Building Communities Resource Centre

President Richard welcomed Angela Mulholland & Shauna Irons from the BCRC.

Building Communities Resource Centre (BCRC) employs a full-time Co-ordinator and an Administrator to provide support to a network for community and voluntary organisations; advice, guidance and information on community development issues, projects and funding; focussed support to areas identified as having weak community infrastructure.

We deliver information and support for fundraising activities; community education and training for personal and group capacity development; governance and management support for community associations; support with strategic and action planning; research and evaluation; facilitation of cultural awareness sessions, and community dialogue facilitation.

If any further areas of need are identified by members from within the local community we will endeavour to address that need as quickly and as efficiently as possible or signpost to specialist organisations.

The Rooting for Change Together programme and our wider work on building relationships and promoting community cohesion is currently being supported by the Community Relations Council.

BCRC also operates and manages an Ethnic Minority and Migrant Workers Support Project as well as a Disability Development Programme each having two staff members who are dedicated to the advancement and social inclusion of those who feel either marginalised by society or who are simply new to the area and wish to learn more. Both of these programmes conduct significant work with local schools associated with the global citizenship and community relations, equity and diversity in education elements of the curriculum.

BCRC is lead partner for the Causeway Older and Active Strategic Team Reaching Out: Connecting Older People project – COAST Older and Active. We also host the Community Navigator for Older People – Causeway Locality, a post designed by the Northern Trust and PHA to act as a bridge between health professionals, service providers for older people in the community and voluntary sector and older people in the Ballymoney, Coleraine and Moyle areas.