Donegal Youth Service is ready to lead out a cross-border and cross-community project which aims to build peace in post-conflict Ireland.
The project, which was announced earlier this week, is expected to reach 35,000 children, young people and the adults who support them.
Donegal Youth Service is part of a partnership of seven cross-border organisations sharing €6.1M of EU PEACE IV funding to deliver the project throughout Northern Ireland and the Border Region.
Programmes provided will include accessible, age appropriate prevention, early intervention and recovery activities delivered on a cross-border and cross-community basis to support the mental and emotional wellbeing of children and young people within local communities.
The partnership, led by Action Mental Health, has been awarded funding through the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), to build positive relations and emotional resilience in communities impacted by four decades of the Troubles/Conflict across the island of Ireland.
Match-funding for the project has been provided by The Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland.
David Babington, CEO of AMH and spokesperson for the project, said: “The legacy of the conflict has left an impact on many communities in Northern Ireland and Ireland, which is still evident across generations of adults and young people.
“This innovative new project provides an unprecedented opportunity for communities, North and South of the Border, to come together to halt the intergenerational impact of the trauma and build emotional resilience and peace for generations to come”.
