ICR undertakes evaluations for a variety of organisations, but we work mainly with and for groups working in the field of community development, diversity and good relations. Our current evaluation programme includes ongoing work for Belfast City Council, Groundwork NI, Peace Players International, St Columb’s Park House and TIDES Training.

Current or recently completed projects include the following:

Belfast City Council Bonfires Programme: The bonfire programme is designed to reduce the environmental impact of community bonfires and encourage communities to make their events more family friendly. ICR carried out an extensive evaluation of the pilot bonfires programme in 2006 and has been commissioned to undertake a rolling evaluation of the next stage of the programme from 2007-2009.  ICR was also commissioned in 2008 to undertake an evaluation of the 2008 Belfast City Council Bonfire Management Programme. 

Stepping into Diversity:  ICR was commissioned by TIDES training to complete an evaluation for the Stepping into Diversity training programme.  The evaluation assessed the extent to which the programmed achieved its goal of better promoting and understanding cultural diversity in its efforts to support the development of a shared vision for an interdependent and fair society. 

Peace Players International / Playing for Peace: ICR have evaluated the PPI/PfP programmes, which focus on building relations among primary school children through basketball coaching. ICR have also supported PPI in adapting their approach to meet the need of the NI school curriculum.  In summer 2008, ICR evaluated the Rising Stars Initiative which was funded by the Belfast City Council Good Relations Unit. 

Dialogue for Peaceful Change: ICR carried out an evaluation of the DPC training programme during the first half of 2007. The programme has been developed by TIDES Training in Northern Ireland and Oikosnet in the Netherlands and has been delivered in a number of countries. The evaluation was commissioned by the Vesper Society in San Francisco, USA.

Groundwork Northern Ireland: ICR has undertaken a number of evaluations for Groundwork NI looking at different aspects of their work of promoting good relations through environmental regeneration. They include:

• CESP in Schools: a programme with a number of primary schools across North Belfast.
• Down Priority Estates III: the third phase of the regeneration of public sector estates in the Downpatrick area.
• Community Environment Support Programme: involving small projects in ten communities across North Belfast.
• Changing Places Transforming Communities: a two-year cross border project with the County Leitrim Partnership.
• Community Relations Programme: A review of the Groundwork approach to building community relations through environmental regeneration, and an outline for a CR training strategy for the organisation.

St Columb’s Park House: ICR is reviewing the work of the Interaction Project that is being run with a number of groups of young people in different areas of Derry Londonderry. We are also undertaking a brief evaluation of the Negotiating Change Project, which was developed in response to research into Protestant alienation in Derry / Londonderry.

Previous evaluations include the following projects:

Ballymena Community Forum: an evaluation of a range of community projects in the Ballykeel area that had been funded under the Peace II programme.

Belfast City Council: a consultation on the proposal for a Chinese Community and Resource Centre on Donegall Pass. (pdf in publications October 2004 – Report on the Consultation)

Conflict Intervention Programme: an evaluation of the North Belfast Conflict Intervention Programme being run by LINC and Intercomm. ICR also evaluated the LINC Community Bridges Programme.

Diversity Challenges: an evaluation of the first two years of a funding programme for ‘culturally specific organisations’, supported by Atlantic Philanthropies.

Groundwork United Kingdom: a major review to evaluate the impact of the approaches developed by Groundwork NI towards environmental regeneration and how this might be transferred to the work of Groundwork UK.

Mediation Northern Ireland: a brief evaluation of the work of the MNI policing programme with the PSNI, Policing Board and the Police Ombudsman.

Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust: a review of the CODA project, which focused on the use of music therapy for victims and survivors.

Reviewing REAL Provision: a review of the development and delivery of policy, practice and provision for victims and survivors of the conflict in Northern Ireland.