Our vision: Equal Participation and opportunity for people in social, cultural and economic life.
Our Mission: To develop our community and people through education, build connection and inclusion, and empower people to have fulfilling lives.
Our Values:
We are...
Kind & Respectful
We are kind to one another and to those we engage with in the community and in our daily work. We show respect in how we overcome challenges together and we look out for one another.
Welcoming & Collaborative
We recognise the importance of being collaborative, making connections, being opening to work with others and achieving progress together. We create a safe space in our community and we work hard to be inclusive of others.
Innovative & Accountable
We recognise the responsibility and privilege we have to work in this community. We work hard to ensure we are a trusted institution both in our community and in our sector. To do this, we demonstrate integrity and transparency in how we work. We recognise that it is important to continue to adapt, innovate and improve so we are always seeking to be better as individuals and as an organisation.
Our History
The North Wall CDP, formerly the North Wall Women’s Centre (NWWC), was established in 1985 by a group of local women. They wanted a meeting place in the area, a safe space where they could get support and learning. The centre offered training to fill in educational gaps i.e. Junior Cert Maths and English, and basic computer skills. It also set up a drama group as a fun way to build the women's self-confidence.
Clip to RTE documentary: ‘Women of Sheriff Street’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9oCGYP01yY
Over the years, the NWWC saw the need to reach out to the broader community. It also wanted to provide a strong perspective on women’s issues, child welfare and social exclusion, and to facilitate interagency solutions rather than focus on single-issue perspectives and single-agency solutions.
Our centre is still based in Lower Sheriff Street, Dublin 1, in the heart of Dublin’s North East Inner City. We have helped open unofficial channels of communication, providing insights into the problems that confront our local community. This has improved cooperation between agencies and communities, increasing mutual understanding. In this role, we have helped make this area a more enjoyable place to live.
We have grown in strength and North Wall Community Development Project, as we are now called, is recognised as a valuable resource in Dublin's North Inner City, particularly in community development. Today we are an organisation that contributes in practical ways to the development of the area and the productive lives of local people. Our services include:
- A community crèche that facilitates families and working parents, in particular, to avail of work and training. We are fully compliant with TUSLA, which has boosted morale amongst the staff.
- Community Employment (CE) schemes and Sub-sponsorships with groups such as the International Institute of European Affairs (IIEA), Friends of the Elderly. Cairde and Outhouse.
- Encouraging personal development, Education and qualifications
- Providing accredited Training that is aligned with the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). We carefully design courses to meet the needs of participants and address skill gaps in the labour market.
Our Future
In the future years, we will continue to serves the North Wall local community and progress our objectives to:
- Become a centre of excellence in the field of community-based education and training
- Work with people in the community in supporting them to reach their full potential
- Provide support, resources and opportunities which will help improve quality of life
- Provide structures and systems that will break down barriers of isolation and social exclusion
- Ensure that all our initiatives have an anti-poverty focus
- Actively encourage and promote local participation and promote local participation and ownership of the North Wall CDP
- Build the capacity of local people so that they can play a leadership role within the community and broader area.
Our Governance
NWCDP is governed by a Board (CLG) that has an elected board of Directors. The Board is regulated by the Chairperson and all employees are accountable to the Board through the General Manager. We are Fully Compliant with the Charity Regulator governance code.