The power of individuals to create change for the better was the topic for an extremely lively public conversation in Derry / Londonderry on Thursday.
A very diverse group of people came together to be part of the conversation, ranging from community groups from all sections of the community, faith based, arts and sporting organizations, statutory agencies as well as the PSNI.
Bishop Ken Good, Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, as the keynote speaker talked about the power of individuals to be agents of change. Using inspiring stories of people who saw a need and took action he said “Change agents are people who see an issue that needs to be addressed and don’t wait for the government or someone else to do something. Instead they see a solution themselves and do something”.
The inspiration for the title of Be the Change You Want came from the words of Mahatma Gandhi who said, “Be the change you want to see”. The event took place in The Diocesan Office in London Street, Derry / Londonderry. It was organized by a unique and unlikely partnership between the GAA, Voluntary Arts Ireland, City Church Belfast and the Church of Ireland diocese of Derry and Raphoe. Councillor Martin Reilly from Derry City Council opened the event.
The four organizations were brought together by the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltaght in the Republic of Ireland in a partnership to promote volunteering. The project was an attempt to see if very different organisations could work together and learn from one another for a purpose – to meet need in our community.
Kevin Murphy, Chief Executive of Voluntary Arts Ireland, said “What we wanted from this event was a lively open positive conversation – one that inspired thoughts of possibilities for the future, and we were not disappointed”. He continued, “So much good work already takes place by unsung heroes in our community. The energy for today’s conversation came from the great mix of people and organizations we had in the room. It was a group of passionate people believing they could do something positive to meet need in their community. Having people who believe they can be the change they want to see is exciting as we create our future as a city and wider community”.
Be the Change You Want was designed to inspire a conversation – about how we can change our communities by volunteering for the common good. It brought together as many people as possible from different sectors of the community, including the community and voluntary sector, churches, sporting organizations, statutory bodies, funders and the PSNI. The keynote speaker was Bishop Ken Good. Short presentations were also made each of the four partner organizations. It was one of a series of public discussions being organised by the Joint Volunteer Project.