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Latest group of English language volunteers complete training

The latest group of participants setting out on their journey as volunteer English language tutors completed their training recently.
The session, in Belfast, on April 20th was the first in the latest series, organised by the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre (BURC).
The Volunteer Induction Training is a short programme designed to provide new volunteer tutors with basic skills, techniques, and materials to support learners from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds.
There are plans to offer follow-up online sessions, to check in with new volunteers and provide further support.
Some of the new tutors are already observing new classes and one of them has been a Zoom host for online courses for a few weeks already.
Claudia Belloni, volunteer coordinator, said: “It was a real pleasure to meet some of our new volunteers in person for the first time.
“A few had already started working with BURC but hadn’t yet taken part in this training, and I hope everyone found it useful.
“They’re a fantastic group, bringing a wide range of skills and such interesting, diverse backgrounds.
“I’m really looking forward to working with them and continuing to grow the ESOL Programme as a valuable resource for our learners.
“A very warm welcome to you all!”

Picture: Volunteers, a skills facilitator and BURC staff at the session

‘A better future for all’ is message at Dublin unemployment conference

The Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) held its Annual Delegate Conference last week.
‘A better future for all’ was the theme of this year’s event at Dublin’s Ashling Hotel.
Dara Calleary, Minister for Social Protection and Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, opened the one-day conference before Brid O’Brien, director, INOU, addressed those in attendance.
The second part of the conference saw a round-table discussion.
Reflecting on the day, Joanne Farrell, welfare rights manager at the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre and chairperson of the INOU’s National Executive Committee (NEC)  – who spoke at the event – said: “The INOU held our Annual Delegate Conference on Wednesday 20th May.
“We discussed our priorities for the year ahead, including income adequacy in the face of the cost-of-living crisis, the changing jobs market with growing digitalisation and how we continue to help those most distant from employment.
“Plenty of discussions, sharing knowledge and networking throughout the morning. To finish off, we all sat down for a lovely lunch.”
For more information about the INOU, visit its website

A warm welcome awaits at North Belfast Friendship Club

When it comes to the North Belfast Friendship Club, one thing is for sure – a very warm welcome awaits you.

The Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre (BURC) initiative – run at such ease, and with heartfelt dedication, by welcoming volunteers – is in its 10^th year and later in the summer will mark the impressive milestone.

In what is a homely, intimate setting, it’s tea, buns, biscuits (you name it), games and conversation aplenty.

With music playing from the kitchen area – such as the sublime sounds of reggae great Bob Marley – it really is a relaxed atmosphere where you can get to know people.

Shahzad Malik is a volunteer at the club. Although different people come and go, and all equally welcome, he particularly wants to praise those people who attend regularly.

“They are coming here regularly, every week, spending time, giving time and having fun, so I want to appreciate them,” he said.

“This Friendship Club is a place where people can meet at least once a week. A lot of people are isolating themselves and need some social gathering,” Shahzad added.

“My message is to all those people who are just trying to find some place where they can spend a bit of time and have some fun with games and share their things, share their experiences, other than religious or politics… we don’t speak on these topics.

“Anybody who feels that they need some time to have a good time with friends or with new people… it’s the best place to come and spend time.

“Just two hours in a week and you will feel that your time is not wasted.”

Aisling Cartmill, co-ordinator, Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre added: “The North Belfast Friendship Club is for anyone in the North Belfast area and is family friendly. People are free to join us anytime between 6.00pm and 8.00pm, on a Tuesday evening on a drop-in basis, for some chat, games, music, company and free tea and coffee, or practise English.

“BURC are pleased to support the Club, as we feel it is essential for people to have a safe space to come, relax, meet new people and just be. It is an open, relaxed and friendly environment.

“The venue on Frederick Street is easily accessible and a welcoming environment.”

The North Belfast Friendship Club runs every Tuesday from 6-8pm at the Meeting House in Frederick Street.

Picture: Shahzad Malik

May Day and beyond

Following another successful May Day parade in Belfast, the message from Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre (BURC) is one of building a better future for all workers.
Thousands gathered on Saturday (2nd May) for the vibrant march.
Music and speeches from the stage in Writers’ Square preceded the parade, which weaved its way through the city centre at potential.
Aisling Cartmill, co-ordinator, Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre, said: “BURC supports better and fairer working conditions for all employees. We recently celebrated May Day, a celebration linked to when labour rights began.
“A timely reminder of the importance of protecting and recognising workers’ rights. We welcome the discussion around the potential introduction of the Good Jobs Bill NI, which would support workers to access unions and create a better work-life balance, where zero-hour contracts are restricted and the focus shifts towards the worker.
“Such a progression would enhance the lives and rights of every worker within NI society.”
The May Day events continue this week, running until  9^th May.
You can view the programme here.

