Communities, however you define them, live and work in physical space. How we build this space has a huge impact on how our communities develop and evolve. We have to look at ways in which communities can influence the space in which social interaction takes place. For this to take place you have to have an active and informed citizenry that also have opportunities to participate.

Against this backdrop, Community Development is about enabling people:

• to enhance their capacity to play a role in shaping the society of which they are part.
• to articulate needs and viewpoints
• to influence the processes that structure their everyday lives.

Northside Partnership's Community Development Team

Our community development team is involved in a wide range of diverse projects and initiatives. We work together with many of the local community organisations in North Dublin. Our chief goal is to implement and carry out our Community Development Programme, which sets out our goals, targets and aims to provide help and support to other groups and people in the Northside Area.  The overall objective of our work is to address issues related to social exclusion in a collective and comprehensive way. It is also considered crucial to build up the capacity of local groups and organisations to engage in this work on behalf of their communities through promoting networking, cooperation, technical assistance and strategic planning.

The Community Development Programme revolves around three key aspects:

1. Servicing the Community Sector
2. Developing Community Structures
3. Community Policy.

These are addressed through the following Actions:

• Northside Community Forum
• Participation in Civil Society
• Traveller Strategy
• Governance and Technical Assistance
• Research & Information