PEACEPLUS

PEACEPLUS is a new EU-funded programme aimed at fostering peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland and Ireland’s border counties. It builds on the achievements of earlier PEACE and INTERREG initiatives.

Its core mission is to create lasting benefits by strengthening peace, driving economic growth, and leaving a meaningful legacy across the region. The programme is designed to harness opportunities and tackle the ongoing challenges linked to the peace process. It focuses on two key goals: supporting economic development and regeneration, and promoting social inclusion—especially for individuals and communities who are often excluded from mainstream economic and social life.

The Creative Minorities project promises to bring challenges and celebrations that both educate & engage

The Creative Minorities Project, under the auspices of the PEACEPLUS Creative Minorities initiative, represents a significant endeavour to foster intercultural understanding across County Donegal. This programme will unite residents from both minority and majority backgrounds in a series of structured and participative engagements designed to inform, inspire, and strengthen communal bonds. This is one of 32 cross-community projects, part of Donegal’s €7.6 million PEACEPLUS local action plan.

Central to this endeavour are three strategic goals:

  1. Creating spaces within and between cultural and ethnic minorities and the majority population, helping to build a society that fosters cultural expression, inter-community relationships, and personal and social development;
  2. Building relationships and connections with education providers through the delivery of a range of programmes that foster an understanding of equality, create empathy and address stigmatisation, stereotyping, and othering of ethnic minority children, young people and families in educational settings;
  3. Delivering a programme of participative activities and events that promote interculturalism, cross-community understanding, and trust in each of the municipal districts of Donegal.

There will be exciting workshops and exhibitions in Letterkenny, Inishowen, Milford, Donegal, and Glenties, each meticulously facilitated to encourage collaborative creation of visual art, performance pieces, and digital storytelling. In parallel, partner schools will host tailored modules – codesigned by educators and community facilitators – where students engage directly with peers from diverse backgrounds to coproduce murals, short films and interactive presentations that challenge preconceptions and cultivate empathy.

If you would like to hear more about the Creative Minorities programme in your area or countywide click here and send us your details, where you live and your areas of interest (music, cultural events, drama, arts, workshops, courses)

The Intercultural Cross-border Inclusion programme (ICI) has been developed by an alliance of organisations with the following aims:

  • To build positive relations by addressing institutional and structural racism, empowering minority ethnic communities, and encouraging active participation.
  • To focus on groups such as persons of African Descent, Black Irish/British, Muslims, Roma, and Travellers.
  • To be rooted in a human rights-based approach, the project promotes respectful, diverse communities where everyone can live, work, and learn free from prejudice.
  • Leadership and decision-making will be led by minority ethnic communities across Northern Ireland and the southern Border Counties, following the principle of subsidiarity.

The five programme partners are North West Migrants Forum (Lead Partner); Donegal Intercultural Platform; Rural Community Network; Irish Network Against Racism; Multi-Ethnic Sports & Cultures (NI).

The ambition of the Diversity and Decision Making project is to advance equality and human rights for black and minority ethnic communities including Travellers and Roma in Donegal. Delivering on a peace-building programme with community development practices, the project seeks to achieve a Donegal where diversity, interculturalism and participative democracy are enhanced for the full inclusion of BME communities.

This project is managed by Donegal Travellers Project and is supported by Donegal Intercultural Platform. For more information on this county Donegal-wide programme click HERE.