Assembly Community Connect: Enhancing connections between you and the Assembly

Assembly Community Connect (ACC) held its first Annual General Meeting in Parliament Buildings on Tuesday 10 June and gave the ACC an opportunity to look back at what the programme has delivered. Representatives from the local community and voluntary sector which participated in the ACC events were invited along to mark the success of its first year.

Sometimes the work of the Assembly can seem daunting and inaccessible but ACC works to enhance connections between the Assembly and the Community and Voluntary sector through education and outreach by providing free training, information and support. This lets people see how the Assembly works and how they can get involved, providing the opportunity to work more closely with MLAs and Committees.

During this year, the ACC has held fifty education and outreach sessions, with more than 2,000 individuals and organisations. Feedback from these sessions has shown that people who have taken part in ACC training are more likely to engage with the Assembly after they took part in one of the events.

Each month the ACC holds free training sessions in Parliament Buildings and, throughout the year, it takes the Assembly on the road to local communities giving people the opportunity to engage with MLAs on the matters that mean most to them.

To find out more about the work of the Assembly Community Connect programme you can visit our website at www.niassembly.gov.uk/acc. You can also watch our short video below which describes the work of the ACC and talks to people who have benefited from the experience: