This engagement represented an opportunity for grassroots leaders from six inner city communities to talk about their work and how they feel their local activism drives global change. The session was hosted by the Market Development Association (MDA) and all visitors were greeted by some wonderful carol singing from St Malachy’s Primary School Choir, part of the South Belfast Schools Network, as well as being treated to scones and cakes baked by the Community Wellbeing Kitchen in the Market.

This event exemplified QCAP’s commitment to fostering meaningful partnerships that address real-world challenges facing communities across Belfast and beyond. The conversation brought together representatives from the MDA, Ashton Community Trust, Belfast South Community Resource, Roden St Community Centre and Alternatives Greater Shankill. This diverse representation reflected the breadth of community-led organisations working to create positive change across Belfast's inner-city neighbourhoods, each bringing unique insights and experiences from their respective communities.

The session provided a valuable platform for exploring mutual challenges facing these communities in both Northern Ireland as well as the United States. Participants engaged in thoughtful discussion around the experiences of addressing systemic issues such as economic inequality, social exclusion, and community division. Critically, the dialogue moved beyond simply identifying problems to examining the learning derived from various approaches and place-based interventions. The conversation also explored how successful strategies might be adapted and applied across different contexts, whilst acknowledging Northern Ireland's unique political, economic, and social landscape.

For Queen's University Belfast, this engagement reinforced the institution's civic mission to act as an anchor organisation that facilitates genuine collaboration between academic expertise and community knowledge. The session also highlighted the importance of adaptive learning, cross-community partnership, and the exchange of international thinking and experience in building resilient, thriving communities—principles that remain central to the work of QCAP but also Queen's 2030 strategy around advancing Social and Civic Responsibility and Economic Prosperity.