Peace-building and Cultural Diversity Workshops for advice and information providers

Staff, volunteers and Board of Management members from border Citizens Advice Bureaux and Citizens Information Services came together with staff from the  Citizens Advice NI and the Citizens Information Board at the start of June to examine the role they can play in peace-building and in accommodating cultural diversity within the communities in which they are based.

The workshops, which took place over two days on Lusty Beg Island, County Fermanagh, encouraged the 33 participants to explore their own experiences of dealing with the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland and their encounters with people of different backgrounds in the course of their duties.  Advice and Information staff and volunteers provide an impartial, client-based service to all sectors of the community without discrimination and recognise that they must keep up-to-date with demographic changes to allow them to help the wide cross-section of the public who bring queries to their local Citizens Advice Bureau or Citizens Information Service.

The Chair of Fermanagh District Council, Councillor Thomas O'Reilly, joined participants for the evening dinner.  Marking' Volunteer Week', which started on the 2nd of June, he spoke of the critical role volunteers play in advice and information services on both sides of the border.  Councillor O'Reilly acknowledged the time and effort volunteers commit to their work in the provision of advice and information and in many other aspects of community life.

As well as offering an opportunity for personal and professional development, the workshops also provided the occasion for northern and southern counterparts to meet and exchange information on their practice.  This personal contact also helped to develop valuable links which will allow practitioners to handle more efficiently cross-border enquiries coming into their offices from the public.

Snapshots of the residential