Mandarin Speakers Association (MSA)

The Mandarin Speakers Association (MSA) www.mandarinspeakers.org warmly invites all mandarin speakers living in Northern Ireland to join them. Set up in 2000, its members originate from Mainland China, Taiwan, Hongkong, Macao, Singapore, and Malaysia.

The primary aim of the MSA is to ensure that its members benefit fully from living in Northern Ireland.

Working to enhance the active social life of its members, the MSA organises a range of traditional, cultural and social events, many in collaboration with both the Queen’s and the University of Ulster’s Chinese Scholar and Student Associations. These include:

• Spring Festival celebrations in February
• Chinese Food Fair in May
• Chinese magazine and book exchange program
• Chinese Folk Dance Association.

MSA provides practical support and information services to members across a range of areas, including legal consultancy, free language translation, and advice on accessing public services. In co-operation with the Chinese School it also organises Mandarin language classes.

To improve communication both within the Mandarin-speaking groups and within the wider community in general, the MSA publishes a monthly newsletters, arranges regular meetings and has a web site.

It also operates a number of programmes designed to promote cultural and social exchange between Mandarin speakers from Mainland China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore and non-Mandarin speakers in Northern Ireland.

Chinese Student and Scholar Association at Queen's

CSSA-UK has over 100,000 registered members with approximately 30,000 new students arriving each year in the UK from China. It has over 80 subsidiary associations throughout the UK, including CSSA-Queen’s. It is sponsored by the Education Department and the Chinese Embassy in London.

The objective of CSSA is to protect its members’ welfare and provide help and support to the Chinese students.

Major activities that CSSA-Queen’s has been involved in include:

• a welcome party for new students
• Chinese New Year celebrations
• fund raising for charities
• sports competitions
• cultural performances with local communities.

CSSA is also a registered organisation with Queen’s Students' Union.  To find out more visit: www.cssauk.org.uk

Chinese Welfare Association (CWA)

Set up in 1986, the Chinese Welfare Association (CWA), works to help the local Chinese community identify its needs and to meet these needs. As well as providing direct help, they assist in bridging the gap between the needs of members of the Chinese community in Northern Ireland and the available services in the areas of health, education, law and welfare.

Originally based only in Belfast, the organisation has developed into other parts of Northern Ireland, including Craigavon, Londonderry, Ballymena and Bangor.

It offers a wide range of support services grouped around:

• Community Development;
• Children and Youth;
• Direct Services including Welfare Rights, Race Relations and Training and Interpretation.

To find out more visit: www.cwa-ni.org/