Fighting Words NI was invited to attend the recent launch of the iCommunity Report, a joint initiative between NICVA (Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action) and The Wheel, (Ireland’s national association of charities, community groups and social enterprises) outlining a new vision for all-Island collaboration in the community and voluntary sector.
Fighting Words NI Director, Hilary Copeland, and Write Club Co-ordinator Hannah Armstrong attended the launch along with Write Club members Kaila and Patrick, who shared some of their original creative writing with the audience. Fighting Words NI Director, Hilary, had previously been a guest on the iCommunity podcast, where she spoke about the challenges that face voluntary and community groups across the island.
Also in attendance were Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who was delighted to meet Patrick and Kaila and NI Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey. The Taoiseach commented on the report:
“The iCommunity project shows what can be achieved when people North and South collaborate on things that matter for their communities, like climate action, community development, and social enterprise.”
Minister Hargey said of the report:
“It reiterates the need to work together on an all-island basis to tackle common challenges and build on existing connections to better support our communities.”
Director of Fighting Words NI, Hilary Copeland also commented:
“Fighting Words NI was honoured to be asked to participate in the launch of the iCommunity Report, with our young writers Kaila and Patrick representing the young people we work with across the island. I’m encouraged by the launch of the iCommunity report and by the willingness to collaborate within the voluntary & community sector. Congratulations to NICVA, The Wheel and The Centre for Cross Border Studies for their contributions towards connectedness, inclusion and addressing issues facing people and communities across Ireland”.
Read the report here
Watch this video report on the launch from The Irish Times here.
Listen to the podcast episode featuring Fighting Words NI Director Hilary Copeland here .
