The Chairman of the International Fund for Ireland, Dr Denis Rooney CBE, today (Friday 24th February) hosted a special event in Belfast to mark the 25th anniversary of the International Fund for Ireland’s pioneering peace building work across the island of Ireland.

The event was a celebration of the Fund’s achievements over the last 25 years, since the Fund’s inception in 1986, and provided an opportunity to thank all those who have contributed to the Fund’s success. The event also provided an opportunity to look forward to the important work that remains to be done.

The Chairman was joined at the event by hundreds of representatives from community groups across the island of Ireland who have worked, and continue to work, on the ground for peace and reconciliation.

Speaking at the event, Dr Rooney said: "When the Fund first came into existence there was no blue-print for how to proceed and there was no perfect model from elsewhere in the world to copy. Those who led and staffed the Fund in the early years quickly established a clear strategy and operational framework which has become a template and an example for other regions across the globe seeking to recover and re-build from conflict.”

The Chairman thanked the British and Irish governments for their foresight in establishing the Fund. He also thanked the Fund’s donors – the United States of America, the European Union, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – for their political and financial support and encouragement.

He said: "The International Fund for Ireland continues to be a major force for building lasting peace on the island of Ireland.  Over the years the Fund has overcome and helped to break down many barriers. This work is not yet finished, as our society continues to be haunted by its past. Promoting reconciliation, peace building and creating a truly shared future is a long-term process. The Fund’s latest funding investment, which I am also announcing today, will continue to focus on reconciliation and integration designed to achieve a truly shared and sustainable future for all on the island of Ireland – long after the Fund ceases to exist."

The latest funding package, which amounts to £3.1million / €3.8million, includes specific allocations to a number of key programmes and projects as follows:

• The Fund’s Sharing in Education Programme will receive a further £763,127 / €915,752 to support the expansion of three existing and highly successful projects: Fermanagh Trust Shared Education Programme Project; North Eastern Education and Library Board Primary Integrating Enriching Education Project; and Spirit of Enniskillen Trust Sharing Education Together Project.  By investing further in established and successful projects the Fund hopes to consolidate their success in shared education and help make them sustainable beyond the available funding. 
• The Fund’s Community Based Economic and Social Regeneration Programme will provide £1.9million / €2.3million towards more than a dozen projects, many of which are already contributing to lasting community development and bringing about real and positive change within and between communities.  Among the beneficiaries will be the Louth Leader Beyond Beliefs Project which will receive £72,068 / €86,482 towards the cost of extending the cross-border, cross-community project running in the Cox’s Demesne and Muirhevnamor estates in Dundalk, in partnership with the Vine Centre in Belfast. This funding support will enable the project to reach out to a further 160 participants, over two further cycles of training and six additional cross-border, cross-community visits.  The project provides IT training in these disadvantaged communities, while encouraging cross-community contact and dialogue.
• The Fund’s Integrating Community Organisations Programme will provide £379,342 / €455,210 towards a number of projects including £57,440 / €68,928 towards the expansion of the cross-community Understanding Our Space Celebrating Diversity Project which is delivered by the Focus on Family Nurturing & Development Centre in Coleraine in association with Creevagh Women’s Group in Londonderry/Derry. The expansion of the project will bring in two new partners, namely: FAB Femme Women’s Group from Ballymoney and St Johnston Women’s Group with the aim of developing and enhancing the learning gained from the initial project.
•  £101,442 / €121,730 towards the Fund’s Leaving a Legacy Programme. Youth Initiatives will receive the additional funding towards a new cross-community youth facility in Poleglass on the border between West Belfast and Lisburn, enabling the organisation to move from temporary facilities to permanent premises that are fit-for-purpose.

