About UsWe build networks for inclusive, lasting change.
NWCN helps community organisations set up and develop, and connects them to their peers. We innovate on community development, and insist that communities are treated fairly.
Our storyLocally rooted since 1994.
North West Community Network was established in 1994, with a mission to build the capacity of the community and voluntary sector in our city—Derry—and the region.
We’ve spent three decades connecting, guiding and representing community and voluntary groups of all shapes and sizes. Today, that mission remains as important as ever, but the needs of the sector have evolved.
The funding environment has never been so challenging, and we have more complex, integrated relationships with academia, government and business. So we try to lead through practice: working on innovative projects that allow us to seed good practice across the sector.
Our approach
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We're opposed to tokenism and extractive practices: the benefits to the community should be clear and meaningful.
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Everyone has the right to take part in social, civic, and economic life: community development should prioritise dismantling barriers to participation.
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We trust in the process of building deep working relationships, and think they form the bedrock of meaningful social change.
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Communities keep changing: so should community workers. We try to be conscientious about challenging our assumptions and biases.
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We don’t only support and guide other organisations, but work to model innovative practices ourselves.
Our Team
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Roisin McLaughlin
Manager
Roisin has led NWCN since 2018, and has over 17 years of experience as a skilled practitioner in areas including capacity building; civic activism; anti-racism; and anti-sectarianism.
Contact
roisin@nwcn.org -
Neola Nelis-McCrossan
Finance & Administration Officer
Neola has been part of the NWCN team for 18 years. She has extensive knowledge of finance and administration in the Community and Voluntary sector, and working with many different funding agencies.
Contact
neola@nwcn.org -
Kevin Burns
Project Officer
Kevin started at NWCN in May 2025, to head up our new project supporting organisations from minoritised ethnic communities. He has worked in the sector for the past 6 years as a digital and communications lead.
Contact
kevin@nwcn.org