The Confederation of Community Groups, (CCG) were delighted to host their Study Visit in Ballybot House as part of the cross-border Circle of Learning Project.
This innovative project, now in it’s fifth phase, is funded by the Department for Foreign Affairs and project managed by Co-Operation Ireland. The purpose of the overall project is rooted in the thematic pillars of Repairing and Building within the Reconciliation Fund.
The CCG are one of four Hubs involved with the project this year, the other Hubs include County Armagh Community Development, Dundalk Youth Centre, and Blayney Blades in Castleblayney.
To work towards the goals of ‘repairing’ and ‘building’ each Hub is required to support and mentor four groups with the aim of building their individual capacity and providing them with opportunities to network with groups in their own local area and with groups in the other three geographical areas, focusing on both cross-border and cross-community engagement.
As part of the networking element, each Hub hosts a Study Visit in their locality which provides all the groups and Hubs with the opportunity to come together, build connections, forge partnerships and learn from each other.
On the day, the four groups involved with the CCG each delivered a short presentation on the group development and an overview of the work they are currently involved with and highlighted their potential for future cross-border and/or cross-community project engagement. The groups involved with the CCG Hub in this phase of the project are, The Haven, Yew Gen Youth Group, Camloch Men’s Shed, and the LGBTQ+ Women’s Group Newry, all of whom are included in the pictures below.
The pictures also show the other groups enjoying the networking opportunity at the successful Study Visit hosted by the CCG in Ballybot House. Included are representatives from the four Hubs and their groups, encompassing the Four Orange Thursday Club, The Jubilee Club Portadown, The Wednesday Together Club Armagh, Tannaghmore Ladies Club, Doohamlet Heritage Group, Castleblayney Tidy Towns, Doohamlet Bluebells Women’s Group, the Redeemer Centre, The Outcomers Dundalk, Dundalk Youth Centre and Mid Louth Youth Service. Also attending was Patricia Hughes, project manager from Co-Operation Ireland.
