Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 “1 Relevant Background Information

1.1 Members will recall that Council’s Development Committee, at a meeting on 15th June 2011, agreed to embark on a major engagement exercise with every section of society in partnership with Titanic Foundation, ensuring that everyone across the city could benefit from Titanic developments and activities.

2    Key Issues

2.1A key objective of our community engagement plan is to work through, and with, key structures within local communities to promote Titanic and discussions with the community, voluntary and other public sector organisations are ongoing.

2.2As the Titanic theme has grown in momentum over recent months Council officers have been approached by a number of schools and community and youth organisations in developing Titanic themed projects across a wide range of areas from school resources to regeneration projects.

2.3   A number of these proposed projects are highlighted below:

§  Nettlefield Primary School (East Belfast) – this is a small project which will see the school work with a local residents group (Ravenslink Residents Association) to develop a photo mosaic of the Titanic containing Titanic facts about the ship.  This will involve research by the school children and the final art piece (lightweight aluminium) will be displayed at the school, near of similar art projects in the grounds.

§  ColaisteFeirste School (West Belfast) – this project will involve a number of teenagers at the school researching Irish Language and (more generally) Irelands links to the Titanic, with this work linking into a regeneration project in close proximity to the school (‘Giants Foot’ at Benview Park) and other working themes i.e. the 2012 Olympics.

§  Comhairlena Gaelscolaíochta (CnaG) (City Wide) – working with and developing on the Colaiste Fierste project, CnaG aim to work with Boys Model School (North Belfast) and Ashfield Girls School (East Belfast) to research Irelands links to Titanic and develop an educational resource for use across all schools (also translated for use in Irish Medium Education).

§  The Hubb Community Centre (North Belfast) – the volunteers in this organisation wish to develop a cross community historical and cultural project, with initial youth workshops developing the theme and the final piece being a form of modern street art on an agreed location.

§  Greater Village Regeneration Trust (South Belfast) – there is the potential to tie the Titanic theme into an upcoming youth/regeneration project in the Sandy Row area, as well as possibly developing a tapestry project about the area’s relationship with the industrial age and the Titanic.

§  Malvern Primary School Shankill (Greater Shankill) – this photography project will give school children an opportunity to present their views of how they see modern Belfast and how it tells the story of the Titanic both past and present.  Pupils will be equipped with disposable cameras and project binders and will undertake pre-planned tours of associated sites such as the former Shipyard and City Hall etc.  The project will conclude in April with a small exhibition of the pupils work.

2.4These projects have been developed by a number of organisations and illustrate the growing enthusiasm for celebrating the Titanic centenary, the opening of Titanic Belfast and the regeneration of Titanic Quarter.

2.5In order to actively reach out to Belfast communities and to ensure that all citizens have an opportunity to be involved in the excitement surrounding Titanic, it is requested that permission be granted to progress the projects outlined above. Members are also encouraged to help build further links to schools, community/voluntary and youth organisations across the city.

3    Resource Implications

3.1Approval is requested for £30,000 to be reallocated from existing Titanic engagement resources to support school, community/voluntary and youth projects across the City.

4    Recommendations

4.1Members are asked to:

1.           note the contents of the report; and

2.          approve the proposal to reallocate up to £30,000 from existing community engagement funds to support a range of school, community/voluntary and youth projects across the city.”

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.