Sligo PEACEPLUS Programme

The Programme is a funding partnership between the European Union, the Governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Executive and will be administered by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

Update: November 2023

Project development for the Sligo PEACEPLUS Co-designed Local Community Peace Action Plan is reaching its final stages. A later deadline has been announced: 28^th March 2024. This means that approval will now be sought from Sligo PEACEPLUS Partnership in February 2024 at latest.  Thank you for all your input and time to date.

We’d like to know what you think of the programmes we are developing, based on your input so far. These are the projects that are open to participation by all.

We want to know if you or your group might like to get involved in the projects we are developing. You can help us get this right by completing our online survey or getting in touch directly.

Our online survey is available until 10^th December 2023, in English and irish at https://consult.sligococo.ie

Details of the proposed projects are also available in Arabic, Polish, Ukrainian and Urdu. Check out all the posters at the links below:

As ever, if you have other related questions, get in touch. Email: tferguson@sligococo.ie or phone 071 91 14422.

 

The first phase of co-design consultations for Sligo's PEACEPLUS Co-designed Local Community Peace Action Plan closed at the end of May 2023. This phase included public information sessions, public meetings, sectoral meetings, an online survey and facility for written submissions. 

Shortlisting of project proposals received during the first phase of Co-design has been completed by the Sligo PEACEPLUS Partnership. Ideas selected are being further developed with a view to creating deliverable projects. This will involve establishing the aims, project activities, costs and timeline of projects, and who would be taking part and benefiting from projects. This process will include further engagement with relevant communities to ensure that project plans meet identified needs. One of the core principles of co-design is that the people taking part in and benefiting from a planned action are equal partners in the planning and design process of these actions.

Projects selected for further development may not be viable when explored in more depth.

Broadly, project ideas under consideration for development address the three themes under this Investment Area:

1.1.1: Local Community Regeneration and Transformation

Project ideas being developed under this theme include enhancing existing spaces for creative arts for young people, intergenerational and universal ability access, better cross-community relations, understanding of shared heritage and access to the outdoors with consideration of supporting local community and economic development through tourism, heritage and digital skills. 

  

1.1.2 Thriving and Peaceful Communities:

Project ideas being developed under this theme include exploring the Peace Process 25 years on, mentoring for new community leaders, training local ambassadors, understanding and protecting local biodiversity, cross-border exchange for learning and friendship, supporting local prosperity and the circular economy, digital skills for local benefit, using music for integration and inclusion.

1.1.3 Celebrating Culture and Diversity

Project ideas being developed under this theme include events and festivals using food, crafts, dance, drama, fashion, language, film, animation, history, heritage, farming, cooking, story-telling, poetry, literature, photography, folklore, and whatever means possible, to get people together and learning from one another.

 

Reasons for projects not being considered for further development:

The time and consideration of people to attend meetings and provide input is sincerely appreciated. Unfortunately, not all ideas were suitable for further development. No submission was excluded without reason. These reasons include:

• The proposal was outside the scale of our programme in either delivery and/or cost;
• Another more suitable funding stream is available for the proposal;
• the service already exists (duplication/displacement);
• ownership of property and/or requirement for planning permission;
• the proposal was not aligned with the requirements and aims of PEACEPLUS.

Submission of an idea that is not developed does not affect your participation, or that of your community - group or area – in any of the projects that are included in the final Sligo PEACEPLUS Co-designed Local Community Peace Action Plan. We hope you can continue to support and take part in the Programme as it develops.

 

What Happens Next:

Projects are further developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders – the proposer/s, potential participants, etc. If a project looks viable, it will be taken to the next stage for detailed costing and planning of timelines, how the project can be delivered and identifying the expected outcomes. These will be agreed with relevant stakeholders and officially sanctioned by the Sligo PEACEPLUS Partnership for inclusion in the final Sligo Co-designed Local Community Peace Action Plan and submitted in application to the Special EU Programmes Body. The deadline for application is 28^th March 2024.

 

Note: a project being selected for further development does not guarantee inclusion in the Sligo Co-designed Local Community Peace Action Plan to be submitted to Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), as the project development process may demonstrate a project is not viable to implement under this programme.

 

The official call for this Investment Area was issued by the SEUPB on 15^th June. To see all details associated with the call, please visit Current Funding - Investment Area 1.1

PEACEPLUS in Sligo 2023-2027

PEACEPLUS is a new funding programme from the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) designed to support peace and prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties.

Sligo County Council has been awarded indicative funding of €3.604 million to develop and implement a Co-designed Local Community Peace Action Plan. The plan will be built on three core themes:

1. Local community regeneration and transformation: transformation and re-imaging of individual or collective areas within a community in a manner which challenges initial perceptions and increases levels of shared pride.
2. Thriving and peaceful communities: to build the capacity of local organisations through cross community collaboration.
3. Celebrating culture and diversity: to build, improve and sustain relationships between and within communities by addressing issues of trust, prejudice and intolerance.

The co-design model is an approach based on participation where the people taking part in and benefiting from a planned action are equal partners in the planning and design process of these actions.

Co-design is more than local consultation.

This process relies on you, as community representatives and individuals, to be involved.

The co-design approach enables diverse partnerships to establish priority actions for their local areas and collectively address these in a manner which will make a significant and lasting contribution to peace and reconciliation.

The first phase of co-design for the Sligo Co-designed Local Community Peace Action Plan took place during Jan-June 2023. It included Public Information Sessions, Public Co-design Consultation Meetings, targeted conversations with identified stakeholders, an online survey and facility for written submissions.

If you would like:

• more information,
• to be added to updates list,

contact Tracy Ferguson, Senior Staff Officer with responsibility for managing Sligo PEACEPLUS Programme at tferguson@sligococo.ie, phone: 071 911 4422, mobile: 087 756 0274.

For an overview of the entire programme see PEACEPLUS Programme Overview.

Small Grants

PEACEPLUS will have a direct application small grants programme.  Grants of up to €100k will be considered. The administration of this programme will be managed by Pobal and the call for applications is scheduled to open March 2024.