Local schools from the Ardoyne and Shankhill area of North Belfast have collaborated with TASCIT (Twaddell Ardoyne Shankill Communities in Transition) to develop an anti-bullying leaflet aimed at highlighting the impact bullying can have on people’s lives and the communities they live in.

The leaflet, which was launched as part of anti-bullying week, which took place between the 11^th and 15^th November, is part of several community engagement initiatives delivered by TASCIT as part of their support through the International Fund for Irelands (IFI) Peace Barriers Programme (PBP).

The local schools (Holy Cross Boys, Holy Cross Girls, Malvern St Primary, Forthriver Primary and Wheatfield Primary) P7 students designed the anti-bullying leaflets with the focus on raising awareness around anti-bullying whilst using colour and imagery to spread the message. The initiative was supported by three secondary schools in the local area, Belfast Model School for Girls, the Belfast Boys’ Model and Mercy College.

The launch event, which took place at the Houben Centre and also heard from the Anti-Bullying Alliance – a coalition of organisations and individuals united against bullying.

Peter Osborne, Board member of the IFI, attended the launch in North Belfast,

“TASCIT has played a key role in facilitating community engagement through challenging conversations aimed at getting local communities to a point where real change can happen for the better.

“Collaborating with local schools to highlight the issue of bullying and the impact it can have in local communities is an important intervention and is part of the process in ensuring that communities who progress towards a better future don’t fall back into a negative pattern of behaviour.

“This project and the broader work of TASCIT underpins the aims of the Peace Barriers Programme – encouraging dialogue, respect and understanding between communities who may never previously engaged.” 

TASCIT works across a large section of Upper North Belfast concentrating on the areas of Ardoyne/Upper Ardoyne, Twaddell, and Lower Shankill – supporting the local communities who live close to interfaces and the issues that comes with this.

In recent years, TASCIT, with IFI support, and engagement at a local level, has facilitated the removal of the peace barrier on Crumlin Road opposite Holy Cross School, opened up the security gates at both Flax Street and across the road at Columbia Street, and secured consensus to discard grilles on the windows of front facing properties on Ardoyne Road.

Progress in these areas has delivered a level of confidence for local residents which TASCIT is committed to continuing to support and monitor to ensure progress continues in a measured way that is comfortable for local residents.

The Department of Justice also spoke during the launch, addressing specifically anti-bullying around interfaces in the area and the PSNI discussed the consequences of bullying. Local MP John Finucane also attended the launch.