To ask the Minister for Communities to detail how he is promoting opportunities for young people to collaborate on community projects, as a way to tackle sectarian bullying behaviour.

The Department for Communities (DfC) is responsible for taking forward interventions that contribute to The Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime (EPPOC). DfC’ s two main areas of work on EPOCC are known as ‘Fresh Start in the Community Projects’ and ‘The Developing Women in the Community Programme’.

These projects provide primary intervention in communities where paramilitarism is prevalent, helping to build capacity, skills and aspirations, active citizenship, encouraging positive decision making and help minimising the impact of negative influences, whilst indirectly having a positive impact on communities in terms of encouraging and creating a more tolerant and respectful environment for all.

Additionally, although there are no projects specifically funded to tackle sectarian bullying behaviour within the Executives People and Place Strategy: A strategy for neighbourhood renewal (2003), as delivered by DfC through the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme.

The programme does however support a wide range of community empowerment initiatives in the most deprived areas across Northern Ireland, engaging young people in positive community-based activities, encouraging collaboration across community lines, and promoting inclusion and mutual respect, contributing to more cohesive and resilient communities.