The PEACE Programmes Learning Platform Level 1

Young at Art wants to return with New Lodge Arts to work with local partners and residents to run a large-scale community and youth- led event in the Waterworks Park in North Belfast as part of the 2009 Belfast Children’s Festival. It wants to build on a very successful innovative and practically oriented approach that first took place in 2008 and has brought people together to work on sharing a natural amenity that delivers social, cultural, environmental and health benefits. The proposed project will not only share physical but also cultural space in this divided part of Belfast. It will deliver: A community-led planning process in which local organisations have a direct say in what happens, how they are involved and how they will work together; A number of arts-based collaborations in which residents and groups will work together to create artwork and decorations for the park; Development of a programme of activities to run with local residents prior to and during the event – this may include showcasing work from local groups, involving young people such as young bands, using local skills to create the event; A focused volunteer recruitment and training programme in the area; Recruitment and training of local residents to work as stewards and staff at the event on a freelance basis; An outreach and awareness raising programme within the area to encourage involvement and awareness; A promotional campaign throughout the area, and with a wider target market to draw visitors into the area for the event; A substantial celebratory event throughout the park acting as a major attraction to North Belfast in late spring (May 2009), drawing visitors and residents into the whole park; An evaluation process that examines each individual strand and the whole project to assess delivery and make recommendations for future work.