Future Ways Programme

The Future Ways Programme

About Future Ways

Future Ways Home Page

Publications

Staff

Direct Line
Fax:	028 703 24674
Email:	futureways@ulster.ac.uk

Ms Loretto Blackwood

* Ms Libby Keys (seconded)
Email:	l.keys@btconnect.com

About The Future Ways Programme
Learning, Teaching, Research, Community Support and Advocacy for Reconciliation

The Future Ways Programme is specifically committed:

To finding practical and human ways that people can live, learn and work together equitably with their differences in a society emerging from conflict.

The Future Ways Programme¹ was established in 1994 and is located within the School of Education in the University of Ulster.

The programme:

Offers direct support to community organisations interested in reconciliation.
Offers learning and teaching resources.
Promotes action research work on organisational 'learning and change' .
Advocates for trust building practices to become more central in public policy and in the governance and practice of all organisations.

Future Ways is a charitably supported programme, supportive of reconciliation work, core funded by the Understanding Conflict Trust consistently since 1991. The Programme has also secured research grants from Central Community Relations Unit (now CRU - OFMDFM), the Rockfeller Foundations and the Society of Organizational Learning..

In 1997, through a CCRU Research Grant, the Future Ways Programme published research on how practice across 12 areas in the voluntary, community, public and private sectors could be developed in support of community relations and promoting trust building in Northern Ireland. Research report title: “A Worthwhile Venture? Practically Investing in Equity, Diversity and Interdependence in Northern Ireland".

Since then we have:

Developed an Organisational Learning and Change Framework around the principles of Equity, Diversity and Interdependence with the support of the Diversity Champion in the Cabinet Office, the Department of Finance and Personnel (NI) and the NI Community Relations Council (EU Special Support Programme). This Framework drew on best Community Relations and Race Relations practice out of our and others experiences since 1970 and best Organisational Learning and Change Practice gained from our research association with the Society for Organizational Learning.

Undertaken programmes of organisation change around these principles over a two - three year period with a number of public bodies and voluntary agencies such as Newry & Mourne District Council, Coleraine Borough Council and Triangle Housing Association.

Piloted a two-module Masters Level course for Social Work Trainers on Equity, Diversity and Interdependence at the request of the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC).

Promoted practice with a number of senior management teams, staff and trade unions supportive of the ‘Equality and Good Relations duties under Section 75 of the NI Act 1998’. These programmes of work covered organisations dealing with criminal justice, local government, services for young people, education, health and social care provision.

Sustained a five year programme of 'Civic Leadership' seminars and study programmes with councillors in local government through an innovative programme developed with five local councils working in a regional manner and supported by the Community Relations Unit (CRU) within OFMDFM. (The Western Routes Project)

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¹"Future Ways" emerged from a project called "Understanding Conflict...and Finding Ways Out of It" - a training support programme for community reconciliation work established in 1987 by Derick Wilson, Duncan Morrow, Frank Wright and Roel Kaptein, supported by the Lawlor Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.