New Member Spotlight - Forward South Partnership

Forward South Partnership is an independent charity that works with community, school, business, public and private sector partners to help regenerate and sustain a healthy and prosperous South Belfast. They are part of a citywide structure known as the Belfast Area Partnerships who have led community regeneration initiatives over the past 21 years.

Forward South Partnership has been operational since 1999 and acts to coordinate the social development work of groups and agencies across both Neighbourhood Renewal areas linking strategically into a wider vision for south Belfast.  

Forward South Partnership is the parent organisation for the Roma Support Hub, which encompasses  Building Positive Relations (BPR) programme and includes a Romanian-language Helpline which signposts and makes referrals to specific organisations (i.e. Food Banks, Housing Rights, Advice NI etc.).

The Roma Hub entails the Building Positive Relation programme of capacity building and skill development as well as fostering positive relations between the Roma and the wider Belfast community.  The Hub also organises a variety of intercultural events and activities.

Forward South Partnership and Roma Hub staff work collaboratively with key partners to strengthen all aspects of the Roma Support Hub with the aim of delivering wraparound support for the Roma in Belfast and ultimately supporting their inclusion and integration in all aspects of life in Northern Ireland. 

This project is based around the concept that relationships and social connections are a core mechanism for supporting better relations between new and host communities. It recognises that integration is a two‐way process involving entire geographical communities.