Jon Van Til

Karen L. Paarz

Vincent Basara

Diane E. Brown

Mary Kate Coghlan

Anthony Chattley

Robert Freeman

Rebecca Heritage

Aminah Massenburg

Jason Morris

James Resta

Lisa Rotan

Jennifer Taylor

This chapter focuses on the role of communities troubled by long and deep scars arising from conflict about ethnicity, national identity, and religion. Northern Irish society is structured in segregated patterns of community life, both urban and rural. Neighborhoods, schools, politics and community organizations tend to divide, rather than integrate, residents and citizens along the familiar divisions of republicans and unionists, Catholics and Protestants.

The 2002 Rutgers study tour focused on these divisions. Again, we conducted a ten-day study tour in March, during the Spring vacation week at Rutgers. Our team consisted of fourteen members, including consulting researcher Dr. Karen Paarz and twelve Rutgers undergraduates. During part of the tour, we were joined by faculty colleagues from Swarthmore College and Bucknell University, themselves interested in our research and in developing related courses involving study tours by their students.

We visited several community organizations in two regions of Northern Ireland, the Antrim Glens and the city of Derry. Three of these organizations were analyzed in some detail, as research teams of four students spent an intensive three-day visit with these groups. This chapter reports the findings of our study. We begin by presenting the methodological protocol that guided our observations, and proceed with sections detailing our findings from the three intensive site visits. We intersperse throughout our chapter short vignettes, in the form of "boxed essays", that report particularly striking observations by individual members of the study tour.

Our field observations are intended to examine for the capacity, vision, and programmatic efforts of three prominent voluntary-community sector organizations in Northern Ireland.

In conducting our field research, we guided our observations through the development of a research protocol developed by the senior author. This protocol was intended to serve as a guide to understanding the structure and functioning of a community-based organization. It aims to allow organization of observations into major categories of an organization's work.

In employing this protocol, we understand that three dimensions that may be addressed for each question: empirical, evaluative, normative. The empirical dimension invites a description of how it is that the organization addresses a particular issue or concern. The evaluative dimension invites an assessment of how well the organization succeeds in dealing with the particular issue or concern. The normative dimension invites a judgment as to the degree to which the organization should, or ought, direct its attention to a particular issue or concern (both ethically and for the good of advancing its own mission.)

1. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND LEADERSHIP
1. From a general perspective, does the organizational structure appear to be adequate to carry out the organization's intended purposes?
2. How is leadership built into that structure?
3. How effective is the leadership structure in advancing the work of the organization?
2. COMMUNICATIONS
1. What are the basic patterns of communication within the organization? Formal/informal? Verbal/written?
2. How effectively do people communicate within the organization?
3. What methods are used to link specialized staff to the central administration? How are staff meetings conducted?
4. How well do the different parts of the organization link their work to each other?
3. PLANNING, VALUES, MISSION
1. Does the organization have a clear mission statement?
2. Is the organizational mission clearly understood?
3. How did the organization's commitment to its mission develop historically?
4. What have been the major accomplishments of the organization throughout its history? What have been its major crises, and how were they dealt with?
5. How is planning for the organization's future explored and conducted?
4. STAFF DEVELOPMENT
1. Do staff members understand what their job is and perform its work effectively?
2. How are staff members coached to improve their performance?
3. How are staff members evaluated for their work?
4. How do staff members view their level of compensation?
5. To what degree does the organization use and develop volunteer participation in its programs?
6. How is the work of volunteers organized, developed, evaluated, and rewarded?
5. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1. How is the role of the board understood? By executive, staff, board members themselves?
2. Do board members play an appropriate pro-active role? (e.g. are they oriented to their work? Do they participate in planning? Do they attend meetings and participate in committees? Do they take financial responsibility for the organization?)
6. COMMUNITY RELATIONS
1. What is the image of the organization in the community?
2. What are the principal services delivered by (produced by) the organization?
3. How does the organization relate to its inter-organizational field? Does it seek collaborative relationships with other organizations when appropriate? Does it represent its interests well in situations of competition or conflict?
4. Does the organization identify some of its programs as "cross-community"? If so, how are these programs defined, delivered, evaluated?
7. PROGRAM DELIVERY
1. Does the agency focus on quality versus quantity and limit its efforts to things it can do well?
2. Are standards of performance established within the organization?
3. Are changing trends and needs in the broader community and society addressed, understood, and acted upon?
8. ORGANIZATIONAL IMAGE (Cf. Morgan)
1. In what ways might the organization be seen as a machine? (formal, rational, hierarchical, product oriented)
2. In what ways might the organization be seen as an organism? (living , growing, relating to its environment, declining)
3. In what ways might the organization be seen as a brain? (questioning, learning, adjusting to feedback)
4. In what ways might the organization be seen as a culture? (sharing meaning; creating values, ideas, beliefs, rituals)
5. In what ways might the organization be seen as a political system? (using power: unitary, pluralist, radical organizations)
6. In what ways might the organization be seen as a psychic prison? (expressing unconscious psychological needs: sex, aggression, hatred, etc.)
7. In what ways might the organization be seen as in transformation and flux? (finding order within chaos; dialectic processes)
8. In what ways might the organization be seen as an instrument of domination? ("them" over "us", dual labor markets and domination by owning classes, global exploitation)
9. Using your best judgment, rank the organization in terms of the applicability of the images above (a-g).
9. FACILITIES
1. Are the organization's facilities appropriately designed?
2. Are facilities and equipment effectively used? (e.g., creative use of space, sharing of space among different functions and programs, etc.)
3. Are facilities and equipment properly maintained?
10. FISCAL MANAGEMENT
1. What is the relation between the organization's programmatic reach and its fiscal capacity?
2. Does the organization have an annual budget that adequately represents its programmatic strength and capacity?
3. Are organizational funds professionally and appropriately administered?
11. DEVELOPMENT
1. How is the fundraising function understood and administered?
2. Does the organization have a fundraising strategy for the years ahead?
12. EVALUATION
1. How does the organization assess its program and structure?
2. Does it evaluate its programs (internally, externally, or both)?

