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Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action is the national infrastructure body for the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland. NICVA also hosts and manages several websites for Northern Ireland's voluntary and community sector online.
NICVA began its life in 1938 as the Northern Ireland Council for Social Services in response to high levels of unemployment in Northern Ireland. It championed a programme of social action through welfare clubs, youth hostel tours, YMCA summer camps and a committee for women.
In 1949, NICSS opened a home for the elderly on the Belmont Road in Belfast. Pine Lodge marked the Council's growing responsibility for projects tackling community social deprivation.
In 1986, NICSS changed its name to NICVA, the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action, in recognition of the expansion of the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland.
NICVA is a membership organisation which seeks to represent voluntary and community organisations throughout Northern Ireland.
NICVA works for justice, equality and dignity throughout society by promoting opportunities for community participation in the essential decisions that affect the lives of people in Northern Ireland.
In 2010-2011 NICVA is engaged in a 'Smart Solutions in Tough Times' campaign to ensure that voluntary and community organisations are not seen as an easy target for budget cuts that government departments may have to make.
Sites hosted and maintained by NICVA for the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland include: CommunityNI, A community site which allows the instant addition of news, jobs, opinions, events, or products and services, by registered users. GrantTracker: fundraising and funding news, including notice of applications open and closing deadlines, with search by criteria Sector Matters: a social enterprise providing business services to the voluntary and community sector and to small businesses.
NICVA runs a number of specific projects:
Vital Links: Launched in March 2010, to increase interaction and understanding between the key government and public institutions, the voluntary and community sector and foster and promote positive engagement.
Centre for Economic Empowerment: Launched in April 2011, to provide a platform for discussion, analysis and best practice approaches to economic and societal challenges.
CollaborationNI: Launched in January 2011, in partnership with C03 and Stellar Leadership, to deliver a partnerships, collaboration and mergers support programme to the Northern Ireland voluntary and community sector on behalf of the Building Change Trust, supported by the Department for Social Development
Community Leadership Programme: The International Fund for Ireland’s (IFI) Community Leadership Programme, delivered by NICVA, is a training and learning programme which aims to strengthen the leadership capacities of groups. Through increased leadership skills, the Programme aims to assist groups in the development of sustainable, social, economic and community relations regeneration in disadvantaged areas.
NICVA engages in the use of social media to promote its own work and that of the wider voluntary and community sector and has an established presence on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Kenneth Branagh became honorary president of NICVA in 2001, cementing a relationship of fifteen years.
Supporting NICVA helps it to support more than 5,000 other voluntary and community organisations in Northern Ireland through essential advice, training, information and policy work.
The Belfast born, Oscar nominated actor, writer and director has demonstrated his support for NICVA many times in the past; offering his new films for charity premieres, making personal visits to boost fundraising, and promoting the work of the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland.
The equivalent infrastructure and representative body for voluntary sector organisations in Wales is WCVA, in Scotland is the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, SCVO and in England is NCVO or National Council for Voluntary Organisations.
The voluntary sector, independent sector, or civic sector is the realm of social activity undertaken by organizations that are non-governmental nonprofit organizations. This sector is also called the third sector, community sector, and nonprofit sector, in contrast to the public sector and the private sector. Civic sector or social sector are other terms for the sector, emphasizing its relationship to civil society. Richard Cornuelle coined the term "independent sector" and was one of the first scholars to point out the vast impact and unique mechanisms of this sector. Given the diversity of organizations that comprise the sector, Peter Frumkin prefers "non-profit and voluntary sector".
The National Lottery Community Fund, legally named the Big Lottery Fund, is a non-departmental public body responsible for distributing funds raised by the National Lottery for "good causes". Since 2004 it has awarded over £9 billion to more than 130,000 projects in the UK.
The ULTACH Trust is a charitable trust established in 1989 aimed at promoting the Irish language in Northern Ireland. Its former director was Aodán Mac Póilin and is now Róise Ní Bhaoill.
