Blog Elements

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

When the Fellowship Programme is the inspiration for a £4.6mn programme to address disability employment

June 27, 2023/in News /by admin

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 […]

Cultural Diplomacy Symposium – 29 June 2023, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

June 6, 2023/in News /by admin

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 […]

When the Fellowship Programme is the inspiration for a £4.6mn programme to address disability employment

June 27, 2023/in News /by admin

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 […]

Cultural Diplomacy Symposium – 29 June 2023, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

June 6, 2023/in News /by admin

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 […]

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

When the Fellowship Programme is the inspiration for a £4.6mn programme to address disability employment

June 27, 2023/in News /by admin

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

June 6, 2023/in News /by admin

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

Book your tickets at: eventbrite.com

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)

Latest news

Jadwiga: Europe’s Female King at the Frontline of History | 17 October | Weston Library, OxfordSeptember 16, 2024 - 11:59 am
Join Professor Janina Ramirez to learn about the life, love and reign of the 14th-century Polish royal Jadwiga – one of only two female kings in Europe. This event is […]
Centre for Democracy and Peace Building Annual Report 2024July 16, 2024 - 7:00 am
We find ourselves in a cultural moment of uncertainty as domestic and global challenges persist. Whether it is the cost of living crisis, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, or the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, leadership is required more than ever and the importance of peace building critical. This year has been dubbed the year of voting, with more than two billion people heading to the polls in 2024. Quite simply, it is the biggest election year in history. And yet, democracy has never felt so fragile; it seems to be on the ballot itself.
Breathing SpaceJune 10, 2024 - 12:29 pm
A day of meeting, discussion and sharing of practice convened by the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building and Irish Museum of Modern Art.