In the spotlight is Cecilia Heron, Good Relations Arts Worker at New Lodge Arts
What is your job?
I am mainly responsible for delivering a calendar of events designed to promote greater brand awareness as well as cross-community participation. Some of the bigger festivals I deliver include Celebrate North Belfast, North Belfast Lantern Parade and North Belfast Winter Fest. I find it to be hugely enjoyable and rewarding work as it makes a real difference to many members of our community. To a greater degree, my job is about meeting people, engaging with them and being open to collaboration and partnership.
What does a cross-community organisation like yours do?
New Lodge Arts believes that community empowerment and engagement can be achieved through arts and cultural activities, so we deliver a year-round programme of arts activities in partnership with local community and youth groups. Our programmes focus on providing an enjoyable, creative learning environment where the interests and needs of children and young people are central. We have a range of funders on board to help including the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council, Children In Need, OFMDFM, Bombardier and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
How did you get there?
I started off working with New Lodge Arts a few years back in administration and finance. I got to see the positive impact our organisation was making in the area and that persuaded me that my long-term future lay in community work. Over the years, demand for our services increased markedly and similarly my role has grown at the same time. There was clearly a great need for good relations events in north Belfast and we have done everything we can to meet needs and improve outcomes for people in the area.
Do you have a typical working day?
The nature of the work we do means no two days are ever the same. There is always a mix of strategic issues that need to be addressed like site visits, meetings with funders and community groups in addition to dealing with ongoing, everyday stuff like delivering arts workshops, engaging with young people and visiting schools.
What qualifications do you have?
In addition to an NVQ Level 3 in Management and another in Common Purpose Management, I am in the process of doing an OCN in youth work. The great thing about my role is that qualifications are not the be all and end all. A key requirement for my role is simply being comfortable with engaging and empathising with people from a diverse range of backgrounds.
What other skills do you need in your role?
I need to wear various different hats daily as every situation requires a different approach. It is vitally important to communicate clearly, to be self-confident and most importantly to be extremely well organised. At our last significant event, the North Belfast Lantern Parade, I was also interviewed for television which was a new challenge. However, I found it rewarding as it highlighted our work to a wider audience and hopefully conveyed the passion I have for my job.
What is the best thing about your job?
I really like the people I work with and collaborating with groups across the community. There is a great feeling of togetherness in the team when you set your goals and work collectively towards achieving them. The most rewarding thing of all is working with young people and seeing them gain confidence, develop new skills and make new friendships often in such a short space of time.
And the worst?
The most challenging side of the job is getting the work-life balance right. When a festival is on the horizon you simply have to be prepared to make a few sacrifices and be content to work the extra hours required to get the job done. The pay-off is seeing how much benefit young people and the community derive from what we do so it makes it all worth it.
What are you working on right now?
While it looks some way off at the moment, planning will soon be getting under way for this year’s North Belfast Lantern Parade. This is now an annual cross-community event which is designed for all children, young people and families in the area. It takes place in the autumn and has been growing year-on-year. Our 2012 parade was attended by more than 4,000 people and involved young people from 26 community centres and 13 schools across north Belfast. We are hoping to create something bigger and better this year so planning needs to get under way soon to guarantee a successful day.
What advice would you give someone considering a career in your profession?
I would urge anyone to find their local community group, to go along and simply get involved. Community work is enormously rewarding and can help facilitate a wide range of possible career paths. So my best advice would be for people to just get involved, give up some time and see what type of work they gravitate towards. There is also the personal gain of helping members of your own community which creates its own rewards.
What does the future hold?
I am very pleased with the work that we do and the positive effects our work has had on community relations. Next year is our 10th anniversary and I am sure New Lodge Arts will continue to grow and deliver community-based arts programmes for the community in north Belfast and far beyond.
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