Four students (Anthony Chattley, Jason J. Morris, Lisa M. Rotan, and Alexis A. Walter) were hosted by the Ebrington Maydown Corporation for their three-day research observation.

In 1981, Mr. Glen Barr founded the Maydown Ebrington Group in an attempt to facilitate cross community relations between the Protestant and Catholic communities of Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Because a Catholic community organization existed within the city walls of Derry, much pressure was exerted on Barr to create a Protestant organization of the same caliber. Instead, Barr found a neutral site "five miles outside the city walls" and created a center to serve the needs of all community members regardless of religion.

The first project of the Maydown Ebrington Group was a government- funded program that gave kids who could not learn via traditional methods, the skills and education they needed to succeed in a working society. This was achieved by teaching adolescents math, reading and writing through means that interested the children such as carpentry and cooking. In addition to receiving academic skills, the participants in the programs also partook in sports clubs and received training in areas such as fishing and soccer.

At the "high point of the program" more than six hundred children were receiving valuable skills training, making the organization the United Kingdom’s most successful to date. However, in 1991, the government greatly reduced funding forcing the center to close leaving hundreds of children without any means of education.

Outraged by the government intervention, Glen Barr set forth plans to create an agency independent of the government located at the Ebrington Center. Since its inception, the goals of the organization have evolved to include providing "social, cultural, art, economic and employment opportunities to the people of the Waterside area of Londonderry through quality facilities, training and services provided at the Ebrington Center and partnership initiatives." To date, the programs implemented to achieve these goals include Maydown YTP, Work Track, Border Horizons, the restoration of Saint Columbus Park House, a cross border World War I memorial park and School for International Peace Studies in Messines, Belgium.

Former member of the Ulster Defense Association and current founder and CEO of the Maydown Ebrington Group, Glen Barr, believes that Northern Ireland should not be ruled by "London or Dublin" but instead be its own independent nation with a government based on the democracy of the United States of America. He believes this system would unite the people of Northern Ireland because it would fill the religious divide with a common culture and land that is uniquely theirs. Ultimately, Barr would like to see salvation for Northern Ireland and the unity of its people.

It is for this reason that Barr runs his programs in the manner that he does. He does not allow the participants in his programs partake in discussion of politics or religion or in anyway display what their bias is. He feels that if no one knows the views of others, they cannot judge them based on those views. Thus relationships are fostered on the basis of people are, not what they represent.

Mr. Barr’s glass- enclosed office is located at the far end of the facility overlooking the work area. At initial glance it appears that the office is located in such a manner as to portray an aura of superiority and show that the leadership of the Maydown Ebrington Group is hierarchical in nature. However, in actuality the Group implements a wheel and spoke method of leadership. Each department is responsible for its own actions and controls its own activities. The departments then report to Barr who acts as a figurehead and primary decision maker for the Group.

The members of the Maydown Ebrington Group communicate with one another in an informal and verbal manner. This form of communication creates a casual and inviting workplace atmosphere while still insuring that the staff does not loose sight of its goals.

Many Staff members are part of the Barr family. In addition positions such as Program Manager and Financial Analyst are filled by people with specific knowledge of that particular field. The majority of the remaining staff is hired via the Maydown Ebrington Group’s own Work Track program. For example, Nicola, a single mother, was a participant in the program. As a result she obtained a full time position as head receptionist for the group.

Maydown YTP is a program for people sixteen to twenty-eight years old who have been failed by the educational system. The program allows these people to take academic courses, learn computer skill and participate in theater and theater studies free of charge.

Work Track is a program for people eighteen years of age and old who have been unemployed for over six months. The people are given placement at various corporations and paid minimum wage. These participants work for four days a week and spend one day at the Ebrington Center receiving training. After completion of the program many participants are hired full time by their host organization. Those who are not hired by their host organization are usually placed in a job by the Maydown Ebrington Group.

Border Horizons is a program that allows children from the Northern Ireland and the Republic to partake in six-week trips to various countries such as Belgium, Canada and the United States. This program is open to underprivileged children, those with troubled childhoods or those whose families are directly involved in the troubles currently facing Northern Ireland. Participants are selected on the basis that one third of the children are Protestant, one third are Catholic and one third are from the Republic of Ireland.

It is the belief of the Maydown Ebrington Group that this type of program is essential because children must be taught tolerance at an early age. This is done through travel overseas because in order for children to abandon their preconceived notions. The Group believes children must be placed in a multicultural society. This allows the children to break the barriers and stigmas between them and see that there is more to life that hate and conflict.

The Maydown Ebrington Group is also responsible for the restoration of Saint Columbs Park House This facility was originally intended to be a "reconciliation center" where children from Londonderry would talk about their problems and differences. Today, the house is no longer under the direction of the Maydown Ebrington Group but is rather a youth hostile where visitors to the Waterside area of Londonderry can stay for a small fee.

The Maydown Ebrington Group, in conjunction with the Journey of Reconciliation Trust, played a key role in the creation of a World War I memorial peace park and School for International Peace Studies in Messines, Belgium. The peace park and memorial, created in 1997, was built entirely by Protestant and Catholic youth to remember the thirty-five thousand Irish and British soldiers who fought and died together in the First World War.

