The Next Chapter
NICVA partners with Politics Plus and Irish Rural Link to deliver The Next Chapter Project, which aims to help women make a difference.
- This programme is funded by the EU’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and led by Politics Plus, in partnership with NICVA and Irish Rural Link.
- This project aims to engage with women of all ages and backgrounds in Northern Ireland and the border regions of the Republic of Ireland, in a programme to develop women’s ideas and participation skills, build community capacity and support the transition out of conflict.
- The aim of the project is to facilitate reconciliation across communities, to address the under-representation of women in a post-conflict society and to effect societal change in relation to addressing gender imbalance across the two regions.
What can women get from The Next Chapter Programme?
The programme supports women’s leadership, confidence and participation skills by offering a wide range of opportunities participants can benefit from such as:
The “chapter” hub
The ‘Chapters’ will be the central hub for all project activity. It’s a local forum for women to meet over the lifetime of the project to:
- Make connections, locally and regionally
- Discuss issues that affect women in your community
- Be inspired - hear from inspirational women
- Access opportunities - including capacity building, high profile events, decision making exercises
- Develop a community project relevant to YOUR area
- Meet project Champions from your local council and the Assembly
Capacity Building
The capacity building programme offers participants a number of courses to increase their skills for participation in politics and public life, leadership, and self-confidence. It includes four modules:
- Women as Champions of Peacebuilding. This module includes curses on mediation and negotiation skills, fundamental for peace and reconciliation in your community but also for everyday life and the work environment.
- Decision Making, Politics and Public Life. This module provides courses on understanding the legislative process and the electoral system, skills to access formal politics and public life opportunities, strategic thinking for leaders, and more.
- Developing a Powerful Voice. This course will help participants to develop skills to increase their self-confidence in developing presentations, speech delivery, and communication with the general public.
- Communicating with Impact. This module aims to provide participants with an understanding of social media and how to maximize social media channels as powerful resources for communication and influence.
Coaching and Mentoring
The Next Chapter programme provides a number of one-to-one coaching and mentoring session for participants so that they can explore their leadership paths with an external mentor.
Policy Focus Groups
These provide opportunism for women to engage in consultation on legislative and policy reform. These will take place through the lifetime of the project.
Young Female Leaders Advisory Panel
As part of the Next Chapter project we will be engaging with women aged between 18 and 25 to become our Young Female Leaders Advisory Panel. This is an opportunity for young women to directly consult elected representatives on key issues.
The Next Chapter Events
During the lifetime of the project there will be a range of exciting events, including peace and reconciliation events, ambassador forums and a symposium. We want you to make the most of these opportunities, so get involved and use these events to hear from motivational speakers, network with Next Chapter participants throughout the region, showcase what you have learned and what you have achieved through the programme
For more information about the project activities keep in touch with our social innovation website www.thenextchapter.eu
Updates
Women of The Next Chapter project CELEBRATE
Women of The Next Chapter project CELEBRATE the future of peace-building and representation in public and political life
Belfast Lisburn and Castlereagh women open their ‘next chapter’ with book launch and exhibition in The Long Gallery
Belfast Lisburn and Castlereagh women open their ‘next chapter’ with book launch and exhibition in The Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings
Taking women from grassroots activism to parliamentary participation
Next Chapter participants visit Dáil Éireann to meet with Women’s Parliamentary Caucus
The Next Chapter: Women making the difference
As a partner in The Next Chapter Project, which supports and empowers women to engage in politics and public life, NICVA is celebrating the achievements of the women participating in the 3 Chapter Hubs it leads.
The Next Chapter Project - One Year In
Since October 2017, NICVA has been involved as a partner of The Next Chapter Project.
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