Celebrating our young people: aye youth programmes 24-25
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Just a few highlights from a year of fun, games, trips and residentials, high-energy activities, cross-community and diversity awareness, personal development, mental wellbeing support, making friends, growing and confidence-building for an amazing bunch of young people who have made us so proud this year!
#AYE #YouthWork #Diversity #GoodRelations #InformalEducation #PersonalDevelopment #NorthBelfast #Ardoyne #YoungPeopleAreAmazing |
Welcoming Newcomers: Coffee Morning on 4 April , Multicultural Party on 12 April
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24-25 has been an amazing year for our Welcoming Newcomers Programme, with lots of new initiatives:
- a Colours in the Community party in Marrowbone Millennium Park last September, in partnership with Belfast City Council, Community Restorative Justice and Marrowbone Youth Club, to show support to the refugee and migrant members of our community. This was a great success, attended by over 500 people from all backgrounds and nationalities, with lots of sunshine and activities and very positive feedback.
- Small Worlds workshops in partnership with Together CIC and Belfast Friendship Club, for St Columban's PS, Streetbeat Youth Project, Ardoyne Youth Club, YEHA, New Lodge Youth Centre, and our own Youth Inc and Emerge Groups. Again, lots of positive feedback
- a young women's exchange programme between AYE young women's group and Jasmeena young women with Corrymeela Community, where the young women explored identity, cultural diversity, experiences of escaping conflict, living in a post-conflict society and much more, through a creative and personal development focus
- cultural awareness workshops through DJ skills and crafts taster sessions for Marrowbone Youth Club, AYE Emerge group and Ballysillan Community Forum
- international coffee mornings for parents in partnership with New Lodge Youth Centre, where parents can find out about services available to their children and young people. Next one is this Friday 4 April at GRACE Family Centre, 10am to 12pm. All welcome
- a one-to-one support and signposting service for newcomer families referred to AYE
- and we're planning a Multicultural Family Fun Day with Diverse Youth NI at Marrowbone Community Hub on Saturday 12 April, 2pm to 5pm. All families and young people welcome.
- a Colours in the Community party in Marrowbone Millennium Park last September, in partnership with Belfast City Council, Community Restorative Justice and Marrowbone Youth Club, to show support to the refugee and migrant members of our community. This was a great success, attended by over 500 people from all backgrounds and nationalities, with lots of sunshine and activities and very positive feedback.
- Small Worlds workshops in partnership with Together CIC and Belfast Friendship Club, for St Columban's PS, Streetbeat Youth Project, Ardoyne Youth Club, YEHA, New Lodge Youth Centre, and our own Youth Inc and Emerge Groups. Again, lots of positive feedback
- a young women's exchange programme between AYE young women's group and Jasmeena young women with Corrymeela Community, where the young women explored identity, cultural diversity, experiences of escaping conflict, living in a post-conflict society and much more, through a creative and personal development focus
- cultural awareness workshops through DJ skills and crafts taster sessions for Marrowbone Youth Club, AYE Emerge group and Ballysillan Community Forum
- international coffee mornings for parents in partnership with New Lodge Youth Centre, where parents can find out about services available to their children and young people. Next one is this Friday 4 April at GRACE Family Centre, 10am to 12pm. All welcome
- a one-to-one support and signposting service for newcomer families referred to AYE
- and we're planning a Multicultural Family Fun Day with Diverse Youth NI at Marrowbone Community Hub on Saturday 12 April, 2pm to 5pm. All families and young people welcome.
Celebrating a great year with our amazing young people
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Saturday 23 March 24 was a big day for us. We celebrated with the young people who completed their year's programmes with us: Emerge Girls, Emerge Lads and Youth Inc.
We were so proud of our young people, who spoke really well about their programmes in front of friends, families and youth workers, and who have come so far already. The groups These groups are part of the progression from our outreach detached work. Emerge is for young people disengaged from youth work that our team has met on their rounds of the streets of Ardoyne, Marrowbone and Hillview. The young people then progress on to youth leadership and cross-community programmes such as Youth Inc (this year in partnership with RCity Youth). Progression After the Easter holidays, the young people will move on new programmes - Youth Voices, young leaders development programme, and we will start new Emerge and Youth Inc groups. A good number of the young people have also started to engage with Ardoyne Youth Club and RCity. We are delighted that they have grown in confidence to get involved in a variety of activities. We are really looking forward to their next steps. Thanks Events like this are really important to showcase the achievements and success of our young people. Many thanks to everyone who came, including partners and parents. Thanks also to Community Relations Council, Department for Communities, BPCSP, Executive Office, Clanmil Housing, Belfast City Council, our youth and community partners and the wider community. Watch on YouTube 
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North Belfast Detached Youth Work Model launched
In December 23, we launched our North Belfast Detached Youth Work Model.
