Donegal County Council - BPR

Results and Outputs: The Donegal Peace IV Action Plan has been developed to deliver outputs and results in three thematic areas of the programme, delivering: Programmes which will engage 1468 children and young people in meaningful activities which develop their soft skills and respect for diversity. Thereby increasing the percentage of young people in the County who play sports or socialise with others of a different religious community and increasing the percentage of young people who think cross community relations are better than they were 5 years ago and will be better in the future. One initiative to create and/or enhance the shared usage and nature of public areas and/or buildings.Thereby increasing the percentage of people who perceive their neighbourhood as neutral and the percentage of those who would prefer to live in a mixed religion environment. One action plan under the objective of Building Positive Relations creating an environment where cultural diversity is respected and celebrated.Thereby increasing the percentage of people who know about the culture of minority ethnic groups and those who think relationships between Catholics and Protestants are better than there were 5 years ago and will be better in future. Project design: In order to deliver those objectives an activity plan has been identified, incorporating smart targets for each of the initiatives outlined. The selection of activity programmes has been informed by a review of local socio-economic characteristics and a public consultation process delivered in 6 locations across the District and via on-line survey. Activity programmes outlined include provision for youth engagement with arts and digital media, sports, health and wellbeing programmes, volunteering/social action programmes, language, literary & cultural activity programmes, intergenerational initiatives, creation of outdoor recreation/sporting space, community gardens and provision of small grant opportunities to stimulate community action. Three Delivery Partners are proposed namely Tusla, Donegal Education and Training Board and An Garda Siochanna. Strategic and Policy Context: Review has been undertaken of relevant strategies and policies which has demonstrated that the proposed action plan is in alignment with the Local Economic and Community Plan, Council Corporate Plan and funding strategies such as LEADER delivered through the Rural Development Programme. The plan is therefore complementary to, but additional to, existing local and regional provision. Need and Demand: The needs identified within the County include the legacy of the border with the resulting disconnect within communities and economic decline along the border region, the need for investment in new community leaders including representatives from minority groups, the importance of restorative justice programmes to address sectarianism, racism and local conflict issues, need for positive activities which seek to build resilience and confidence in young people and the potential of ‘cultural brokerage’ using the arts to manage conversations and build relationships. The Plan builds on the work undertaken in Peace II and Peace III, however the changing social demographic, continued impact of the border and scale of need require additional investment under Peace IV. Options: Options for delivery of the Peace Action Plan are constrained as a result of Programme requirements and the reduced time frame now available. However an options appraisal has been considered and effective proposals agreed for Plan implementation to ensure delivery of objectives within the current constraints. Budget: To effect full delivery of the Action Plan the Peace Partnership requests a grant award of € 5,552,691. This includes costs towards management and administration at a flat rate of 13.8% of project expenditure. Adequate cash flow will be made available by Donegal County Council to enable delivery. Risk Management: A risk register is appended to the application outlining key risks which could impact on Action Plan delivery and proposed mitigation measures to manage those risks to an acceptable level. Horizontal Principles: The Action Plan positively impacts on sustainable development and equality. For example, it provides opportunities for the enhancement of health and wellbeing, the creation of social capacity and connectivity thereby contributing to the creation of more sustainable communities. In addition the Action Plan actively promotes and facilitates the inclusion of ethnic minorities, people from the LGBT community and Travelling Community thereby breaking down barriers to equality within society. Management Arrangements and Governance: The strategic oversight and management of the Action Plan is the responsibility of the Peace Partnership Board, a sub-committee of the Local Community Development Committee, thereby ensuring integration with Council corporate governance arrangements. The Partnership includes additional members from the statutory and voluntary sector, thereby ensuring adequate skills and experience of peace and reconciliation and the needs of target groups. The Partnership is administered by a Peace IV Action Plan team led by the Programme Manager and reporting to the Partnership Secretary and subsequently Director of Service for Enterprise and Planning. The Peace IV Team will take responsibility for ensuring operational delivery of action plan activities, including the projects delivered by the three external delivery partners. Communications: A communications plan is outlined to ensure effective engagement with all key stakeholders. Monitoring and Evaluation: The approach to monitoring and evaluation for quantitative and qualitative analysis has been outlined, ensuring effective data capture across all projects.

Diversionary Peace Project: In November 2020, the €182,000 Diversionary Peace Project drew to a close with a special online celebration event. The event celebrated a project rich with opportunities for young people in Donegal, who have chosen a positive path. Young participants had the opportunity to reflect on their experiences, such as cross-border trips, and the skills acquired since the project started in April 2019. Marginalised Youth Project (MAP): In December 2020 the MAP project also closed with a celebratory online event. MAP brought together over 180 young people; considered to be marginalised in society (due to location, religion, ethnicity, sexuality and ability) to help them find their place within the Donegal community. The young participants engaged in non-formal education workshops, activities and trips; discovering Donegal and beyond, as well as developing friendships. At the event young participants reflected on the positive impact of the project upon their lives, particularly during the difficult times of COVID-19. Reading Rooms: The Reading Rooms project came to a close in 2020. For the first time, Verbal, an arts-based organisation, partnered with Donegal County Council to deliver its successful Reading Rooms model to over 260 children and young people throughout Donegal. The project is a health and well-being programme that used literacy fiction to explore, in a safe place, themes like conflict resolution, resilience, problemsolving and hope. Over the past 12 months, groups of participants met weekly to read highquality and thematically targeted literature read aloud by a trained volunteer.