b'The Ireland Funds Flagship Grant Brings Fighting Words Onto the Pageto Belfastand into the Lives of ChildrenThe Ireland Funds have been great friendsPatterson,RoddyDoyle,DaveEggersandpositive change.andsupportersoftheFightingWordsNick Hornby.TheFightingWordscenterinDublin projectsincewefirstopenedourdoors Thepartnersintheprojectarethe hasalwayswelcomedallchildrenonan in Dublin in January 2009. Co-Founded byBelfastorganizationsYoungatArt,174equal basisand they come from all parts authorRoddyDoyleandmyself,FightingTrust,SkainosProjectalongwithFight- of the country. As a result, children from Words provides free tutoring and mentor- ingWordsDublin.YoungatArtis vastly different backgrounds and locations ing in all forms of creative writing, and overoneofNorthernIrelandsleading mixherenaturally.Obviouslythehistorythe past 6 years in Dublin we have hostedprovidersofchildrensartsexperiences, ofBelfastisdifferentfromthatofmorethan50,000childrenandyounginternationallyrecognizedforitsbestDublin and offers its own challenges, but adults, publishing their stories as booksFightingWordsBelfastisoperating and films. We provide this service withonthesameprincipleallchildren the vital input of 500 volunteer tutors. Fighting Words in Belfast.Whatare welcome. The primary focus at theFightingWordswasitselfinspiredanincredibleidea.Essentiallyoutset is on working with schools and byPulitzerprizewinningauthorDave whatthismeansisthatwordsyouthgroupsfromnorthandeastEggers826Valenciacreativewrit- willbefightingintherightBelfast, but as Fighting Words Belfast ingprojectthatstartedoutinSan directionontothepageandbecomesestablishedandbuildsitsFrancisco. The model is fast becominginto the lives of the people whoreputationforquality,weexpect a global phenomenon, with similar free schools and children from all parts of creativewritingcentersforchildren create them.Author Colum McCann the city and, indeed, beyond the city,now established in nine US cities, nine tobecomeregularvisitors,andtobe Europeancities,andinAustralia, hostingsimilarnumbersofchildrenArgentina,ChileandCanada.Aspart as in Dublin.ofthisdevelopment,FightingWordsin practiceinunderstandingandrespond- Fighting Words is not state funded north Dublin was approached by groups in Belfast ing to the needs of children from a rangeorsouthoftheborder.BothBelfastand invitingustopartnerwiththemin ofbackgrounds.174TrustsDuncairnDublinprojectsareentirelydependentsettingupthemodelattheSkainos Centre for Culture and Arts networks withonphilanthropicindividualsandorga-CentreonLowerNewtownardsRoadinlocalschoolsandisamajorcontribu- nizations,suchasTheIrelandFunds.EastBelfast.Overthepastyearwehavetor to the cultural rebirth of North Belfast.ForFightingWordstohavethehuge beengraduallyputtingittogether,with Skainosisaregenerationprojectinin- impactinBelfastthatwehaveseenin generous support from The Ireland Funds,nerEastBelfastcommittedtotheestab- Dublin,weneedyourcontinuedhelp. culminatinginthe2015launch.Patrons lishmentofsharedspaceinaconflicted ofFightingWordsBelfastincludeGlenn part of the city, using the arts as a lever forFighting Words Co-Founder, Sen Loveconnect2015 | 15'