In addition to the park, the Maydown Ebrington Group is also responsible for the creation of a School for International Peace Studies, also located in Messines. This school is responsible for running many programs geared towards the promotion of peace, most notably the Fellowship of Messines. This project brings together former political prisoners and teaches them how to work together to achieve a culturally balanced society. These prisoners then select people from their respective communities to join the fellowship and work to create community unity. The cycle then repeats.

Due to the success of the school in bridging the gap between the people of Northern Ireland and those of the Republic, the school is hoping to expand its horizons. The school would like to create programs for and open its doors to other nations in conflict. The next nations expected to be served by the school are Israel and Palestine.

The Ebrington Center, located on the Waterside of Londonderry, includes the executive offices of the Maydown Ebrington group and well as the equipment and facilities necessary to house the Maydown YTP and Work Track programs. In addition, the Center consists of conference rooms, Rochester’s Restaurant and Cocktail Bar and No Limits fitness center. The most notable addition to the center is a multipurpose theater.

The principle services delivered to the community by the Maydown Ebrington Group are Work Track and Maydown YTP. These programs are essential because they play a key role in helping the impoverished and undereducated members of the Londonderry community receive the education and skill necessary to become gainfully employed. In order to achieve this goal, the Group works in conjunction with other employment training agencies such as FAS and TNEA.

Secondary services provided to the community include the previously mentioned Rochester’s Restaurant and Bar, No Limits Gym and Waterside Theater. All activities that take place at these facilities are strictly cross-community. For example, the plays performed at the Waterside Theater are religiously neutral. On the occasion that the theater does decide to put on a Protestant or Catholic biased play, it is a guarantee that it will be offset the following week by a play that appeals to the other religious group. Furthermore, to prove its cross-community focus the Maydown Ebrington Group sealed off entrances to the Ebrington Center that lead visitors past pro-Protestant murals. It was the belief of the Group that some of its Catholic patrons were offended by the sight of the murals and did not visit the center as a result. Thus, by sealing the entrance they ensured all visitors and enjoyable environment free from any religious bias.

The Board of Directors meets regularly in the office of Glen Barr to discuss current projects and the problems facing the Maydown Ebrington Group. Although Barr is responsible for making final decisions, the Board of Directors provides input, direction and opinions of what they would like to see implemented.

In the beginning all programs run by the Maydown Ebrington Group were governmentally funded. However, ten years ago government intervention and withdraw of funds forced the organization to temporarily shut down. Angered by the fact that the government had control of his organizations actions and could toy with them as the government pleased, Glen Barr vowed to never again use government funding to run his center and programs. Instead he adopted the philosophy of commercialization or self-sufficiency. Although the Maydown Ebrington Group has non-profit status, it does operate as a corporation in order to earn revenue with the stipulation that, after expenses, the remaining money is cycled back into the organization and used to pay for all programs both in the community and overseas.

This revenue is earned via four primary means. First, Rochester’s Restaurant and Bar is leased yearly to an independent company. The independent company is responsible for paying all expenses and thus gains all profit from the restaurant. However, to rent the restaurant facilities the independent company pays the Maydown Ebrington Group approximately one hundred and forty thousand pounds sterling per year. Because the group does not run the restaurant or incur expenses from its operation, the one hundred and forty thousand pounds is directly invested in the Group’s programs.

A second major source of revenue for the Maydown Ebrington Group is the No Limits Gym. Members of the community who wish to use the facilities and attend various exercise classes may purchase a membership. Memberships may be purchased for a year, six months, one month or on a per class basis. After paying for expenses such as utilities, maintenance and staff, the remaining revenue is cycled back into the organization to help pay for community programs.

A third source of funding for the organization is the productions performed at the Waterside Theater. The theater puts on recitals and plays conducted by various children’s groups who partake in workshops at the center. In addition, the Waterside Theater hosts various professional and community based theater companies and musical acts. It also hosts events such as corporate functions and cabaret nights. Furthermore, the theater works in conjunction with Londonderry’s Center for the Verbal Arts and Nerve Center to provide cultural experiences to all members of the community. In addition to the revenue raised via Barr’s commercialization strategy, the Maydown Ebrington Group receives numerous contributions and funds from private benefactors.

In the coming years the Maydown Ebrington Group is hoping to engage in more projects and programs to further cross community relations. One of these projects is the building of a youth hostel in Messines, Belgium. This hostel will coincide with the peace park and school for peace studies will have the capacity to provide one hundred people with a place to stay.

In the Londonderry area, the Maydown Ebrington Group is hoping to build up the Waterside. It is the belief of Group executives that there are not enough businesses and entertainment facilities on the Waterside. Thus, the Group wants to further develop the Waterside Theater and Rochester’s Restaurant. It is the hopes of the Maydown Ebrington Group to expand the theater so that it may host major productions. In addition, the Group would also like to run theater education programs teaching proper viewing etiquette and manors as well as dispel the notion that theater is for the elite. Also, the Group is looking to expand Rochester’s Restaurant to include a glass encased roof top restaurant. The Ebrington Center is one of the tallest buildings on the Waterside. Because of this it is believed that a roof top restaurant would provide patrons with a breath-taking view of the city and thus be a huge success.

