SUCCESS

The success of the LID Programme can be summarised in the following ways:

- utilises the opportunities afforded by the EU’s Youth in Action/Erasmus+ Programmes in order to make a sustained contribution to good relations in Northern Ireland

- utilises or has utilised Youth in Action/Erasmus+ funding to support individual participation in LID activities negating the need to source funding from scarce local resources

- engages with a wide range of well established international partners proficient in Youth in Action/Erasmus+ to provide a wide range of opportunities on an annual basis

- focuses on and promotes a positive approach to interculturalism and diversity which are viewed as essential to peace-building in Northern Ireland

- provides a diverse range of theme-based programmes ensuring opportunities are accessible to as wide an audience as possible

- creates networks that support practice and leads to the development of post-LID activities ensuring further investment in youth work provision in Northern Ireland

- motivates participants ensuring greater productivity in and commitment to service delivery

- offers the potential for long-lasting impact to individuals at both a personal and professional level and leads to an increase in new and innovative methodologies that can be used by 'sponsoring' organisations to enhance practice

The LID Programme has been independently evaluated by an external consultant.

Findings from the evaluation can be summarised as follows:

100% of participants felt the programme/s were “time well spent,” citing a range of reasons;
100% of participants felt they had enhanced confidence and knowledge to assist in bringing about positive change at local level;
93% of participants felt more able to challenge stereotypes of their own and others’ communities;
LID is a significant contributing factor to enhanced cultural diversity, Interculturalism and good relations and is a good model for improving ‘good relations’ within local/home communities on 4 levels: personal, interpersonal, as well as role models, and as community leaders
The most common key learning related to Diversity, at 41% of all key learning identified;
38+ soft and hard skills were acquired or developed;
The two foremost strengths of the programme identified were ‘Enhanced Interculturalism’ (29% of all responses) and ‘Bringing People Together’ (26%);
All participants felt that LID was either fully, or to some extent, a good model for improving good relations in their own communities;
In some regards, LID participants show enhanced good relations compared to the national average.

Findings from the evaluation were then further tested at a two-day conference with almost 50 practitioners from a wide and diverse audience. The conference was facilitated by a team of four international facilitators (from Germany, Italy, Poland and Portugal) and the report prepared by an independent consultant.The report concluded that:

International experience can build confidence in individuals to communicate and collaborate broadly without (or with less) fear of difference;
People who have participated in international experiences reflect that they are more open, more engaging, more actively seeking to work with others, embracing the value of diversity;
International experience brings a new, often fresh, perspective on issues that can reach an impasse when persistently viewed from the same standpoint/s. In the context of peace in Northern Ireland this is particularly pertinent and has the potential to offer new solutions;
When community leaders, decision-makers and ‘Gatekeepers’ participate in international experience, their capacity to actively implement learning upon their return surpasses the impact that individuals who are not in positions of influence can have;
Individuals who have participated in international experiences would benefit from greater opportunities for shared learning, project development and peer-to-peer support upon return to their home communities, be that through physical or virtual means.

Below are links to both reports:

- The LID Programme Evaluation

- The LID Conference: Using International Practice to Build Peace in Northern Ireland

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