Equality For All Campaign 2010 - 2011 

This is a generic campaign developed to promote ´Equality for All´, which was the key theme of the ECNI Corporate Plan 2006-2009 and continues to underpin the 2009/2012 Corporate Plan, ´Reaching out to the Whole Community´. The campaign was initiated in 2007 to coincide with the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All and is now in its fourth year.

The objectives of the campaign are to promote greater public understanding of the equality legislation, across all of the grounds covered, and to publicise the role and the work of the Equality Commission. There is also a specific focus on raising awareness of rights amongst groups at risk of discrimination and on promoting understanding of equality and diversity issues amongst young people.

The campaign also aims to increase access to the Commission´s services by raising general awareness of rights and responsibilities in relation to equality across the whole community.

The key messages of the campaign are:

1. Everyone has the right to enjoy equal treatment and a life free from discrimination.
2. The equality legislation protects all of us from discrimination across a range of protected grounds (age, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin - including being an Irish Traveller, religion or belief, political opinion, sex, married status, pregnancy/maternity, dependants, equal pay, gender reassignment, sexual orientation and disability).
3. The laws cover many aspects of our daily lives such as employment, training, education, housing, the delivery of goods, facilities and services and the impact of policies of public sector organisations.
4. The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland has overall responsibility for the legislation and has a wide range of functions including the provision of information, advice and assistance to people who they believe they may have been discriminated against.
5. While discrimination has a negative impact on individuals and groups within our society, there are many benefits to be gained by a society that respects difference and welcomes diversity.

We undertake a programme of events and activities, outreach and promotional work throughout the year designed to deliver these key messages.

General awareness raising

A range of media are being used to promote public awareness of the Commission and the equality legislation:

• A mixed-media advertising campaign will run throughout the year and may include
  • Bus advertising
  • Billboards
  • Newspapers, magazines, e-zine
  • Promotional materials etc
  • Use of on-line social media platforms.
    
    
• A series of Information Roadshows will be held at shopping centres throughout Northern Ireland. Staff will be available at these venues to provide information on the equality legislation and the Commission´s services.

  First Roadshow to be held at Connswater Shopping Centre, Belfast, Monday 28 June 2010.

  Further dates and venues to follow.

• "Know Your Rights"- a short leaflet outlining individuals´ rights under the equality legislation has been translated into a number of languages (Polish, Lithuanian, Slovakian, Chinese and Portuguese) and is now available to download from the Commission´s website.

Stakeholder engagement

Throughout the year we will be supporting and participating in a range of events and initiatives across the community. These include:

• Depression Aware Week, 26 April-1 May 2010 - supported the first year of this annual campaign organised by aware Defeat Depression:
  • Launch event - 22 April, Belfast City Hall
  • Depression Question time - 29 April, Stormont Long Gallery
  The purpose of the week is to change people´s minds about depression, raise public and political awareness of the condition, challenge myths and increase knowledge of the support services available to recover.
  
  
• Ability NI Disability Exhibition, 4 & 5 June 2010 - biannual event and largest disability exhibition in Northern Ireland which showcases a wide range of products for people with disabilities, their family and friends, carers and healthcare professionals.
  
  
• Carers Northern Ireland/ Equality Commission Booklet - The Commission has worked with Carers NI to produce a publication, ´A Picture of caring´, which profiles the role of carers by telling the stories of eight unique individuals who undertake a range of different caring responsibilities. The aim of the publication is to encourage recognition of the significant contribution that carers make within our society and to support and promote their rights.
  
  
  
  The booklet was launched during Carers´ Week at the City Hall on 17 June - click here to access it.
  
  
  
• Mencap Event 21 June 2010, Grove Wellbeing Centre, Belfast - Launch of the getting it Right Charter, during Learning Disability Week 2010. The ´Getting it Right Campaign´ aims to improve the rights of people with a learning disability to equal healthcare. For further information about this campaign and the Charter visit Mencap´s website. A report of a formal investigation carried out by the Equality Commission into the accessibility of healthcare information for people with a learning disability can be downloaded here.
  
  
• Belfast Pride and Foyle Pride events:
  • Belfast Pride - Party in the Square - 31 July 2010
  • NASUWT Conference "Teaching with Pride", Black Box, Belfast, 27 July 2010
  • Foyle Pride - 25-29 August 2010 - details to follow.
    
    
• International Women´s day 2011 - 8 March will be the centenary of International Women´s Day and an event will be organised to mark this occasion - details to follow.
  
  
• An exhibition of photographs entitled ´Home Places* - A portrait of ten women who have come from other parts of the world to make their home in Northern Ireland´ was commissioned to mark IWD 2009. To date the exhibition has been displayed at a number of locations including conferences organised by the Women´s Information Group and the Northern Ireland Rural Women´s Network, Belfast Central Library, the VSB Gallery, Connswater Shopping Centre and the Ormeau Library Belfast. It has toured a number of libraries in the Northern Ireland Education and Library Board area (Ballymena, Portrush, Coleraine, Limavady, Shantallow, Strabane and Larne) and is due to be displayed in the headquarters of Invest NI during June 2010.
  
  

  * The exhibition is portable and is available free of charge to any interested organisations or groups.

• Age Awareness Week 25 Sept - 2 Oct 2010 - week organised by the Changing Age Partnership to celebrate the diversity of older people´s lives, highlight the positive contibution to society, increase public understanding of ageing issues and challenge negative attitudes to ageing.
  
  
• Anti-Homophobia Week - November 2010 - more information to follow.
  
  
• ´Visible Women´ Conference - jointly organised by Ards and North Down Borough Councils - an annual event celebrating the achievements of local women, 19 November 2010, Clandeboye Lodge Hotel, Bangor.
  
  
• We will also be contacting voluntary/community sector groups in the coming months to offer information sessions on the work of the Commission and the services available. If you are interested in taking up this opportunity please get in touch to discuss what we can offer.

Focus on young people

The Commission will be participating in a range of events and projects designed to promote understanding of equality issues and the work of the Commission amongst young people:

• South West College - Omagh Campus - Information Day 27 April 2010
  
  
• Southern Regional College - Freshers Week 13-17 September 2010 - campuses to be confirmed.
  
  
• Opportunity Europe Fair and Exhibition - St George´s Market , Belfast, October 2009. Event organised by the European Commission and Belfast City Council, designed to raise awareness of European issues amongst secondary level pupils.

Future events

A number of other events and initiatives are planned and will be publicised on the website in the coming weeks. If you require more information or would like an input into an event you are planning to hold please contact the Promotion and Education Division - see details below

Telephone: 028 90 500687 or email: gpatterson@equalityni.org

Telephone: 028 90 500558 or email: hwilson@equalityni.org