T24-129BUS PEACEPLUS Fit For Purpose

Derry City and Strabane District Council invite suppliers to tender for PeacePlus Fit For Purpose. This tender will deliver a soccer-based citizenship project specifically for young men (teens/early twenties).

Delivered over approximately a 2-year period, it will include a young men's holistic player development programme, comprising of 3 age groups within the age ranges of 13 – 21 (for example, Under 16, Under 18 and Under 21). The main focus of programme will be forming positive attitudes, behaviours and mindsets of the young male participants.

The programme will achieve this through a series of workshops, training sessions and trips throughout the duration of the programme. In terms of wider peace and reconciliation context, during the co-design consultation process, it was identified that there was a need for projects of interest to young men, particularly those less likely to engage in other community activity.

Soccer is an excellent vehicle for this as it can provide positive role models and engagement, but yet, as with other sports, soccer has also faced issues round sectarianism, racism and prejudice. Locally, in the co-design process it was noted that local senior football is in different leagues (North and South of Border) and has been historically divided, yet recently the two senior clubs have shown excellent collaboration, role-modelling the opportunities to use soccer as a vehicle for peace.

Likewise, other soccer organisations have worked to implement good relations and anti-prejudice work through the sport. This project is an opportunity to build on peacebuilding through soccer with young players.

This tender is an opportunity to strengthen the peace-building potential of the sport and to bring players together across communities by delivering a combined programme bringing young men together from wide ranging identities including Catholic or Nationalist or Republican community backgrounds, Protestant or Unionist or Loyalist community backgrounds and those who identify with other backgrounds including Black and Minority Ethnic. This is likely to require proactive work connecting with a range of local soccer teams in the council area and potentially cross border.

It may also involve delivery in a range of venues to expand participants awareness of shared space. This project is under the Celebrating Cultures and Diversity Theme. Please refer to the etenders CfT documents for further detail.