Northern Ireland Community Relations Council - Services - Community Relations Groups

Contact: Liam Maskey and John Loughran

290 Antrim Road

Tel: 028 9074 0741

Status of organisation:

Number of staff:

Aims and Objectives

Intercomm's core aim is to forge fruitful links between Catholic/Nationalist and Protestant/Unionist community groups through long term strategic development work, community inspired peace building initiatives, youth programmes and job creation programmes.

The cornerstone of Intercomm's peace building strategy is most importantly the people of North Belfast. Those who have intimately experienced the effects of conflict, either as perpetrators or victims, are the key resource in the project's aim to transcend community division through dialogue.

Projects and Activities

As a response to growing community needs to assist the transition from conflict to a new political dispensation Intercomm currently delivers five programmes:

Community Development: Worktrack and New Deal
Intercomm is currently working with 65 long term unemployed people and at least twenty host organisations across the north of the city. The group also encourage local employers and community organisations to facilitate the placement of long-term unemployed people.

Housing Project: North Belfast Economic Regeneration Initiative
The aim of this project was to renovate houses in local communities and on the interfaces that have been vacated as a result of the conflict.
The project has been successful on at least five major dimensions - job creation, skills development, refurbishment/regeneration of property, cross-community activity and as a successful "social economy".

Youth Programmes - Breakwater Youth Initiative
This project works with young people at risk in North and West Belfast. Currently the programme team is working on a research project with the University of Ulster exploring the correlation between young men and violence. The finding of this study was conducted in partnership with local secondary schools in the area.
These are operated through a subsidiary company and involve a wide range of topics, with an emphasis on both 'exit from violence' and 'community development'.

Economic Development: Weave Programme
This programme aims to raise the profile of North Belfast as a viable economic site for investment. In addition this programme seeks to develop income generation strategies so that the services delivered through Intercomm 'not for profit' programmes may be sustained of themselves in the absence of EU and central government funding.
Intercomm's economic development activities relate largely to 'social economy' type work. Two projects have already been established - a cultural and political tourism project and a women's enterprise and vocation training programme.

Peace Building: Peace Building Programme
This project is an experimental peacebuilding programme that aims to develop a fresh understanding among community and political activists to develop their skills, techniques and learning to assist them play a more active role in peacebuilding within and between communities.