Uniting Communities through Sport and Creativity programme aims to unite young people from the South Belfast area
The Department for Communities (DfC) has rolled out its T:BUC Uniting Communities through Sport and Creativity programme in the South Belfast area with an exciting launch event in Queen’s Physical Education Centre on Tuesday 22nd March.
The Programme is one of the headline actions in the Executive’s ‘Together:
Building a United Community’ (T:BUC) strategy.
The ‘Uniting South Belfast’ is one element of the wider Uniting Communities
programmes scheduled to run up until December 2023. Todds Leap has been
appointed by DfC to lead on the programme and engage with young people aged 11-
16 from various organisations across from South Belfast area.
The programme will seek to engage young people in sports, physical and creative
activities that bring communities together, improve attitudes of young people in
relation to other religious, political, ethnic and marginalised communities and
increase community organisational capacity and capability.
Minister Deirdre Hargey welcomed the significant investment from her Department in
South Belfast, ‘I am delighted to be able to support this Programme which aims to
bring together young people from different community backgrounds to help build
connections and lasting friendships. I would encourage youth organisations in the
area to support the programme which will use sport and creative activity to create a
range of fun, interactive and learning opportunities for our young people.’
Several sporting, youth and community and voluntary organisations from across
South Belfast participated in the first Taster Session, with WheelWorks Arts and AB
Coaching providing a diverse range of exciting activities for young people to
experience on the night.
Programme Manager, Pauline Quinn from Todds Leap, welcomed the positive start,
‘Todds Leap, along with our delivery partners, are very excited to be delivering this
comprehensive programme in South Belfast and are heartened by the response of
local organisations to get involved. We want to add value where we can by working
with local organisations and providing a high-quality and exciting good relations
programme for young people.’
Additional opportunities for young people aged 16-24 are available through the
‘Uniting Communities through Leadership’ element, providing opportunities for young
leaders in South Belfast to take part in a structured, standardised training
programme and support the delivery of the work with 11-16 age group. This element
of the programme is currently being delivered by Co-operation Ireland.
Further information on the programme can be obtained by contacting Fergal
O’Donnell, Communications and Community Engagement Manager (Uniting South
Belfast), by email to fergal@insight-solutions.org.