Full Details of Funding Announcement - February 2012

Building Foundations

Community Based Economic & Social Regeneration Programme

All Saints Caring Association, Londonderry/Derry, additional assistance of £70,000 / €84,000 towards the cost of redeveloping and completing its community and community relations facility at the Stewart Memorial Hall in Londonderry/Derry for the benefit of the Waterside Community in Londonderry/Derry.  The neutral venue will be accessible to people from both communities in the area and will be used to deliver a programme of reconciliation through youth drop-in schemes, training for adults and conflict resolution activity.

Louth Leader Beyond Beliefs £72,068 / €86,482 towards the cost of extending the Beyond Beliefs cross-border, cross-community project running in the Cox’s Demesne and Muirhevnamor estates in Dundalk, in partnership with the Vine Centre in Belfast. This funding support will enable the project to reach out to a further 160 participants, over two further cycles of training and six additional cross-border, cross-community visits.  The project provides IT training in these disadvantaged communities, while encouraging cross-community contact and dialogue.

Leitrim County Development Board Goal for Peace £83,333 / €100,000 towards the cost of extending this important project designed to develop cross-community and cross-border contact and dialogue, to help build mutual understanding and respect. The project uses sport as a medium to promote reconciliation among young people from counties Leitrim, Fermanagh, and Tyrone.  A further 110 children will participate in the project and it will include a range of activities to encourage engagement.  

Balor DCA Shared Past Shared Future £83,333 / €100,000 towards an extension of the three year cross-border, cross-community reconciliation project called Shared Past – Shared Future which has surpassed expectations over the past two years.  This innovative project uses the medium of drama to explore issues around the shared past of the North West region.  This funding will enable the highly popular Border Arts Summer Camps at Strabane and Ballybofey to continue in 2012 and 2013.

Clones Community Forum £70,114 / €84,137 towards the cost of extending the Look Back To Go Forward Project for a further year. The project uses traditions unique to either side of the community, local shared history, visual media and facilitated workshops to achieve reconciliation between communities in Clones town and the wider Clones catchment area. The extension will allow the group to build upon the good relationships which have been built up in the area, to work in more depth with existing participants and recruit more participants from both communities.

West Cavan / West Fermanagh Social, Community & Enterprise Regeneration Project, County Cavan and County Fermanagh £83,333 / €100,000 towards an extension to the already successful project that aims to address the critical underdevelopment of the local economy by firstly creating an environment for mutual understanding and trust between the communities in the area.  The project is instrumental in developing strategic partnerships and supporting business and social enterprise through networking events, business mentoring and community relations workshops.  The additional funds will allow the project to reach more participants across the region.  

Donegal Sports Partnership £83,125 / €99,750 towards an extension of this project which addresses social exclusion, racism and sectarianism by engaging young people from all backgrounds through a dynamic programme of capacity and confidence-building, which includes community relations and cultural diversity workshops. The extension will enable the project to consolidate its success in developing community leaders through sport.

The Stephenstown Pond Trust £82,950 / €99,540 towards an extension of the successful Music and Craft at the Pond peace and reconciliation project. This intensive programme has been working closely with individuals from both communities and on both sides of the border, including former prisoners and those whose family members were involved in paramilitary activity. It has proved successful in breaking down barriers, and friendships have developed between people who would not have met outside the project. This additional funding will enable the project to continue its work with current participants, and recruit new participants.

Sligo Leader Partnership Sounding Board £70,945 / €85,135 to extend this two-year project engaging young people aged 12 to 18 from counties Sligo and Fermanagh in cross-community workshops that include music making, sound recording, technology, use of the internet and DJing and VJing.  The extension will enable the project to continue for a third year and build upon the excellent links developed by young people from both communities in counties Sligo and Fermanagh.

Inishowen Development Partnership Football4Peace £83,333 / €100,000 towards an extension of the three-year project which uses football as a means to promote good community relations through cross-border and cross-community partnerships.   Through independent evaluations the project has shown to be having a significant impact on participants and the additional funding will allow organisers to reach a further 160 children from 11 schools throughout counties Donegal and Londonderry/Derry.   

