“When it started we knew there would have to be a rethink to support LGBT people, who are already much more likely to feel isolated and removed from parts of wider society.” This is how Fergal McFerran, from Stonewall, recalls his instant reaction to lockdown....
When lockdown began, a group of young men contacted north Belfast youth worker Sean Madden. Anxieties were heightened, they were feeling uncertainty, cut off from friends & some of them had been furloughed. They were reaching out, looking for connection… Sean, who works for Youth...
“I feel I haven’t been able to be myself since this began.” This is the hard to hear lockdown experience of one young person, who’s part of the Rainbow Project’s ‘Out North West’ programme. And it is truth like this that galvanizes those who head...
“People have been in tears on their doorsteps; they were asking – how did you think of me?” Wendy Kerr, who manages Impact Network NI, talks with passion as she articulates how many of the connections they forged during the coronavirus period had a depth...
“When you answered the phone you just didn’t know what you were going to be asked…” That’s how the last few months have been for Mandy Kearns, who’s manager of east Belfast Alternatives. Whether it was cries of help for food, someone to talk to,...
“We’ve all come through so much in Belfast; there’s so much more to these communities than ever gets out; the number of people who are just so quick to switch on & help.” Seamus Corr, from Blackmountain Shared Space Initiative, reflects on the last few...
What’s the link between hot chocolate, a heart for the underdog and rehab opportunities for human trafficking survivors? Well, in the first of a series of spotlights on change makers here, David McIlroy has been speaking to social activist Tara Mullen of Refuge Hot Chocolate...
With big picture politics here in paralysis, it can seem that real change is forever eluding us. There’s a sense that the political breakdown is costing us – when it comes to the advancement of peace & reconciliation. In fact the tragedy is that some...
An open letter to those with power & influence… Just a few months ago we sat among people who gathered to remember the Good Friday Agreement 20 years on. The sense of history in the room couldn’t be missed. News reel images & stories from...
“My son is a recovering addict & spent most of his teen years involved in gang life,” writes Lorna*. “He’d been thriving – but suffered a mental health breakdown and during that time he got into real trouble… “I’ve always had a sense of pride...