Picture: Monica Oliveira and Aisling Cartmill from the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre volunteering at a stall at the Black Box 

The Italian approach to May Day

Every year on 1 May, Italy marks Primo Maggio – or Festa dei Lavoratori (Workers’ Day) – a date deeply rooted in international labour history.
Like elsewhere, its origins lie in the late 19th century struggles for fair wages, dignity at work, and above all the eight-hour day, first championed by workers in the United States and quickly embraced across Europe.
In Italy, Primo Maggio was first celebrated in the 1890s, becoming a powerful symbol of solidarity among workers, trade unions, and socialist movements. Under Benito Mussolini, however, the day was suppressed and replaced with celebrations aligned to the regime.
It was only after the fall of fascism and the end of the World War II that Festa dei Lavoratori was restored in 1945, reclaiming its place as a national day of mobilisation, reflection, and collective action.
Unlike in Northern Ireland, Primo Maggio in Italy is a public holiday – most people do not go to work, allowing space for participation in demonstrations and community events.
This reinforces the idea that workers’ rights are not only something to be defended, but something to be collectively recognised and celebrated.
Today, Primo Maggio is both a celebration and a reminder.
Trade unions such as CGIL, CISL, and UIL play a central role, organising marches, rallies, and campaigns focused on workers’ rights, precarious employment, and social justice.
Alongside these national mobilisations, local traditions also play an important role.
In my hometown of Milan, up to 10,000 people usually take part in the “May Day Parade”, a demonstration organised by centri sociali (grassroots social centres) and wider social movements in the city.
It is a great moment of reflection and celebration, with floats and live music bringing people together in the streets.
One of the most visible expressions of this is the Concertone del Primo Maggio in Rome – a free, all-day music festival held in Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano.
Organised by the three largest unions since 1990, the concert brings together major Italian and international artists, alongside speeches and messages highlighting the issues facing workers today. Over 300,000 attend the live event, which is the biggest of its kind in Europe.
In the past, artists like Lou Reed, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Radiohead, Skunk and Oasis were among the lineup, along with celebrated Italian artists such as Carmen Consoli, Ligabue, Franco Battiato and many more.
It is also broadcast live on national television, reaching millions and becoming a cultural as well as political moment.
The Concertone reflects a distinctly Italian approach: combining activism with culture, protest with celebration. Yet its message remains firmly rooted in the core values of Festa dei Lavoratori – solidarity, dignity, and the ongoing struggle for fair and secure work.

Claudia Belloni – Volunteer Coordinator, ESOL Programme

Picture: Milan

Young people enjoy street art tour in east Belfast

Young people from east Belfast took part in a street art tour on Friday evening (April 24th).
Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre delivered the event on behalf of Portview Trade Centre.
Artists from Seedhead Arts talked about the art on display, as 18 young people made their way around the east of the city before returning to Banana Block at Portview Trade Centre, where they learned to use spray cans.
Aisling Cartmill, co-ordinator, Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre, who attended the event, said: “The street art event went really well, we were blessed with good weather. The young people engaged in the variety of the street art around East Belfast. They were curious, asked the artists questions and learned about the differences in street art perspectives.
“Some art was more abstract and left interpretation up to the viewer, while others sought to illustrate the history, cultural and social impact of the area.
“After a tour, the young people were dying to get their hands on the spray paints and with an outline provided by the artists, they coloured in the piece and as they became more confident, they added their own artistic vibes, with the encouragement of the artists, who are themselves prolific on the local street art scene.
“All in all a very successful and enjoyable event.”

Picture: Art at Portview Trade Centre

‘Protecting human beings in a world of chaos’: Launch of May Day 2026 programme 

Belfast’s May Day programme for 2026 was launched on Thursday (April 16th).
The event at the Oh Yeah Music Centre heard from a number of people from the labour movement and the arts sector ahead of a series of events, including the annual May Day parade through the city centre.
Chilean musician Victor Henriquez set the mood for the evening with a number of songs.
Assessing the importance of the May Day events, Paddy Mackel, president, Belfast Trades Council and a trade union official with UCU (University and College Union), told those gathered: “The point, for us, is to make this a recognised public community festival for years to come.
“It is really exciting for us to be building this year on year.
“You see how community festivals in other countries develop and what we are seeing here in this one is that is the direction we are going.
“The May Day festival itself, on the day, will have things for families and young people. It’s a fun day out for people but there will also be politics in that, as there rightly should be.
“Because all of this is about politics. It’s all about protecting human beings in this world of chaos – and that’s our role.”
The May events will run from April 25th to May 9th.
They include live music, discussions, walks, book and pamphlet launches and the march and rally – on Saturday, May 2nd.
Gerry Murphy, assistant general secretary, ICTU, said at the launch: “This is the biggest celebration of working people across the island. It’s founded on action. Three actions in particular: those actions are to educate, to agitate, and to organise.
“The programme of events that we are here launching brings together the trade union movement, the arts, ethnic minorities, and the under-appreciated community and voluntary sector in a celebration of both the traditions of the labour movement and a demonstration of the determination of working people and communities across this city to continue the work of previous generations in bringing about positive change.”
You can view the May Day Belfast 2026 programme here