U.S. and Northern Ireland Women Leaders Develop Common Policy Goals

In late September, the Center for Policy Alternatives led a diverse, bipartisan delegation of 12 U.S. women leaders to Belfast, Northern Ireland for a training program. The CPA delegation was led by three leaders in CPA’s network: Illinois State Representative Rosemary Mulligan (Flemming Fellow ’94), Maine State Senator Chellie Pingree (Flemming Fellow ’96) and Florida State Representative Beryl Roberts.

In Belfast, the delegation exchanged strategies to increase women’s leadership and participation in political and policy arenas with 80 women political and community leaders. The program focused on developing policy goals and implementation strategies, assessing resources and building communications skills and messages.

Many of the Northern Ireland delegates work directly in communities, where a prevalent economic development strategy is building women’s centers. Women’s centers provide education and training that ranges from print and computer literacy to microenterprise development programs. They also offer legal, child care and food services to the women and their families in the community.

These centers are important community economic development tools. They are often one of the largest community employers, committed to providing jobs and raising the standard of living in areas where unemployment rates are as high as 47%. Not only are community residents employed by the centers, they also serve on the institutions’ management boards-providing management training and confidence to a wider circle of women.

While these centers face a daily struggle to be self-sustaining, they are cornerstones of communities often severely economically depressed and just beginning to rebuild after decades of conflict.

The CPA training helped leaders of the women’s centers and other community organizations, elected leaders and party activists to define common goals and identify ways in which they could work together. In Northern Ireland, women are leading the way in inclusive, sustainable policy strategies to strengthen families and communities as well as the national economy.