Background to the Research

• In 1996 EGSA established its Peace Unit in order to facilitate peace and reconciliation through adult education. This report explores 9 projects spread throughout NI funded by EGSA under the EUSSPPR (the Peace Programme). It assesses the extent to which these projects brought about education, training and employment opportunities for those from disadvantaged groups and areas, and promoted peace and reconciliation.
  

Research Approach

• The author reviewed the role and function of each project, collated data generated by the individual projects and held in-depth interviews with both project workers and users of the projects.
  

Main Findings

Aisling Project (Co.Fermanagh)

• This project offers counselling, programmes on health and along with KITE a combination of personal development, computing child-care and part-time home-working. In 1997 the project used a grant from EGSA to employ a full-time adult guidance officer to work in the community in order to link marginalised people with training and/or employment.
• By the end of 1998, 421 people had used the project, 73% were from rural areas. In the first year of the guidance service only 4% of users were male - rising to 16% in year two. In year one 23% of users were Protestants rising to 38% in the second year. People at access level (below NVQ Level 1) accounted for 56% of total service users, reflecting the low levels of educational attainment.
• Fifty two percent of users were LTU while the short-term unemployed and people seeking work represented 7% of users. Of the LTU, 92% moved out of unemployment into training or education.

Causeway Institute of Further & Higher Education (Co.Derry)

• In 1996, the Institute used a grant from EGSA in order expand it's outreach programme, Adult Basic Education, into rural areas of Coleraine, Ballymoney and Moyle and to offer educational support to community groups.
• Causeway reached 6-8 community groups and by 1998, 207 people had participated in a programme designed to introduce Information Technology, improve communication skills and enhance job prospects.
• Just over three-quarters of participants in the programme were women, nine out of ten were aged 25 or older and from rural areas. Just under 6 out of 10 were Protestants and 4 out of ten were unemployed, nearly all of whom had been unemployed for more than a year.
• By 1998, 127 individuals had completed the programme, 31 were 'early leavers' and 49 remained in the programme.

EOLAS Project (Craigavon/Co.Down)

• Chrysalis Women's Centre and the Open Learning Centre formed EOLAS in 1996 to promote social inclusion through community education. With a grant from EGSA, EOLAS enhanced its programme of community education.
• The project attracted 982 participants, of whom nearly 82% were aged 25+, just under one fifth were LTU and 27% were short-term unemployed.
• Only 18.6% of participants were men and EOLAS is attempting to attract more men to the project. Thirty three percent of participants were Protestant and 57% were Catholic.

Greencastle Women's Group

• This group offers education and training and child-care facilities and used a grant from EGSA in 1999 in order to employ a full-time worker in order that the group could extend it's programme of education and training to more women.
• Of the 68 participants in long and short-term courses, 51 were aiming for pre-NVQ/access level, 14 were aiming for NVQ Levels 1-2 and 3 were at Level 3.
• The success of the project's open door policy was evidenced by Protestant women attending courses in Nationalist areas.

NEI

• NEI used a grant from EGSA to employ 2 outreach workers to identify and meet the educational needs of groups and individuals throughout rural mid-Ulster.
• NEI believe that outreach work has helped in the 20% increase in the numbers taking adult and community education classes in NEI learning support centres in Ballymena, Antrim and Magherafelt.
• Outreach work has brought people from different cultural traditions together for the purpose of learning. Of the 7,941 participants in NEI courses, just over two-thirds are female, 62% are from rural areas and more than half are Catholic. Around 8% went into employment, 64% into further education and 9% into training.

Oasis Pulse (East Belfast)

• Oasis Pulse drop-in centre offers guidance and basic education and life skills in one of the most deprived areas of Belfast. In 1996, Training for Jobs received a grant from EGSA for the drop-in centre to fund a project with the twin aims of providing stepping stones to work for the unemployed and to up-build families in the community.
• By 1998, 163 unemployed people (all Protestants) took part in the project; two-thirds were aged 25 or older, 105 were female and 58 male. Almost half of participants could not be tracked, however, 12 LTU and 25 of the other unemployed found work and 6 previously unemployed persons went into further training.
• The various training, employment and life skills programmes helped individuals and families develop a greater sense of belonging and eroded the influence of sectarianism and paramilitarism in the community.

SPRING (Armagh City West)

• SPRING offers after-school clubs, youth work and information and advice services in an area of low educational attainment, high unemployment and crime. In 1997, SPRING used a grant from EGSA to set up the Learning Together co-operative project with the aim of encouraging people with low levels of literacy to access education and to develop community support systems.
• The Project trained volunteers and 3 men and 8 women (including 2 Protestants) in the City & Guilds Initial Certificate in Teaching Basic Skills. All 18 (10 men, 8 women) volunteer tutors and basic skills learners were 25 years or older. Sixteen were Catholic, 2 Protestant and 6 were LTU. Thirteen had gone into voluntary work and 5 to further training.
• The project has helped empower numerous people who had poor experiences in formal education and had felt stigmatised and marginalised through their lack of basic numeracy and literacy. A community audit is being carried out to ascertain the education and training needs of local people.

Tar Anall

• This organisation offers advice and training to Republican ex-prisoners and prisoners families. In 1996, they received a grant from EGSA to expand their services to include counselling services in order to enhance ex-prisoners social and life skills.
• Seventy-eight people completed a 7-week 'Introduction to Counselling' course and 16 completed an RSA 30 week certificate course. In all 298 people benefited from the counselling programme, the vast majority of whom were Catholic, aged over 25 years and two-thirds were men. Of the participants 6% found work, 76% went into community, further or higher education, 14% into part-time training and 4% into voluntary work.