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www.belfastcity.gov.uk/goodrelations
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PEACE III
FOREWORD
Foreword
With the assistance of the PEACE III
programme for Northern Ireland and the
Border Region, Belfast City Council’s
Good Relations Partnership has supported
a wide range of programmes and projects
to tackle sectarianism and racism in our
city and to build positive relations within
and between communities. With financial
assistance from the European Regional
Development Fund significant progress
has been made in Belfast in developing
and promoting shared space and in
ensuring the city’s continued growth as
a safe, welcoming and inclusive city.
This review outlines the progress made in
the first phase of the Belfast PEACE III
Plan and details some of the work
underway in the second phase which
runs until 2013. I would like to commend
everyone involved for their continued
commitment to promoting positive
relations and wish them continued
success with their projects.
Councillor Maire Hendron
Chair of the Good Relations Partnership
3
4
PEACE III
Introduction
This project is part-financed by the European
Union’s Programme for Peace and Reconciliation
(PEACE III) managed by the Special EU
Programmes Body. The Belfast PEACE III Plan
is 1 of 14 plans led by local authorities in NI and
the Border Counties and is 100% funded under
Priority 1.1 of the PEACE III Programme for
Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of
Republic of Ireland by the European Regional
Development Fund.
The aim of the Belfast Plan is to build positive
relations at the local level and tackle sectarian
and racist attitudes with a focus on conflict
resolution and mediation at the local community
level. The Plan is structured around the following
4 key themes, all informed by the concept of
shared space:
•
•
•
•
securing shared city space
transforming contested space
developing shared cultural space
building shared organisational space
Apart from the direct costs of the conflict,
sectarianism has resulted in many indirect
costs, including ongoing division and tension,
segregated patterns of housing and schooling
and separation in many areas of social and
community life as well as inhibiting the
development of the city as a modern European
capital, attractive to visitors and investors.
The related issue of racism has also become
more apparent in recent years, partly as the
demography of the city changes. Programmes
and projects have been designed with the
broader strategic context in mind and represent
a collaborative approach to building peace
and reconciliation at a city-wide level.
The views and opinions expressed in this Report
do not necessarily reflect those of the European
Commission or the Special EU Programmes Body.
The Good Relations Partnership
The implementation of the Plan is overseen
by the Good Relations Partnership which is
made up of elected representatives and
representatives from the community and
voluntary sector, statutory agencies, major
churches and faith groups, trade unions
and the private sector.
THE GOOD RELATIONS PARTNERSHIP
The Good Relations Partnership is responsible
for managing and administering the funding
available through the PEACE III Programme.
The partnership consists of 21 members 6 elected members - 1 from each of the party
groups on the council; plus representatives
from the major statutory organisations and
the community / voluntary sector in Belfast.
Good Relations Partnership
Sector of the community from which
the partners have been chosen
Representatives
Elected members of
Belfast City Council
Maire Hendron (Chair)
John Kyle (Deputy Chair)
Tim Attwood
Jim McVeigh
Lee Reynolds
Bob Stoker
Statutory agencies
Jennifer Hawthorne (NIHE)
Mark O’Donnell (DSD/BRO)
Orla Barron (Belfast Health Trust)
Trade unions
Peter Bunting (ICTU)
Paddy Mackel (BTC)
Private business sector
Rory Galway (Shorts Bombardier)
Billy McGivern (Belfast City Centre Management)
Churches
Michelle Marken
Patrick Scott
Archdeacon Barry Dodds
Reverend Lesley Carroll
Minority faith groups
Ugor Tok
Voluntary or community sector
Sean Brennan
May de Silva
Minority ethnic sector
Angila Chada
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PEACE III
Phase I Summary
The independent external evaluation
commissioned by SEUPB found that the Good
Relations Partnership included established
Peace and Reconciliation policy partners and
that models of inter-agency collaboration
were very evident from the Plan and that it
was also successfully encouraging intra and
inter community collaboration. It also found
extensive evidence of the bottom up approach
Indicator
through the use of community bodies for
delivery and community involvement in
planning.
