T ENV20-087 PEACE IV Riverine Community Park Borderlines Project

Tender description

The purpose of the tender is to provide a tailored and sustained cross-community programme which has a clear focus on impacting contentious issues around shared space and reconciliation. Should relevant opportunities exist it can also impact positively on physical spaces to make them more shared eg. tackling territorial marking with community agreement. It must leave a legacy of increased community engagement and capacity in the area so that communities can have the potential to sustain work beyond the lifespan of the PEACE IV programme. The Programme will continue and sustain the development of such work in Strabane and Lifford towns in the past number of years, through a PEACE IV Shared Spaces programme, which has successfully been carried out by the community and voluntary sector. Prospective tenderers must engage with local communities to establish or further build cross-community and cross-border relationships, launch the programme, agree the key issues and collectively understand perspectives on these, agree and deliver a programme or actions which address these issues, build community capacity to sustain peace-building work beyond the life of the programme (e.g. training, capacity, action planning, assisting with funding applications/signposting), and celebrate the achievements of the project in a finale event. Examples of programme content may include workshops, dialogue, conferences, events, mediation, residential/ field trips, environmental actions or physical re-imaging, or any other types of work which will sustain cross-community contact, build trust and community cohesion and impact positively on the issues around shared space. It should be noted that, initially, organised events may occur online, if Covid 19 restrictions remain in place. Critical to the success of this will be sustained engagement with community leaders, residents and representatives through the Riverine Community Forum, to oversee and agree the detailed content of all stages of the project. In line with the parameters of the PEACE IV Programme all elements of the project should be cross-community and cross-border, allowing for sustained contact between participants. If any single identity work is required it should be very minimal in the overall project. Activity Number Hours Community Artwork Installations - workshops 6 2 (per workshop) Celebration 1 3 Showcase 6 6 days (monthly) The provider will also ensure that the basic minimum requirements of the PEACE IV Programme in terms of communications and evaluation and monitoring are completed. This includes the issuing for example of a minimum of 3 press releases and conducting the generic baseline and end of project evaluation and monitoring requirements. Training on this will be provided by the Community Animator. The provider may also do additional tailored communications and evaluation and monitoring unique to the project. Tenderers should be aware that the needs and requirements of participants should be paramount in selecting times and locations of programme delivery. It is noted that some evening or weekend working may need to be considered in this. Equality of opportunity must be factored into the programme so that no barriers eg. Section 75 NI Act 1998, Access, disability, rurality, deprivation, cultural or linguistic considerations, hinder participation. The tendered programme must include: • Sustained cross community contact in all proposed programmes. i.e. Cross-community programmes engaging residents from all identities in the community which ensure regular meaningful and purposeful contact of 650 participants (748 allowing for 15per cent attrition) as specified in the detail above. Programmes should aim to ‘normalise’ contact on shared interests and create cross-community friendships. Programmes can choose to focus on a range of ages and identities as relevant to the needs of the area e.g. Children, youth, women, men, families, older people. • Programming which meets PEACE IV Programme requirements as follows: The programme must include elements which directly enhance dialogue and understanding around peace and reconciliation, cultural diversity, tackling of sectarianism and racism, shared history and heritage, contentious good relations issues or similar so that they impact on the reconciliation outcomes measured under PEACE IV. These must be explicit parts of the programme and not just assumed they will happen indirectly simply because of cross-community contact. The deliverer may wish to ‘buy in’ or partner with specialist good relations providers/facilitators. All programme activities will be required to take an OBA (Outcomes Based Accountability) approach to ensure they are positively influencing attitudes towards and knowledge of diversity as well as sustaining cross-community cross-interface contact and building cohesiveness across the interface. In terms of measured direct impact on participants, the work must be effective in improving participants understanding of their own and other’s heritage and culture; improve tolerance, respect and celebration of cultural diversity; improve attitudes towards cross-community and cross-border activities; improve levels of trust; decrease prejudice; and improve capacity and confidence of participants in addressing sectarianism and racism and positively influencing wider attitudes within their community and educational context. It should also increase their sense of belonging and involvement in civic life and local community. Please refer to CfT documents for further detail