Ms Sylvia Gordon:

I thank the Chairman for this opportunity to address the committee. I am very fortunate that I have worked in north Belfast in particular over a number of years. All of the work to which Mr. Peter Osborne alluded in his opening comments was achieved not only by myself and my organisation but in collaboration and partnership with other people in the voluntary and community sector local to the Duncairn interface. I adopt a glass-half-full approach to this. In terms of lack of leadership in communities, I have been fortunate to observe and be part of very positive leadership across the community divide, particularly in the Duncairn Gardens area of North Belfast, which allowed for the transformation of Alexandra Park in particular and the symbolic opening of the peace gate there. I am disappointed that we as a society have not built on that momentum and that example of what could be achieved in regard to reconciliation work.

In terms of the investment that is required, it is an investment in people. It is about people. One does not build relationships with an organisation; one builds a relationship with one's neighbour or colleague. The investment that Ms Irwin and I are talking about requires an immense amount of time. We have underestimated the time required to build confidence and trust and to do proper, authentic reconciliation work. People are really challenged whenever they see that type of work, because it is unusual and unique. Some people perceive it to be a threat. Also, some people are concerned about what this will do and its impact further down the line. As we know, politics in Northern Ireland is played out at a local and community level and we need to bear those dynamics in mind also.

In terms of what we do for young people, we need to give them opportunities. We must understand and appreciate that not everybody is graced with a good start in life. I have been involved in a number of youth programmes, some led by my own organisation and others led by other people in the voluntary and community sector, and I have not come across one young person who does not want to work. I have come across young people who desperately want the opportunity to be involved, to be part of society and to do something positive. From our point of view, we need to provide opportunities, and if we provide opportunities we can then start to address many of the issues that will allow us to deal with interface barriers at some time in the future. We must remember that those are physical barriers. They are a physical manifestation of the ills of society, and we must address the ills of society if we are to have any real vision or hope of removing these barriers. Sometimes we need to change the focus of our aspirations and how we might set out to challenge, overcome and deliver on the objectives of the Good Friday Agreement.

I take the opportunity to thank the reconciliation fund, because it is one of the funders that has allowed us to work in creative ways. As a result of all the bureaucracy, the PEACE III programme does not necessarily allow an organisation to work in the creative and imaginative ways needed to deal with issues that arise the night before the issues it must deal with the next day.

Another concern for me - this is something we must consider - is the cuts we are facing in Northern Ireland regarding a number of issues that need to be sorted out at Stormont. We have a police service that is now saying it is under pressure, that it will not be fit to deliver and that community policing is out the window, so to speak. Where does that leave the people in all those local communities who aspired to work through the rule of law and engage in policing for the first time in a meaningful, productive and effective way? If we see some of those relationships disappearing, that leaves us in a very worrying position.

Another concern is a statement that was made the other day, which we have flagged as an issue - namely, the issue of dissidents and criminality, which was mentioned here this morning. They know we are facing an issue and they will exploit that. This brings me back to my reference about young people. If we can work with young people in a meaningful and effective way, that reduces the opportunity for those young people to be manipulated in other ways. It is something that must be considered very carefully.

I support what both Mr. Osborne and Ms Irwin said. The British and Irish Governments are the guarantors of this Agreement and we need to see that on almost a daily basis at this stage. A colleague of mine coined a phrase, "The British and Irish Governments both stepped off the stage too soon." We need them back on the stage fairly quickly, and I know the members are working towards that. That is a positive from our point of view.

The resource issue is critical for those in the voluntary and community sector who are engaged in this type of work. While we were travelling down on the train, we discussed the way in which people sometimes viewed us as a reconciliation industry. I assure the committee that we are not in this for the good of our health. We are involved because of our passion and love for the place from which we come and our commitment to the peace process. I challenge anybody who says we are an industry. It is difficult, challenging and risky work. Only this year, there was a protest outside our building in Duncairn Gardens by people who were unhappy about the consultation process concerning the Alexandra Park gate opening. That consultation was thorough and the protest was grandstanding on behalf of people who were threatened by progress. A pipe bomb was also thrown at the building recently. It was a viable device and we were evacuated for two hours while it was made safe. I have a job in hand in reassuring staff and partners. That is a drain on my time and everybody else's. Colleagues in this field of work have been threatened, put out of their homes and subjected to verbal and physical attacks. Even though we are 20 years into the process, we have a long way to go. Our responsibility is to bring as many people as possible on that journey.