We will create a new generation of opportunity for children and their parents in the Greater Shankill Area. Our aim is to realise the potential inherent in each child and their family…

We believe that successful intervention begins with listening to people and respecting their knowledge, experience and understanding of their own situation and needs, and not with imposition of predetermined models, no matter how successful these may have been elsewhere. We have therefore developed a unique program to specifically meet the needs of the area.

We will extend educational opportunities…

Knowledge is power and education of the child, the parent and the community, is a process of empowerment. The task of education is to provide meaningful and relevant learning opportunities that foster growth and the realisation of the capacities inherent in people. This project will offer educational opportunities not only for those individuals employed within the project but also to the participating parents.

Early Years is a community led program…

The ultimate success of an intervention such as this depends on the establishment of equal partnership with the parents and the community from the beginning. The program must begin with the needs of the community as it perceives and defines them and must be congruent with its culture and lifestyle.

The innovation diffusion theory…

Postulates that long- term and permanent community change can only come from within that community. The locally trained home visitor, recruited from the community, is not only an effective educator of small children and their parents and a successful community organizer but also acts as a role model for other parents, a demonstration that helplessness, apathy and dependence can be overcome.

We will work in partnership…

Statutory, voluntary and community agencies must co-ordinate their efforts to promote the welfare of the child. Often scarce resources are wasted in struggles for power and control. This program should act as a catalyst by bringing together all the agencies in the community concerned with the child's well-being in order to create a comprehensive community network which will effectively meet the needs of the families and children in the area.