The Community
Engagement
Charity.
Helping you transform your community
ROC (Redeeming Our Communities) empowers local people of goodwill to work together for safer, stronger communities
Our Vision
Our dream is to transform the whole nation from the grassroots through our unique Asset-Based Community Development programme. We work with existing community groups, agencies, local activists and positively motivated residents, helping them discover each other and find new ways to collaborate by pooling resources for the common good.
People Of Goodwill
In every locality, the majority of people share an unspoken aspiration: to live in a safe, strong and kind community. Many groups are working hard to deliver projects that help to address specific needs such as providing positive activities for young people, befriending for lonely people, mentoring for families in distress, practical support with food, clothing and household tasks. The surprising fact is that, in many cases, there is a lack of awareness of the good work being done and little communication between everyone. This means that many projects are under-resourced and even competing with each other.
Working Together
As a neutral facilitator, ROC’s role, when invited by a specific community, is to raise awareness of the existing groups and schemes within the area and help all involved to get to know each other and affirm the good work already underway. Also to share any existing practical needs that could be met by others who have surplus resources. Then to enable round-table discussion of where there may be gaps in provision and explore creative new ways of meeting those needs in new, volunteer-led projects.
The ROC Conversation
At the core of all our activity is a structured, year-long community engagement programme, the highlight of which is a dynamic, interactive event that overflows with energy and vision and provides a launch-pad for exciting new collaborative work. Click below for a sample of the event.
Transforming Communities
All our community projects have been developed and funded from the resulting ROC Conversation in the community that it has taken place in.
ROC Garden Project
ROC Gardens provides training and employment for unemployed young adults and looks after the gardens of hundreds of social housing residents.
ROC Café
A ROC Café is a safe, fun place for young people to come and build relationships and receive support from positive adult role models.
The FUSE
A community hub which houses a number of projects under one roof. The Centre is locally owned and locally managed.
ROC Mentors
ROC Community Mentoring is a scheme which trains and supports volunteers in the delivery of a community strengthening programme.
ROC Restore
A form of Restorative Justice (RJ) undertaken by community members in facilitated meetings.
ROC Radio
ROC Radio gives young people a voice in their community. It’s a unique collaboration between young people and communities.
Projects
Volunteers
CoMMUNITY IMPACT
News & Updates
HOLSWORTHY UPDATE
Have you ever wondered what has happened since a community conversation? Well, wonder no more! In this blog post, we will be discussing the progress made since the ROC Conversation on 11th October 2022 in, and the exciting opportunities available for volunteering and...
ROC MENTORS NORTHERN IRELAND
The ROC Mentors projects in Larne and North Belfast are progressing well, with new new volunteers trained and ready to get going! In Larne, two families are enjoying the weekly support sessions with their mentors. Both have very different needs for support, but the...
PROJECT UPDATE – ROC ANGELS
The work of ROC Angels, which supports projects such as Street Angels and Festival Angels, continues to grow and develop. Here is a snapshot of what 2023 has looked like so far! Sharing Stories: At the ROC Conference in November several local projects met up and...