BELFAST will be hosting a major global meeting next month, when a diverse group of 500 people gather in the city for the L'Arche Federation Assembly.
L'Arche, founded in 1964 by Jean Vanier, is a network of communities spread all over the world which works to develop relationships between with and without learning disabilities, celebrating their intrinsic value and unique contributions.
The Federation Assembly meets every five years, to determine the vision of the International Federation of L'Arche Communities, reflecting on the experience and concerns of the communities.
The 500 people coming to Belfast will be drawn from 37 countries, use at least 17 languages and include those of all faiths and none.
Around 80 members of L'Arche communities in Ireland and Northern Ireland will join the 500 international visitors for a day trip to Downpatrick during the conference, which runs from June 20-27 and will be held at Queen's University Belfast.
The week-long meeting is billed as "one of the few large-scale events worldwide where people with learning disabilities come together as equal partners with other members of society".
L'Arche is appealing for volunteers to help with the preparations for the conference and the event itself.
L'Arche - French for 'The Ark' - started when Jean Vanier invited two men, who were confined within a local institution because of their intellectual disabilities, to come and live with him.
Together they shared a small house in Trosly-Breuil, a village north of Paris; from this simple beginning, L'Arche has grown to 149 communities, with 14 projects in 37 countries.
Vanier has received a series of honours for his work, including the Templeton Prize.
The first Irish community was in Kilkenny in 1978 and today L'Arche also works in Dublin, Cork and Belfast.
- For more information on the L'Arche Federation Assembly or to volunteer, email belfast17volunteers@larche.org, contact Diana Walsh at diana.walsh@larcheireland.org or visit www.larcheireland.org.
