Vital Links

Want to improve your knowledge of the voluntary and community sector or political institutions?

Vital Links is a policy, public affairs and participation project in NICVA, supported by the PEACE III Programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.

The aim of Vital Links is to increase the interaction and understanding of the key institutions, the voluntary and community sector and foster and promote positive engagement. Over the duration of the project Vital Links will deliver a programme of free training, seminars, conferences and publications to two main audiences:

• Political institutions including local councils, government departments and political parties
• Voluntary and community organisations

The project’s strategic programme of training, seminars, conferences and publications are structured under three distinct, but complementary, elements:

• Parliamentary and policy engagement
  Fostering positive engagements between the voluntary and community sector and political institutions from local government to Europe.
• Training and skills development
  This two strand programme will focus working with political institutions and the voluntary and community sector.
  Get to know the Sector is aimed at helping civil servants and politicians understand the different roles within, and the contribution of, the voluntary and community sector.
  Get to know how Northern Ireland is governed is for the voluntary and community sector to better understand the Northern Ireland Government and Assembly and how they can engage with them.
• Local Governance and participation
  Facilitating engagement between the new structures, as a result of the Review of Public Administration, and the voluntary and community sector.  Work within this area will focus on the changes to Local Government as well as education and health.  A key element will be preparing voluntary and community organisations to engage in community planning.

Vital Links will enable you to explore, build capacity and engage with others.