€3 Million Castle Saunderson Project

The announcement that a 30 acre modern indoor and camping site will be developed at Castlesaunderson provides an exciting opportunity to foster cross community and cross border relationships. The project is being funded by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) through the European Union's PEACE III Programme. The total funding granted by SEUPB for the project is €3,052,000. The border region has experienced exclusion, social division and tension as a consequence of the conflict in Northern Ireland. The existence of a facility that is open to all communities in society will help to regenerate the area and to create vibrancy about the area. The region will be known as an area that welcomes those from all religious and ethnic backgrounds and all areas of the Island of Ireland and overseas. The facility will encourage individuals who would not traditionally feel welcome in the border areas to travel to this area and to feel a sense of belonging and purpose in the area.

Scouting Ireland and Scouting Association of Northern Ireland Scout Council strive to promote and develop young people in achieving their full potential -physically, intellectually, socially and spiritually. Cavan County Council is committed to promoting peace and reconciliation throughout the region and continually strive to develop cross-border links.

Within Ireland, there are two distinct organisations representing scouting, each with what would be viewed as different cultural views, but each with a shared identity, and a common goal - the education and development of young people through peaceful and harmonious means. There is a strong history of co­operation and joint working between the two organisations. Whilst it is widely recognised that relations between the two organisations are extremely positive and co-operative there are still opportunities to build on these relationships at board and grass root levels.

The Castlesanderson project is an exciting initiative that will impact on a wide range of individuals. A number of core staff will be employed to work on the Castlesaunderson site and a significant number of volunteer scouting leaders will also work on the site. It is envisaged that in excess of 12,000 young people will utilise the facility in its first year of existence.   The existence of such a large number of young people from diverse backgrounds provides an opportunity for Cross-border contact, interaction and co-operation between young people on both sides of the border and from different religious and ethnic backgrounds throughout the island of Ireland.

The key partners in this project namely; Cavan County Council, Scouting Ireland and the Scouting Association of Northern Ireland recognise that there is little merit in requesting staff and volunteer leaders to incorporate peace building, cultural diversity, anti - racism and anti - sectarianism training into the programmes they deliver if they do not have the opportunity to address their own prejudices.   With this in mind training will be provided to all staff and volunteer leaders in relation to cultural diversity, anti-racism, anti-sectarianism and peace building.

According to Joe Me Loughlin, Director of Services Community and Enterprise "the facility will be a flagship shared space project which will help to regenerate a part of our county affected by its close proximity to the Border and herald a new dawn in providing recreational facilities for young people of all denominations".

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