This week brings a summer update from PPI-NI’s Managing Director, Gareth Harper:
PPI-NI Managing Director Gareth Harper.
Traditionally the summer months (July and August) for the PeacePlayers program in Northern Ireland have represented a quieter period. Mirroring the academic calendar, our annual Twinning, Cross-Community League and Leadership Development programs, are pretty much all wound up by the end of June. You’d be forgiven then for thinking that the team here in Belfast would be less busy over the summer months… think again!
With the schools closed and our kids enjoying the ‘glorious Northern Ireland summer weather,’ the PPI-NI team have been busy planning and preparing for the new program year.
Curricula have been revised and visas renewed, budgets agreed and new appeals for funding support submitted. Our accounts have been independently audited and our programmes externally evaluated. We have made new friends and established exciting new collaborative opportunities. Further, our Open College Network courses and accrediting status were awarded a clean bill of health by the external verifier. New coaches have been recruited and induction and training sessions have been planned. We have facilitated ‘Super Twinning‘s’ and ‘Summer Schemes’ and thrown in the inaugural Game of Three Halves for good measure.
Summer downtime… ha! Here’s looking forward to September and some quieter times ahead; not likely, but sure it’d be no fun if it were any other way.
Sweet to the beat.
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