Four projects in the North West are included in the latest round of funding announced today by the International Fund for Ireland. Two of the projects are based in Donegal, the other two in Derry.
Donegal Local Sports Partnership & Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership has been awarded just over €185,000 through the Communities in Partnership Programme for the 24-month cross-border ‘Community Active Play’ Project which will connect the staff and volunteers of community groups and resident’s associations north and south.
Inishowen Development Partnership has received almost €160.000 through the Personal Youth Development Programme for two years for the ‘CHANCE’ Project, which will deliver Good Relations training, Personal Development, Education, Employability and Social Development to 16 vulnerable young people in isolated, rural areas across the Peninsula.
Elsewhere, over £235,000 has been allocated to the Bogside and Brandywell Initiative in Derry to expand on its work on Peace Barriers in the Fountain/Bishops Street and Abercorn Road areas, and almost £302,000 has been allocated to the Northwest Cultural Partnership and Bready and District Ulster Scots Development Association to extend its work on engaging with marginalised communities in Derry, Tyrone, and Fermanagh with a view to creating positive change at a local level.
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IFI Statement in full –
April 8th 2024 The International Fund for Ireland (IFI) has announced a significant funding package of €3,972,188 to further support peacebuilding initiatives across Northern Ireland and the southern border counties.
A total of eleven projects will receive support to continue their work with the most marginalised communities who have yet to receive any substantial dividends from the Peace Process.
Two Donegal projects have been awarded funding through the Communities in Partnership Programme (CiPP) and Personal Youth Development Programme (PYDP).
Donegal Local Sports Partnership & Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership has been awarded €185,086 through CiPP for the 24-month cross-border ‘Community Active Play’ Project which will connect the staff and volunteers of community groups and resident’s associations north and south, to build the capacity of leaders to plan, co-ordinate and to run play programmes and events.
Inishowen Development Partnership has received €159,804 through PYDP for two years for the ‘CHANCE’ Project, which will deliver Good Relations training, Personal Development, Education, Employability and Social Development to 16 vulnerable young people in isolated, rural areas across the Inishowen Peninsula.
IFI Chair Paddy Harte, welcomed the latest financial package;
“This support comes at a critical time in our peacebuilding journey. Whilst we acknowledge much progress has been made since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement over 25 years ago, it is apparent that significant challenges remain.
“Our projects are working against a challenging backdrop. Tensions remain around increased paramilitary activity and recruitment of young people, sectarianism, criminal activity, anti-social behaviour, culture, and identity. We also understand that the fallout from the Windsor Framework has caused some communities to regress creating further polarisation.
“The IFI remains one of the few organisations that can engage with the most marginalised in society. We are committed to working closely with communities through sensitive dialogue and conflict resolution to tackle the difficult remaining areas of peacebuilding.”
Peace Barriers are the most visual symbol of the Troubles and many interface communities suffer from intergenerational trauma as well as social and economic inequality. Six projects across Belfast and Derry/ Londonderry have received €2,718,419/ £2,405,681 through the Peace Barriers Programme (PBP) to help interface communities to bring about the conditions that can allow for the removal of Peace Walls. Currently more than 1,000 residents are involved in Peace Barrier site discussions.
Building cross-border relationships that empower communities is another area of focus through the Communities in Partnership (CiPP). Two projects will receive €475,709/ £420,981 to encourage and support innovation on a cross-border basis. Although a relatively new programme for the IFI, 85 new cross-border partnerships have been formed in the last year.
Two projects under the Personal Youth Development Programme (PYDP) have received €437,070/ £386,788 to help the most at-risk young people in society to improve their confidence and personal resilience, develop a better understanding of culture and identity, and develop practical skills that improve their employment prospects. Thanks to PYDP support, 163 young people have secured employment in recent months.
Finally, the Peace Impact Programme is receiving €340,990/ £301,761 to work through sensitive interventions in communities that have not previously, or have only partially, participated in peacebuilding and reconciliation activities. In the last year over 30,000 people have taken part in capacity building, training or attended events with PIP funded projects.
Projects funded will engage with communities and deliver initiatives in Belfast, Derry/Londonderry, Cavan, Donegal, and Fermanagh.
IFI Chair Paddy Harte added; “We are living with the consequences of conflict across the world, and I want to acknowledge the efforts of peacemakers everywhere, working hard with communities to transition towards peace and create positive leadership. Thanks to the ongoing support of our international donors, we will continue our peacebuilding efforts to help create a shared future where everyone can benefit.”
