CAPACITY BUILDING – PEOPLE AND PLACE
Throughout its work Springboard has been committed to facilitating individual capacity building in a holistic way, combining personal and social education alongside professional development. We believe this dual approach is core to sustainable participant development. Through personal and social education participants clarify their values and beliefs and develop a suitable range of skills and understanding that enables them to function effectively as individuals and members of groups. Similarly professional development through accredited qualifications and work readiness skills critically provides participants with a stake in their future and that of their community.

In facilitating individual capacity building, we also recognise the importance of contributing to community cohesion and building civil society. Despite political progress, the post-conflict environment in N Ireland reveals a fragile democracy, which needs a solid base of citizenship and social inclusion on which to flourish. This fragility is also challenged by rapid changes impacting on communities both locally and globally, Springboard’s approach focuses on contributing to individual and community change through encouraging sustainable community cohesion based on shared futures, an understanding of civic rights and responsibilities at a local and global level, mutual understanding and appreciation and building positive relationships across groups in communities.

MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND DIVERSITY
Springboard’s approach to mutual understanding and diversity work can be likened to a pillar of learning advocated by the 1996 UNESCO Commission on Education, of ‘Learning to live together, so as to participate and co-operate with other people at all human activities’.

This pillar of knowledge involves two elements: firstly a gradual discovery of other people – this implies an awareness of both the diversity and similarities among people and how all humans mutually depend on one another. Secondly is it is experiencing with them the implications of shared purposes in life and this implies finding common ground for co-operative activities. When people work together on rewarding projects that take them out of their usual routine, differences and even conflicts between individuals tend to fade into the background and sometimes disappear. People derive a new identity from such projects, so that it is possible to go beyond individual routines and highlight what people have in common rather than the differences between them.

Springboard also recognises the increasing impact of an interconnected world on the daily lives of individuals from every society. As such the organisation is committed to increasing understanding of the global context and encouraging individuals to act as responsible world citizens.

RECONCILIATION AND PEACEBUILDING
We promote an understanding that all forms of harassment and discrimination are unacceptable, without this, we believe reconciliation work can become a process of empty gestures with little opportunity for sustainable growth. This approach provides strength in contributing to a society at ease with itself and in a global context. Springboard continues to recognise the critical need for peacebuilding, as the effects of the conflict continue to pervade into every aspect of life. It is against this background of deeply rooted divisions and structural segregation leading to a highly polarised society, that Springboard has been working to embed the peace process and address issues of marginalisation and exclusion that have fed and sustained conflict. We recognise peace building at grass roots level, not only, requires understanding, vision and change, but also takes time, sensitivity and commitment.

Strategic Objectives
Springboard endorses the following strategic objectives.

To provide capacity building opportunities to those who are disadvantaged, particularly young adults and facilitate positive change within communities.

To promote mutual understanding and an appreciation of diversity within society.

To provide opportunities that contributes to reconciliation and peace-building at home and globally.