Cookstown & Western Shores Area Network

The main services CWSAN can offer are:

Assisting member groups
CWSAN provides support to new and existing member groups, aimed at developing their capacity and enhancing skills and knowledge.

Networking and Partnership
The primary aim of CWSAN is to support local community development and to facilitate networking between groups in the area.

Consultation
CWSAN has facilitated local consultation to provide groups with an opportunity to respond to emerging policies for development in Northern Ireland, Ireland & the UK.

CWSAN has also undertaken several local studies, including baseline studies, training needs analyses, and prepared Community sector responses to local issues of concern.

Raising Public Awareness
CWSAN play an active role in raising the awareness of community activity in each target area. This has been achieved through promoting the work of the network, representation on wider projects and agencies, policy campaigning, consultation and development work with local groups.

Advice and Information Service
CWSAN acts as a key point of local contact for member groups, providing advice and information services. This is mainly achieved through regular mail–outs, newsletters and bulletins but also through having a resource of information available in our reference library.

Efforts Towards Reconciliation
CWSAN aims to tackle social exclusion in the area. The network has focused on reconciliation and encouraging local groups to become inclusive and representative of the communities in their areas. To this end CWSAN has aims around low community infrastructure and particular programmes of activity.
Resources Provided

CWSAN provides an essential resource facility for member groups, which voluntary by nature, have few resources of their own, particularly in the early stages of their development.

The range of resources include:

• Photocopying Facilities
• Faxing Service
• Computer printing service
• Binding and Laminating service
• Short-term loan of audio visual equipment
• Loan of Display Boards
• Library of relevant literature, research and reports.
• Use of ‘Funderfinder’ / ‘Grant-tracker’ database etc.
• Membership