Breaking Barriers - sports initiative

Tournament helps break down city’s ‘barriers of fear’
By Jimmy Woulfe, Mid-West Correspondent
Thursday, October 14, 2010
A FEAR barrier built up through crime and violence was last night broken down for more than 100 Limerick people.

For most of their lives many of them have feared going into some parts of the city, particularly trouble spots away from their own enclaves.

A historic breakthrough thanks to a Garda-led initiative saw 60 adults and about 50 teenagers come together with a new sense of purpose. Some have been involved in crime with troubled backgrounds. Others have lost family and friends through violence. Many would not dream of walking out of their own neighbourhood without taking personal security precautions.

The Breaking Barriers initiative saw the abandonment of an unwritten rule: "You can’t move around some parts of the city without putting your self in danger". The Garda diversion project has now allowed them to cross that divide in peace and friendship.

The formula, like many great ones, has been simple.

Gardaí and community activists, backed up by FAI development officials and the Limerick Regeneration Agency, brought indoor soccer teams together in all the crime hotspot estates.

And people with troubled backgrounds were encouraged to join in.

Youth justice worker Kelly O’Keeffe, who is attached to Roxboro Road Garda Station, said: "The whole project, which was started six months ago, was centred on a soccer tournament. We had people with negative impact in the community coming forward and offering themselves as mentors for younger people to advise them that crime was not the way forward. Older people who take part are demonstrating to the younger people their willingness to move forward."

Last night’s tournament was held in an indoor facility the Factory Youth Space at Galvone industrial estate on the south side of the city. Many of those taking part travelled from estates on the city’s north side — unthinkable just months ago.

Garda Jerry Scanlan, juvenile liaison officer based at Mayorstone Garda Station, is chairman of the Breaking Barriers project. He said: "People from different backgrounds, from different parts of the city, are taking part in the tournament and getting to know one another. This is about changing attitudes and developing a will to change right across the board, right across the city."

One of the participants, who had been in ongoing trouble with the gardaí, on hearing about the project contacted Kelly O’Keeffe.

She said: "He wanted help for himself and to help others and did not know how to go about it. We spoke about it and he ended up mentoring young lads."

The next move is to have further tournaments on both sides of the city.

Fr Pat Hogan, PP of Southill, said: "People from Southill are mixing with people from Moyross; people from the Island Field (St Mary’s Park) are mixing with people from Ballinacurra Weston and it is doing away with that no-go area thing. A lot of trouble arises due to the ghetto mentality, and people living in their own enclaves."


This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, October 14, 2010


Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/tournament-helps-break-down-citys-barriers-of-fear-133434.html#ixzz12LZqw0Q8