Education

Quite quickly it became obvious that cross border participation and protestant engagement was not what it should be. Talking to individual women and women’s groups it was ascertained that this was due to a number of factors that are as follows:

• Fear of participation on a cross border basis or the other community
• Transport
• Desire to have localised services

So then, how did the SLWC begin to address these issues?

Firstly a satellite network of outreach centres was established whereby the following organisations agreed to recruit women to participate on courses to be delivered locally.

• Manorcunningham Development Association
• St Johnston / Carrigans Resource Centre
• Raphoe Family Resource Centre
• Garvetagh Women’s Group
• Sawel Women’s Group
• Strabane & District Women’s Together

This remedied two of their major concerns. To address the 3rd and last concern it was determined that work needed to be done with the women in their local communities and support and information needed to be accessible at that point of contact and nowhere else at that time. To this end the SLWC decided to establish a Strabane & District Women’s Network in 2007.

To date the level of participation has been increased to 70% from the Strabane District and 30% from the south of Ireland. It is appreciated that there is a long way to go but working in partnership with other community providers will secure cross border and cross community participation and that the centre goes back to the ownership of the women as it should be.

4E’s
Engagement, Education, Empowerment and Employment for the excluded across the Strabane District

 

What does this mean?

Do you want to gain skills that will help you find real employment ?

Do you want to learn in a friendly supportive environment?

Do you want to get qualifications and learn in a way that is suited to you and at a pace that you feel comfortable with?

What is the 4E’s Project?

The 4 E’s project will provide

educational support to adults who are long term unemployed or have suffered from mild mental health difficulties or who may have difficulties reading and writing.

The project will provide one to one

support if necessary, tailored training and educational programmes and

provide participants with access to

various accredited Open College

Network courses. This will all assist

participants to apply for positions with local employers such as:-

Allstate Technology

ASDA

Supervalu

O’Neill’s Sportswear

Fir Trees Hotel

The Programme will last for 9 months and you will be expected to attend for 10 to 16 hours a week.

Open College Network Qualifications

Participants will have access to the following Open College Network qualifications;

OCN in Information Technology

OCN Personal Development

Specialist Programmes depending on

career path chosen

OCN Customer Care

OCN Retail Studies

Health and Wellbeing

The project also has a health element where local people will be trained as community peer health workers. These participants will also have access to various qualifications.

These health workers will then go to local communities and provide health information sessions.

Participants will gain the following

qualifications;

OCN Health and Wellbeing

OCN Facilitation Skills

OCN Personal Development

Awareness of physical, mental and emotional health

Alternative therapies

4 E’s Partnership is led by the Strabane & Lifford Women’s Centre in partnership with the following organisations:

Community Sector

Koram Centre

Educational Guidance Service for Adults

Statutory Sector

Western Health and Social Care Trust

Strabane Local Strategy Partnership

Strabane Local Stakeholders Forum

Western Investing for Health

Strabane District Council

Private Sector

Allstate Technology

ASDA

Supervalu

O’Neill’s Sportswear

Fir Trees Hotel

This is a proactive programme that will

provide training opportunities for both men and women in Strabane

 

Strabane and Lifford Women’s

Centre have employed the following staff to work on this project

 

Ms. Patricia Hegarty

Manager

 

Mr. Gerard McWilliams

Training

Co-ordinator

 

Mr. Neil McBeth

Employment Support Co-ordinator

 

Ms. Martine La Fargue

Emotional

Support Co-ordinator

 

 

 

Should you wish to have further

information on this program please contact any of the above for an

 appointment.

 

Tel: 02871 886253