Six Derry projects receive vital IFI Peace Funding

International Fund for Ireland Board members pictured at their recent Board meeting in Monaghan

A number of projects who will provide much needed support to communities across the Derry area have received funding through the latest allocation by the International Fund for Ireland (IFI).

The funding aims to support some of the most vulnerable communities in Northern Ireland and the southern border counties.

A funding package of €4,884,800 / £4,322,833 will provide support to 25 projects across the IFI’s four programmes, all aimed at delivering tailored support to communities who need it.

Four projects were allocated funding under the IFI’s Personal Youth Development Programme (PYDP):

1. £164,833 to HURT targeting 15 young people in the Moor and Waterside areas of Derry City who are not in employment, education, or training. The project aims to enable young people to gain new skills and knowledge to boost their employability, as well as build their confidence and self-esteem.

2. £183,875 to St Columb’s Park Reconciliation Trust for 21 months to deliver the ‘IgnYte’ project, providing 15 vulnerable young people in Derry City with support, learning, skills, work placements and direction to help build their confidence and help them reach their full potential.

3. An allocation of £352,189 will go to Catalyst to deliver their cross-community ‘Innovation for All’ project, engaging with 30 at risk young people in Belfast and Derry aimed at reducing barriers to employment and provide Level 4 Advanced Personal Development, Training and Employability Support Programme.

4. £171,427/€193,713 to Creggan Enterprises Limited for the 21 month ‘Lifehack’ project, to engage with disenfranchised young people from hard to reach groups in Creggan, Brandywell, Bogside and surrounding areas in Derry, providing skills, personal development and employability training.

A further two projects received funding through the IFI’s Communities in Partnership Programme (CiPP):

5. AGD Gweedore and Waterside Theatre Project will receive €79,450 under the IFI’s Communities in Partnership Programme (CiPP) which will support a 16 month ‘Cross-Border Creative Arts Programme’ in County Donegal and the Waterside of Derry City. The project has been designed to support community dialogue across a range of themes which connect Unionist and Nationalist communities, through history, language, and cultural heritage.

6. Northwest Cultural Partnership will partner with Inishowen Development Partnership to deliver a cross-border Cultural Collaboration Programme across the Derry City and Strabane District Council and Donegal County Council areas. The project will provide creative opportunities to develop effective and meaningful relations across border communities allowing participants from both sides of the border to engage and become empowered. The local project received £130,000 through the IFI’s Communities in Partnership Programme (CiPP).

IFI Chair Paddy Harte said: “Unfortunately, we have seen the threat of paramilitary recruitment and antisocial behaviour persist in many communities. In the last year, the IFI’s programmes have included specialised interventions to divert young people away from the threat of paramilitary recruitment. In 2022, 23,033 participants took part in accredited training, education, and capacity building programmes, delivered by IFI funded projects.

“Projects funded across our four core programmes have been working hard to support local communities who are struggling. The cost-of-living crisis has put a significant financial burden on people, add to that a general lack of investment in some communities and ongoing tensions relating to the recent Windsor Framework and ongoing political instability, and you can see why this support is so vital.”

“This latest round of funding further demonstrates the wide range of support offered by IFI funded projects, tailored to specific needs of a particular community. From engaging at risk young people, to delivering conflict transformation initiatives, delivering important employment, and training opportunities to working in hard-to-reach areas struggling with paramilitary and coercive control.”

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 47 projects in Northern Ireland and 19 in the southern border counties.

The IFI’s International donors include the British and Irish Governments, Government of the United States of America, European Union, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.