About Us

Who We Are

Action for Community Transformation –

THE ACT INITIATIVE emerged in 2008 as a conflict transformation programme (obtaining charitable status in 2012), to facilitate the civilianisation of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), following its Statement of Intent (May 2007).

The core objective of ACT is;

  • To support the reintegration of former political prisoners and;

  • To develop the capacity of those categorised as former combatants; through a process of training, capacity building, empowerment, peace building and community re-integration.

ACT promotes the charitable purposes of

1) The advancement of citizenship or community development

2) The advancement of human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation as defined in the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.

In sum, ACT continues its transformation efforts against the backdrop of well publicised issues which impact significantly on the PUL community; such as flags/parading, criminality, under educational achievement, disengagement/disenfranchisement from the political architecture and other structures, as well as the perception that mechanisms for dealing with the past serve only to further demonise loyalists.

 

“My visit to the Historical Exhibition at ACT’s Visitors’ Centre was an enlightening

experience. I didn’t know that Loyalists had written documents which set out proposals for

peace 12 years before The Good Friday Agreement, but were ignored. Also, it was

fascinating to hear and read the narratives from young men who were political prisoners,

decades ago, with an average age of just eighteen and a half”.

— Quote from visitor