Making Connections, Making Change
After over a year of campaigning, action taking, and change making, last week Act Now held our first ever Member Meet-up!
Act Now launched in March 2020, at the start of a year of isolation, hardship and loss for many. But it was also a year when time and again, all kinds of people from across Northern Ireland came together and made positive change happen in our communities. [1]
As a community we fought and won campaigns against big business and racial injustice and for abortion care and our health service workers.
In a year that’s been short on opportunities for connection, the time was right for us to meet some of the people we’ve been campaigning alongside, to have conversations about ourselves, and our dreams for this place we all call home.
We took an hour to meet up, learn about each other and talk about what makes us hopeful. Some of the comments are below.
What makes Act Now members hopeful?
“When I am talking with people who want to make this world a better place, it makes me hopeful about what we can do together.”
“People are more open to conversations and more working together. The same old, same old isn’t working”.
“So much brings me hope, the sun rising, a butterfly in the garden, a smile from a random stranger.”
“The kindness and generosity of neighbours as the year unfolded”.
Relationships and Change
But the truth is, HOW we make change is just as important as our results.
Our 20,000 strong community comes from all kinds of backgrounds, ages, and political beliefs. We transcend these every day, to take action together on the issues that will move all of us into a brighter future.
Relationships are vital to making change. We know that coming together with no particular agenda, whether it’s in a cafe, a pub or a virtual space - that’s where the magic happens. We find out what has happened to us, what is important to us, and how we can pool our resources to change the things we can’t accept.
We’re a new community - but we do hard things
There was another reason why it was important to connect.
A few weeks back, after a week of the most serious violence on the streets of Northern Ireland that we’ve experienced in years - petrol bombs and masonry were thrown at police just yards from where I sit [2] - I reached out to Act Now members.
I wanted to know how people in the Act Now community were feeling, and what we thought should be done in response.
Hundreds of us responded, and what you said was full of wisdom and insight [3].
“I’m feeling negative, worried, fed up etc. but I know the only way out of this is through hard work, motivation and determination” (Member comment)
Of course many of us are frustrated and anxious about the future. But here’s the thing: We showed by our comments that we know there is no simple fix here. The communities that suffered the most deaths in the conflict were the poorest, and they still are. [4] For too many, the peace process has delivered very little. And all the while shiny buildings are built, and well paid jobs are created that are quite simply out of reach.
Act Now is a new community, but it’s already clear we’re not afraid to do hard things.
Every time we take action - we are building this place into one where our children can thrive and live meaningful lives.
“I lived through it, I don’t want my own children and grandchildren to have to.” (Member comment)
That’s the work of building peace.
NOTES:
[1] https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/reinstate-the-fracking-ban-in-fermanagh https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/the-north-is-now-commission-abortion-care-for-northern-ireland
https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/stop-discriminatory-policing-of-black-lives-matter
[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-56675894 https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/violence-in-northern-ireland-it-s-worse-now-than-when-it-was-in-the-troubles-1.4532953
[3] 47% of us said we felt worried, (9%) felt tired and 28% felt just plain fed up. 39% of us said we needed to do more on poverty and inequality and 29% called for more work on integrated schools.
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/aug/28/northern-ireland-peace-poverty-ira-ceasefire
