Cross-community youth work in North Belfast: funding and youth leader personal networks

In North Belfast, young people overwhelmingly live, socialize and attend schools along sectarian lines, much the result of the regions' recent social, political and armed conflict. Cross-community youth work, a recurring activity in community development circles, is aimed at overcoming such social disadvantages among young people from the two predominant communities (Catholic/Nationalist/Republican and Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist). This article critically explores the relationship between a North Belfast adult cross-community youth leaders' professional personal network size and the amount of funding they apply for, receive and share with their peers. Findings reveal a significant relationship between personal network size and the amount of funding cross-community youth leaders (1) applied for and the amount they (2) received. However, no association was found between a respondent's personal network size and the amount of funding (3) shared with other cross-community youth initiatives. Implications for both the current state and the future of cross-community youth work are discussed.