Building Blocks

The Building Blocks programme, ran until August 2006, it was hosted by Co-operation Ireland and funded by Interreg IIIA, which is an EU initiative to stimulate interregional cooperation.

The purpose of the programme was to bring together similar community initiatives from Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. Community groups were matched on the basis of project similiarity, regional comparison and in terms of project aspirations or targets.

Building Blocks assisted participating groups reach their full potential, whilst recognising the unique challenges groups face in their sphere of activity the programme also strove to highlight elements common to all. As a result many groups maintained contact after the official completion of the Building Blocks programme.

A small grant of approximately £1,500 /€2,250 was awarded to each group to facilitate interregional co-operation and a formal procedure adopted for the spending and reimbursement of these funds.

Bi-monthly themed workshops were held at the later stage of the Building Blocks programme to tackle common issues pertinent to all groups such as funding, public relations, public liability, recruitment, environmental issues and effective working relations with local authorities.