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16 June 2009

The North Belfast Interface Monitoring Group will be launching its annual summer interface poster initiative at Westland Fire Station on Wednesday the 17th of June at 4:30pm.

The launch will be hosted by the NI Fire & Rescue Service and the “Keep Safe for Summer” poster will be officially launched by new Lord

Mayor Naomi Long.

Now in its fourth year the interface poster initiative, a cross community and multi agency initiative aimed at raising the awareness of young people to the dangers and consequences of engaging in risk behaviour particularly at interfaces. Young people from across North Belfast have been involved in designing the message for this year’s poster and will be a key element within the launch.

Hoping to build on the successes of 2006-07 & 08, the NBIMG has been involved in a process of engagement with youth providers from across North Belfast from February this year, seeking to consolidate a unified approach to addressing the issues of youth at risk. This process has been paralleled by a series of engagements on a multi agency level with statutory organizations, such as the PSNI & Belfast City Council community safety teams.

The NBIMG has also engaged in a series of meetings with head teachers across North Belfast and has began a process of addressing school assemblies throughout the north of the city with a cross community delegation of interface workers informing young people of the issues and impact of interface violence. The theme of this year’s campaign is “Keep Safe this Summer!” and while it still maintains a primary focus on interface violence, it also seeks to highlight the other factors which can affect the safety of young people and residents during the summer in particular, Drugs, Alcohol and the growing number of incidents with knives also are issues for concern. The message this year is very clear, drawing on the collective responsibility and powers of this multi agency approach the NBIMG are utilizing a two pronged approach to the campaign.  Soliciting the support & resources of youth providers, schools and clergy, we hope to identify that there is a clear choice to make, young people can avail of support within the community and engage in the wide variety of summer programmes and activities available to them. On the hand we are relaying the message that there will be a renewed and vigorous effort to identify young people involved in risk activities. This process of identification will inform  other agencies in addressing this activity, Social Services, Belfast City Council and the NI Housing Executive with the PSNI will be contacting the parents of anyone identified as being involved in risk activity and will take appropriate action. 

The North Belfast Interface Monitoring Group will distribute 20 thousand leaflets & posters to schools, youth clubs and community centres across North Belfast and will also be launching the campaign on buses servicing the main arterial routes in North Belfast throughout the summer.

This initiative has been funded by the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister.

Anyone wishing to arrange interviews for the press should contact;

Rab McCallum

Mobile: 07793258795 Email: rab@nbin.info