The Ebrington Center is the product of the dreams and hard work of Glen Barr.  However, the center has had an outgrowth that expanded passed this one dimension and is now the dream and hope of the surrounding community.  From the perspective gained from the time spent there, it is easy to realize that the center
will be a part of Londonderry long after government funds have ceased.  There are many rationalizations for this but three main reasons stand out.  Ebrington Maydown
is financially, socially, and internally prepared to survive many years into the future.  First, the center has the financial capacity to operate far into the future. The sources that supply the monetary need are independent of one another, thus if something were to go wrong in one area the center can always be self-supporting.  Next, the community has accepted the center into their lives.  With all of the community programs that exist in Ebrington Maydown, there is little doubt that the future of the center with the citizens of Derry is promising.  Finally, the center is well organized and has a purpose that is well understood by everyone.  The outstanding leadership of
Glen Barr is already being passed down to the future generation of community workers. Ebrington Maydown is continuously building itself to make a difference in
the lives of children and adults in need.  The stability and far-reaching effects of the center contribute to a dream that started with just one man, which will be the needed reality for many years to come.    

ORGANIZATIONAL OBSERVATION 2: THE INNER CITY TRUST—Vital to the Derry Community

During our three-day visit to the Inner City Trust in Derry, our team was able to understand how a successful cross-community organization was able to identify the communities’ needs, strategically develop solutions, implement their plans, and in effect promote their mission of improving the conditions of their society. The Inner City Trust originated in 1981 through the vision and commitment of one of Derry’s dedicated leaders, Paddy Doherty. Historically, there were three initial reasons for developing the Inner City Trust:

• To provide meaningful employment for young people in a city which has one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
• To involve the community in a positive and constructive way in removing dereliction and enhancing the environment in an area which has suffered from the ravages of urban neglect and a bombing campaign.
• By involving the community in rebuilding to impart an interest in and appreciation of the city while at the same time developing leadership and managerial skills.

These original goals were successfully achieved as the Inner City Trust has redeveloped substantial parts of the city and as a result has "inspired others in the private sector" to do the same.

As the Inner City Trust has continued to grow and influence the city of Derry, its objectives have also become more focused on:

• Promoting the relief of poverty.
• Encouraging urban renewal and Inner City regeneration.
• Providing education and training opportunities for young people and long-term unemployed adults.
• Creating viable employment opportunities for local people.
• Promoting the tourist potential of the city.

The Inner City Trust serves many different purposes, and these objectives demonstrate how each aspect of the Trust is linked to the other.

When we first arrived to the Calgach Centre, the central office building of the Inner City Trust, the charismatic Paddy Doherty was there to greet us. He showed us to a large multipurpose room, where we engaged in a very personal conversation. He mostly asked us about our individual interests and life goals. Then, he spoke with us about his own philosophy of life. He explained that it is every person’s responsibility to get out in the world and see other cultures and let them teach you something. He says that you must continually go into the world with your culture and bring back other cultures; otherwise you are dead. He does not mean dead as in a coffin, however, he explained that death happens in many ways. He was referring to death as a metaphor for being close-minded, unworldly, and naïve. "Life is great. What do you think about life?" This simple statement followed by this question by Paddy surprised us, as it is not often that you are asked about such a topic. It made us all realize how much we take for granted in life. After our amazing conversation, Paddy gave us a slide show of the history of Derry, the Troubles, and the Inner City Trust. Many of the pictures were gruesome, and he quickly passed through those, commenting briefly. He showed pictures of bombed houses and dead bodies on the streets. The images seemed to swell up old, yet vivid memories for Paddy, and certainly created unexpected feelings of sadness for us. Paddy had tears in his eyes as he flipped through the slide show, and we also felt tears coming to our own. At that point there was a realization of how much unrest and pain Paddy and the people of Derry had to endure during the Troubles and still have to live with today. There were pictures of hope as well, through which Paddy seemed to pass by a little less quickly. He showed us many buildings that the Inner City Trust has rebuilt since the bombing campaign. These buildings were not cheaply built. We were told that the manner, in which they were rebuilt, as strong and beautiful structures, exemplifies the confidence that Derry’s people have in the peace process.

Since we have returned to the United States, we have analyzed the structural, and functional aspects of the Inner City Trust through our understanding of how this community organization addresses its concerns and pursues its goals outlined above. We used the following topics of protocol in our analysis (Also see Table 1):

"Some people are thinkers others are doers"(Paddy Doherty). Leadership is the position or guidance of a leader having the ability to lead a group. Rebuilding the hope of a mass population was something that Paddy Doherty felt was his obligation to do as a resident of Londonderry, Northern Ireland. His definition of a leader is to be a person who is not involved in politics such as a senator or officer, to be passionate about whatever the focus of achievement was, and to lead by example. This was everything Paddy is and was. His ideas revolutionize a pattern of optimism and hard work, which brought Londonderry out of the horrible conditions into a new, hopeful city and community. The strength and ambition of this one man gave the city the drive it needed to become a success. His blueprint to rebuild the city gave the people hope and allowed them the opportunity to improve their community. Having such a large family gave him many hands to help rebuild the city that they called home. Leadership is a function that needs to be introduced in the community by offering people the option to server wherever it is possible.

Communication is a necessity to a good functioning community-based organization. The Inner City Trust is an excellent example of how good communication can advance the work of the organization. The Inner City Trust has a central organization set up at the Calgach Centre in Derry. Within the city of Derry, there are other satellite sites that branch off of the Calgach Centre. The Derry Youth and Community Workshop, the Heritage Library, and the Craft Village are located within blocks of the Calgach Centre. There is also an International Youth Hostel and other setups for homeless, drug-addicted, alcohol abusive people within the city of Derry, which were also founded by the Inner City Trust. On an international scale, the Inner City Trust also does work with Habitat for Humanity (and has recently visited Ground Zero in New York City in September).

The people of the organization communicate very effectively by verbal communication. Since the main sites of the Inner City Trust are located so closely to the central organization, one can walk less than five minutes from site to site, which obviously makes communication from site to site very easy. For example, if Paddy Doherty wanted to speak with his son Deglan, the executive of the Derry Youth and Community Workshop, he could simply walk there and speak with him face to face, and on a more personal level. In this way, the Inner City Trust avoids the bureaucratic style of most American, capitalist organizations. In addition, though they each do different functions, all of the sites of the Inner City Trust and employees are working to achieve a broader, common goal, which allows them to easily link their work to each other.

