New Common Charter supporter profile: Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network

NIRWN was established in September 2006 to promote and support rural women in rural Northern Ireland, and Chief Executive Louise Coyle has worked in the organisation since its inception.

A membership-based organisation, NIRWN’s vision is ‘an equitable society where rural women are visible, influential and valued’.

Women’s Spaces Co-ordinator is Charmain Jones: she is a member of the NI Women’s Spaces team which recently launched a digital toolkit on women’s activism in Northern Ireland: Pillars for Peace-Building. Find out about it here.

Nicola McGuinness, has joined the team as Animate-Build-Connect (ABC) Programme Co-ordinator. It offers tailored support, mentoring, training and workshops to membership groups, and a £1,000 participation contribution to support community-led growth.

Paula McAliskey is the Engagement Officer supporting rural women’s groups and helping them advocate on issues. NIRWN is a partner in the Women Breaking Barriers Project offering education and employability support for rural women who would like to move into employment.

It is a partner in the Raise Your Voice Project working collectively to tackle sexual harassment and sexual violence across Northern Ireland:

To become a member, or learn more about the organisation’s activities, contact Teresa McKernan (Membership and Support Coordinator) by email: teresa@nirwn.org

The New Common Charter for Cooperation aims to empower civic society to drive cooperation, North-South and East-West, by

• increasing opportunities to share information, knowledge of policy and best-practice within and across these islands
• improving policy-making by matching it to realities on the ground
• identifying cross-border opportunities to collaborate to solve shared problems or exploit common resources
• engaging with and supporting human rights, particularly for the most isolated and marginalised in our communities, and
• facilitating the exploration and celebration of a community’s culture and heritage with a view to future cooperation.

The Charter may be able to help your group – find out about the membership benefits here.