How did DiversityWorks get started?
Founded in 1998, DiversityWorks grew out of a very successful youth development and community-building program called the Northern Ireland Community Leadership Programme (NICLP). NICLP brought together Catholics and Protestants for a year-long experience in skill building, service learning, and cross-community understanding. Inspired by the transformational work of NICLP, DiversityWorks created a youth development program that fuses together diversity training and leadership training for young people. Our first program ran in 1998-1999 and was made up of 17 young people. The Works (formerly the Summer Institute), DiverseCITY (formerly Adopt-a-School) grew out of this first year program and Reality Check came on shortly thereafter. Five years later, more than 5000 young people have been touched by our programs.