The Good Relations Partnership has
successfully delivered a range of projects
under Phase I of the Belfast PEACE III Plan
as can be seen from the following summary
of the 2009-2011 programming period.
Target
Actual
1
20
These were programmes led by Belfast City
Council and NI Housing Executive. and Belfast
Health Trust
22
51
A number of organisations led 2 projects in
Phase I
2,500
36,297
17,786
18,511
Events that address
sectarianism or racism
or deal with conflict
resolution
74
227
More events held than originally anticipated due
to increased number of projects
Reports/films or other
deliverables
73
132
More reports/ booklets and short films
produced than originally anticipated due to
increased number of projects
Footfall in city centre at
key retail locations after
receiving support
-
62%
Environmental improvement
schemes on arterial routes
4
4
Northumberland St; Ormeau Bridge;
Bridge End; Carlisle Circus
Area networks promoting
community cohesion
2
2
Inner East & Inner South
Network to approve
mediation resource
1
1
Network of Accredited Mediation Practitioners
Programmes developed
and implemented
Organisations in
receipt of grant aid
Participants
of which: male
of which: female
Commentary
Includes 15,733 from Festivals programming
62% of those surveyed never having been into
the city centre on the 12th/ 13th July before
PHASE I SUMMARy
Indicator
Target
Actual
Discussion on changing the
physical appearance on
4 interface barriers
1
1
Includes development of 4 area plans and
community toolkit
Paramilitary murals
replaced or removed
2
8
8 militaristic murals removed and replaced in
participating communities
24
73
4
4
Meetings held
16
34
Refers to meetings of the Good Relations
Partnership. 34 meetings of the Partnership
between Aug 08 and Sept 11
Best practice studies
12
15
Across all themes and delivery mechanisms
0
21
Across all themes and delivery mechanisms
Organisations working in
partnership on Peace III Plan
New partnerships
developed in relation
to PEACE III
Cross border partnerships
established and supported
Commentary
5732 Migrant & Minority Ethnic Project; 5802
Divercity Project; 5783 Growing Together;
5739 Interfaces Programme
In addition the following outcomes have been achieved due to the PEACE III intervention:
• Increased inter-community contact
• Increased use of shared public spaces
• Increased inter-agency collaboration
• New models of planning and engagement
• Increased capacity of voluntary & community sector
• Environmental improvements and creation of new shared spaces – community gardens etc.
• Significant progress on reduction/removal of physical barriers with agreement of local communities
• Support for positive expression of cultural heritage and shared cultural collaboration
• Increased capacity within migrant & minority ethnic sector
• Early years interventions on anti-bullying/ anti-racism/ anti-sectarianism work
• Resourcing grass roots/ frontline work
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PEACE III
(l-r) Gareth Harper,PeacePlayers International,Councillor Marie Hendron,
Chair of Good Relations Partnership,Martina McKnight,Belfast City Council’s
Growing Respect Project and Daryl Pettigrew, PeacePlayers International
at the launch of the programme in Belfast City Hall on 5th July 2012
The Phase II Projects
In Phase II of the Belfast PEACE III Plan approximately £5million
is being invested in a wide array of projects designed to tackle
sectarianism and racism and help create shared space in Belfast.
The projects are led by a mix of statutory bodies and community
and voluntary organisations and are operating across the city.
Northern Ireland Housing Executive “Community Cohesion”
Project Aim:
Building on the success of the creation of Local
Area Networks in East and South Belfast during
Phase I of the PEACE III Plan the NIHE will lead
a project to create Local Area Networks in North
and West Belfast.
The aims of the networks are to cultivate
relationships between communities in local areas,
promote cross community activities, develop
working partnerships at neighbourhood level and
create a mechanism for the development of
services, diffusion of tension and increased
cooperation between communities.
Following extensive consultations 2 networks
have now been established and currently
they are developing a series of activities
that will increase interaction and improve
community relations.
