Linking Generations Northern Ireland (LGNI) was funded by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide expertise in the development of intergenerational approaches to community safety in partnership with PCSPs through March 2015.
Meetings with PCSP staff (mostly managers) from all 26 council areas were held and activities in 19 of these areas were supported; this more than doubled the original target of working in 9 council areas. This work was achieved by just 5 days of development time per week and an innovation fund of £4.5 k (distributed between 9 groups across NI). In total, LGNI have supported the delivery of 22 projects/initiatives across NI during the course of the project.
A final conference was held on 12 March 2015 at the Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast: ‘What Works? ? Intergenerational Approaches to Community Safety in Northern Ireland’. This event marked the end of the Department of Justice funded project. The day was very well attended by members of the policing and community safety family, with 80 delegates from a wide range of community and statutory sectors.
This conference also provided an opportunity for participants to share learning about their experiences of using intergenerational approaches to tackle community safety issues across Northern Ireland. Guests/speakers included David Ford, MLA and Minister for Justice. Claire Keatinge, Commissioner for Older People Northern Ireland was also in attendance as was Koulla Yiasouma, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People. Sarah McWilliams from Juniper Consulting also presented preliminary evaluation findings. Workshops were hosted by groups who had facilitated intergenerational projects throughout the project: Ballymoney PCSP member Steven Phillips, PSNI Neighbourhood officer Sheila Watton and Harry Hughes, from the Cabbagepatchers.
Presentations of the event by Vicki Titterington, Claire Keatinge, Koulla Yiasouma, Lynn Johnston and Sarah McWilliams.
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