combined case studies 3

BELFAST CITY COUNCIL

GOOD RELATIONS GRANT

CASE STUDIES

CASE STUDIES

tnarG snoitaleR fooG Hannahstown Heritage & Cultural
Society: Hannahstown and 1798

Grant: Good Relations Grant
Amount awarded: £7,400

Using Hannahstown’s historical significance to the 1798 rebellion
as a medium, this project aimed to build on recent projects
linking the communities of Hannahstown and Stoneyford. These
communities, although close together geographically, became
increasingly divided during the troubles. The concept involved
bringing people from Stoneyford, Hannahstown, Lenadoon and
inner East Belfast together. By exploring the 1798 rebellion, the
similarities and common interests of the two communities could
be uncovered.

"THANK YOU. AN EXCELLENT SCHEME WHICH COULD HELP

TREMENDOUSLY WITH NORTHERN IRELAND'S GOOD RELATIONS.

RECOMMENDED FOR ALL AGES, ESPECIALLY THE YOUTH"

Participant in the 1798 project

57 participants from across Belfast set out by bus on April 29th2017 t
would explore the history of the rebellion. Before reaching
Enniscorthy, the group stopped to visit Wicklow Gaol, where they
received presentations from staff in period costume and had
lunch. After this the group headed to the hotel where a workshop
was led by experienced facilitator and historian, Martin Snodden,
who helped break the ice with challenging introductions.

CASE STUDY

tnarG snoitaleR fooG The next day the group visited a number of historical sites including
Wells House and Gardens and the National United Irishmen
Exhibition. On the latter trip the group was left in no doubt about the
horrors that were inflicted against fellow human beings during the
rising. On the final day the group set off for Vinegar Hill, a site of a
key battle in the rebellion on 21st June 1798. At the summit of
Vinegar Hill, Martin Snodden gave a detailed account of the battle
that raged there between rebel and crown forces. The group were
informed that both sides contained people of protestant, catholic and
dissenter backgrounds, similar to the mix within their own group.

Lessons Learned...

Honesty and openness help greatly in establishing a good group
environment
There was a respect and trust between individuals from different
traditional backgrounds that was noticeable from the start and it
has endured
The workshops led by a quality facilitator assisted greatly in
allowing the group to gel
Rigorous project planning was essential in the project delivery

"MORE OF OUR PEOPLE NEED TO EXPERIENCE TRIPS LIKE
THESE TO UNDERSTAND BETTER EACH OTHERS POINTS
OF VIEW. I THINK THAT A LOT OF OUR TROUBLES OF
TODAY STEM FROM IGNORANCE OF OUR PAST"

Participant in the 1798 project

CASE STUDY

tnarG snoitaleR fooG Barnardo's: Family Learning
and Integration Project

This concept was initially a five-year initiative to support ethnic
minority families in south Belfast to gain the skills and
confidence to support their children's learning and become more
involved in the local community.
Barnardo's applied to Belfast City Council's Good Relations Grant
and were awarded £2,015 to assist in the project delivery.

The project aims to improve the lives of refugee children and
their families by providing parenting support, group work and
high quality play based learning for young children..

Of of the first activities the group undertook was a guided tour of
the city, including the interface areas. The photos below were
taken during the interface guided tour, stopping on this
occasion on the Falls Road.

“ IT WAS VERY WELL ORGANISED BUS TOUR. I’VE
LEARNT THINGS ABOUT BELFAST. I FEEL WELCOME IN

THE CITY”

Egyptian woman taking part in the Family
Learning and Integration Project

CASE STUDY

tnarG snoitaleR fooG Project Design

Barnardo's identified two schools to work with on the project,
namely Fane Street and Holy Rosary Primary Schools. The
parents and pupils of both schools were offered the opportunity to
engage in the following activities....

Parent and Infant Programme (PIP)

Support and information for parents and their children (0-3 years old) in a
safe play setting.

Parent Active Learning Programme (PAL)

Support for parents rasining children in a multi-cultural/lingual environment

Language Made Fun!

English language support for children in partnership with the University of
Ulster.

Men's Project Worker

Tailored support, capacity-building and signposting for fathers and male
carers.