Project Contact:
John Read (07920 832104)
Email: John.Read@nihe.gov.uk
PROJECT SUMMARIES
Belfast City Council,
Parks and Leisure
Department ‘Growing Respect’
Project Aim:
The aim of the project is to engage
young and older people in a programme
of sporting and horticultural activities
that will address issues of sectarianism
and racism and promote health and
well being.
In 2012 over 200 people have been
engaged in a series of activities across
the city including the creation and
development on derelict land of 2
community gardens. Through working
and learning together participants have
gained not only skills and knowledge
but through the workshops element
of the programme have increased their
understanding of issues surrounding
cultural diversity, racism and sectarianism.
Several of the participating groups are
continuing to work together on activities
outside the programme providing a
legacy of community partnership.
In 2012-2013 the programme will
continue to grow and include a cross
border initiative.
Project Contact:
Martina McKnight (02890 458024)
Email: mcknightm@belfastcity.gov.uk or
Paula Irvine (07917 132710)
Email: irvinep@belfastcity.gov.uk
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10
PEACE III
Belfast City Council,
Good Relations Unit
- “Promoting
Positive Expressions
of Cultural Heritage”
Project Aim:
The aim of the project is to support communities
in the development of “shared spaces”. This is
based on the premise that there is a richness of
heritage across Belfast which should be a cause
for celebration. The project seeks to facilitate
ongoing transformation of cultural events and
activities into community celebrations that can
be safe, shared, welcoming, good quality and
accessible to all.
A report on the 2012 Programme has revealed
that 50 groups were involved in the managing
bonfires aspect of programme and that through
their engagement there was a reduction in
incidents reported to PSNI and there were
fewer call outs for the Fire Service; there was
more community engagement in festival style
activities and an increase in volunteering.
Project Contact:
David Robinson (02890 320202 ext 6030)
Email: robinsondavid@belfastcity.gov.uk
PROJECT SUMMARIES
Belfast City Council,
Community Safety “Tension Monitoring
Programme”
Project Aim:
This project is a development of the
established Belfast Tension Monitoring
process which has been in existence since
September 2009 after a 2 year development
process with key strategic partners such as
OFMDFM, Department of Justice, PSNI, NIHE,
and Belfast Community Safety Partnership.
The tension monitoring process is designed
to tackle and reduce hate crime in Belfast.
This will be achieved through embedding the
tension monitoring process and ensuring a
co-ordinated approach to deal with community
tensions. The project will also:
• Provide a process whereby quantitative
and qualitative information is collated and
analysed to inform understanding of
community tensions
• Coordinate a multi-agency approach to
respond to identified community tensions
and deliver targeted responses that reduce
or minimise the impact and number of
community tensions
• Engage with relevant communities and
partners, in particular those from minority,
underrepresented and at risk groups such
as areas affected by sectarian and interface
violence, where issues exist and between
settled and new communities
Belfast City Council,
Community Safety “Youth Engagement
Programme” (YEP)
Project Aim:
The yEP will provide a range of services
to 100 young people and their families in
4 areas of Belfast: Upper Springfield;
Ardoyne/Woodvale; Newtownards
Road/Short Strand; M1 Interface area.
The yEP programme has brought
together a wide range of statutory service
providers and community based
organisations to tackle a host of issues
involving young people at interface areas.
Following an extensive mapping exercise
and community consultation in the 4
areas work is now underway to deliver
youth mentoring; family counselling;
youth employment and training and local
capacity building services. The yEP
programme is also facilitating a range of
diversionary activities to take place at key
times during the year.
The programme will aim to change
attitudes and behaviours of those
engaged in the programme and develop
a model for future service delivery across
the city.
Project Contact:
Project Contact:
Richard McLernon (02890 320202 ext 3324)
Email: mclernonr@belfastcity.gov.uk
Suzanne Gowling (02890 320202 ext 3316)
Email: GowlingS@belfastcity.gov.uk
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12
PEACE III
Belfast City Council,
Development
Department “City of Festivals II”
Project Aim:
The project aims to enhance shared cultural
space through the provision of a wide range
of vibrant, open and welcoming festivals,
which will celebrate and promote local
cultures and communities and run parallel to
the wider civil celebrations of 2012 and 2013.
