Funding of €10,000 which has been allocated to Youth Work Ireland Monaghan under the Government’s Reconciliation and Sectarianism Fund has been warmly welcomed.

The money means that the Youth for Peace-Moving Forward Together project can begin. This innovative three county project will see young people from both communities and both sides of the border working together over a 22 month period to further peace and reconciliation and build a sustainable future for themselves and their communities. One of the key elements of this project
is a Peace Cycle which will see young people from the Erne East Area of Fermanagh, Monaghan and East Belfast recycle old bicycles together and then embark on a Peace Cycle together.

Three staff will oversee the running of the programme and they commence employment this week. Edel McCarron will be based in Ballybay and will be the Project Co-Ordinator.  She will be assisted by Helen Jamison who will be based in Dee Street in Belfast and Shauna McDonald will look after the Clones Erne East Area. Speaking on behalf of the Partnership, Mary Lynch, Director Youth Work Ireland-Monaghan said, “This is an exciting and innovative project and we are delighted that the funders have seen the potential in the project and would like to thank them for their generous support. Both the International Fund for Ireland through the NI Rural Development Council and the Department of Foreign Affairs has been hugely supportive of this project through the planning stages and their commitment of funding is proof of the value they believe exists within the project.”

Similarly, local Fianna Fáil TD Margaret Conlon has also welcomed the funding for the project. “The significant funding allocated to Youth Work Ireland Monaghan will help to support partnerships between young people from communities in Fermanagh, Monaghan and Belfast.” Deputy Conlon also said that a number of significant cross border commitments were reaffirmed by the Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD at a meeting of the North South Ministerial Council in Dublin this week. The meeting was attended by the Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD First Minister, Peter Robinson MLA, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MP MLA. A range of child protection issues including the establishment of the innovative North-South Child Protection website was discussed. “These meetings between leaders from both jurisdictions are very important. Fianna Fáil in Government has established very good and effective working relationships with their contemporaries in the North and there is no doubt that the people of Cavan/Monaghan will benefit from this work,” Deputy Conlon concluded.

Ms Lynch added that the project workers will be beginning to role out the elements of the Youth for Peace-Moving Forward Together project over the next few months and would love to hear from any young person aged from 12 to 25 who would like to be involved. Anyone, regardless of age, who would like to be involved in the cycling project is also welcome to get in touch. Queries can be emailed to youthforpeace1@ywimonaghan.ie or telephone 00353 87 6996726

--