It's been a amazing start to the year for JCI Belfast under the leadership of Local President William Redpath who's focus has been firmly set on tackling the political and economical issues of today to better shape our future. JCI Belfast kicked off its' 2018 events calendar with our One Small Step - Shaping our Future event, giving guests the opportunity to meet and challenge the next generation of political leaders for a clearer and more positive future. It was a pleasure to be surrounded with influential local people working in conjunction with the Community Relations Council and Community Foundations among many other dignities including:

• Peter Edgar, Programme Manager at Ignite NI
• Peter Osborne, Chair of the Community Relations Council
• Nathan Anderson (DUP)
• Ryan Carlin (Sinn Fein)
• Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance)
• Cliona McCarney (SDLP)
• Chris Jenkins (Green)
• Alex Redpath (UUP)

Sam Allen of Shared Future News wrote a thrilling piece covering the event headlined by a quote from Counciller Cliona McCarney (SDLP), "You can talk about the past without being negative." Sam's piece also speaks of the preparation of the next generation to take on the responsibility of maintaining a society and how JCI seeks not only to discuss but also to provide solutions to the impeding obstacles. You can read the full article here: You can talk about the past without being negative: JCI Youth Talk William concluded the event with a summary of the 'One Small Step Campaign': “encouraging other people to get involved … encouraging other people to challenge the status quo, it’s about highlighting the people that are doing those good things”. Finally, on the JCI, he said it was “a really amazing organisation to be a part of … it’s for people who have a lot to give”. You can keep up to date with all our events from the JCI Belfast Events section of our website.