Castlereagh Borough Council: Good Relations Grant Fund

Overview

The aim of the fund is to promote good relations between people of different religious and political beliefs and different racial groups. In order to deliver the Good Relations Fund aims and principles, applicants will need to demonstrate how their project addresses the following issues:

• Address community conflict issues through dialogue, learning about others and developing meaningful relationships.
• Building awareness, dispelling myths, stereotypes, addressing sectarianism or racism.
• To continue to improve attitudes amongst our young people and to build a community where they can play a full and active role in building good relations.
• To create a community where division does not restrict the life opportunities of individuals and where all areas are open and accessible to everyone.
• To create a community where everyone feels safe in moving around and where life choices are not inhibited by fears around safety.
• To create a community, which promotes mutual respect and understanding, is strengthened by its diversity and where cultural expression is celebrated and embraced.
• Being challenging and progressive – demonstrating a significant level of challenge and new learning, while maintaining the safety and wellbeing of all involved. We will also support projects which challenge people within communities to widen their perspectives.
• Respecting and valuing diversity and difference – enabling participants to engage in a process of challenging stereotypes and respecting and valuing differences in the context of good relations.
• Inclusion, safety and purpose – having clear and agreed purposes, commitment to delivering between partners and agreed measures to ensure safety and quality in the programme.
• Community engagement – involving people who have experienced social exclusion, segregation or conflict.
• Sustainability, reflective practice and innovation – showing evidence of continuous engagement, improvement and good practice.
• Originality – weight will be given to projects that have not been done before or show a desire to address issues not previously addressed.

Example Types of work:

• Mutual Understanding work
• Reconciliation work
• Cultural Traditions work
• Conflict resolution work
• Interchurch work
• Justice and rights work
• Anti intimidation and anti-racism work
• Anti sectarian work