Over £1m allocated towards peace building projects for Derry & Donegal

The International Fund for Ireland (IFI) has awarded a total of £3,305,873 to 17 projects across the north and the border counties in the soputh to deliver a range of projects.

The latest round of funding will assist groups to develop engagement with communities who have yet to see or experience peace dividends from the Good Friday Agreement.

Four projects in county Derry have received support through Peace Impact Programme (PIP), Personal Youth Development Programme (PYDP) and Communities in Partnership Programme (CiPP).

St Columb’s Park Reconciliation Trust has been awarded £191,451 through PIP o help with the delivery of a programme in Currynierin and Tullyally over the next two years.

It will take the lead role in co-ordinating a Peace Impact Programme and work with both communities to establish a vibrant community hub, while also building peace and trust in each area.

Roe Valley Residents’ Association will use £223,597 through PYDP for a 24-month ‘Building Brighter Futures’ project. Operating in the Coolessan and Greystone wards, it will develop the skills of 15 ‘hard-to-reach’ young people through a range of accredited and non-accredited courses. These include team-building and confidence building activities, good relations workshops, and improving relationships between participants.

Meanwhile, the Manchester United Foundation has received £309,683 through Communities in Partnership Programme (CiPP) for the 24-month ‘Inspires Programme’ that will connect with young people and inspire them to make positive choices in their lives. The project will connect three schools and communities on a cross-border and cross-community basis by exploring social and cultural experiences, education and the community, and community cohesion. This will be delivered in partnership with Rosses Community School, Dungloe, County Donegal, St Joseph’s Boys’ School, Creggan, and Oakgrove Integrated College in Strathfoyle along with Donegal Education and Training Board (ETB), and Ulster University, Derry.

Among the other projects to benefit people in Donegal is the CIPP funded Women Crossing Borders, with £131,504 allocated to Breen Centre in Antrim and Inishowen Development Partnership to deliver an 18-month project providing opportunities for sustained, meaningful and purposeful contact between individuals and groups of different backgrounds, on a cross-border basis in Inishowen and Newtonabbey. Led by women, it will explore how to develop sustainable and thriving groups from marginalised and disadvantaged areas.

A total of £151,339 meanwhile has been allocated to Lifford Clonleigh Resource Centre and Include Youth for the 24-month ‘Leadership Education for the Appreciation of Diversity’ (L.E.A.D) project. It will work with new groups of up to 35 young people each year, aged 16-20, from communities on each side of the East Donegal - West Tyrone border in partnership with local schools. Outreach group work will also see the project link up with youth groups, sports clubs, and community organisations.

A further £148,042 has been awarded to Milford and District Resource CLG for the two-year ‘Mulroy Youth Engagement Project’/The M.Y.E Future Project’. Based in Milford, it will outreach into isolated, rural community areas across north Donegal and intends to recruit 18 young people who will benefit from training and support in good relations, personal and social development, and employability skills.

In County Derry, Maghera Cross Community Link has been awarded £182,834 through PYDP for the 24-month ‘Link Youth Achievement Programme’ which will target young people from Maghera, Magherafelt, Swatragh, Upperlands, Culnady, Gulladuff and Tobermore who are vulnerable to polarisation, face barriers to access mainstream provisions, are vulnerable to paramilitary recruitment, and have been in – or close to – the criminal justice system.

Commenting on the financial support, IFI Chair Paddy Harte said: “We recognise that a lot of progress has been made but the reality on the ground indicates that there are many who feel that the Peace Process has not delivered what it should have, particularly in the most vulnerable and marginalised communities across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.

“Our projects are working within incredibly challenging environments where issues around culture, identity, flags, bonfires, sectarianism, trauma and ongoing paramilitary influences are causing deep division.

“Recent elections may also have stirred up disaffection within communities, creating more extreme political views. This can often create a vacuum of instability particularly in marginalised communities where young people can be more susceptible to paramilitary or criminal influence.

“Part of this funding is providing targeted interventions for at-risk young people, instilling confidence, and offering more positive life choices. By empowering young people to take control of their lives, we can give communities the tools to help create stability and opportunity for future generations.”

Mr Harte added: “Thanks to the ongoing support of our international donors, we can continue to deliver unique peacebuilding programmes. We are committed to supporting those who need interventions the most and are one of the few organisations who are prepared to take these risks to help create an inclusive, shared future for all.”

The IFI was set up by the British and Irish Governments as an independent international organisation in 1986. It delivers a range of peace and reconciliation initiatives across Northern Ireland and the southern border counties. It currently supports a total of 64 projects in Northern Ireland and 27 in the southern border counties.

The total resources committed to the IFI to date amount to £778m supporting over 6,000 projects across the island of Ireland.

The IFI’s stated aim is to “promote economic and social advance as well as encourage contact and dialogue between nationalists and unionists throughout Ireland”.