A Northern Ireland charity is working to tackle division through grassroots support and long-term relationship building.
Katherine Murphy, CEO of Building Communities Resource Centre, says real change happens not through short-term initiatives but through consistent engagement.
"Peacebuilding is not just a six-week programme,” she said.
“It’s through those relationships, and over those cups of tea, that you start to see change happen.”
Ms Murphy, who took up her role in 2024, comes from a background in social work but said she quickly realised her passion lay in the community and voluntary sector.
“I feel like that is where you actually see real change and impact in real people’s lives, individually, in communities and in groups,” she said.
BCRC, which was established in 2001, works across the Causeway Coast and Glens, Antrim, Derry and Strabane areas of Northern Ireland.
“Our core purpose is supporting local groups and individuals across the area,” Ms Murphy explained. “Ultimately, we are here for all of the community.”
BCRC offers classes and mentoring for volunteers (Photo by BCRC)A key focus of the organisation’s work is addressing division and disconnection, which Ms Murphy says still exists across all of society.
To address this, BCRC provides training and practical support to volunteers and groups, helping them turn ideas into action.
Among its many programmes, the BCRC has supported a group of older women living with arthritis, helping them secure funding to run educational events for those affected by the condition and their carers in rural areas.
In another example, an over 55s group has transformed a local community hall.
“They have over 100 people coming together every Friday in a very rural area which is just incredible,” Ms Murphy said.
The organisation also runs programmes aimed at fostering inclusion and understanding, including its Peace Circles women’s project and initiatives supporting ethnic minorities, refugees and asylum seekers.
“We provide language classes as well and really try to integrate them positively into communities,” Ms Murphy said.
Bringing people together (Photo by BCRC)Feedback from people in the area shows the impact of these programmes.
One training participant said: “I found the training to be incredibly valuable.”
Another beneficiary described the experience as “an incredible group of people with a shared interest in building a more inclusive and progressive society”.
But Ms Murphy knows that challenges remain, particularly around funding and growing tensions within communities.
“It’s very hard to forward plan when you rely on government funding.”
She also pointed to a rise in mistrust and anger, including recent protests and unrest.
“It’s not always easy,” she said. “We’ve recently seen the riots and the protests that are happening and continue to happen across the community.”
“We need to understand that ultimately the anger that people are showing to our ethnic communities and our newcomers is coming from a place of unmet needs.”
Ms Murphy said addressing those underlying issues, including healthcare, mental health and unemployment, is key to building lasting peace.
“There is a real hard piece of work that needs to happen,” she said.
Despite the challenges, she remains optimistic about the role communities can play in driving positive change.
As one participant in the organisation’s programmes put it: “If we could spread love as quickly as we spread hate and negativity, what an amazing world we could live in.”
And for Building Communities Resource Centre, that change begins at a local level, one conversation and cup of tea at a time.
A thanks you to the Volunteers of BCRC (Photo by BCRC)Everything from irishpost.com and the print edition is available on the Irish Post App — plus more! Download it for Android or Apple IOS devices today