The economy of Northern Ireland is the smallest of the four constituents of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland previously had a traditionally industrial economy, most notably in shipbuilding, rope manufacture and textiles, but most heavy industry has since been replaced by services.
Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) is a type of organisation in England - "the place at which local voluntary and community organisations speak to each other". They offer a wide variety of services and support for other local organisations, for example training, or advice on funding.
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector in England. It is a registered charity. NCVO works to support the voluntary and community sector and to create an environment in which an independent civil society can flourish. NCVO has a membership of more than 14,000 voluntary organisations. These range from large national bodies to community groups, volunteer centres, and development agencies working at a local level.
The Washington-Ireland Program for Service and Leadership (WIP) is a six-month program of personal and professional development that brings university students from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to Washington, DC for summer internships and leadership training. The program begins and ends with practical service in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It was originally called The Young Leaders Program.
Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) is the national membership organisation for the third sector and volunteering in Wales. Its aim is to work towards 'A future where the third sector and volunteering thrive across Wales, improving wellbeing for all'.
Community education, also known as community-based education or community learning & development, is an organization's programs to promote learning and social development work with individuals and groups in their communities using a range of formal and informal methods. A common defining feature is that programmes and activities are developed in dialogue with communities and participants. The purpose of community learning and development is to develop the capacity of individuals and groups of all ages through their actions, the capacity of communities, to improve their quality of life. Central to this is their ability to participate in democratic processes.
The Wheel is a support and representative network for the community and voluntary sector in Ireland. It is a charitable organisation, registered with the Charities Regulator in Ireland.
The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland is the independent regulator of Northern Ireland charities. It was established in 2009 under the Charities Act (NI) 2008.
ARC Association for Real Change is a UK membership organisation, which supports providers of services to people with a learning disability.
The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust is an independent, endowed charitable trust based in Scotland that operates throughout Great Britain and Ireland. Originally established with an endowment from Andrew Carnegie in his birthplace of Dunfermline, it is incorporated by a royal charter and shares purpose-built premises with the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust, and the Carnegie Hero Fund Trust.
Co-operation Ireland is a non-political and non-denominational charity dedicated to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Much of Co-operation Ireland's work focuses on bringing the two main communities in Northern Ireland together through programmes such as the Civic-Link programme.
Age NI is a registered charity in Northern Ireland, formed in April 2009, which combines the operations of the previously separate charities Age Concern NI and Help the Aged in Northern Ireland to form Northern Ireland's largest charity for older people. The charity operated under its original charity names as "Age Concern NI and Help the Aged in Northern Ireland" until the new brand launch on 26 March 2010. It also works interdependently with charities for the nations called Age Cymru, Age Scotland and Age UK.
PLACE Built Environment Centre was a non-profit architecture organisation located in Belfast, Northern Ireland from 2004 to 2019. It ran a public programme of events and exhibitions in Belfast, Derry and other towns and cities in Northern Ireland. It ran education projects in schools and community participation projects in local neighbourhoods. The vision statement of PLACE was "a better place to live, work and play, inspired by communities making a difference." PLACE is an acronym for Planning, Landscape, Architecture, Community and Environment.
Relief International is a humanitarian non-profit agency that provides emergency relief, economic rehabilitation, development assistance, and programme services to vulnerable communities worldwide. Relief International UK is non-political and non-sectarian in its mission. It is based in Washington, D.C. and in London.
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership body for Scotland’s charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. SCVO works to support people to take voluntary action to help themselves and others, and to bring about social change. It provides services and support to the third sector in Scotland to advance shared values and interests. SCVO has approximately 1,900 members, ranging from individuals and grassroots groups, to Scotland-wide organisations and intermediary bodies. The organisation employs approximately 100 staff.
Tina McKenzie is a business executive and former politician from Belfast in Northern Ireland.
The 2021 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations at the start of January and those for 2021 were announced on 30 December 2020.
