Shared Island Innovators Conference: Driving Cross-Border Collaboration
The recent Shared Island Innovators Conference, hosted by The Wheel and NICVA, showcased the power of cross-border collaboration among Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations across the island of Ireland.
The conference opened with insights from Suzie Cahn, Shared Island Director at The Wheel and NICVA, on the delivery of the SDGs by organisations across the island and the potential seen through the work of iCommunity to increase impact. Celine McStravick, CEO of NICVA, spoke about the history of the Wheel and NICVA’s collaboration and introduced the newly funded InsightLink project, highlighting the next phase of cross-border collaboration and systemic VCSE change. Emma Murtagh, The Wheel’s Director of Development and Member Services, also introduced the InsightLink project and welcomed funders and government representatives including Áine Earley (Department of the Taoiseach), Kerry O’Sullivan (Department of Foreign Affairs), Tania Banotti (Creative Ireland), and Róisín Keenan (Pobal).
Highlights included presentations from Megan Fearon (Head of Impact & Engagement, AONTAS), Seamus O’Gorman (Head of Global Citizenship Education, Children in Crossfire), and Jenny Williams (CEO, Habitat for Humanity Ireland).
A discussion session focused on collaborative policymaking, featuring A Draft Joint Policy Paper: Island-of-Ireland Civil Society Liaison, to be co-established by the DFA & DfC and supported by NICVA & The Wheel. Attendees explored potential outcomes of this structural recommendation, including joint research, civic dialogue, and policy influence.
The conference featured a Keynote Address by Aidan Campbell, Research Programme Development Manager at the Centre for Cross Border Cooperation (CCBC). Aidan highlighted key initiatives underpinning effective cross-border collaboration. He shared insights from the Quarterly Survey on the Conditions for North–South and East–West Cooperation, which monitors trends, obstacles, and enabling factors for civic and voluntary organisations working across jurisdictions. He also presented findings from Border People, a programme exploring community-led projects in border regions, and discussed the Centre’s “Getting Started with Cross-Border Collaboration” course, a free six-module training available either as a guided six-week programme or a self-paced version, designed to equip organisations with the tools, skills, and frameworks needed to implement effective cross-border projects.
Aidan emphasised the role of the New Common Charter for Cooperation Within and Between these Islands (the “New Common Charter”), developed by CCBC with civic society partners. The Charter codifies shared principles for cross-border work — including commitment to shared information, policy-making grounded in communities’ realities, shared resources, respect for culture and heritage, and support for human rights and inclusion — providing a values-driven foundation for North–South and East–West cooperation across the islands.
Finally, Aiden provided an update on CCBC’s ongoing research into the impact of institutions set up under the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), examining how implementation bodies and all-island mechanisms affect civic participation, regional development, and cross-community cooperation. This research underscores how structural frameworks and civic society capacity-building must work together to sustain long-term cross-border collaboration.
The event concluded with closing remarks from Barry Dempsey, The Wheel’s new CEO.
Download the Shared Island event slide deck here.
