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2007
EQUAL NI Conferences |
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EQUAL
POLICY FORUM
Diversifying the
Workplace: Strategies for Empowerment
and Inclusion
FOLLOW-UP MEETING, London
16 June 2008
At
the Policy Forum in Belfast in November
2007, both the Commission and the
Steering Group recognised that,
while much had been achieved, there
was still work to be done, and with
the Commission’s encouragement,
we are considering the possibility
of bidding for a Community of Practice,
focusing on empowerment, if and
when the funding becomes available.
In
the meantime, we are planning one
final review of the achievements
of the Policy Forum.
We
are hoping to expand the group of
Member States which might be interested
in working with us on a potential
Community of Practice, on the
theme of Diversity and Empowerment.
This was one important aspect of
the work undertaken at the Policy
Forum, where presentations to policymakers
by participants from diverse disadvantaged
backgrounds, and from employers,
emerged as an extremely powerful
communication tool.
For
further information, please contact
Ms
Brita Terpe*
by clicking on the name or calling
+44.(0)28.9037 1027.
EQUAL
POLICY FORUM
Diversifying the
Workplace: Strategies for Empowerment
and Inclusion
Wellington Park Hotel, Belfast
November 29 - 30 2007
The EQUAL Policy Forum
took place in the Wellington Park Hotel, Belfast from 29 to 30
November 2007, and built on the foundations established at the
preceding EQUAL Exchange Event (please see below) which was held
in Belfast on 13 June 2007. The working language was English.
The Policy
Forum brought together a number of beneficiaries from EQUAL DPs,
policy makers and employers from across the European Union with
the aim of presenting good practice emerging from EQUAL. We hoped
to convince employers to adopt these promising practices and to
persuade policy makers to use EQUAL outcomes to help develop their
policies.
The Policy
Forum was intended to be highly participatory and the majority of
the time was spent in Workshop discussions on the following three
themes:
1. Beneficiaries;
2. Employers; and
3. Policy Makers and Bridge Builders.
A preliminary article
on the Forum is available on the European Commission's EQUAL website
in English
*. A further full report will be available in due course in 2008.
EQUAL
Policy Forum Steering Group Members:
- Dr
Depasquale, Helga, Managing Authority, Malta
- Ms Deschrijvere, Liezelotte, National Support Structure,
Belgium-NL
- Ms Dunlop, Edyth, Northern Ireland Union for Supported
Employment, UK-NI
- Mr Donnelly, Pat, National Support Structure, UK-NI
- Mr Gillespie, Owen, Managing Authority, UK-NI
- Ms Haddock, Margaret, European Union for Supported Employment,
UK-NI
- Mr Howell, Martin, Business in the Community, UK-NI
- Ms Jansone, Antra, Managing Authority, Latvia
- Mr Lohiniva, Risto, European Commission
- Ms Milca, Elita, Managing Authority, Latvia
- Dr Neill, John, Managing Authority, UK-NI
- Ms Nunes, Maria do Carmo, Managing Authority, Portugal
- Ms Platsouka, Elissavet, European Commission
- Mr Reilly, Declan, Managing Authority, UK-NI
- Ms Vale, Ana, Managing Authority, Portugal
This event was part-financed
by the European Social Fund under the EQUAL Community Initiative
Programme, the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern
Ireland and Belfast City Council.
To view an interactive
report of the Policy Forum Report ** (PDF format, 2.17
MB) please click
here.
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EQUAL
EXCHANGE EVENT
EQUALising the Workplace – Diversity in Action
Waterfront Hall, Belfast
June 13 2007
The EQUAL Exchange Event
took place in the Waterfront Hall, Belfast on 13 June 2007. The
conference built the foundations for a subsequent EQUAL Policy Forum
to be held, again in Belfast, from November 29-30 2007. The working
language for both is English.
The Exchange Event was
organised in conjunction with the 8th European Union of Supported
Employment (EUSE) Conference, and brought together a number of EQUAL
DPs and EUSE members, working in the field of diversity, to:
- Agree on those most
promising practices that have been successfully tested in EQUAL,
which are of relevance to decision makers in the fields of social
and vocational integration and, of course, have something positive
to offer to employers
- Lay the foundations
for the Policy Forum in November 2007, with a view to convincing
employers to adopt these promising practices and to persuade decision
makers to use EQUAL outcomes to help develop their policies
The Exchange Event was
intended to be highly participatory and the majority of the time
was spent in Workshop discussions on the following three themes
under the “Diversity” umbrella:
1. Empowerment
of Vulnerable Groups
2. Working with Employers
3. Building the Bridges (between vulnerable groups and employers,
through the intervention of a range of agencies and services that
are concerned with the integration of disadvantaged groups)
This event was part-financed
by the European Social Fund under the EQUAL Community Initiative
Programme and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern
Ireland.
To view a print version
of the Exchange Event Report ** (PDF format, 708 KB)
please click
here. An interactive version of this report will be available
shortly.
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