New Lodge CEP
What is the Greater New Lodge CEP?
The CEP is a partnership of all community groups that work in the New Lodge, Carrick Hill, Newington and Parkside areas. Local schools are also included in the partnership.
What is the Purpose of the CEP?
The main purpose of the CEP is to work to empower local residents. Empowerment means providing ordinary people with the information, knowledge, skills, opportunities and resources, to help them to participate in decision-making processes that affect community life. Being empowered means being able to decide our own future.
How does the CEP work?
To develop the process of empowerment the CEP works to build greater cooperation and sharing between all community groups working in the area and between local people so that there is an agreed approach to community work and to assist with the implementation of a community led strategy. The CEP also works closely with local political representatives that serve the community.
As part of this cooperative approach the CEP is striving to develop more effective working relationships with statutory and other external agencies in order to improve services for local people. This includes, housing and redevelopment, cleansing and rubbish disposal, environment and recycling, physical appearance and regeneration, health and well being, training and education, employment, arts, youth provision, childcare services, welfare advice and counselling, parks and leisure, graffiti and litter, inter-face issues. The CEP is also working to develop a strategy that will tackle issues of vandalism and community safety.
There are weekly CEP meetings every Friday that are open to all CEP groups. The CEP works with local and mainstream media to promote the area positively and to raise all issues of concern. To further build awareness about the needs, issues and concerns affecting the local community the CEP hosts visits from various people active in the political, statutory, business and community sectors.
The following details provide an example of just some of the activities organised by the CEP.
- Community consultation and planning exercises leading to a strategic community plan called 'A Way Forward'.
- Setting up of 6 community focus groups to put plans into operation.
- Physical surveys
- Community volunteering.
- Information provision through community magazines, community directory, posters and leaflets
- Working and lobbying with a range of statutory and external agencies to improve local community services
- Graffiti and litter clean- ups
- Improved Street Cleansing
- Removal of shopping trolleys that blight the area
- Provision of community rubbish skips.
- Increased litterbin provision.
- Improved street lighting
- Regeneration of North Queen St. Park (ongoing)
- Redevelopment of West Link Walkway.
- Redevelopment of Donore Court / Hartwell St. triangle due to commence. (Oct 2006)
- Redevelopment of Carlisle play park due to commence. (Oct 2006)
- Provision of education and training courses that have benefited 500 local people
- Promotion of recycling schemes such as the Kerby Box system
- Childcare facilities provided by organisations working within the CEP have benefited the parents of over 1,000 children.
- Joint projects with local primary schools relating to community safety, health and well-being and environmental awareness.
- Community murals and mosaics
- Art, dance and carnival workshops
- Establishment of a Youth Providers’ Forum representing all youth organisations in the area that works with hundreds of young people
The CEP has promoted and supported community inclusion days and celebratory events attended by thousands of people. The following are only some examples:
- Disability Awareness,
- Health and Well Being
- Community Safety
- Environmental Improvement
- Open Spaces Planning
- Suicide and Self Harm
- Drugs and Alcohol Abuse
- Cancer Awareness
- Multi-Cultural Celebration Day
- Anti-Racism/Anti- Sectarianism Workshops
- Public Meetings on Inter-Face Issues
- Girdwood/Crumlin Jail Development
- Job Fairs
- Big Breakfast
- Clean Sweep Project
- Training and Education Open Days
- Community Festival
- 'Hold On' Stage Play
- Xmas Factor
- Carnival and Fun Day
- Fashion Shows
- Lark in the Park
- Halloween Festival
- Youth Juries
- Celebrate New Lodge
- Channel 4 Big Art Project
- New Lodge Beach Project