As mentioned above, the Inner City Trust has planned ahead to improve the physical conditions of Derry, as well as the mental, emotional, and moral conditions of its people. Placing a strong value on the people and the peace process, the Trust strives to achieve its goals and promote its mission, which includes several objectives that have been mentioned previously and have revealed themselves as a common theme throughout the paper. Each aspect and subdivision of the Trust is interlinked to the other, if not through obvious means, then through the mission. Promoting the relief of poverty, reconstructing the city of Derry, providing education and training opportunities, creating employment opportunities, and promoting tourism are all interconnected in the Trust’s hope to improve Derry and its people, in turn providing a framework after which all of Northern Ireland’s community organizations can model.

The Inner City Trust has created 100 permanent jobs. They have placed over 550 people in training or full-time employment. In addition, they have volunteers that work on projects like Habitat For Humanity. By hiring both Protestants and Catholics, the Trust is fostering an environment were the people that live in this divided community can learn to understand, accept, and hopefully begin to grow together. The Trust’s full-time and part-time staff runs the Calgach Center, Genealogy Center, DYCW employment Center, Youth Hostile, Craft village, Tower Hotel, and the Tower Museum. All of these buildings were destroyed during the Troubles and rebuilt by the Trust. The Trust is a multifaceted organization working several different fronts.

The Inner City Trust is directed by a Board of Directors that are representative of a wide range of interests within the local community of Derry. The Trust’s Board of Directors, with Chief Executive Paddy Doherty, determine the objectives of the Inner City Trust, help to convince private sources to donate substantial amounts of funding, determine what projects the trust will become involved with, evaluate the trust as a whole, and also decide where this money will be the most useful to the city of Derry and the organization itself. Paddy Doherty is more than Chief Executive of the Inner City Trust; he is also an active person within the Calgach Centre. His daughter and son are also active in the Inner City Trust and on the Board of Directors, as other members of the board are as well. Paddie Anne Doherty runs the Calgach Centre and Deglan Doherty runs the Derry Youth and Community Workshop.

After losing so many historical sites and business during the bombings that took place in Londonderry, Paddy saw the opportunity to rebuild his community. The areas that were destroyed were rebuilt by the funding of the Ireland Fund as well as various other community aide organizations. Paddy bought the first property for one English pound and has since rebuilt it and other properties as well. People were able to help hands-on, and rebuild the buildings that were once destroyed. The buildings were built exactly the way they were before their destruction. This involved much hard work, like locating the original blueprints, finding volunteers to rebuild the structure, obtaining sufficient materials, earning sufficient funds, as well as developing an idea as to how the property would be used once it was completed. The rebuilding of the city not only gave people the opportunity to help, but also gave them the opportunity to have a new source of income. Once they were complete, Paddy sold the buildings to various companies, or people who aspired to own a business, and this served as a source of income to the people who were employed at these buildings.

In Community Relations, it is difficult to work together with all people if they cannot put their differences aside. Paddy tries to put an end to this difficulty through creative cross-community projects, such as taking youth to other countries where they participate in Habitat for Humanity. On an average trip that may sponsor ten youth, five would be catholic and the other five would be protestant. The objective of this idea is to help the children and teens form a bond with each other outside of their home, that would not normally have been possible due to the differences reinforced in their community. The two groups work together toward a common goal, building communities in other parts of the world, and in the process, reconcile any differences they may have had with each other or with people who are different from them. The success of this program can be seen immediately; when the volunteers return to Derry, they serve as model leaders, who may influence their own youth in their own community. The volunteers learn that their differences are minor, and if they put the past and those differences aside, they may find that the two groups of people lead very similar lives.

The Inner City Trust was founded to address the needs of the community. The organization changes as the needs of the community change; this change is based upon quality of the job it does versus quantity. Everything the trust encompasses is done as best as the organization can do. This forces the Inner City Trust to limit its efforts to a limit by guarantee. This means that the Inner City Trust only becomes involved in things that the organization feels it can do one hundred percent effectively and until completion. For example, the Inner City Trust helped rebuild Derry by rebuilding bombed buildings and supplying a Craft Village, as well as places for the homeless and drug/alcohol abusers to stay. The Inner City Trust first decided that it would do this only if they were able to do it all the way through. Therefore, the trust limits itself to things that it can guarantee to do and finish. This guarantee also helps establish a standard of performance within the organization to be excellent and everything the Trust does must be completed according to this standard.

In a metaphoric sense, the city of Derry can be seen as an organism, growing and adjusting to the needs of the people it serves. As the city’s needs change, so do the Trust’s programs, ideas, purposes, and goals. The Inner City Trust acts as the brain of the community, the central operating system that controls many aspects of the community, including its society’s morals. The Inner City Trust is a vital organ within the community that has kept the people alive in their hearts, minds, and spirits. The Trust provides hope for the survival of society amongst poverty, unemployment, political strife, and religious differences. In this manner, The Inner City Trust serves as an instrument of peace and resolution.

Facilities

After meeting Paddy and the other staff at the Calgach Centre, we were divided, according to our interests, and placed into different facilities that the Inner City Trust operates, where we worked for the following three days. Jennifer and Rebecca were sent to work in the Genealogy Centre in the Heritage Library, Robert was sent to the Derry Youth and Community Workshop, and Aminah stayed in the Calgach Centre to work in the main office. Besides these facilities, The Inner City Trust owns and operates an International Youth Hostel, the Derry Craft Village, a town Hotel, and the Tower Museum. A common theme among these facilities is the development of Derry as portrayed through the ages.