The project aims to use festivals to develop
and enhance shared cultural space by:
Milna Jaison, performing with the South Asian
Dance Academy at Belfast Mela 2012
Photo: Lucas Ludziejewski © ArtsEkta Ltd
• Increasing attendance from new
audiences from a wide range of
communities and Section 75
dimensions across the city
• By increasing opportunities for
communities from different background
and identities to participate in 2012
and 2013 celebrations
In 2012 the project has supported:
Belfast Orangefest
Féile an Phobail
Belfast Book Festival
Belfast Pride
Belfast Mela
Belfast Culture Night
Thomas Anang, performing with Afro-Caribbean
group Magwere at Belfast Mela 2012
Photo: Max Humphreys © ArtsEkta Ltd
Project Contact:
Lisa Mackle (02890 320202 ext 6036)
Email: macklel@belfastcity.gov.uk
Enjoying the sights and sounds at the Belfast Mela 2012
Photo: Lucas Ludziejewski © ArtsEkta Ltd
PROJECT SUMMARIES
Belfast City Council, Development
Department - “Creative Legacies”
Project Aim:
The project, an audience development and
outreach initiative, will use arts and culture to
generate responses to Belfast’s social and
political problems at a local level, helping
communities to develop shared cultural spaces
and a sense of belonging to the city. The project
will contribute to the development of Belfast as a
shared cultural space and help promote it as:
• A peaceful, attractive and welcoming city,
open to everyone
• Having a citizenry that recognises and
embraces difference
• A space where active citizenry is encouraged
at local and central levels
• A driver of leadership and strategic excellence
• A vibrant and attractive city
Project Contact:
Lisa Mackle (02890 320202 ext 6036)
Email: macklel@belfastcity.gov.uk
Belfast City Council, Good Relations Unit “Migrant and Minority Ethnic Project”
Project Aim:
The project aims to build positive relations
within the city by supporting the inclusion and
integration of new communities. The project will
build on Phase I of the Migrant and Minority
Ethnic Project and will support the integration
of new communities in the city through a
number of interventions and through the
continued development of the Belfast Migrant
Forum.
The Project aims to:
• Support the integration and inclusion of
migrant and minority ethnic communities
within the city
• Facilitate collaborative working and the
sharing of information around issues relating
to migration
• Support advice structures within the city to
ensure that specialist knowledge is available
to migrant and minority ethnic communities
• Address myths and misinformation around
migration related issues through the delivery of
training and awareness raising programmes
Progress to Date:
In 2012 the project has delivered training on
Migration Awareness and Ending Hate in our
Communities. In addition 2 new initiatives have
been launched: the Belfast Integration and
Participation Programme (BIIP) and the Migrant
and Minority Ethnic Employment Support
and Advice Project. These programmes are
providing practical advice, assistance and
training to people from a wide range of
backgrounds increasing knowledge and
understanding between communities and
increasing peoples awareness of their rights.
Project Contact:
Margaret Higgins (02890 320202 ext 6028)
Email: higginsm@belfastcity.gov.uk
13
14
PEACE III
Belfast Health and
Social Care Trust “Roots of Empathy”
Project Aim:
Roots of Empathy (ROE) is an evidence-based
not-for-profit programme that has shown a
dramatic effect in reducing levels of aggression
among school children by raising
social/emotional competence and increasing
empathy. The core themes of the project are:
• To engender a positive understanding of
diversity
• To teach children to respect one another
and to build a culture of caring
• To develop empathy and to enable children
to value inclusion
• To value participatory democracy
• Non violence / anti-bullying
The proposal will build on the pilot programme
to establish ROE within schools in the Belfast
area including Blythefield, Bunscoil Bheann
Mhadagain, St. John the Baptist, Fane Street,
Holy Cross, Loughview Integrated, St.
