1. The Star Neighbourhood Centre was opened
in February 1990 and is located in the New Lodge area of Inner
North Belfast with premises backing onto the Duncairn interface.
Since its opening, the Star has been a focal point for the local
community. The principle aim is:
"To improve the quality of life of local
residents by providing much needed services to the community of
the "Long Streets" area of the New Lodge".
2. The Star Neighbourhood Centre attempts
to tackle social exclusion by promoting community development
in all aspects of its work. This in turn builds the confidence,
self-esteem and capacity of local people to participate in neighbourhood
regeneration.
3. From small beginnings in 1990, the centre
now provides a number of services, programmes and facilities to
the local New Lodge community within the Inner North Neighbourhood
Renewal area, including:
— a cre"che and registered playgroup;
— a registered after-schools project;
— a social economy childcare project supporting
parents in employment or training;
— a youth outreach project;
— a third age/senior citizens women's group;
— education and training programmes;
— residents group support;
— a gym facility for health and fitness
programmes;
— hosts St Patrick's junior football club;
and
— houses Star Amateur Boxing Club.
4. The Star also acts as a local resource
centre for the community offering facilities such as typing, photocopying,
computer and internet access, telephone/fax, lending equipment
and acts as a conduit to statutory and voluntary organisations
for local people to access information on training, benefits,
legislation, employment etc.
5. As well as the provision of services
and facilities, the Star acts as a development catalyst for the
area, advocating and campaigning on behalf of the community to
attract resources and drawing the attention of resource providers
and policy makers to the needs of the area. The organisation has
developed immensely over the past 18 years and is not only a community
development organization and service provider but a small sized
employment provider in the local area, currently employing 11
paid staff with the facility for trainees, placements and volunteer
involvement, underpins all areas of work.
6. Given the complex and historical nature
of the area, it has suffered high population loss due to the "conflict"'
and suffers from the effects of social issues such as high unemployment,
low educational attainment and high levels of alcohol and substance
misuse.
7. Other factors include:
— housing density with large families;
— lack of leisure sites and facilities;
— lack of support for vulnerable young
parents;
— high rates of teenage pregnancies;
— high suicide rate amongst young people;
— poor health, substance and alcohol misuse;
— joy riding (commonly referred to as death
riding);
— vandalism and petty crime; and
— inter-generational conflict.
8. The impact of these factors affects self
esteem and confidence, encourages apathy and anti-social behaviour
and ensures that young people feel marginalized from society and
do not feel part of their community. It further enforces the belief
system that young people are the problem rather than seeing them
as potential asset to the local community.
9. The Star Neighbourhood Centre is located
in the New Lodge area of North Belfast. It backs onto Duncairn
Gardens and therefore is defined as an interface area, where intercommunity
violence has been prevalent over the years. The majority of the
population, due to social, economic and political instability
have been excluded from society and unable to reach their full
potential. There is poverty, high unemployment rates, poor health
and markedly low educational achievement. According to Nobel indicators,
out of 566 wards the New Lodge ranks: 8th by multiple deprivation,
3rd by health, 5th by degree of child poverty, 7th by income,
9th by employment 23rd by education. The area has been selected
as a primary target area for Neighbourhood Renewal by the government
because it falls within the top 10% of the most deprived areas
of Northern Ireland. The area has not only suffered the effects
of poverty and negative social and economic policies but has endured
at first hand the effects of sectarian and political conflict.
10. Clearly the Star Neighbourhood Centre
is located in an area that has suffered and continues to suffer
from political conflict and its legacies. Decades of political,
economic and cultural discrimination have created cycles of inter-generational
poverty and benefit dependency, resulting in low levels of self-esteem,
poor educational expectations and lack of role models provided
by working parents.
11. Because of the particular circumstances
of the North of Ireland people have seen a need for a new law
to protect our rights and freedoms as the beginning to a fresh
start for all the citizens. The people of the North are like other
societies who have emerged from and survived from intense violence
and conflict, we need to lay down building blocks for future generations
to ensure that human rights are upheld no matter what section
of society you come from.
12. A Bill of Rights for the North of Ireland
should include protection of human rights, a combination of social,
economic and cultural rights such as the right to education, adequate
standards of healthcare and fair employment. Civil and political
rights such as the right to practise your religion of choice and
voting rights.
13. The Newlodge is a marginalized community
suffering many forms of social and economic deprivation. A Bill
of Rights, which protects and promotes people's human rights to
housing, health care, leisure; education etc would be a powerful
tool for our community. However not everyone in our community
is aware of the the Bill of Rights debate, never mind how to influence
the debate about its formulation in the forthcoming consultation.
We hope that local residents and in particular young people will
become informed about what is at stake with the Bill of Rights
and the impact it can have by making sure public policy is developed
respecting human rights. Our project can go a long way to help
making this a reality but it is also essential that the government
makes the consultation as widely accessible and available to all
sections of the public by actively engaging with communities.
14. We would encourage the Northern Ireland
Affairs Committee to support the development of the type of social
and economic rights that will have a real and meaningful impact
for the Newlodge and all other communities in Northern Ireland
by putting whatever pressure they can on the government to deliver
a strong Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.
