Community-21 – a series of conversations reflecting on community work over Covid-19, funded by the Community Relations Council‘s Media Grant Scheme.
In a day and age where inter-generational squabbling – online and at home – has been booming (pun intended), Ena McTaggart has one simple message:
Generations need each other
I don’t think anything has proved that statement truer the pandemic itself. Ena, Chair of the Queens Park Women’s Group, has been at the forefront of inter-generational relationship-building, coinciding with her cross-community and cross-border work.
A 100% voluntary organisation, the Queens Park Women have established an inter-generational approach to solving problems in their estate and building the capacity of its community to address issues collaboratively and independently. She’s engaged her community in a range of courses, workshops and social gatherings to help people get to know each other better and work in sync when issues emerge.
Her work with young people in Queens Park has led her to engage them cross-communally and interculturally in workshops addressing:
- drugs and alcohol dependence
- anti-social behaviour
- building community through sport
- sexual education
She’s the first to admit that changes start with her generation – the generation which would have experienced the entirety of ‘The Troubles’.
We have a responsibility to our children and our grandchildren to lead by example. We want the promise of the Good Friday Agreement to survive us and our peace to continue to grow. We need to sort our mess so that our kids won’t have to spend their time cleaning up but thriving.
This determination towards a better future and empathy for others continued through the pandemic. Ena and her group – along with her friends at The Barron Hall – put together food parcels for vulnerable members of her community and beyond. She got out in the community, spoke to people (socially distanced, of course) who were isolated, and found innovative ways to help them.
Now that lockdown is (hopefully) continuing to ease, she’s ready to get the group back together and engaging with similar groups across and beyond NI. It’s safe to say that, Covid or not, Ena has stayed true to the example she aspires to and Northern Ireland – and certainly Queens Park – is a much better place with her paving a path forward for us all.