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Staff members

Ashiah Cackowska - Project Development Worker - Craigavon Area

Ashiah's background is in teaching and she has worked for many years with children and young people both in Poland and Northern Ireland.  She has vast experience in the field and over the last 2 years has worked closely with several community organisations including Craigavon Intercultural Programme and Beyon Skin, as well as with schools assisting BME Children with culture and language. 

She is also an artist and has used music and other art forms to address issues around racism and sectarianism, as well as to promote cultural awareness and to celebrate unity in diversity.

Board Member - Ann Godfrey - Children's Services Planning

Ann is a Children's Services Planner, Southern Area Children and Young People's Committee.  Health and Social Care Board.

Children's Services Planning is the multi-agency strategic planning process for addressing the needs of vulnerable children and young people in Northern Ireland.  In the Southern Area it is overseen by the Southern Area Children and Young People's Committee.  Ann has co-ordinated the planning process for the last 12 years.  The planning process includes a BME Working Group, which Ann has supported, and which developed the BELONG Programme.

Ann is a social worker by background, has led childcare training programmes, and founded the Community Sector Training Project, which provides training for community groups on child protection and good practice, and health and well-being issues.

 www.southernareacsp.n-i.nhs.uk/

Board Member - Fergal O'Brien - Southern Health and Social Care Trust

Fergal is currently the Promoting Well Being Manager within the Southern Health and Social Care Trust.

He is trained as a social worker and practice teacher with over 5 years experience of Community Arts and Traveller work in the community sector, community development and management roles.

He is currently responsible for the management of 15 staff within a range of areas including; Black and Minority Ethnic Communities including Travellers, Volunteering, Sexual Health, Drugs and Alcohol, Mental Health, Carers, Community Development, Smoking Cessation and Student Placements. 

www.promotingwellbeing.info/home.html

Board Member - Kieran Shields - Adviser: Equality, Rights & Social Inclusion. Southern Education and Library Board (SELB)

Kieran is responsible for the management of the Equality, Rights and Social Inclusion Unit which manages the youth education element of the European Union’s Peace and Reconciliation Programme in Northern Ireland. Kieran has worked in the public, private and voluntary/community sectors with over 20 years experience of community development, urban and rural regeneration, peace-building and youth education.

As the Board’s Equality Manager Kieran is also responsible for the development of equality policies and practices. Apart from their social inclusion work the Unit also helps to develop support programmes for Black and Minority Ethnic communities including management of the Traveller Education Support Service. Kieran works with a range of external funding partners including Atlantic Philanthropies, the Big Lottery Fund and Neighbourhood Renewal to manage funding in support of youth education social inclusion projects.

Kieran also manages the Extended Schools programme and serves on a number of Boards including the Southern Cluster Peace 3 Partnership and the Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships in Armagh and Newry. He is currently undertaking Doctoral Research into the educational experiences of Traveller children for a Doctorate in Childhood Studies at Queen’s University, Belfast.

kieran.shields@selb.org

www.selb.org

Board Member - Mary Yarr - Inclusion and Diversity Service

Mary is a Regional Advisor with the Inclusion and Diversity Service.  Mary leads a team of advisory officers who support schools in providing for the needs of Newcomer pupils across Northern Ireland.  They offer advice and support to nurseries, primary, post primary and special schools.  The also advise classroom assistants and boards of governors.  They provide an interpreting service for schools.

www.education-support.org.uk/ids