Urban Villages
Maureen Fox from the Urban Villages Team introduces the story of Urban Villages Derry-Londonderry
‘The Urban Villages story in this area is about regeneration and building communities that thrive and work very well together. We are building communities and enhancing what's already.
The fundamental difference for the Urban Village outlay is that we've taken capital, revenue and community projects and wrapped them together, to ensure when a building is complete there's a huge range of programme activity that ensures its sustainability.
We've taken an office in Destined and it works very well for us because it's a neutral space for all visitors, it's accessible, has good parking and a spectacular view. When you visit Destined you meet a wonderful group of people.’
Gavin Bark, one of the members of Destined shares his story:
‘I went to a special school. I left school with nothing. A lot of my friends came here and badgered me for years to join. I told them I didn't want anything to do with it because at the time, I didn't want people to know I had a disability. When I was younger, I was bullied a lot and got beaten up a couple of times for having a disability. I didn't like the possibility of people recognising me in the street and calling me a name. So I had an idea to come here as a volunteer, so if anybody asked me, I would say I was just up helping people with disabilities and not an actual member. But then, very quickly, I got to know a lot of people and realised I don't have to feel so bad about something I have no control over. So, I'm here now 8 years and I didn’t think I would last a couple of days. It keeps you from being socially isolated. Before I came to Destined, I stayed in the house and just sat on an Xbox 10 hours a day and didn't really socialise with anybody. There's quite a lot of people who come here on a regular basis. They're all on the board of directors and help to oversee everything. If you're in the same programme they are the sort of people you can talk to as well.
The best thing the government could do is to come here and meet everybody and see what's going on and how much of an impact it has on everybody.
I think last year was a big wake up call for funding. There was so much that we used to do on summer schemes and a lot of that was cut last year due to not having a lot of funding. The members used to do a night or two away once or twice a year. We got people from Feeney and here in one space to do different activities, socialising and getting everybody together. If we had funding to keep everything stable for even the next couple of years it would take the stress from all the staff, who constantly have to try to get more funding to keep everything afloat and keep us all coming in, and from being locked away and not socialising.
Maureen continues:
‘Under the Together: Building a United Community banner we ensure there are adequate shared spaces and development of programmes together. It's a collaborative process, creating steering groups and partnerships within the community. Ultimately what we're doing is helping the community to help itself.
We've other projects that focus on cultural activities and creating space and events to ensure that cultures are not only respected but celebrated. For example, within the Fountain area we have a brand new capital project, the New Gate Arts & Culture Centre, recently opened by the North West Cultural Partnership, with a focus on sharing culture with events, and dance and music groups, such as the Bands Forum. It's a beautiful building and has spectacular views, at a high point and overlooking the walls of the city.’
Kyle Thompson from the North West Cultural Partnership shares his story:
‘I was raised in The Fountain, so I have a real affinity with the place. Culture played a massive part of who I am. My entire family is from this area and still live here within a couple of streets, close to each other, which is really nice. Growing up in this area was difficult during troubled times. Accessing services in the city centre came with risks. We were attacked on the way to and from school. You would have avoided cross community work because when you went on those trips, people were able to identify you and that had an adverse effect.
When the violence ended, I got involved in a lot of work on the interface and we found that people had a genuine interest in each other's culture and were keen to learn about the differences. We found that people on all sides had similar aspirations and thoughts. Over the last 15-20 years we have provided activities and events that people enjoy and they come from both sides of the community to enjoy these events.
Coming out of conflict, there was a lack of confidence and pride because people had retreated into themselves and the buildings had become derelict. We wanted to increase people's confidence and the vibrancy of the area and to bind people together. Obviously, culture and arts have a massive role to play, and that's how the idea of the New Gate Arts & Culture Centre was born. In 2015 we looked at how to take a derelict street and bring it back to life. Through Urban Villages, we were able to bring this through to fruition.
Now we have a vibrant building and people coming here from different groups and areas, all enjoying the activities offered. It's created a real spark and we're finding now that people are coming back and starting to invest in the area.
Urban Villages provided us with the funding to build a thriving arts and culture hub, but going forward the important thing is sustainability. It would be great if The Executive Office had a look at funding projects long-term. Short-term funding prevents you from planning year on year. If we can create a thriving community, a place where people want to visit, live and work, and everyone’s economically stable, then I think we'll be in a much better position.’
Andrew Lynch from the Londonderry Bands Forum shares his story:
‘Just after I left school, my friend was joining a band and I decided to go along with him. About three weeks he left, and 20 years later, I'm still there. I left school with no qualifications and when I joined the band I had no confidence. I remember at first I didn't even know how to hold a flute but I was the first person there every week and I learned the flute. They asked if I wanted to teach the young learners and I said yes. For me, it was a real honour because I knew they wouldn't trust just anybody with this important role.
I was unemployed and I needed to go on a work placement. I mentioned this at band practice and the coordinator said I could come to the Bands Forum. After this, I was asked if I would be interested in taking on educational outreach and my role became permanent. I redesigned the educational programme to make it more interactive and gave the children a chance to play the instruments, hold the flutes and play the drums.
In five or six years, I spoke to about 7,000 people from all different backgrounds. One time, I even found myself down in the Bogside in the Irish Language Centre, playing the flute and dressed in my uniform, something I thought would never happen, and it was well received. The education work started off with one class of 25 in one school and today it’s in six schools with 200 pupils.
I was encouraged to do training and I got the chance to go to the University of Ulster. Last May, I graduated with a degree in community development. In November, I became the Coordinator of the Bands Forum. I work with all the bands and support them on governance, keeping accounts, training, first aid, child protection, and everything you need to run a band. I try to find funding for workshops, training and instruments and I also meet with statutory bodies, like the police and the Council, and raise awareness. The Bands Forum was originally about breaking down misconceptions and that's what we're trying to do today. It is working but it's something we have to work at every day.
A lot of young people grow up with a lack of confidence and bands can create opportunities for those who are not academic and give them a chance. Without the band, I don't know what I would be doing, but the chance came to me and I took it.’
Maureen concludes:
‘Urban Villages has put quite a few structures in place, with reference groups and stakeholder agreements and making sure there's a community voice. It's helping the community to help itself. Once we leave, the community groups will be in such a good place, with succession planning, sustainability and new thinking to ensure that there's full demographic representation, then they won't miss us. Currently, policy is very strong, but we have to ensure that collaborative decision-making processes that encourage a community voice within central government is not only important, but fundamental to the changes within the Programme for Government, to ensure the community gets what we need.’
Themes: Regeneration, Disabilities, Arts & Culture, Education