Description:
Interface is the Workers' Educational Association's anti-sectarian
education project and was established in 1991 with a grant from
the Community Relations Branch of DENI. Working in the community
and voluntary sectors it delivers training and educational courses
in a wide range of community relations issues throughout all parts
of Northern Ireland. It particularly targets its efforts and
resources at areas of disadvantage and acute community division.
It is committed to increasing the quality and quantity of human
and material resources available at a local level for the development
and support of sustainable community relations projects. The
training is delivered by the project's staff and by a team of
part-time tutors and facilitators. What does Interface offer? * Community Relations Education and Training. Both off-the-peg and tailor-made courses are available, focused through a wide variety of approaches to community relations issues - history, cultural traditions, politics, literature, religion... * Training for Trainers. Interface will be running regional training programmes in community relations to expand the pool of active trainers available in all parts of Northern Ireland. It also offers an accredited course in facilitation skills. * Political Education & Discussion. To encourage active citizenship, Interface runs courses explaining the workings of local and national government, electoral processes and the local party structure. It also works to build opportunities for discussion between the public and its elected representatives and other public officials. * Resource Packs. Interface is producing a series of training resource packs for tutors and facilitators, with accompanying training it their use.
* Working with Grassroots Groups. The project wishes
to recruit a small number of community groups wanting to initiate
or expand their efforts in community relations activities to offer
individually designed assistance to strengthen their capacity
to build projects with strong foundations and a sustainable future.
Application forms can be obtained by contacting the Belfast or
Derry offices of the project. Who funds Interface? The project is supported by IFI's Community Bridges programme, the European Programme of CRC, European Structural Funds (PSEPII) and the Community Relations branch of DENI. Support from PSEPII (begun in September 1996) has enabled Interface to appoint a
Development Officer for the Eastern area, provide administrative
support and meet the costs of the day-to-day running of the project.
The programme outlined above, which covers the period 1996-99,
could not be realised without these resources.
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