The WEA recently held a very successful two day conference on the ‘Northern Ireland Assembly and How to Have Your Say’ for voluntary and community groups across Northern Ireland as part of the Creating Change programme.

The conference provided participants with the opportunity to ask those ‘burning questions’ they’ve always wanted to ask MLA’s when they were given the ‘inside view’ by keynote speakers Gregory Campbell, Danny Kennedy, Martina Anderson, William Hay and Mark Durkan.

Explaining the importance of the training WEA Development Officer Amanda Biega commented, “One of the biggest challenges facing the Voluntary and Community sector is how to influence decision making and affect real change.  With the Northern Ireland Assembly now running full steam ahead opportunities abound for organisations to have their say so it’s crucial that they learn how to do so effectively.”

The Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) worked with participants on a range of topics including how the Northern Ireland Assembly works and developing lobbying and advocacy skills.  There were also inputs from a range of stakeholders including political lobbyists and campaigners Stratagem and Blas Voice and Communications Consultancy.

Speaking at the conference WEA Director Stevie Johnston remarked, “The WEA is delighted to be organising this important conference.  The WEA has for long time been assisting voluntary and community organizations to build the skills they need to work in an ever more complex environment.  This conference with its focus on how the voluntary and community sector can influence the Assembly will enable groups to play a full and active part in shaping how key decisions are made”.