I have been a community worker in Northern Ireland for over 25 years, working on peace and reconciliation, primarily within Unionist and Loyalist areas.

My Fellowship concentrated on social and financial sustainability through partnerships in the NGO sector and involved a four-week journey across the USA visiting a range of NGO, statutory and academic institutions.

My passion is for effective leadership and exploring alternative leadership models within marginalised communities. I currently work for the Londonderry Bands Forum and North-West Cultural Partnership, which explores innovative community development models through the prism of previously demonised forms of cultural expression.

The Fellowship was crucial in allowing me to think outside the restriction of binary politics – how the principle of partnership, of working within established and non-identified structures and networks in whatever form can be used in a positive way.