Cookstown District Council

Living in Cookstown

Community Services Unit

Welcome to Community Relations

'Cookstown District Council is committed to promoting the development of relationships within the District in a relevant and positive way'

The Community Relations programme concentrates resources on community relations’ projects, which are identified, promoted or developed by the Community Relations Officer in conjunction with local communities and or other statutory/voluntary agencies in the first instance, the Local Strategic Partnership.

These projects should have clear objectives and outputs and will demonstrate continuity and development. They will also address one or more of the identified high priorities defined by the Community Relations Unit. Examples of priorities include developing cross community contact in areas where there is an identified need, single identity work within the context of developing opportunities for groups to explore the cultural, religious or ethnic traditions within their own community as part of a programme, which increases their capacity to develop relationships outside their tradition, public events with a clear community relations focus, those which clearly address issues of cultural traditions, diversity, parades/protests, good quality community relations training and tackling contentious community relation issues.

Examples of projects which we intend to initiate, promote or develop include: those which increase peoples sense of their own identity and culture while recognising others are entitled to have the same rights; looking at the hard issues which face our District such as interface tension and violence and developing cross community contact on the basis that there are social issues which affect every community.

Other objectives include placing community relations at the heart of the Council’s ethos and practice and initiating, promoting and developing projects that locate community relations in an international context.

The Council regards community relations as a clear process of engagement and developing of understanding in and between communities that can lead to meaningful contact. The Council believes that the adoption of an integrated project/process led approach to community relations work that is focused and strategic will assist in achieving the aim of improving and developing relationships within the District.

Click here to view the Community Relations Operational Plan 2006/2007