Peace and Reconciliation
The School of Sport
This was a cross community project in the 1990’s. Qualified coaches from the YMCA visited schools for twelve weeks to help develop children’s skills and knowledge of sports. It initially started with football and then grew to include hockey, netball and basketball. After the 12 weeks of coaching, the children came together at the YMCA for a festival day and awards ceremony.
The project aimed to introduce primary school children to sport and the importance of healthy lifestyles. Staff on the project included: Sam Starrett, Linda Barber, Annette Taylor, Paul McColgan, Matt Bradley and Dougie Wood.
YMCA Ireland Palestine Trip, 1998
In April 1998, a delegation from YMCA Ireland, including Willie Lamrock from Londonderry YMCA, travelled to
Palestine to visit the East Jerusalem YMCA. The purpose of the trip was to share experiences of conflict, see
vocational training projects and broaden the international scope of both the Irish and East Jerusalem
Associations.
Gateway to Protestant Participation (GPP) Programme, 2009 to 2010
A strategic programme that aimed to “encourage the participation of the Protestant community in disadvantaged urban and rural areas by promoting a shared sense of belonging, addressing issues of marginalisation and tackling sectarianism and racism”.
Community Capacity Building
This was a Peace III funded programme that aimed to build the capacity of disengaged and marginalised communities to participate in peace and reconciliation activities. It addressed sectarianism and racism across the North West.
The project built on the GPP model to include other single identity groups, including ethnic minorities and travellers. It delivered training, good practice visits and set up a networking forum. It also offered grants of up to £3,000 to groups for a project that would benefit the organisation or community.
Staff on the project were: Paul Anderson (YMCA), Vincent Brogan (Omagh Forum), Damian Doherty (Strabane District Community and Enterprise), and Maire Ni Threasaigh (Donegal).
Respect I and Respect II
A Peace III funded innovative peace-building/sports development initiative that worked with 76 sports clubs across seven types of sports, on a cross-community/cross-border basis.
The clubs took part in joint training. It covered Good Relations, policies, procedures, action plan development, child protection, first aid, risk assessment and committee skills. Each club was presented with a playing/training kit and pitch hoarding highlighting that they had signed up to the ethos of Respect.
Staff on the project were Willie Lamrock (Manager), Gary McClean (Coordinator) and Paul Anderson (Research Consultant).
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