He has worked alongside various working-class communities, young prisoners, parents, students, African and Asian families, and young people experiencing homelessness.  Most recently, he spent 4.5 years working in partnership with the Traveller community, in addition to a part-time lecturing role in community development.  These experiences have helped him to develop a deep commitment to community relations, anti-oppressive practice, shared learning and citizen-led action, underpinned by the Community Development National Occupational Standards.

Academic Interests

While gaining a first-class honours degree in community development, his dissertation, “The Deradicalisation of Community Development: A Case Study of West Belfast”, examined the conflicts that exist between the community-led, democratic action of the 1970s and 80s with the more recent culture of top-down, professional-led service delivery.

Pete has continued to study and practice asset-based community development, a community-driven approach that focuses on revealing and connecting the skills, strengths and resources within a community to bring about positive change, rather than focusing on deficits.

BCRIN Coordinator Role

As the new BCRIN Coordinator, Pete is based at the Market Development Association but will work alongside six inner-city communities and Queen’s Communities and Place, the BCRIN academic partner.

About BCRIN

BCRIN is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between community organisations from six inner-city communities, representing over 30,000 residents across: the Market, Sandy Row, Donegall Pass, Shankill, Grosvenor, and New Lodge. These communities share common experiences of navigating the challenges of urban inequality, underinvestment, and exclusion from decision-making processes. BCRIN builds on these shared histories to address pressing urban challenges through research and innovation. Operating as a counter-infrastructure to conventional urban frameworks, BCRIN ensures that the voices of working-class communities are central to shaping Belfast's future.

You can find out more about BCRIN here:
https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/qcap/news/QCAPandPartnersSecure1MFundingtoDriveGrassrootsResearchInnovation.html