North East Peace III Partnership, Northern Ireland | Coleraine | Ballymena | Ballymoney | Larne | Limavady | Moyle | SEUPB

Programme Monitoring Workshop

Programme Monitoring Workshop
Venue TBC
4th February 2010 Time TBC

Programme Monitoring Workshop

Programme Monitoring Workshop
Venue TBC
15th October 2009 – Time TBC

Reconciliation Skills Development Programme – Training Course C

Reconciliation Skills Development Programme – Training Course C
Coleraine (venue TBA)
27th November 2009 from 2pm – 5pm

Reconciliation Skills Development Programme – Training Course C

Reconciliation Skills Development Programme – Training Course C
Coleraine (Venue TBA)
20th November 2009 from 2pm – 5pm

Reconciliation Skills Development Programme – Training Course B

Reconciliation Skills Development Programme – Training Course B
Coleraine (venue TBA)
13th November 2009 from 10.00-1.00pm

Reconciliation Skills Development Programme – Training Course B

Reconciliation Skills Development Programme
Coleraine (venue TBA)
30^th October 2009 from 10.00am -1.00pm

North East PEACE III Action Plan launched

Pictured at the launch of the £3.6 million North East PEACE III Programme in the Royal Court Hotel Portrush, yesterday (Thursday 10th September 2009), standing are (l to r): Brenda Hegarty, SEUPB; Dr Johnston McMaster, Key note speaker, Irish School of Ecumenics; Peter Day, Community Relations Council; Patricia McCallion, North East Peace III Manager; Ald Jack Rankin, Chairman of the Joint Committee; Mayor of Coleraine, Cllr Sandy Gilkinson (seated).

The North East PEACE III Action Plan, supported by the European Union through the PEACE III Programme, was officially launched at the Royal Court Hotel, Portrush on Thursday 10th September 2009.

The launch acknowledged the investment of £3.6million in the North East Council areas of Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Larne, Limavady, and Moyle for the delivery of a range of programmes aimed at challenging attitudes towards sectarianism and racism and to support conflict resolution and mediation throughout the area.

The £3.6 million has been awarded to the Partnership by the Special EU Programmes Body, to deliver ten strategic programmes aimed at building positive relations at a local level. The Programmes cover training, development and support on a diverse range of topics such as reconciliation, leadership, citizenship and community, interfaith and inter-Church relations, cultural awareness, victims support and conflict resolution.

Speaking on behalf of the lead Council, the Mayor of Coleraine, Cllr Sandy Gilkinson, stated that “there is a vast amount of opportunities being created in the North East for communities to work together to build a lasting peace across the region. Cllr Gilkinson added that the European Union’s PEACE III Programme is helping to transform our society and is providing genuine opportunities for dialogue and reconciliation”.

Speaking at the launch, Brenda Hegarty, Programme Manager with the Special EU Programmes Body, stressed the important role played by local partnerships delivering the Peace and Reconciliation Action Plans across Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland. She said: “Building positive relations at the local level is one of the main themes of the PEACE III Programme and without the knowledge and understanding of local authorities of the priorities for their communities this important element of the programme can not be a success. Each of the council areas in this partnership therefore plays a crucial role in delivering on the requirements for building positive relations at the local level.”

Patricia McCallion, PEACE III Manager, added that the substantial commitment and generosity shown by the European Union in continuing its support to the peace process is helping to bring people of all traditions across the North East together to deal with common problems and to search for innovative solutions. The implementation of the North East PEACE III Action Plan is making a significant contribution towards embedding the delicate process of peace and reconciliation in the area”.

The action plan contains programmes which will support a wide range of groups and individuals to participate in initiatives which will promote the sharing, expression and experiencing of the different cultures, faith and heritage that exist in the area. Capacity building programmes have been specifically designed to enable communities to engage in dialogue around sectarianism, racism and intimidation. Youth and Schools based programmes are being developed to enable young people to explore identity, and to build trust and tolerance. Confidence building initiatives for Churches and faith based groups are providing training and mentoring support to address the challenges faced by church and faith based groups. Citizenship and leadership programmes for Councillors and community leaders, providing opportunities for open discussion on peace building roles have been implemented. Opportunities exist for all sections of the community to participate in the action plan programmes.