Northside Partnership and its partners have won the International Coaching Federation Ireland President’s Award for Leading for Collective Impact, a collaborative Place-Based Leadership Development Programme (P-BLD), at a gala evening in Trinity College Dublin on Saturday.

The aim of P-BLD is to foster the leadership skills of participants and promote collaboration and partnership working amongst those that take part. It allows people time to develop a deep understanding of the key challenges impacting upon the area and to identify and try possible solutions.

Leading for Collective Impact was described as “a pioneering initiative to build individual and collective capacity to lead with courage, creativity and collaboration and drive cross cutting approaches to address complex social issues.”

“Northside Partnership is delighted to see the Place-Based Leadership Development programme win this prestigious award,” said Paul Rogers, CEO. “The programme has brought people together from across our community, building understanding, confidence and collaboration to make Darndale a better place to live and work. Coaching has been central to the programme. We were honoured to be shortlisted alongside the other nominees and we are thrilled to receive this award.”

Forty-eight community leaders in two areas, Darndale and Drogheda, were ignited to drive enduring social change, by enabling new thinking, new leadership, new and renewed sense of purpose and hope for communities long impacted by ‘complex’ social challenges and economic deprivation. Coaching sparked the confidence and conviction in participants to fully realise their own and community potential. Leaders are now thinking differently and working collaboratively in joined-up problem solving.

Coaching was an integral element of Place-Based Leadership Development, with the 48 participants each engaging in six coaching sessions over the 18-month long programme. Participants representing statutory bodies, community groups and local residents took part, gaining a deeper understanding of themselves, other sectors in the community and the challenges they all face in working to support the area.

“I think the program has been hugely transformative,” according to Ann Hayden, a participant from Darndale, “in that at the end of the program there was clear evidence of a transformation in our understandings of the issues faced by each of us in our everyday working and personal lives. For me personally, I got a deeper understanding of the Trauma faced by the Guards in their role and how this can carry over into their personal lives. I feel also, that I have grown personally in confidence. I am not afraid to talk about Trauma anymore because I feel it is essential we talk about it, where as previously I felt I had nothing important to say.”

The initiative was funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development. It was delivered in Darndale and Drogheda by Northside Partnership and Louth Local Development respectively, with Northside Partnership acting as the lead agency. Dr. Rob Worrell facilitated the programme, which was evaluated by Dr. Laura Knight. The coaching element of the programme was delivered by OpenTalk.