Inspire was delighted to attend NICVA’s Future Thinking summit last week. This forum gathered together charities, community groups and social enterprises for the purpose of learning, sharing knowledge and celebrating the value and diversity of Northern Ireland’s dynamic voluntary and community sector.
Taking place at W5 in Belfast, the conference was designed to create a space to for inspiration and connection and attendees were able to participate in discussions around some very topical issues: digital transformation, AI, misinformation, community action, gender equality and collaboration.
We were especially honoured to address the summit in the afternoon, alongside Trussell, with whom we have worked so closely on our Release the Pressure and Cost of Living 24 campaigns.
Inspire’s Director of Insight, Engagement and Innovation, Lisa McElherron, and Jonny Currie, Trussell’s Northern Ireland Network Lead, hosted a reflective and interactive conversation on the people and issues crucial to the sector. They stressed the importance of community in delivering meaningful change and identified core principles of effective engagement: authenticity, trust, safety and empowerment.
Lisa outlined Inspire’s engagement framework and the key themes of Inspire 20SIX, our current three-year strategic plan, providing real-world examples of the various service user events and activities that Inspire undertakes throughout the year. From our Ideas Generator workshops and Addiction Services Reference Group to the annual Summerfest celebration, the people we support are with us every step of the way.
Lisa also explained the key role played by our highly engaged Service User Reference Forum (SURF) in drafting our response to the Northern Ireland Executive’s Programme for Government consultation. SURF member Gavin Boyd contributed to the session, too, offering insights on service user involvement and the changes he’s seen across Inspire in recent years. “Involve the people in your organisation,” he said, “and the results will speak for themselves.”
Before the close, Sinead Quinn, an anti-poverty activist and policy advocate involved with Trussell’s Foyle Foodbank, recalled the impact of her own experiences and distilled the spirit of community engagement into one simple maxim: “Nothing about us, without us.”