‘Building Confidence’ report is welcomed by community leaders

The new report by consultancy firm Deloitte is aimed at encouraging Protestant involvement in civic life and says confidence has grown amongst the community over the past five years with 57 per cent now saying they see a bright future ahead.

Willie Lamrock of the GPP project said: “The Deloitte report shows a growth of confidence within the Protestant community from the Population Survey conducted by St Columb’s Park House and Queens; this is a very positive step change for the wider community, a more engaged vibrant and confident Protestant community is beneficial to our society in the North West.”

“This confidence needs to be built upon, in order to create a shared a diverse community in the North West for the whole population.”

The new research was carried out by Deloitte and was commissioned by the North West Peace III cluster board under priority 4 “assisting Protestant Participation, especially in disadvantaged Urban and rural areas” and is aimed at “encouraging participation, of the Protestant community by promoting a shared sense of belonging and addressing issues of marginalisation and tackling sectarianism and racism.”

Notwithstanding the growth in confidence amongst Protestants across the North West over the past five years the report acknowledged a decline in the Protestant population generally.

‘Building Confidence’ notes that the Protestant population within the North West is in decline as a proportion of the population.

It shows the Protestant community is “diverse in nature and struggles to give a ready definition of its identity.”

The report goes on to say that within the Protestant community there is a growing appreciation and support for the “value of community and a recognition that the Protestant Community and Voluntary sector should nurture leaders, develop capabilities, provide leadership for the community, access funding, develop initiatives, engage people from different backgrounds and help break down barriers between communities.”

Now the GPP will go on to organise regional launches of the research within the North West, in order to inform the wider community of the research findings.

Brian Dougherty from St Columb’s Park House and a member of the GPP steering group stated: “I welcome this research which represents the most extensive audit of Protestant opinion ever carried out in the North West.

“The launches will provide the opportunity for the wider public to review the findings and input into our discussion into the way forward.

“This can help ensure that mechanisms will be put in place to progress the issues and allow them to be raised at statutory and governmental level. The document also provides an opportunity for leaders at grass root level to lobby for further resources for their own communities.”

The research consisted of a door to door survey, interviews and focus groups of the Protestant community in the North West with continuous support from the Gateway to Protestant Participation Project workers.

Areas researched included community, leadership, relationships with agencies and each other and cultural identity.

A number of recommendations have been made particularly around how the research could be carried forward, how leadership can be developed, how to build the capacity of the Protestant community, relationships with public bodies, shared space, young people, education and the opportunities for peace building.