• Genealogy Centre—located in the Heritage Library, represents the 20^th century and serves as a means of discovering your heritage, ancestry, and family lineage. Drawing from a database of over one million entries, the Genealogy Centre uses major civil and church records from County Derry/Londonderry and the Inishowen Peninsula, County Donegal to help locals or tourists undertake serious or recreational genealogical research. A member of our team, Jennifer was able to utilize this service in tracing her own ancestors who came from Donegal.
• Derry Youth and Community Workshop (DYCW)—is a training and employment center for people from Derry, regardless of their religious or political backgrounds. The unemployed and unskilled work with the DYCW to learn skills in hope of becoming employed at the end of their "term." The DYCW offers classes and trainings in different fields. For the most part, the workshop trains individuals in computer and technical skills, but also trains some for vocational skills. The students work with the DYCW two days a week and during the other days, the students work with a business or company that relates to what the student is training for. For example, Mark Doherty is a current student with the DYCW and goes to the workshop two days a week to learn about computers and computer graphics, while also working with a local company in Derry that produces signs and logos that are printed on vehicles and buildings. In this way, the DYCW offers a sort of internship opportunity for its students.
• Calgach Centre—is the central office and meeting place of the Inner City Trust. It contains four conference rooms, retail facilities, and the "Fifth Province" visitor attraction, and was built on a derelict site in the center of Derry. The largest conference room can take up to 450 people. The "Fifth Province" uses a variety of audio visual and dramatic effects to portray the history of the Celtic people.
• International Youth Hostel—is also located centrally within the walls of Derry and provides over 60 beds. Serving the Trust’s mission, the Youth Hostel promotes tourism within the city of Derry by enabling visitors to stay in a hostel with hotel standards.
• Craft Village—is a substantial development that recreates the atmosphere of an 18^th and 19^th century street with 13 workshop and retail units on the ground floor. The Village employs local crafts people and allows them to establish viable business for themselves and others while serving the component of the mission of tourism.
• Town Hotel—is located across the street from the Calgach Centre. Just as the Youth Hostel serves the tourism potential, the Hotel does the same while providing employment opportunities for the local Derry people.
• Tower Museum—is located within the walls of Derry as well. We were given the opportunity to visit this historical tower, which the Inner City Trust renovated into a museum that portrays Derry, Northern Ireland, and other countries, as well as their political, religious, and economic struggles, and cultural way of life throughout the ages. Using the technology, art, artifacts, and historical data, the Museum enables its visitors to examine, absorb, and understand the historical significance of Derry and Northern Ireland.

All of these facilities, built and properly maintained by the Inner City Trust, serve as multitasking vehicles for promoting the Trust’s mission, providing cross-community opportunities, and preserving Derry’s community.

The Trusts annual budget is two million British pounds. It is a non-profit organization that is dependent on private sources for money. In the past they have received assistance from the European Regional Development Fund, Derry City Council, European Social Fund, Department of Environment for North Ireland, the Irish American Fund, Department of Economic Development, North Ireland Tourist Board, International Fund for Ireland, and the Ireland Fund.

The Trust applies for all possible grants and other sources of funding. The Trust can focus on so many different problems because they have accomplished so much already. They are an agent for the Action and Community Employment Scheme. In 1986 they won the prestigious Charles Douglas Home Award for Most Outstanding Example of Community Enterprise. They Trust provides assistance to 48 independent community groups. The Trust has rebuilt over 30 buildings and created 70 residential units; some are still in the process of being rebuilt. By rebuilding Derry, the Trust is working towards two of their goals; they are promoting tourism and creating jobs. They created the Craft Village, which has not only created viable employment but also adds to the tourist potential of the city. However, the Trust feels the Genealogy Center may be one of the biggest draws for tourism in Derry City. Obviously the Inner City Trust’s biggest accomplishment is not seen in the buildings they have rebuilt or the rise in tourism; it is in the hearts and minds of the people. People that have been divided for centuries that can now live side by side and work towards a brighter future, together.

In the branches of the Inner City Trust, there are over 500 people in training or full-time employment and over 100 permanent jobs have been created through the commercial units within its building projects. The trust has also created more than 70 residential units within the Derry, and workshop and retail space for approximately the same amount of small firms. As a result of the effectiveness of the Inner City Trust, it has been able to receive funding from public and private sectors, although funding does not seem to be of particular unease to those who manage the Trust. Historically, the Inner City Trust, as with the majority of community projects in Northern Ireland, has been attractive to those with a Nationalist background. Since this time, significant steps have been made to encourage cross-community interaction and involvement. Employees, Board Members, volunteers, and participants are representative of both the Protestant and Catholic communities.

Our individual and group experiences while visiting the Inner City Trust and the city of Derry have provided us a clear picture of how a cross-community organization addresses its concerns in the context of the Northern Ireland political struggle. The "Irish Times" states, "The achievements of the Trust are proof that great things can be achieved through inspired Community effort. What has been done in Derry serves as a model for other towns." The Inner City Trust has been successfully improving Derry through its urban renewal, education and employment opportunities at the Youth and Community Workshop, tourist potential in the Heritage Library and the Youth Hostel, while accomplishing cross-community interaction. As a result of our visit with the Inner City Trust, we believe that the Trust should serve as a model for community organizations not only in Northern Ireland, but also in the United States. With a charismatic leader like Paddy Doherty and objectives like the Inner City Trust, cross-community organizations in America could benefit many cities profoundly. All they need is a vital organ like the Inner City Trust.