Louth Craftmark £83,333 / €100,000 to extend this project which is working in the Muirhevnamor estate in Dundalk, County Louth. This project works with the local community on cross-border and cross-community arts projects to help establish positive community relations in the area. The extension will enable the group to maximise the potential of a Creative Community Hub, which is currently being built with support from the Fund, for community relations activities in the area.

Donegal Famine Heritage £83,333 / €100,000 towards an expansion of the project which has proved so successful in developing contact, dialogue and relationship building among young people from Dunfanaghy in County Donegal and from Belfast in County Antrim. 12 schools and over 200 young people have participated to date in the schools project. The extension will continue the excellent co-operation which the group have developed with Farset Youth and Community Development in Belfast, and will involve a further 40 children from five schools in the maritime heritage project.    

Building Integration

Sharing in Education Programme

The Fermanagh Trust Shared Education Programme £300,000 / €360,000 towards the cost of extending the Trust’s existing Shared Education Programme Project into a fourth year. The Trust will use the additional funding to help sustain the partnerships already underway and to help schools ready to take the next step in sharing to make structural / management changes that will put their sharing and collaboration on a more permanent and established basis.  The Trust will also continue to help inform the debate on shared education and inform policy makers of the educational model that is effective in building good relations.

Spirit of Enniskillen Trust – Together Project £182,541 / €219,049 towards the cost of extending their Sharing Education Together Project into a fourth year to provide a reconciliation based dialogue and learning project to a minimum of 24 schools across Northern Ireland.  The project will aim to support better relations and shared education by addressing the challenging issues that divide pupils, communities and schools in Northern Ireland. The project takes a unique approach by empowering sixth formers to take ownership of and drive forward reconciliation. The Trust is also looking at opportunities to share practices and resources with other projects funded under the Sharing in Education Programme. The additional funding will also allow for additional training for teachers involved in shared education.

Primary Integrating Enriching Education Project £280,586 / €336,703  towards an extension of the PIEE Project, into its fourth year, which aims to develop cross-community partnerships of primary schools by engagement between Controlled, Maintained, Irish Medium and Integrated schools which results in shared classes, extra-curricular activities and a summer school. Specifically the funds will go towards providing each of the school clusters with a shared teacher, which has already been trialled in two areas and which is demonstrating additional benefits for the young pupils. It is hoped the extension will also foster a whole school approach to sharing as the recruitment and training of the shared teachers requires the commitment of the whole school and ultimately makes sharing sustainable beyond the lifespan of the funding.

Integrating Community Organisations Programme

Focus on Family Nurturing & Development Centre Creevagh Women’s Group FAB Femme & St Johnston & Carrigans Family Resource Centre £57,440 / €68,928 towards the expansion of the cross-community Understanding Our Space Celebrating Diversity Project which is delivered by the Focus on Family Nurturing & Development Centre in Coleraine in association with Creevagh Women’s Group in Londonderry/Derry. The project brings together women from the predominantly Protestant/Loyalist Ballysally area in Coleraine and women from the predominantly Nationalist/Republican Creevagh area in Londonderry/Derry to build tolerance and understanding between the two opposing traditions. The expansion of the project will bring in two new partners, namely: FAB Femme Women’s Group from Ballymoney and St Johnston Women’s Group. The expansion will focus on involving women from areas covered by the existing partners and those from each of the new groups, with the aim of developing and enhancing the learning gained from the initial project which can then influence others in all four communities. The project will involve team building days, a community relations programme, an arts based programme and a festival/finale involving several hundred women from the four areas.

Leaving a Legacy

Youth Initiatives £101,442 / €121,730 additional assistance towards a new cross-community youth facility in Poleglass on the border between West Belfast and Lisburn. Youth Initiatives has a proven track record in community relations and youth development and provides vital youth services in the area. In addition, it undertakes outreach work in a number of areas, including: Downpatrick and Banbridge. The additional financial assistance will enable the organisation to move from temporary facilities to permanent premises that are fit-for-purpose.


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