The IFI was set up by the British and Irish Governments as an independent international organisation in 1986 and is supported by international donors- the Irish and British Governments, the United States of America, the European Union, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It delivers a range of peace and reconciliation initiatives across Northern Ireland and the southern border counties. It currently supports a total of 81 projects in Northern Ireland and 20 in the southern border counties.
| Funding Allocations | Stg
£ |
€ |
| Peace Barriers Programme | 2,405,681 | 2,718,419 |
| Communities in Partnership Programme | 420,981 | 475,709 |
| Personal Youth Development Programme | 386,788 | 437,070 |
| Peace Impact Programme | 301,761 | 340,990 |
| Totals | £3,515,211 | €3,972,188
|
Full Funding allocations
Peace Barriers Programme
Belfast
£509,719 /€575,983 to Black Mountain Shared Space for 24 months to extend and expand on its activity around Peace Barrier sites in West Belfast, aimed at PUL and CNR communities on either side of Peace Barriers. The project will involve the opening of the Shared Space Hub, the removal/changes to number of barriers associated with the new site, cross-community events and legacy and diversionary events.
£395,588/€447,014 to Duncairn Community Partnership for a two-year cross-community project in Lower North Belfast to facilitate peacebuilding activity at Peace Barrier sites. It will deliver wider community-based schemes which support Peace Barrier change and cross-community engagement programmes to facilitate wider intra-and inter-community peacebuilding.
£327,769/€370,379 to Greater Whitewell Community Surgery for 24 months to deliver several wider community-based programmes and events in the Greater Whitewell area and to positively impact on Peace Barriers by gaining community buy in and support. Activity includes continued engagement on Peace Barrier structures, cross-community youth programmes, diversionary programmes, work on parades and dealing with sectarianism.
£367,610/€415,399 to The Imagine Project for 24 months to extend and expand on its work in the Lower Oldpark/Cliftonville area of North Belfast to support change in local communities around attitudes towards Peace Barriers along with barrier change, through working with men, women, young people and delivering events to facilitate dialogue and understanding.
£569,592/€643,639 to Twaddell, Ardoyne, Shankill Communities in Transition (TASCIT) for two years to continue its work around the development of Peace Barrier sites and develop wider community-based schemes to positively impact on Peace Barriers by gaining community buy in and support through cross-community events, mediation and working with women on both sides of the community.
County Derry/Londonderry
£235,403 /€266,005 to Bogside and Brandywell Initiative for two years to expand on its work on Peace Barriers in the Fountain/Bishops Street, Abercorn Road areas of Derry/Londonderry through building leadership capacity building, intergenerational learning, positive partnership and re-classifying the interface.
Communities in Partnership Programme
County Cavan/County Fermanagh
£257,188/€290,623 to Cavan Local Development Company and Fermanagh Trust for a 24-month cross-community, cross-border project, promoting peacebuilding through climate change, with the aim of bringing together communities to support and learn from one another while embracing and embedding climate positive policies in communities.
County Donegal/County Derry/Londonderry
£163,793/€185,086 to Donegal Local Sports Partnership & Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership for the 24-month cross-border ‘Community Active Play’ Project which will connect the staff and volunteers of community groups and resident’s associations north and south, to build the capacity of leaders to plan, co-ordinate and to run play programmes and events.
Personal Youth Development Programme
Belfast
£245,369/€277,264 to BYTES for the 24-month ‘Project North’, to engage with and empower at risk young people, not in education, employment, or training in PUL areas in North Belfast, through personal development training and skills and employability development.
County Donegal
£141,419/€159,804 to Inishowen Development Partnership for 2 years for the ‘CHANCE’ Project, which will deliver Good Relations training, Personal Development, Education, Employability and Social Development to 16 vulnerable young people in isolated, rural areas across the Inishowen Peninsula.
Peace Impact Programme
County Derry/Londonderry
£301,761/€340,990 to Northwest Cultural Partnership and Bready and District Ulster Scots Development Association (BDUSDA) for two years to extend and expand its work in urban and rural communities in the Northwest area including Counties Derry/Londonderry, Tyrone, and Fermanagh. The project will engage with the most marginalised communities and seek to develop emerging community leaders to create positive change at a local level.
