FUSE project supporting community cohesion in North Belfast

21 Jul 2020

The Foundation work in partnership with the International Fund for Ireland to deliver Peace Impact Programmes (PIP) across the whole of Northern Ireland. PIP is designed to deliver real and positive community transformation through sensitive interventions in communities that have not previously, or only partially, participated in peacebuilding and reconciliation activities. These interventions are critical to building a truly integrated, shared and peaceful society.

One project, in particular, is The HUBB Community Resource Centre who launched in October 2018 a community cohesion programme -FUSE. Aimed at encouraging partnership working, fostering positive community relations and developing local community capacity in North Belfast.  

The project has two full time staff who work out of two bases, The HUBB just off the York Road area and the New Beginnings building on (lower) York Road. They are dealing with ongoing tensions and a high level of paramilitary activity in North Belfast.

This project brings together representatives to develop a strategic plan, which will enable and facilitate a transformation process for those people involved or on the fringes of some of this gate-keeping, anti-social and criminal behaviour. This transformation will allow these people to start to understand the negative affects their behaviour has on communities and set a path for them to disengage from this behaviour and have a more meaningful role within their areas.

Commenting Paddy Harte, International Fund for Ireland, Board Member said:

“The main purpose of the Peace Impact Programme, which The HUBB is funded through, is to deliver real and positive community transformation in communities that have not previously participated in peacebuilding and reconciliation activities.”

“The areas of North Belfast that the FUSE project targets have suffered for too long with high levels of paramilitary activity, with relationships between the specific organisations particularly volatile. These organisations are recognising the need for community cohesion and that’s where this project came from”.