Good Relations and Brighter Days Ahead

The last two years have seen challenges across the board. From work to home life, how we lived, did business, stayed in touch, everything changed. Our client work was no exception.  Some projects relied on us digging deep into our culture of innovation and beginners mindset to truly think differently about how we could deliver what our clients needed in a way that aligned with the world. 

One project which stands out as a true highlight was our work on Good Relations Week. As the annual celebration of the tremendous work that goes on all year round in building peace and good community relations in Northern Ireland, we were thrilled to win the tender for GRW. When lockdown kicked in early in the process it was clear that we needed to find a new approach for this traditionally in-person event. 

Cross-Community

Getting to grips with the largest showcase of cross-community arts, history, music, and culture not to mention finding a way to represent all that is involved to all that wanted to participate was a challenge.  We quickly repositioned the event as a largely online celebration and collaborated with all groups involved to take them on the journey with us from physical to digital. We were confident it was the correct decision but did not anticipate just how successful it would be. With over 120 organisations, and more than 300 events, it was the largest Good Relations Week on record and really galvanised an appetite for the future. 

Derry~Londonderry music artist, ROE, Ambassador for the cross-community and multicultural celebration, and Peter Day from the Community Relations Council.

We went on to build on this success with the 2021 event and the theme of Brighter Days Ahead. Drawing on the vision and engagement of young people, working closely with themes relating to how the pandemic had impacted them, and what they were truly focused on, we found a genuine appetite to develop the event as both a digital and physical event. With artwork and inspiring illustration from young people, music from Derry singer songwriter Roe and a remarkable roster of events across every theme, it was a pleasure to grow the event even further. 

Innovative Spirit

From an initial position of limitation, our shift in strategy not only allowed the Good Relations Week to flourish but also pushed our team out of their comfort zone, encouraging horizontal thinking, collaboration, and drawing on the innovative spirit that is core to everything we do.