Young people from Belfast celebrated the completion of Falls Community Council’s Cultural Awareness Programme which began last August.
The Community Relations Council supports the organisation through its Core Funding Scheme.
Young people celebrated the completion of the Cultural Awareness Programme on Tuesday 18 March 2025. Over 80 young people have completed the programme since it launched in August 2024 and many of them were there to receive their certificates from the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Micky Murray, who praised their commitment to learning about and from each other.
The Cultural Awareness Programme brought together young people from different areas in North and West Belfast to explore their culture and identities, differences and similarities. In the last year, four courses were delivered and in each of them participants got to know each other in group exercises, through fun activities, and visits to places of cultural significance.
One of the co-ordinators of the programme, Lisa Moody has been involved in the design and delivery of the training courses for several years and commented that she is always struck by the eagerness of young people to come together across the lines of segregation and division that are still a feature of our society. She said, “I see their curiosity about each other and their openness to new experiences. It is very rewarding to see them growing in confidence about their own identity and their appreciation of others.”
In their feedback about the courses the young people confirmed the value of the programme: “So fun and educational”, “I am interested to learn about other religions and their traditions and their culture”, “This was lethal!”
Further Info
Find out more about Fall Community Council.