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ABOUT COMMUNITY
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WOMEN'S INFORMATION GROUP
The Women's Information Group was established in 1980 because of a perceived need that women in the greater Belfast area needed to have an opportunity to meet each other, to learn from each other, to enjoy each others company and to inform themselves about developments in health and social matters.
MISSION STATEMENT
Women's Information Group aim to provide quality information to women who live and work in socially disadvantaged areas.
To impart information in everyday language which is relevant to the women's lives. This builds the women's self-confidence and esteem and empowers them to undertake their role within the family in a more capable and well-informed manner.
To give women the opportunity to meet each other, and, given the tensions which currently exist within and between many areas of Belfast, enable them to work together in issues that are affecting their lives, family and communities.
There are three strands to the programme of the Women's Information Group:
1. The Information Days Programme
2. The Community Health Information Workers Programme
3. Training Programme.
Also an annual residential is organised in June for approx. 50 women when the women from all community relax, enjoy one another's company, participate in workshops relevant to their lives.
THE INFORMATION DAYS (Supported by CRC Core Funding)
“Women's Information Days are a unique event and in its target group – women from disadvantaged areas who are not engaged by other CR initiatives. Women are important in community development and in the influence they have over their children. Women's Information Group's track record is unquestionable – they have operated for over 22 years moving from area to area and never cancelling despite serious inter-communal conflict”
Ten Information Days are held each year from September to June. Each Information Day is hosted by a local group of women in their neighbourhood and attendance at each Information Day is usually between 100-150 women from other neighbourhoods. In the last year the Information Days were held in Shankill, Ardmonagh, Newtownabbey, Divis, Highfield, Taughmonagh, Ormeau, the Headquarters of the Belfast Education and Library Board, the Indian Community Centre, Clifton Street and Ardoyne Community Health Centre. Transport is one of the important factors which underpins the success of the Information Days. These women come from Protestant and Catholic neighbourhoods and the provision of transport bolsters their confidence to enter another neighbourhood.
Topics for discussion are selected through planning meetings involving representatives of each local area. The topics chosen last year included, Alternative Medicine, Counselling, Information for Carers, Someone else's Culture, Education Training for the Employment of Women and Restorative Justice.
The Information Day on 'Restorative Justice' Began with a contribution from projects based in both loyalist and nationalist communities. “These projects are run by ex-prisoners but their views were heard with respect by women from different neighbourhoods. There was a thoughtful, sensitive discussion afterwards which recognised the comparable experience and anxiety felt by all the women there. These women are a constant and vigilant presence in their neighbourhoods. A community resource which deserves greater recognition and support from policy makers and politicians. (Annual Report 2002)
The Women's Information Group also produces a monthly Newsletter, which is circulated to 700 groups and individuals. This includes information about the Information Day programmes and other activities, funding and information of interest to women.
2. COMMUNITY HEALTH INFORMATION WORKERS PROGRAMME
The project brings together local authorities voluntary and other local agencies to give volunteer participants knowledge of social welfare and personal contact with key people within the statutory and voluntary services. This is an innovative model of delivery of health information and the use of volunteers. The volunteers are only expected to relay the information they have received in the social setting of their lives. These projects support and encourage local women who live in difficult circumstances to gain confidence in their ability to improve the personal and social development of their neighbourhood.
3. THE TRAINING PROGRAMME
This programme includes:
§ Personal Development Courses
§ Parenting Courses
§ Steps to Excellence
§ Human Rights and Citizenship Course (including culture, family and rites of passage)
§ Conflict Resolution
§ Negotiation Skills
Each course provides a springboard for individual women to move forward and participate in other programmes.
Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the United Nations who in an address to the women of Africa 2002 said “Study after study has shown that there is no effective development strategy in which women do not play a central role. When women are fully involved, the benefits can be seen immediately: families are healthier, they are better fed; their income saving and reinvestments go up. And what is true of families is true of communities and eventually of whole countries.”
