TLP Participant Story – Christine McNally, Springfield Road TLP, Spring 2021

Christine works for Upper Springfield Development Trust and completed the TLP in Spring 2021.

She took part in the course alongside participants from: Forthspring Inter Community Group, Upper Andersonstown Community Forum, Job Assist Centres West Belfast, PSNI, Belfast City Council, Moving Up Moving On, Fáilte Feirste Thiar, Radius Housing and local residents.

I have better knowledge and understanding of collaboration of organisations and networks involved within the interface areas that can help to dissolve the tensions within the area.”

Introduction and Motivation

  1. What motivated you to sign up to this particular programme over any others?  

At the time of signing up I wanted to make a difference to our community as I work within Job Assist and dealing with clients daily.  When doing the training, tensions where quite high within the interface area and I wanted to gain the skills and good leadership to be able to pass onto my own children and whoever I had influence over.  I wasn’t aware of any other programmes of this kind.

Experience and Learning

  1. What topics stood out for you?

Goleman’s 6 different styles of Leadership. I like to think I am an affiliative and Democratic leader and can adapt to any one of the other 4 styles in any given  situation.  

  1. What are you likely to ‘take back’ to your life/work in the community? 

To be a better leader and have more awareness of the styles in every role and aspect of my life whether it’s in my job role as a Mentor, voluntary within the community and Residents’ Association, or family life to be a better influence within my family unit.  

  1.  How would you summarise your experience of the programme in 1 sentence or in 3 words?

      Enjoyable, Efficient, Effective  

Impact

  1. Is there anything you could or would do now that you wouldn’t have felt able to do before?

It has just given me a better awareness to utilise the skills I already have to enhance my Leadership management.

  1. Are there people/agencies you feel able to talk to and work with now that you weren’t before?

I feel now I could as I would be able to use the skills learnt in different situations and environment as not every situation is the same.

  1. What difference will this make to how you engage in your interface area?

I have better knowledge and understanding of collaboration of organisations and networks involved within the interface areas that can help to dissolve the tensions within the area.

  1. What difference will the course make to the interface area overall? Especially in terms of relationships, collaboration and increased understanding in the area?

Overall working together as a collaboration will greatly benefit the areas not just only round certain times of the year but all year round to build the relationships with the residents and groups involved for example Clonard Mid Shankill groups.  More funding needs to go into these areas to ensure the peace is kept.

Attribution

  1. To what extent do you think these changes would have occurred in the absence of this course? i.e. would you have developed these skills and be motivated to do something new anyway?

Most likely not, I am glad I completed the course, it has made me more aware of how I use my Leadership styles in different situations for the better. 

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