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DTNI recently hosted what turned out to be a hugely successful Community Expo at the Duncairn Centre for Arts & Culture in Belfast. The event was attended by representatives from the third sector, central and local government and academia and, as such, brought the concepts of community ownership beyond the DTNI membership to a broad cross-section of the public.
As well as hearing from four compelling speakers – broadcaster and journalist Lesley Riddoch; Architectural Heritage Fund CEO Matthew McKeague; Chief Executive of Centre for Local Economic Strategies Neil McInroy; and IPPR North director Sarah Longlands – delegates participated in three workshops curated by Architectural Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, Open House Festival, Lagan Navigation Trust, Community Arts Partnership and Theatre NI, in partnership with DTNI.
All the keynote presentations are now available to download:
DTNI has long recognised the role the arts and heritage play in shaping space and place, as well as the need for creative initiatives with artists to engage people to regenerate their communities. This will become more apparent as DTNI progresses its campaign for a Community Rights Act; the legislative basis for citizens to challenge the decisions that affect the places in which they live.
The Expo also featured the launch of the Time to Build an Inclusive Local Economy document, a DTNI/CLES collaboration which outlines how to create and retain wealth at a local level by helping communities become economic participants rather than passive recipients.
Time to Build an Inclusive Local Economy is available to download here.
Finally for those who were prevented by the weather from hearing Lesley Riddoch’s presentation, here is Lesley’s interview with Northern Visions TV, where she discusses community ownership in Scotland and the pros and cons of emulating the Scottish model here in NI.