Tar Isteach North Belfast

Mission

Tar Isteach

North Belfast Republican Ex-Prisoners' Welfare Rights Advice, Counselling, Training & Youth Services

Tar Isteach

133 Hillman Street.

Belfast

BT15 2FX

Tel: 02890746664

Fax: 02890746665

Email: taristeach@btconnect.com

Website: www.taristeach.org

Aims and Objectives

Working for the social, economic and emotional well-being of republican ex-prisoners, displaced persons and former activists and their families.

The aims and objectives of Tar Isteach are to attain equality, inclusion, full citizenship and emotional well-being for Republican Ex-Prisoners and their families in North Belfast through the provision of Advice, Counselling, Emotional support, Youth Provision, Training & Education. However, the group is totally inclusive and is part of community development network of North Belfast working to improve social and economy conditions.

Background

Tar Isteach means ‘Come In’ the title sums up the ethos of the project and of the people involved in its creation and maintenance. Based on the model provided by Tar Anall in the west of the city, and supported and guided by Coiste na n-Iarchimi and the greater ex-prisoner network it was launched on the 1st of September 1999. The aim was to provide counselling and welfare rights advice for ex-prisoners and their families in the North Belfast area. In addition to the three full time posts that started the project it now has a youth worker and a training co-ordinator. It is continuously involved in ex-prisoner research projects. Eight employees now staff the activities of the ex-prisoner network and it is supported by part-time volunteers, and a pool of volunteers from across the north Belfast area. It also provides placements for pupils and students from local schools and colleges. The project is a charity and a Company Ltd by Guarantee. It is a community based organisation that adopts an holistic approach to providing support services to a highly marginalized group, and community, in one of the most deprived areas of the north of Ireland, a area that also bore the heaviest casualties of the conflict.

The need for projects like ours is not only seen in the demand for our services but in the unresolved issues that continue to affect republican ex-prisoners and their families and for which we are continuosly campaigning and lobbying;

Ř Discrimination in employment

Ř Obstacles to obtaining insurance

Ř Obstacles in obtaining mortgages

Ř Barriers to adoption

Ř Travel restrictions

Ř Pension deficits

Ř The issue of expunging ‘criminal’ records

We also have a number of ongoing operational aims for the project;

Ř maintain services and standards

Ř modernise and innovate when possible

Ř reach those hard to reach ex-prisoners that are isolated or disconnected

Ř maintain and update the republican ex-prisoner database in order to keep the ex-prisoner community informed of developments and issues that affect them

Ř maintain our management system Certification ISO 9001:2000

Ř review and enhance our governance and its effectiveness

Peace III Programme

PEACE III, EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation 2007 – 2013 Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland

Link to: Peace III Operational Programme

The Tar Isteach Project is being funding under the Peace III Programme, Measure: 1.1. Working in partnership with Coiste na n-Iarchimí and the Community Foundation For Northern Ireland the project will be funded until 2013.

The funding is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body. The SEUPB is one of the six cross-border Bodies set up under the “Agreement between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland establishing implementing bodies” signed on 8 March 1999 (the British-Irish Agreement of 8 March 1999). The Agreement was given domestic effect, North and South, by means of the North/South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 and the British-Irish Agreement Act 1999 respectively.

The SEUPB is a North South Implementation Body sponsored by the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland and the Department of Finance in Ireland. Its principal functions are to manage certain European Union Structural Funds and to support a range of development and Regeneration programmes in the North and South of Ireland.

Tar Isteach AGM 12.02.2010 at the STAR Neighbourhood Centre, Hillman Street, New Lodge Road

Tar Isteach Funday Lepper Street, Sat 22nd Aug 2009



Tar Isteach Planning Day 22.06.2009

                            North Belfast News 27.06.2009

Senior Citizen's Night Out 05.11.08

The Tar Isteach Youth Group organised a Senior Citizen's Night Out in the RECY Community Centre, New Lodge Road, on the night of November 5th 2008. There was a very enjoyable meal, presentations, bingo, music, singing and dancing. All organised by the young people of Tar Isteach Youth who also assisted on the night. A special thanks goes to INTERCOM for funding the event, the senior citizens themselves who turned up and made it such an marvelous night, the staff and members of the RECY Community Centre, the Harbour Lights Singing Group, the Dusty Boots Dancing Group and local residents, community workers, staff and members of Tar Isteach who helped in the preparation and on the night as well.