Pictured at the Launch of the Building Sustainable Interface Partnerships Project funded by the International Fund for Ireland are from left Jnr Minister Robin Newton, Harry Maguire, Chairman of Interaction Belfast, Denis Rooney, Chairman IFI, Roisin McGlone, CEO Interaction Belfast and Jnr Minister Gerry Kelly
An innovative new project which will address difference and division and promote reconciliation at interface areas was launched today at Parliament Buildings by Denis Rooney CBE, Chairman of the International Fund for Ireland.
Supported by the International Fund for Ireland under its Community Bridges Programme, which is managed by the Community Relations Council, the three-year cross-community project is called: “Building Sustainable Interface Partnerships”. It has been developed by InterAction Belfast and will work with communities situated along the Falls, Springfield and Shankill interfaces. The aims of the Project are to build trust, allay fear and ultimately create the conditions necessary to build dynamic, vibrant, diverse and empowered communities where the need for walls and barriers no longer exists.
InterAction Belfast will work at the heart of at least eight interface communities situated along the Falls, Springfield and Shankill interfaces. InterAction Belfast will use a number of ground-breaking approaches to encourage communities to engage with statutory agencies and policy makers to take the long-term action needed to address negative perceptions, tackle segregation and encourage cross-community interaction.
Speaking at the launch, Denis Rooney CBE, Chairman of the International Fund for Ireland, which has contributed £250,000 to the Project, said: “It is well known that communities living beside peacelines and at other interface areas in Northern Ireland have suffered disproportionately during the decades of conflict and civil unrest in Northern Ireland.
“Research has indicated that 84% of all deaths in Belfast during the troubles occurred within 1km from an interface.
“The International Fund for Ireland is very keen to support projects which have the potential to deliver sustainable, long-term positive impacts long after the Fund ceases to exist. Building Sustainable Interface Partnerships is one such project that has the potential to make a lasting difference to the lives of people living in areas that have seen the worst of the conflict in Northern Ireland.”
Harry Maguire, Chairman of InterAction Belfast, said: “Although we have political change and some economic change, for some of our citizens, particularly for those living in the shadow of the interface walls, we see very little social change. We do not have a shared vision for our future; we have not acknowledged and dealt with the past together. There is currently no government strategy or framework to address interfaces old or new.
“Interfaces suffer the same amount of sectarianism as other areas of Belfast and Northern Ireland. However, interface communities have the added stressors of being severely deprived in a full range of areas, including income, youth opportunities, employment, housing, education, and health, all of which can underlie community tensions.”
Junior Minister Newton said: "We believe that this 3 year project will provide a real opportunity for residents and young adults, from communities on either side of interfaces to engage in mentoring and capacity-building work. Only through engagement, discussion and shared learning experiences can new partnerships be developed and mutual understanding and accommodation reached."
Welcoming the project Junior Minister Kelly said: "The nature of interface work is changing and the new issues confronting Interface communities are how to move away from division towards joint working. OFMDFM already provides annual funding for summer intervention activities for the most vulnerable groups, but this can only do so much to ease the problems. Real and lasting changes can only come about with the will of the communities themselves."
The Project has also received support from the Community Relations Council which has witnessed the work of InterAction Belfast grow and succeed since its original inception.