Table 1

Dimensions for each question in the research study:

1. Empirical-invites a description of how it is that the organization addresses a particular issue or concern.
2. Evaluative- invites an assessment of how well the organization succeeds in dealing with the particular issue or concern.
3. Normative- invites a judgment as to the degree to which the organization should, or ought, direct its attention to a particular issue or concern (both ethically and for the good of advancing its own mission).

1. What are the basic patterns of communication within the organization?

Formal/Informal:

The NACN hold formal Discussion Forums to discuss all topics of interest within each of the four areas, they are Loughgiel, Glenravel, Rasharkin, and Glenarm.

A general forum is available for each of the 39 member groups who have internet access. As of right now only 18 have online inks for their own website.

Verbal/Written:

To contact NACN and its Member Groups the North Antrim Community Network welcomes comments or suggestions by the use of any of the following methods:

Write or stop by the main NACN office at the Old School House, Mill St, Cushendall, Co. Antrim, BT44 0RR, Northern Ireland; Phone: +44 (0) 28 2177 2100; Fax: +44 (0) 217 72129; email: info@nacn.org.

You can also contact each of the members groups by email. If you look at the members pages you may also find their address and other contact details.

A hard copy of the directory is available with the same information listed on the "members page", this allows those without access to a computer reach members by phone or location.

Communications, information sharing and resource sharing is a process that has facilitated the NACN’s action planning. The concept is based on the fact that combined effort is more comprehensive than fragmented individual efforts.

 

1. How effectively do people communicate within the organization?

The effectiveness depends on the means of communication. The organizations whose members use the Internet for keeping in touch and on top of things have an advantage to projects or planning that might be time restrictive. This does not mean however those not linked are less effective. The NACN provides structure and direction for the member groups in order to protect individual involvement while promoting a "We" effort.

2. What methods are used to link specialized staff to the central administration?

The aims and objectives of the Network have widened considerably since its inception to include a comprehensive community development and networking service to groups in the catchment area.

The primary aims of North Antrim Community Network are to offer a community development service to it's member groups and to focus on the practice of networking to allow community groups themselves to share knowledge and experience.

The Network aims to provide an opportunity for rural communities to have a voice and an influence, without compelling members to loose their chosen identity, adherence and difference interests.

 

3. How well do the different parts of the organization link their work to each other?

The North Antrim Community Network’s main priority is to function as an effective and efficient network. This involves keeping groups in touch with one another and with developments that have impact on the area, lobbying for changes in policy and supporting (in a very practical way) the work and the efforts of its member group. The network is a vehicle to enable groups to plan their own learning events geared to their own needs. In the spring they organize conferences to provide a forum for local communities to address issues on a regional basis with the involvement of statutory agencies.

In addition the Cushendall Development Group 2001 produced a comprehensive directory containing local groups related to agriculture, charity, churches, community, culture education, local councilors, as well as, interests, hobbies and sports. The intention to connect organizations to the community helps to meet the basic and specific needs for public transport, health and human services.

1. Does the organization have a clear mission statement?

I am having trouble finding one clear mission statement for the NACN. The aims and objectives that have been established are clear for the purposes in which they are intended. But each organization under the network has their own defined aims and objectives to meet their needs. The vision as a whole is clearly to improve on the communities’ advancement economically and socially. While the NACN will aim to continue to attract and support new and existing groups from both communities throughout the North Antrim region and builds on that. The expansion of the network into a broad remit of community involvement will allow for local cultural, social and economic enrichment throughout the area in its entirety. By placing greater emphasis on community development the network aims to enhance interaction and create partnerships among each of the local communities and their organization.

The North Antrim Community Network had its origins in the late 1980’s with the work of the Rural Action Project. After reorganization in 1990 and 1995, when sections of Moyle, Ballymena and Larne Council areas joined the Association, it is now a network organization representing all nineteen development groups of a wider geographical area. This encompasses local communities of almost 10,000 people from Ballycarry to Broughshane to Bushmills and it is in the process of researching a change of name to reflect the now further reaching branches of the Association.

Historically the interaction between groups of individuals was through statues developed in the 1972 Direct Rule. The Community sector is not so much about points and principles but recognized as being organized and therefore respected. What is uneasy and difficult in carrying out the mission is the bureaucracy, specifically the funding due to government mechanisms of which there are at least 117.

1. What have been the Major Accomplishments of the organization throughout its history? When and Where

What have been its major crises, and how were they dealt with?

Above all the major crisis is certain issues that occur within the setting of the organization. First is segregation. Subtle, yet it still exists and is a long-term goal in the future of rural development and advancement within each community, i.e. schools. The people of North Antrim do not define history as something that has been "taught" instead the relation occurs through points and principles. Although these are not necessarily crises in today’s times they are still barriers that need to be dealt with.

In order to move onward, it has been suggested to consider a common language. How to create less democracy through a community statue interaction, is one recommendation. Besides, there is the relevance to the geographic barriers. Both agricultural- farms are divided and centralization- 10 to 1. Localization. Retirement villages due to the scenic view become a threat to first home family homes. The ""rooted" are about two to one now. Whether or not land use laws or social housing are the solutions is still a question to be answered.

 

 

2. How is planning for the organization’s future explored and

The network will continue to recognize that the communities that encompass the North Antrim region are not treated as unrelated homogeneous entities and that their intimate knowledge of their local area is fully utilized. Therefore the network aims to enhance this relationship of collective commitment and mutual trust, blending the network and the community together.

1. STAFF DEVELOPMENT

A. Do staff members understand what their job is and perform its work

effectively?

From what I had observed in attendance at the Community Forum Meeting, held Thursday March 21^st in the Boat Club at Cushendall, the members were well organized and had an agenda. The member services staff will provide those who are not capable of attending such meetings with a copy of the minutes. This ensures that staff stays informed of new and old business and activities.

