Belfast City Councillors have unanimously congratulated the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) and the NI Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) on their nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize 2019.

This follows a similar vote at Derry City and Strabane District Council last week, when politicians from Sinn Fein, SDLP, Alliance, DUP, UUP, People before Profit, Aontú and Independents all supported the motion that the council:
“Encourages and supports reconciliation in our community; and congratulates the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education and the Integrated Education Fund on being nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.” (more…)

Representatives of Nobel Peace Prize nominated, integrated education groups appeared before the Joint Committee on Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, on 26 September, in Leinster House, Dublin. (more…)

Parents at Brefne Nursery School have voted overwhelmingly to take the pre-school facility on the path to becoming officially integrated.

The school’s principal and board took the step of balloting parents after they found evident interest in integration among the school community. The vote, run by Electoral Reform Services, showed just over 92% support for integration through the process known as “transformation”.

The stand-alone nursery in North Belfast has been welcoming children of all backgrounds for more than 50 years and the school leaders were keen to strengthen and promote that inclusive ethos and become integrated. (more…)

Supporters of the Integrated Education Fund were joined by influencers and past pupils at a reception to celebrate the Fund’s nomination (with the NI Council for Integrated Education) for the Nobel Peace Prize 2019.

The event was kindly hosted by Roger Cummings (MD of Big Sky and principal event sponsor) and Marie O’Riordan (formerly Editor of Marie Claire and Elle), at Big Sky Studios in London. Broadcaster Maxine Mawhinney was MC for the evening. (more…)

The majority of parents in the Lurgan area would like their children to go to a school which is openly welcoming to pupils from all sections of the community. The preference was highlighted in a recent survey, carried out by LucidTalk on behalf of the IEF, which sought the opinions of parents of children under 12 in Lurgan.

The results were published on Tuesday 24 September and the IEF will circulate the report to all nursery and primary schools in Lurgan. For more information on this you can contact Jill Caskey: jill@ief.org.uk (more…)

Friends of the Integrated Education Fund were among the comedy fans making up the capacity crowd enjoying a stellar line-up of performers at “Stand up for Integrated Education” in Belfast last Thursday (19 September 2019). Comedians Tim McGarry, Colin Murphy, Wendy Wason, Jake O’Kane and Teresa Livingstone delivered the laughs, welcomed to the stage at the Ulster Hall by IEF Campaign Chair Baroness May Blood MBE. (more…)