Young girls in Belfast have co-designed an interactive Jenga-style activity aimed at tackling the roots of violence against women and girls, tackling the issue one block at a time.

SHE: Building and Leading was developed by female members of RCITY Belfast, based at the Spectrum Centre, with support from Belfast City Council's Local Change Fund. It is among 50 community and voluntary projects sharing almost £600,000 to address violence against women and girls through culture, arts, sport and community participation, as part of the Northern Ireland Executive's seven-year Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls.

The free resource, available to youth and community groups, prompts discussion on subjects such as consent, health and wellbeing, and steps to feminism, encouraging young women to share lived experiences and connect with local support.

Each block either poses a question or offers accessible information to deepen understanding of why violence occurs and to reinforce the practical steps everyone can take to help women and girls feel, and be, safe in every setting.

Acknowledging the project, Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tracy Kelly, said: "This is a really impressive piece of work by a strong group of young female leaders – known as the SHE Ambassadors - and I commend them for their efforts in raising awareness of this vital topic.

"They've used their own experiences of what it's like to be a young woman today to develop a resource which will have a direct and positive impact on them and their peers, both male and female. This game, made possible through funding from our Local Change Fund, provides very practical support in initiating what can often be an uncomfortable conversation and turning those discussions into a fun and valuable learning tool for young people."

Alongside the game, the SHE Ambassadors have been taking part in the SHE SAFE (Safety Assured for Everyone) programme, which supports girls aged 13 to 16 to navigate safety across all areas of life — from online safety and self-defence to emotional wellbeing and career security. Many of the programme's themes are reflected in the game, and participants are building the skills and confidence to lead these conversations with peers and younger youth groups. "As youth workers, we know that some of the most important conversations are often the hardest, including conversations about equality, safety, identity, confidence, justice, and wellbeing. They can feel overwhelming for young people, as well as the adults who are supporting them, so creating meaningful, engaging and accessible resources like SHE: Building and Leading matters so much," said Tori Haveron, Youth Development Co-ordinator with RCITY Youth.

"All of us at RCITY are extremely proud of this piece of work, just like we are of the SHE Ambassadors who have poured so much dedication and commitment into the design and creation of this resource over the past year. They are a credit to us at RCITY and their communities, as they pave the way for future leaders across the city."

At the launch, guests also heard from Dr Siobhán McAlister of the Centre for Children's Rights at Queen's University, Belfast, whose research It's What Just Happens, with Dr Gail Neill from the Centre for Youth Research and Dialogue at Ulster University, draws on the lived experiences of young women in Northern Ireland and helped shape the game.

"Our research revealed the high levels of gender-based violence girls and young women experience in everyday life, including harassment and intimidation in public and online spaces," said Dr McAlister. "Many young women saw these behaviours as 'just what happens' because they were so common. Working with the SHE Ambassadors, we used the research to develop a video to challenge the normalisation of these harmful behaviours and encourage wider conversations about everyday violence against women and girls."

The SHE Ambassadors have collaborated with both universities to produce supporting guidance for youth leaders who want to use the resource in their own settings.

"Alongside supporting the development of the game, we worked with young women and RCITY staff to create evidence-informed materials and facilitation guidance to help youth workers confidently use the resource in safe and supportive ways," said Dr Neill. "Grounded in the lived experiences shared through our research, the game is designed to encourage discussion, raise awareness and support young people to recognise and challenge everyday gender-based harms."

The Local Change Fund is one of several initiatives the council is delivering to support the Executive's strategy.

Since March 2024, hundreds of people across Belfast have taken part in activities including free training for community and voluntary groups, area-based initiatives co-designed with local women's groups and community organisations, and events focused on topics such as men and boys, bystander intervention and the safer design of outdoor spaces.

The council also manages the Regional Change Fund on behalf of the Executive Office, supporting eight organisations to deliver £1.2 million of programming to drive society-wide change.