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26 April 2010

Community Relations Council Chief Executive launches Community Relations Week and hits out at cuts by Department of Education to community relations youth work

We have a once in a lifetime chance to put sectarianism behind us.  The promise of peace is to change the conversation about the future.  But there is a real risk that we are dangerously complacent about division.  We risk allowing sectarianism to define life here for the next generation and beyond, the chief executive of the Community Relations Council (CRC) warns today (Monday April 26, 2010).

Dr Duncan Morrow says that the future depends on doing things differently to the past.  Unless we do, young people who weren’t even born when the Troubles finished will repeat sectarian attitudes and behaviour.

Speaking as Community Relations Week begins this morning (Monday April 26, 2010), Dr Morrow says that the coming review of Community Relations policy is a chance to tackle these issues with a view to putting them behind us. 

We have to choose whether Northern Ireland continues to be defined by historical divisions rather than by the opportunities of the future.

With this in mind, he hits out at cuts being made by the Department of Education to spending on community relations youth work.

“Frankly, as a society, we are too complacent about segregation. There are as many peace lines as there were before the Good Friday Agreement. Communities are crying out for support in breaking the cycle of sectarianism and violence among young people.  Yet at the very moment when we need to be normalising a culture of interaction and equality we are savagely reducing all public support for schools and youth work in this area.”

“We understand that difficult decisions have to be made about how best to use limited public money, but reducing funding available to support inter-community work with young people is short-sighted and ill-advised, to say the least. This is vitally important work which is intended to build the capacity of young people to create a shared future.  Young people want a new conversation, not to be forced back into the same lines as the past.

“Tackling sectarianism, racism and segregation in our society has to be a priority in building a better, shared future to which the Executive parties committed in the programme for government; young people in particular are our investment in shaping this future.

“Community Relations Week provides an opportunity to highlight the way ahead and to start the conversations our society needs to be having about how we get there. CRC and the many organisations involved in Community Relations Week are carrying out very important work, but creating a shared future requires that this is a policy priority and we all need to play our part for the sake of future generations,” Dr Morrow adds.

Community Relations Week will feature more than 150 events across Northern Ireland, many of which involve young people. Events are organised by community and voluntary organisations, local councils and public bodies. The week is organised by the Community Relations Council, which has been coordinating Community Relations Week since 2002.

More information about events taking place during Community Relations Week is available at www.nicrc.org.uk