Research Email Briefing 50

Recent Research

• ICT Foresight - consultation and campaigning in the age of participatory media.
• ·Shared Living: Mixed residential communities in Northern Ireland. Jonny Byrne, Ulf Hansson and John Bell
• ‘The Arts in Northern Ireland’.The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
• Research into support services in Northern Ireland

Research Events

• Salary Survey Seminar – Wednesday 1 November 2006
• ARKSeminar Series 2006-2007

Publish your own research online

Would you like to make your research more accessible? Have you got a research publication to plug or some research news to share? Now is the time to publish your research online. Publish it on www.communityni.org free of charge.

Recent Research

ICT Foresight - consultation and campaigning in the age of participatory media

NCVO are carrying out a series of research reports on ICT in the voluntary and community sector. First in the series looks at how new technologies are changing the environment in which, and the ways in which, voluntary and community organisations work.

This report examines the impact of ICT on the sector's 'voice' and representation roles by looking at the activities of consultation and campaigning.

It explains technological, political and social trends, highlights current innovative practice in the use of ICT and discusses both risks and opportunities for the future.

For further information on this research click here

Shared Living: Mixed residential communities in Northern Ireland

Jonny Byrne, Ulf Hansson and John Bell

This research was conducted by the Institute for Conflict Research. The primary aim of the research was to offer an analysis of the quality of life issues and nature of social relationships in mixed residential communities. Furthermore, by conducting the research there was an opportunity to explore the value and relevance of the theoretical concepts of bonding, bridging and linking social capital in creating sustainable, integrated residential communities.

Three mixed residential areas were selected for analysis: the Ballynafeigh district of Belfast, the Areema estate on the edge of Lisburn and Rathfriland in County Down. The research in these three areas explored the perceptions and understandings of residents and people working in the areas of what it meant to call an area ‘mixed’. It also explored something of the history that has helped to sustain a sense of sharing and mixing and considered the current pressures that challenge that diversity.

A number of themes emerged in the analysis of the three areas, and for the most part similar themes recurred throughout each of the areas. However, there were occasions when distinctive differences developed which could be attributed to rural / urban differences. It was soon apparent that many respondents found it difficult to define what was meant by ‘integration’ and ‘mixed’. They perceived their communities as mixed, but were unclear of what that actually meant. For many there was a clear distinction between mixing and integrating. They perceived mixing as informal and casual and integration as more formal and official.

There were occasions when respondents declined to discuss reasons why their communities were perceived as mixed, for fear of raising the profile of their area. They were content with their lives and the environment in which they were residing. For many there was no magic ingredient that facilitated mixing, in their words a degree of common sense and respect for your neighbour was all it took. However a number of themes have emerged from the research, which provided us with a greater understanding of the social dynamics that exist in mixed areas, and what mechanics could be put in place to both develop and sustain these communities.

For more information on this research or to order a hard copies of the report (free of charge) contact:

Institute for Conflict Research

North City Business Centre

2 Duncairn Gardens

Belfast BT15 2GG

028 9074 2682

028 9035 6654

Alternatively the report can be download. Click here

The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure survey into who’s involved in art

The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure ( www.dcalni.gov.uk) published a survey that shows that of the 4,055 respondents that participated, nearly half (47%) had attended an arts performance or event in the previous year, while 6% had taken part in one or other.

The survey also showed that 58% of those surveyed said they were satisfied with arts provision in Northern Ireland. These were some of the findings from the 2004/05 Continuous Household Survey (CHS) highlighted in a new publication entitled ‘statisDCAL – The Arts in Northern Ireland’.

Other key findings include:

• Females were slightly more likely to attend than males (50% in comparison to 43%).
• Respondents aged 60+ were the least likely to have attended an arts performance in the last year (37%) while around half of respondents in the other age bands had attended an arts performance.
• Almost half of both Catholic and Protestant respondents had been to an arts performance or event in the last year (48% and 46% respectively).
• Just over half of males expressed satisfaction with arts provision (52%) in comparison to 62% of females.
• Generally the higher the level of educational qualifications, the more likely respondents were to be satisfied with Arts provision.

Full details of the information gathered and analysed in ‘statisDCAL - The Arts in Northern Ireland’ can be found at www.dcalni.gov.uk

Media queries should be directed to the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure Press Office; 028 9025 8901 or press.office@dcalni.gov.uk

Support Services in Northern Ireland

Support services for the voluntary and community sector are the focus of a number of past, current and future research projects designed to inform an overall strategy on benchmarks and performance standards for support organisations. A key topic informing the research is service provision.

There are two main streams for this research; research commissioned by the government, and research commissioned by the sector itself. Their work will be complementary, but there might be some minor overlap between the projects.

Visit the communityni website for more information on this research. Click here

Research Events

2006 Salary Survey and Human Resource Seminar

This seminar is due to take place on Wednesday 1 November 2006 with registration at 10.15am. We anticipate the seminar will last no longer than two hours and will finish at approximately 12.00pm.

The seminar will present the findings of the 2006 NICVA Salary Survey as well as other human resources issues of relevance to the voluntary and community sector. If you would like further information on this seminar or would like to register for it please contact Andrea Burke andrea.burke@nicva.org or 028 9087 7777.

For further information on the 2006 Salary Survey or to view some of the findings of this research click here

ARK Seminar Series 2006-2007

ARKis pleased to announce details of its 2006-2007 Series

Location: NICVA

61 Duncairn Gardens

Belfast

BT15 2GB

Time:12:00pm-1:00pm followed by lunch 1:00pm-2:00pm

Cost: Free of Charge

The first seminar will take place on Tuesday 7 November 2006 with:

Dr Mark McGovern (Edge Hill University) and Dr Patricia Lundy (University of Ulster)

'Should Northern Ireland have a Truth Commission?’

Please note that the seminars are free of charge. To facilitate ARK’s planning; please let them know if you are attending by Thursday 2 November 2006:

028 7137 5513

028 7137 5510

info@ark.ac.uk

http://www.ark.ac.uk

Publish your own research online

Would you like to make research more accessible? Have you got a research publication to plug or some research news to share? Now is the time to publish your research online. Publish it on Community NI, free of charge. Follow the simple online form at:

http://www.communityni.org/index.cfm

What is Community NI?

Community NI has been developed by the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) to promote the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland. The website was officially launched in April 2005.

Publish your information

The principle behind the site is that every voluntary and community organisation will be signposted and will have the opportunity to publish information, whether that be a newsletter, press release, job advertisement or event. Community NI aims to be the first central online source of information about the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland. It gives voluntary and community organisations the chance to promote themselves on the internet and to share their resources and expertise.

Thanks to everyone who sent information that has been included in NICVA Research Update 50. Please remember to send information about research that you have undertaken and requests for information that you would like included in the next update. Also remember to let others know about NICVA Research Updates. To register send an email entitled ‘NICVA Research Updates’ to andrea.burke@nicva.org

Andrea Burke

Research Assistant

NICVA

61 Duncairn Gardens

BELFAST BT15 2GB

028 9087 7777

028 9087 7799

andrea.burke@nicva.org

www.nicva.org and www.communityni.org