Outreach - Individual Support

One-to-one sessions that carry out needs assessment in a manner best fit
to deliver support

“IT’S A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE THAT BUILDS BRIDGES

AND BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER. I ALSO LEARNED A LOT

ABOUT THE HISTORY OF NI”

Portuguese woman after the bus tour with the Family
Learning and Integration Project

CASE STUDY

tnarG snoitaleR fooG Conway Education Centre:
Learning Together

Conway Education Centre successfully applied to the
Good Relations Grant to run an English language course
and welcome programme for refugee families arriving in
Belfast under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.
Their project was awarded £4865.

The scheme ran from July 24th to August 10th 2017 with
three goals....

To improve English Language skills
To improve confidence of participants and increase their
awareness of local services
To support positive relationships and successful integration in
the local community

"WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO BE SAFE HERE. THE
PROGRAMME HAS HELPED ME UNDERSTAND MORE
ABOUT THE SCHOOLS, MAYBE MY CHILDREN CAN GO

TO UNIVERSIOTY HERE"

Syrian Refugee taking part in the Learning
Together Programme

CASE STUDY

tnarG snoitaleR fooG Project Outcomes

15 Volunteers provided assistance through the three week
programme and built up a good relationship with the
participants. Each day began with two hours English for
Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes delivered to
two separate ability groups. Of 30 available places, 38 had
enrolled by the start of the class.

Lessons Learned...

The cooking sessions proved to be very popular, it provided
opportunities to develop relationships and for the participants to
show their skills and share their culture.
The role of interpreters was essential to the effective delivery of
the cultural/afternoon programme.
The provision of halal lunches for all participants and volunteers
proved very beneficial in breaking the ice, building up
relationships and sharing stories.
The ability to incorporate childcare provision was indispensable
in widening access and participation.

"I WANTED TO HELP THE SYRIAN FAMILIES WHO MOVED

INTO OUR AREA,    BUT WASN'T SURE WHAT TO SAY OR

NOT TO SAY. THIS PROFGRAMME HAS MADE ME MORE

CONFIDENT TO TALK TO THEM AND SEE IF THEY NEEDED

HELP"

West Belfast resident taking part in the Learning
Together Programme

CASE STUDY

tnarG snoitaleR fooG Carrick Hill Residents' Association:
Summer Intervention

The young people of Carrick Hill have experienced
heightened tensions over the summer months in recent
times. Alternative Summer was a strategy that originated in 2013 in
response to a particularly difficult period of sectarianism and
interface incidents the previous year. The Alternative
Summer strategy aims to identify young people most at risk of
participating in interface violence, engaging them and channeling
them into structured, safe activity.

"THIS PROJECT HAS HELPED BENEFIT US ALL AS IT'S
KEEPING EVERYONE OUT OF TROUBLE, BUILDING AND
LIGHTING FIRES AND CAUSING FIGHTS WITH PEOPLE FROM

DIFFERENT AREAS AND COMMUNITIES”

Young person taking part in the Carrick Hill
Summer Intervention Programme

Carrick Hill were awarded £4,294 through the Good Relations Grant
to help deliver this diversionary work.
Their work revolved around detached and street based work,
identifying those children and young people most hard to reach. This
was then followed with participation and citizenship programme
designed to explore active citizenship and motivate the young people
to examine ways in which they can get involved in their communities.

CASE STUDY

tnarG snoitaleR fooG Project Implementation

The project planned a range of activities for the young people,
including banana-boating, outdoor movie theatre, Go-Karting and
kayaking. The photographs shown indicate how much fun was had
and the majority of these activities were held around key dates
when interface violence is most likely to occur.

“I ENJOYED THAT EVERYONE GOT ALONG WELL"

Young person taking part in the Summer Intervention
Programme

Jackie Bradley, Centre Manager at the Carrick Hill Community
Centre stated that their outreach work was key in reaching those
most vulnerable and involving them in the programme. Without the
work of their skilled outreach workers, any diversionary work would
be futile. argues Jackie. She also went on to say that a one-off project
is worth little in comparison to prolonged engagement and work with
the young people that can reap real rewards for their futures.

"WE DON'T HAVE A BONFIRE HERE FOR GOOD REASON"

Jackie Bradley, Centre Manaqger with Carrick Hill
Community Centre

The personal stories from individuals involved with the centre can
attest to the work of the Residents' Association in restoring pride
and reducing tensions.

CASE STUDY