Joseph’s, St. Oliver Plunkett, St. Vincent De
Paul, St Malachy’s, St. Mary’s, Edenbrooke
and Taughmonagh Primary Schools.
Project Contact:
Maria Morgan (02890 56421)
Email: maria.morgan@belfasttrust.hscni.net
Ashton Community Trust “REAL Project - Respect Engage and Listen”
Project Aim:
The core aim of this project is to inspire and
facilitate personal interaction between residents
and groups from initially 2 neighbourhoods;
Mount Vernon and New Lodge and,
subsequently, from other areas of inner North
Belfast through the umbrella groups LCAP
(Loughview Community Action Project) and
GNLCEP (Greater New Lodge Community
Empowerment Project). The project will provide
space and opportunities for people to meet
without threat and
moving from dialogue
to action, planning
together with positive
engagements.
Project Contact:
Jim Deery (02890 742255)
Email: info@ashtoncentre.com
PROJECT SUMMARIES
Forthspring Inter
Community Group “Cross Interface
Planning Group”
Project Aim:
The project aims to develop and implement a
cross interface community planning model which
will be community driven with statutory and
political involvement and support. The project
aims to support residents and communities to
develop innovative approaches to participate in
community planning and engage in partnership
working; undertake a mapping and consultation
exercise of the interface; establish a Cross
Interface Community Planning Group, involving
representation from communities, service
providers, and statutory agencies.
Creating Cohesive
Community Project “Safety for all in our
changing community”
Project Aim:
LORAG have been involved in ongoing
consultation with local residents, community
organisations, political representatives and
local stakeholders particularly working with
ethnic minority communities over the past 18
month period in direct response to weekly hate
crime and violence between local residents
and the ethnic minority population of the target
area (and particularly the Roma community).
This project has been designed to address
some of these problems through a planned
programme of joint community activities.
Project Contact:
Project Contact:
Maura Moore (02890 313945)
Email: fscoordinator@btconnect.com
Anne Marie White (02890 312377)
Email: amwhite@lorag.org
Belfast Interface Project “Inner East Outer West - IEOW”
Project Aim:
The project will facilitate groups of hard to
reach young people, involved in problem
anti-social behaviour within their areas,
along with adult residents from Inner East
Belfast and Suffolk / Lenadoon to meet
through a facilitated contact programme, to
identify and exchange perspectives and
attitudes regarding their identities, and to
develop positive relationships. The project,
through such means as adult and youth
residentials will create opportunities for
interaction and discussion of issues relating
to conflict and division on a cross-interface
basis, along with opportunities to visit each
other’s area.
Project Contact:
Chris O’Halloran (02890 242828)
Email: chris@belfastinterfaceproject.org
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16
PEACE III
Northern Visions
& Institute for
Conflict Research “A Century Later”
Project Aim:
The Century Later
Project draws upon
the experiences of
individuals and their
communities in
!
the context of a decade of key commemorations.
The project will deliver 6 issue based symposia
streamed online, 4 documentaries, 20 individual
digital stories, a web site and a final event.
The Fellowship of
Messines Association “Citizens for Peace”
Project Aim:
The project plans to promote citizenship as a
vehicle for the transition to sustainable and
safer communities and society. It will build and
facilitate networking opportunities between
former security services and former prisoners
and their families, and others, to address the
cost of conflict and the transition to Peace. It
will deliver the “Citizens for Peace” programme
to participants to understand citizenship and
political identity in a changing political
landscape.
Project Contact:
Project Contact:
Marilyn Hyndman (02890 245495)
Email: marilyn@northernvisions.org
Harry Donaghy (02890 961111)
Email: messines04@hotmail.com
Mediation Northern Ireland -“Belfast Interface
Mediation Delivery Programme”
Project Aim:
This project will develop a new broad culture
of systemic meditative practice in supporting
dialogue processes which impact on
interface communities. The aim of the
programme is to further develop and embed
systemic community mediation and
facilitation processes in interface areas in
Belfast. It will provide 8 dialogue processes
at Belfast interface areas. Communities will
be facilitated to address issues of common
concern and assisted in working together to
address those issues. The work will be
delivered by community based mediators
trained in Phase I of the PEACE III
programme.
