Peace project led by Rio Ferdinand charity to receive €1.2m in funding

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

A cross-border peace academy led by the Rio Ferdinand Foundation is to receive more than £1 million (€1.2 million) in funding.

The charity project, which partners with Sligo Rovers and Glentoran football clubs, will deliver a platform for young people to take part in cross-community engagement through sport and media interaction.

The former Manchester United footballer established the Rio Ferdinand Foundation in 2012 to promote opportunities for young people to achieve their potential through participation, and it has worked in Northern Ireland and the Republic since 2016.

The project will receive £1,064,911 (€1,253,574) in Peaceplus funding.

Peaceplus is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and represents a funding partnership between the European Union, the UK and Irish governments and the Northern Ireland Executive.

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly have welcomed the allocation of £29,210,173 (€34,385,137) to 15 projects to support peace and reconciliation on both sides of the border.

The funding will deliver projects that benefit more than 50,000 people, the SEUPB said.

Some of the other projects to receive funding include:

– CONNECT (€2,081,985). Led by the British Council, the project seeks to foster positive relationships within communities and support peacebuilding efforts in Northern Ireland by challenging destabilisation and misinformation, mistrust among communities, social isolation, discrimination, and inequalities affecting vulnerable groups.

– Framing the Legacy of our Irish and Scottish Heritage (€1,817,377.89). Led by Ulster University, it aims to develop positive community relations and support peacebuilding in Northern Ireland by addressing issues related to language and cultural diversity.

– ICI (€2,925,134.56). Led by North West Migrants Forum, the project aims to foster a more inclusive and welcoming society within communities in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland that are experiencing rapid demographic change.

– NextGen4Peace Project (€2,561,233). Led by the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation, the project aims to address increasing levels of polarisation, division and the erosion of social cohesion exacerbated by Brexit, tensions surrounding the Windsor Framework negotiations, the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, and immigration challenges between the UK and Ireland.

– Sport 4 Peace (€2,774,888.48). Led by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association, the project aims to promote positive relations.

– Women’s ReconciliNation Project (€1,615,720). Led by Training for Women Network Ltd, the WRP will establish an educational programme for women in Northern Ireland and the border counties.

Ms O’Neill said thousands of people would benefit from the projects.

She said: “These projects have the potential to impact individuals, families and communities across the region by building respect and understanding, celebrating cultural diversity and providing opportunities for people from different backgrounds to come together.”

Ms Little-Pengelly said: “These projects will help break down barriers and unite communities, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to feel included.

“The Executive Office is contributing over five million euro in match funding which will ensure these initiatives can bring people from different backgrounds together to make real and lasting connections.”

Minister for Rural and Community Development Dara Calleary said: “These projects will be supported under the Building Positive Relations Investment Area and will 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.”

SEUPB chief executive Gina McIntyre said: “While we have come such a long way over the past 26 years since the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, our society still faces significant challenges.

“The aim of these 15 projects will be to help break down some of the social segregations and help ease tensions, mistrust and hurt from the years of conflict, facilitating greater inclusion, working together and a shared hope for a better future.”