The OUR Generation project is a Peace IV funded project that provides a unique opportunity for communities, north and south of the Border, to work together to halt the intergenerational impact of trauma and to build emotional resilience and peace for generations to come.

This three-year project will run to December 2022 and engage with 36,000 children, young people and their key contacts. The project will be delivered in education, youth and community settings aimed at the five Urban Village Areas and border corridor of Northern Ireland and the five Border Counties of Donegal, Sligo/Leitrim and Cavan/Monaghan in Republic of Ireland.

The cross border partnership of seven regional organisations will be led by Action Mental Health in partnership with Donegal Youth Service, Co-operation Ireland, Youth Action NI, Youth Work Ireland, PlayBoard NI and Ulster University. Funding for the OUR Generation project has been awarded through the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), match-funding for the project has been provided by The Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland.

OUR Generation will collaborate with existing community–based initiatives to offer accessible, age appropriate prevention, early intervention and recovery activities delivered on a cross-border and cross-community basis to support the mental and emotional well-being of children and young people. Children and young people will engage in programme design and delivery, including provision of peer support, developing skills and confidence to improve well-being within their communities and act as agents of change, building peace for future generations.

As a partner, Co-operation Ireland will undertake outreach, engagement and relationship building activities with those communities and groups most affected by the legacy of the conflict, i.e victims & survivors, ethnic minorities, ex-prisoners/former combatants, youth at risk, displaced persons and former members of the security services, especially for those whose experiences can be passed onto subsequent generations for the purpose of shared learning, building resilience and promoting positive relations.

Our work will focus on connecting groups on a cross community and cross border basis based upon common needs and shared interests with the development of activities and training to address issues, specifically around the promotion of emotional resilience, empathy and understanding underpinned by building peace & reconciliation in post conflict Ireland.

OUR Generation - Circle Exchange Event - Colin