!
Project Contact:
Mike Gaston (02890 438614/07884 188664)
Email: mike.gaston@btinternet.com
PROJECT SUMMARIES
Peaceplayers Northern Ireland “Belfast Interface Games”
Project Aim:
In the spirit of the 2012 London Olympic Games,
the Belfast Interface Games built on the Sport for
Change movement to use sport as a tool to unite
young people from communities across the city.
With the full support of the Irish Football
Association (IFA), Gaelic Athletic Association
(GAA) and Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU)
Peaceplayers Northern Ireland ran a series of
“Game of 3 halves” in the north, south, east and
west of the city using soccer, gaelic and rugby
grounds. Nearly 200 children and their parents
were involved in the summer programme.
In addition to being introduced to new sports and
receiving training from fully accredited coaches
the participants engaged in the “fourth half” of the
Belfast Interface Games with activities that
included workshops on challenging stereotypes
and increasing awareness of cultural diversity.
Participants commented “I have met people
I would never have met if it wasn’t for the
Interface Games”, “I had not played Gaelic
football before.. the religion doesn’t matter.
I want to come back next year”. “I had never
tried rugby before, it’s a really good sport.
It’s the way they (Peaceplayers) bring groups
of people from different religions together.
It’s really fun”.
Project Contact:
Gareth Harper (02890 667416/07985 574959)
Email: gharper@peaceplayersintl.org
Public Achievement - “WIMPS Belfast
(Where Is My Public Servant)”
Project Aim:
WIMPS Belfast is a high profile multi-media youth
engagement project with a world-class website.
This project is about ensuring the active civic
engagement of young people throughout the
city and beyond it and will:
• Build a strong infrastructure of young people,
across the city who will address local issues
and engage with their local representatives
from Council to EU level
• Engage actively in cross-community discussions
and practical work around important issues
• Engage with young people from the border
counties
• Produce 25 issue based films; and produce
50 youth generated articles
Project Contact:
Davy Sims (02890 442813)
Email: davy@publicachievement.com
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PEACE III
Small Steps Adult Education Group “Walk of Faith II”
Project Aim:
The project will unite school communities and
faith communities in North Belfast to deliver a
learning programme which increases
knowledge of the diversity of faiths in the area;
creates opportunities for contact between
people of different faiths and enhances the
confidence and capacity of local people to
tackle difficult issues which affect their
communities. 12 primary schools will participate
in a learning programme of educational visits to
faith venues and creative activities to explore
diversity. The schools will work with 10 faith
groups in the area, supported by 4
community partners. The project will bring
these groups onto the Walk of Faith
Partnership and develop a model of good
practice for inter-faith education which can
be maintained in the long term, leaving a
lasting legacy for good relations in the city.
Project Contact:
Muriel Bowyer (02890 297191)
Email: mbowyer1@hotmail.co.uk
Training for Women Network (TWN) “Visions of Peace Building”
Project Aim:
The project will focus on the delivery of a series
of exhibitions/seminars/training events across
Belfast for women which are anchored around
a photographic exhibition based on images
of women involved in peacebuilding/conflict
resolution locally and globally. The project
will produce a travelling exhibition roadshow;
deliver seminar/training events for groups of
local women and bespoke courses focused
on the role of women in peacebuilding.
A research report detailing the contribution
of local women to peacebuilding will be
published.
Project Contact:
Norma Shearer (02890 319888)
Email: norma@twnonline.com
PROJECT SUMMARIES
19
Contact Information
For general information on the PEACE III
Programme visit the SEUPB website at
www.seupb.eu or for more information
about any aspect of the Belfast PEACE III
Plan contact the PEACE III Team.
PEACE III Team
Good Relations Unit
Chief Executive’s Department
Belfast City Council
Belfast
BT1 5GS
e: peace@belfastcity.gov.uk
t: 028 9032 0202
BCC 5222