Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 January 2023
74. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide an overview of the shared island civic society fund he announced on 12 January 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4216/23]
View answerWill the Tánaiste outline the details of the new shared island civic society fund? While I welcome the capital projects, I am anxious to see a project that would facilitate civic dialogue. I welcome this initiative and thank the Tánaiste for announcing it. Will the Tánaiste report on his recent meetings with Wavetron?
I was very pleased to launch the shared island civic society fund earlier this month. The fund forms part of the Government’s shared island initiative, which I established more than two years ago, and will build on all of the progress already made on infrastructure, research and community projects. Through the shared island dialogue series, we learned that civic society groups across the island would benefit from enhanced support to deepen their work with cross-Border partners on issues of common interest. The shared island civic society fund responds directly to this need. It is my intention that the shared island civic society fund will promote North-South co-operation across a range of sectors and themes consistent with the objectives and commitments of the Good Friday Agreement and support the emergence of new cross-Border civic projects. I anticipate that the fund will complement work that is already taking place on a North-South basis. It should also assist civic society organisations in establishing new strategic links.
In its first year, the fund will support organisations working on projects in a broad range of areas, including climate and environment; community development; heritage and conservation; social enterprise; the charity and voluntary sector; and sport. The fund will provide €3 million over its first three years of operation, with up to €500,000 being made available this year. The application process is now open with full details available on my Department’s website. Applications will be accepted until Monday, 27 February.
On the shared island civic society fund, I was 20 years of age in 1997 when the Good Friday Agreement was signed. The majority of people on this island have adult memories that do not involve the Troubles. That is a positive thing. However, it also means that we must make sure we do not forget the lessons that were learned from the Good Friday Agreement, namely, ideas around parity of esteem and a shared space. The civic society fund is an important way of getting people to engage with one another. I wish to talk about young people in particular in this regard. In the past, we had programmes, such as those operated by Boston College, Co-operation Ireland, etc., that did this regularly. I hope we can work with young people at the civic society forum to encourage them to understand one another and why their communities come from different places, but also to understand that they often come from similar circumstances. The political and religious context shapes their perception of one another rather than the circumstances in which they live from day to day.
I agree with the Deputy. Applications are invited from a range of civic society community organisations, business and trade union representative groups and regional or national representative bodies. Of course, we are also including the under-represented voices of women, young people, older people, ethnic minorities, the LGBTQI+ community. Applications will have a North-South dimension. The Deputy made a point about the younger generations and the many people born since the Good Friday Agreement came into being. In the context of the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, it is vital that we try to communicate the message to a younger audience. We had a shared island dialogue with young people. Young people's perspectives are quite different from those that were prevalent during negotiations on the agreement. There is a pressing need to work with young people in the context of the future of the island.
It is funny the Tánaiste should mention applications. We are already working on one in Ballymun with some groups in east Belfast. We hope to be able to bring together young people from both perspectives and to avail of funding. I ask the Tánaiste to look favourably on that application. I am sure many other Deputies will ask him to do the same. The communities of east Belfast and Ballymun are similar in many ways. They face similar economic challenges, and the young people from both have many issues in common. The theme that is going to be proposed is the idea of how we might tackle climate change, which is a matter on which both groups can agree. I see potential in the context of so many areas. We could have sports clubs from both sides engaging with one another. When it comes to access to arts centres, we are going to take the lead on it. We hope that the idea of culture can be explored in the context of what it means. I refer to how traditional culture is defined in one way and the fact that young people might have more in common in the context of rap music or other forms of culture that are more relevant to their generation.
I thank the Tánaiste for launching the programme. I look forward to his favourable consideration of the application.
The deadline for applications for the current funding round is Monday, 27 February, so the Deputy had better get the application in. Officials in my Department are happy to engage with anyone who has a query regarding the eligibility of a specific organisation or project. Further funding rounds will be scheduled and will take account of any learnings gained from the first call for applications. Full details on the shared island civic society fund, including eligibility criteria and the application process information, are available on the Department of Foreign Affairs website.
The issue the Deputy mentioned is key. We need to share lessons relating to school completion and educational attainment in different communities, North and South. This is vital work that we have advanced through the Economic and Social Research Institute's research work on the shared island initiative. That research revealed a great deal regarding educational completion on the island of Ireland, the differences between the North and the South and how, by sharing knowledge, we can improve outcomes for young people on the island.
