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The PEACE IV Programme, which has run from 2018 to its close in 2023, is an EU funded cross-border initiative designed to support peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the border region.
The primary objective of the programme has been to promote positive relations characterised by respect, where cultural diversity is celebrated and people can live, learn and socialise together, free from prejudice, hate and intolerance.
The programme has been financed through the European Union and managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
The Belfast PEACE IV Local Action Plan was designed to address local needs, to be inclusive in nature and provide opportunities for all citizens across the city to be involved in peace building and reconciliation activities.
Since 2018, over £14 million of PEACE IV funding was secured to deliver our plan to support peace and reconciliation in Belfast across three main themes:
Belfast City Council's Shared City Partnership has overseen the implementation of the Belfast PEACE IV Local Action Plan.
The focus of this theme was to enhance the capacity of children and young people to form positive and effective relationships with others from different backgrounds and to make a positive contribution to building a cohesive society.
We developed a range of age appropriate, creative and innovative activities for children and young people that were fun, interactive and engaging. The activities have also provided opportunities for sustained, purposeful interaction, with others from a different background so every child can reach their full potential.
By the end of the PEACE IV Programme, over 2600 children and young people took part in projects that developed their soft skills and respect for diversity.
| Children and young people | Description | Target age groups |
|---|---|---|
| Tech Connects (link opens in new window) |
The Tech Connects project’s aim was to enable young people to develop creative skills through technology in an open, free and inclusive way. It used technologies such as Minecraft to develop creativity and provided digital training camps teaching skills in graphic design, comic book art, DJ, animating, music production, coding and film making. The Insights Programme offered insights into the use of technology in local areas and pathways within the ICT sector. Over 1100 children and young people completed the project. |
6-10 11-16 18-24 |
| Playing Our Part in the City (link opens in new window) | This project used creative activities and play as a way of exploring identity and culture, as well as identifying and addressing community issues. It also engaged with parents to address inter-generational attitudes and to break down barriers. Over 600 children and 100 parents and guardians completed the project. | 11-13 and parents |
| Young advocates (link opens in new window) | Young advocates used a a citizenship intervention model for young people to equip them to be leaders of the future and advocates for peaceful change by championing issues across the political divide. Youth-led grassroots and rights based campaigns ran across Belfast to create positive social change. Over 40 participants completed the project. | 16-24 |
| Local area networks | To equip young residents to address issues in their local area, the NI Housing Executive established cross community networks to deliver a range of community planning activities as well as personal development, civic leadership, good relations, active citizenship and peer mentoring training. | 0-24 |
This theme has aimed to create a more cohesive society by providing shared spaces and services in the city.
We have played a leadership role in creating a necklace of shared civic space in the west of the city by convening partners, engaging with citizens – transforming land into a shared civic space which will improve connectivity between the city centre and outlying communities and neighbourhoods.
This project has aimed to promote positive attitudes towards shared public space, help address post conflict issues, improve connectivity in the city and build on the city’s wider potential.
To date we have engaged with over 800 people through the different supported projects under the programming element. We have also had over 8,000 people attend the different events coordinated in the various sites along the routes.
| Project | Description | Target audience |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | An exciting shared space project focusing on 12 interlinked sites comprising of a core project located at the Springfield Road interface incorporating Springfield Dam, Springfield Park, the Invest NI site and Paisley Park. | All |
| Programming | All |
The focus of the building positive relations theme has been the promotion of respect, cultural diversity and an environment where people can live, learn and socialise together, free from prejudice, hate and intolerance.
Projects in this theme have encouraged interaction between residents and groups from divided neighbourhoods, explored history in a sensitive manner, built mutual understanding and promoted inclusion and integration of minority ethnic communities.
These projects will improve relations between different communities with almost 1200 people taking part in various projects. The projects will also give marginalised groups more opportunities to participate in peace and reconciliation
| Project | Description | Target audience |
|---|---|---|
| Creative Communities | The PEACE IV Creative Communities project, which aimed to explore ideas of personal identity and heritage through art, saw over 80 people complete it and produce a piece of artwork collaboratively. They produced time capsules, sculptures, fanzines, videos as well as explored subjects through workshops and group discussions. | Community and voluntary groups |
| Decade of Centenaries (1918 - 2021) | The Decade of Centenaries project explored significant anniversaries which occurred from 1918 to 2021. It involved delivery of workshops, shared learning, exhibitions, exchanges, study visits and community led events. | Community and voluntary groups |
| Supporting communities | This project supported minority ethnic communities, including Traveller and Roma in Belfast. It will develop localised solutions including intercultural events, capacity building and English language classes. | Ethnic minorities and Traveller and Roma communities |
| Transform for Change | This is a citywide project across 15 clusters (neighbourhoods) in identified interface areas in Belfast. It developed new, innovative and collaborative approaches to peace building and reconciliation, as well as, addressed prolonged social and economic disadvantage as a result of living in segregated communities in the city.
It built the leadership skills of citizens, policy makers and public and statutory service providers to work collectively at addressing issues of segregation, prejudice and hate. |
Community |
| LINCS | The ‘Supporting Connected Communities’ project was delivered by NI Alternatives in partnership with CRJ Ireland. The project aimed to welcome people from black, Asian, refugee, asylum seeker and minority ethnic communities recently arrived or living in Belfast and to:
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|
|
Traveller Support Programme |
This programme provided support and assistance to the Traveller community. It included heritage and cultural workshops providing Travellers and the wider Belfast community the opportunity to explore, celebrate and get involved in discovering their shared and varied cultural identities. As a result of these workshops, participants also got to develop their own Traveller Storytelling Exhibitions.
For more information, email peace@belfastcity.gov.uk. |
Community |
| Roma Support Programme | This project engaged with the Roma community in the city providing support through:
For more information, contact Forward South Partnership by calling 028 9024 4070 or visit their website. |
Community |
Our ‘Progressing Peace’ report charts the progress of the Belfast PEACE IV Local Action Plan and provides an overview of our PEACE IV projects.
As part of our PEACE IV programme, we held a number of Culture Café events – online and in person - from 2018 to 2022.
These events showcased and celebrated the city’s rich cultural diversity. Working closely with different communities, the Culture Cafés shared the traditions, life, food, cultural artefacts, and language of diverse cultures that called Belfast their home.
Among the different cultures who took part in our Culture Café series were residents from our Indian, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Bulgarian, Polish, Arabic, and African and African-Caribbean communities.
Our Grand Culture Café event on Friday 17 June 2022 was the final event of the series.
At the event, we also launched two publications entitled ‘Belonging to Belfast’ which featured interviews and information on all the cultures that took part in the Culture Café series.
One publication was for adults and the other for children. You can request a copy of these free publications by emailing peace@belfastcity.gov.uk.
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