B. How are staff members coached to improve their performance?

The Development Officers Forums coach the staff provides a supportive structure and guidance through training methods established for the growing numbers of officers, staff and volunteers.

3. How are staff members evaluated for their work?
4. How do staff members view their level of compensation?
5. To what degree does the organization use and develop volunteer participation in its programs?

F. How is the work of volunteers organized, developed, evaluated, and rewarded?

1. How is the role of the board understood?

By Executive:

Staff:

Board members themselves:

The overseeing committee lead by Andrew McAlister has a development manager- Breige Conway, an administrative assistant- Pamela Doherty, an administrator- Patricia O’Boyle, Antrim Glens Cottages Project- Susan McLaughlin.

2. Do board members play an appropriate pro-active role?

1. What is the image of the organization in the community?

A link between several communities separated by geography to provide education, training, health services, meeting place, childcare and a center for activity.

2. What are the principle services delivered by and/or produced by the organization?

C. How does the organization relate to its inter-organizational

field?

As an umbrella agency it establishes an active framework of communication which links different development players and beneficiaries toward a collaborative management of rural resources. The NACN has developed a link to partners in other countries such as Finland and Sweden with the use of the Internet. The web pages allow communication and networking to flow across three countries.

D. Does the organization identify some programs as "cross-community"? If so, how are these programs defined, delivered, evaluated?

7.) PROGRAM DELIVERY

1. Are standards of performance established within the organization?

NACN is an umbrella organization that serves as a communication base for its member groups. It has a small staff including a Development Manager, Administrator and Administrative Assistant. However, NACN’s chief aim is to allow its member groups to govern themselves.

2. Are changing trends and needs in the broader community and society addressed, understood, and acted upon?

8.) ORGANIZATIONAL IMAGE (Cf. Morgan)

1. In what ways might the organization be seen as a machine? (formal, rational, hierarchical, product-oriented)

NACN as a whole (umbrella organization and member groups) acts as a machine. NACN is the body and its member groups parts of the body which all contribute to the overall efficiency of the machine.

2. In what ways might the organization be seen as an organism? (living, growing, relating to its environment, declining)

The agency exists in order to allow the people of North Antrim to have a voice through small organizations in their community. NACN has grown to encompass a larger geographic area. It seeks to bridge a divided environment of Catholics/Protestants/Loyalists/Nationalists through its non-sectarian nature.

3. In what ways might the organization be seen as a brain? (questioning, learning, adjusting to feedback)

I hesitate to call NACN the brain because its emphasis is to empower each member organization. Instead, I would categorize each organization as having its own brain.

4. In what ways might the organization be seen as a culture? (sharing meaning; creating values, ideas, beliefs, rituals)

The agency’s goal is bringing together the people of North Antrim through community organization. On a larger scale, by working together the people of North Antrim can begin to overlook their religious and political beliefs on order to create a new mantra a peace.

5. In what ways might the organization be seen as a political system? (using power: unitary, pluralist, radical organization)

NACN seeks, in a manner of speaking, to derail the already diverse and turbulent political divisions among its constituents. Its community organizations are non-sectarian.

6. In what ways might the be seen as a psychic prison? (expressing unconscious psychological needs: sex, aggression, hatred, etc.)

religious psychic prison of which the people of Northern Ireland are afflicted.

7. In what ways might the organization be seen as in transformation and flux? (finding order within chaos; dialectic processes)

Although continually expanding to include a larger geographic area, NACN is now in a relatively stable position since its late 1980’s inception.

8. In what ways might the organization be seen as an instrument of domination? ("them" over "us", dual labor markets and domination by owning classes, global exploitation)

I’d say NACN is an instrument of quiet community change as opposed to an instrument of domination.

9. Using your best judgement, rank the organization in terms of the applicability of the images above (a-g).

9.) Facilities

1. Are the organization’s facilities appropriately designed?

We had the opportunity to visit NACN’s headquarters in Cushendall. The office’s small size was commensurate with the size of its staff. One thing I questioned was its location: although centrally situated within the Glens, Cushendall is not a major stop on most bus routes. Therefore, those without other means of transportation might have some difficulty accessing it.

2. Are facilities and equipment effectively used? (e.g., creative use of space, sharing of space among different functions and programs, etc.)

Yes. Of particular excellence is NACN’s website (I am categorizing this a facility since it is a major source of communication both within the organization and to the broader worldwide community).

3. Are facilities and equipment properly maintained?

1. What is the relation between the NACN’s programmatic reach and its fiscal capacity?
2. Does the organization have an annual budget that adequately represents its programmatic strength and capacity?
3. Are the organizational funds professionally and appropriately

#10) Fiscal Management –

NACN funds all of its programs in full or in part with a combination of funding. Revenue streams include the EU, the UK, and local governments. If anything these programs are underfunded. The NACN administers such a variety of programs at such a competent level that one might mistake it for a well-run government agency much larger than the community network.

1. How is the fundraising function understood and administered?
2. Does the NACN have a fundraising strategy for the years

#11) Development –

Fundraising appears to be in the strict entrepreneurial spirit. Venture capital comes in the form of one-time government grants and charitable donations. Future revenue streams come in the form of user fees for the various programs. Future capital projects will most likely rest on the Networks ability to raise cash from the community and their creditworthiness.

1. How does the organization assess its program and structure?

#12) Evaluation –

It appears as though the Networks programs are evaluated both internally and externally and it assesses its programs through community reaction, internal reaction, and financial success.

VIGNETTES OF COMMUNITY LIFE IN NORTHERN IRELAND