.
Centre for Democracy and Peace Building continues to be involved in important work in supporting current and future leaders. Our work encompasses the important Fellowship programme, which is aimed at political, business and civic leaders in Northern Ireland who were and will continue to be involved in paving a new, prosperous future for our region. This flagship programme is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Dublin, Allstate NI, Devenish, FinTrU, Fujitsu NI, Ulster Carpets, the Irish American Partnership and our new partner Norther Ireland Electricity Networks.
Other important work includes the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement Course, Leadership in Arts and Culture, Re-thinking Leadership series, collaborative work with the UME Oleander Initiative programmes in Japan and the partnership with the John Smith Trust.
All this work is carried out under the strategic direction of our Board – of which I am proud to be Chair along with my director colleagues, and the dynamic work of Eva Grosman who is our Chief Executive. Eva is a powerhouse and has provided dynamic leadership in these islands in terms of peacebuilding and democracy.
We and the wider community owe Eva an enormous debt of gratitude and heartfelt thanks. I hope to continue to work with Eva, her team and our directors to ensure that the objectives of the organisation can continue to be fulfilled – particularly as we move on from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We also owe a debt of gratitude to many business leaders and academics who have supported our mission and peacebuilding work over several years. Such combined efforts are vitally important in working towards fulfilling our commitments to democracy and peacebuilding locally and internationally.
Baroness Margaret Ritchie of Downpatrick
Hiroshima: City of Peace Study Visit
CDPB collaborates with the UME Oleander Initiative to deliver the Art, Memory and Peace Programme in Hiroshima, Japan.
On the 26 February, four delegates from Northern Ireland, Oxford and New York gathered in Hiroshima, Japan, to embark on a six day exploration of the city that suffered the horrors and destruction of the atomic bomb on 6 August 1945. At the heart of the UME Oleander Initiative programme was the intersection of public space, art and historical memory, with the guiding question for the five days; what lessons from Hiroshima can be applied to your own context?
The delegation began its journey right at the very heart of Hiroshima, learning about the city through a guided tour of the Peace Park as well as a visit to the recently refurbished Peace Memorial Museum, focusing on the aftermath of the atomic bomb and how Hiroshima suffered, recovered and now prospers as a city of peace, seventy-eight years on. The A-bomb dome, found just outside the Peace Park, is the perfect illustration of Hiroshima’s resilience. The building, although smashed and shattered, remains standing for all to see. The interplay of hope and devastation is etched into the fabric of the city.
The group also took a trip to Hifukushisho, a former Japanese Army clothing depot that housed over 2,000 workers and their families. The building survives to this day and is a point of contention in the city, reminding people of Hiroshima’s deep history as a military city prior to 1945. The preservation of the building highlights the complex issue of seeking to move on as a city of peace whilst acknowledging an uncomfortable past:
The highlight of the trip was the day spent with Toshiko Tanaka. Toshiko-san is a hibakusha, a survivor of the atomic bomb. The delegates were able to hear her powerful retelling of 6 August 1945, a testimony marked by the juxtaposition of pain and suffering with hope and joy. To be able to sit down with a hibakusha and hear their testimony and ask questions is a rare opportunity and it was a real honour and privilege the delegation will never forget. The day also consisted of an enamel workshop with Toshiko-san, whose art has been showcased around the world, including the UN and the Vatican.
CDPB would like to extend its thanks to the UME Oleander Initiative and its team for an excellent and impactful programme, underpinning the unique connection between Hiroshima has with Northern Ireland. We hope this trip is the first of many collaborative opportunities between CDPB and the UME Oleander Initiative.
Political, business and civic leaders graduate from prestigious Fellowship Programme as Northern Ireland gears up to celebrate Good Friday Agreement Anniversary
Fellows attended sessions in Belfast, Dublin, and Oxford as part of the programme backed by prominent Northern Irish business leaders, the Department for Foreign Affairs and the Irish American Partnership.
Leaders in politics, business, and civic society in Northern Ireland have graduated from the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building’s prestigious Fellowship programme at a ceremony held at Hillsborough Castle.
The Fellowship is a Programme for 25 mid-career political, business and civic leaders in Northern Ireland and aims to support, develop and provide Fellows with an opportunity to reimagine complex political and civic leadership through innovation and capacity building.
The Fellowship’s Advisory Board, which includes prominent business leaders from FinTrU, Fujitsu NI, Allstate NI, Devenish and Ulster Carpets, led curated sessions seeking to evolve and enrich leadership in Northern Ireland, with Fellows also attending sessions with the PSNI, Bauer Media NI (Downtown/Cool FM), as well as residentials in Oxford and Dublin.
The Fellowship is delivered by the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building, working with key stakeholders and facilitators from across the business sector and academic institutions to support the peace process, strengthen democracy and navigate through complexity. This year’s cohort saw 25 individuals engage with leading policymakers, business leaders, and public figures, equipping each Fellow with a renewed ability to tackle some of the most pressing social, political, and economic issues in Northern Ireland.
The graduation ceremony gathered esteemed business and political leaders from across the UK and Ireland to mark the success of this year’s programme which concludes as Northern Ireland gears up for celebrating 25 years of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in April.
Attendees heard from the Fellowship Advisory Board Chair, John Healy OBE, and Ulster University Professor Karise Hutchinson, Advisory Board Vice Chair, and others including Minister of State, Steve Baker MP.
Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minster for Defence, Micheál Martin TD said:
“I would like to extend my congratulations to the Fellows who have graduated today. I am glad that my Government, through the Reconciliation Fund, has been able to support this important work.
“As we mark the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in a number of weeks, it is important to recognise the work that programmes such as the Fellowship have achieved in helping to train and educate the next generation of civic leaders.
“I wish the class of 2023 all the best over the coming months and years as they work to help foster change and transform their local communities.”
Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office, Steve Baker MP, said:
“I wish to extend my congratulations to the Fellows who have graduated from this inspiring Fellowship. As Northern Ireland marks 25 years of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, a programme like this is testament to the determination and innovative spirit of the people of Northern Ireland”.
“A programme that brings together a diverse range of people to work through opposing views, propose shared solutions, and imagine the kind of leadership required to move forward, is incredibly heartening. I would like to thank both the Fellows and the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building for their hard work, and I wish them all the best of luck for their future endeavours.”
Karise Hutchinson, Professor of Leadership at Ulster University and Vice-Chair of the Fellowship Advisory Board, said:
“It has been a brilliant experience this year as I have watched our Fellows grow and continue to explore the spirit of possibility. The Fellowship continues to fill me with optimism that Northern Ireland’s emerging leaders can navigate us through complexities that we will no doubt face in the years to come. As we also celebrate 25 years of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, I am proud to congratulate this next cohort of leaders whether that be in politics or business, and I wish them the best as they continue to transform this place that we live through their work in their respective community or organisation”.
Chief Executive, Centre for Democracy and Peace Building, Eva Grosman, said:
“The Fellowship Prorgramme which runs each year is a unique opportunity to gather ambitious leaders from diverse backgrounds to develop their own leadership and spark new conversations for progress and innovation in Northern Ireland”.
“The Fellows have been a credit to themselves throughout this year’s programme. Their open-mindedness, determination, and optimism for Northern Ireland and it’s future has been truly inspiring. It has been an honour to see unlikely friendships form, and I have watched on as our Fellows have worked through differences, spend time with one another and recognise a greater agenda where we can all work towards a shared goal. I would like to thank each Fellow for their hard work, for giving this programme a chance, and I look forward to seeing what they will achieve as their career progresses”.