We were delighted to welcome more than 30 participants to our webinar to present and discuss the Ballymun declaration as part of our wider VEEP (Voice Equality Experience Power) initiative. The Ballymun Declaration presents a call for a new approach to mental health, focusing on community development and rights-based principles instead of a medical-centric model.
Over the past year, CDHN staff and Board members have taken time to reflect on our journey, the impact of our work, and our aspirations for the future.
Through thoughtful engagement with our members and partners, we’ve developed a bold and values-led Draft Strategic Plan for 2025–2030, guided by our mission, vision, and core values.
Community Development and Health Network (CDHN) is proud to announce the launch of the Common Ground Leadership Programme, a bold new initiative designed to strengthen leadership in community development and health equity across Northern Ireland and Scotland.
CDHN are excited to announce the launch of our Community Development Practitioners Forum – a new online community of practice for anyone using community development approaches to address health inequalities across Northern Ireland.
The Public Health Agency (PHA) and the Community Development and Health Network (CDHN) are pleased to announce that the Elevate Community Mentoring and Grants Programme 2025-26 is now open for applications.
CDHN and our partners in Community Work Ireland were delighted to facilitate a North South exchange visit to Derry/Londonderry as part of the Voice Equality Experience Power initiative, supported by Shared Island Civic Fund. The exchange brought together a diverse group of community workers, mental health practitioners, people with living experience of mental health issues and academics from right across Ireland.
Mentee groups from across Northern Ireland gathered in Portadown to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the Elevate Community Mentoring and Grants Programme, a Public Health Agency (PHA)-funded initiative that continues to support grassroots responses to health inequalities.
Thirteen new voluntary and community sector appointments to the Joint Forum Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Panel for the 2024-27 term of the Joint Government and Voluntary Sector Forum have recently been confirmed.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has visited The Link in Newtownards to see first-hand the benefits of a project delivering local health programmes that address health inequalities.
The third webinar in the Voice, Equality, Experience, and Power (VEEP) series brought together experts and practitioners to explore the transformative potential of Open Dialogue and its role as a methodology in community development, mental health recovery, and fostering genuine connections between services, users, and families. We were delighted to welcome 70 participants from across the island and from a range of backgrounds including statutory services, community and voluntary sector organisations, services users, and carers and family members of service users.