North Belfast Outreach Detached Model is a publication by Ardoyne Youth Enterprise on behalf of North Belfast Working Group on Outreach and Detached Youth Work.
It aims to support youth workers and services involved in outreach and detached youth work or interested in developing their practice.
It is accompanied by an OCNNI endorsed course which will be run in early 2024.
You can download North Belfast Detached Youth Work Model here.
North Belfast Outreach Detached Model is a publication by Ardoyne Youth Enterprise on behalf of North Belfast Working Group on Outreach and Detached Youth Work.
It aims to support youth workers and services involved in outreach and detached youth work or interested in developing their practice.
It is accompanied by an OCNNI endorsed course which will be run in early 2024.
You can download North Belfast Detached Youth Work Model here.
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Developing detached youth work in North Belfast
At Ardoyne Youth Enterprise, we're coordinating partnerships with wider North Belfast community youth services to increase outreach detached provision, including at weekends over the winter months.
Outreach detached workers engage young people where they congregate and coordinate youth work response to points of tension. Most importantly they listen to, signpost and support young people.
Thanks to Cliftonville Community Regeneration Forum, Let Youth Lead, Ardoyne Youth Club, Streetbeat, RCity Youth, New Lodge Youth Centre, Forthspring Youth Matters and all participating youth services.
Thanks to Clanmill Housing, Department for Communities and Belfast PCSP for supporting this effort.
Outreach detached workers engage young people where they congregate and coordinate youth work response to points of tension. Most importantly they listen to, signpost and support young people.
Thanks to Cliftonville Community Regeneration Forum, Let Youth Lead, Ardoyne Youth Club, Streetbeat, RCity Youth, New Lodge Youth Centre, Forthspring Youth Matters and all participating youth services.
Thanks to Clanmill Housing, Department for Communities and Belfast PCSP for supporting this effort.
AYE Multicultural Family Fun Day - 23 September 2023
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Join us on Saturday 23 September 1pm to 4pm at Marrowbone Community Hub for AYE's Multicultural Family Fun Day.
Free event. All welcome. |
What we've been up to - an update from our youth outreach team
Our youth team had an amazing 2,265 engagements with young people from April to June this year. We expect the figures for July and August to be at least as high as young people spend more time on the streets in summer, and even more so when youth centres have to reduce their numbers due to funding cuts.
Highlights of the past few months have been our winter/spring Friday food stalls for young people, community clean-up with 12 young people, a mental health walk and talk around Titanic area, two very active ‘Emerge’ groups recruited through street outreach and a new OCN Level 2 in Mental Health and wellbeing starting for a mixed group aged 14+.
Our team also provides employability support and referrals to youth and support services for young people. We made 62 such referrals from April to June.
We work closely with local youth clubs to encourage participation of disengaged young people in their activities. We’re pleased that most of our Emerge girls group and some of the Emerge boys were able to join in RCity summer camp.
The team has created a short survey aimed at young people who are not involved in any youth services. This is to gather information on why they don’t attend and what would help get them involved. The team will continue to collect surveys from young people when on detached.For more info on our work, visit our website: www.ardoyne.org and follow our social media.
More news and info in our AYE Summer Enews
Highlights of the past few months have been our winter/spring Friday food stalls for young people, community clean-up with 12 young people, a mental health walk and talk around Titanic area, two very active ‘Emerge’ groups recruited through street outreach and a new OCN Level 2 in Mental Health and wellbeing starting for a mixed group aged 14+.
Our team also provides employability support and referrals to youth and support services for young people. We made 62 such referrals from April to June.
We work closely with local youth clubs to encourage participation of disengaged young people in their activities. We’re pleased that most of our Emerge girls group and some of the Emerge boys were able to join in RCity summer camp.
The team has created a short survey aimed at young people who are not involved in any youth services. This is to gather information on why they don’t attend and what would help get them involved. The team will continue to collect surveys from young people when on detached.For more info on our work, visit our website: www.ardoyne.org and follow our social media.
More news and info in our AYE Summer Enews
Urban Villages Partners News:
Women's Tec - Not Just for Boys!
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In the last few years, AYE has brought together stories from our partners in Ardoyne, Ballysillan and neighbouring areas and published them in the Urban Villages magazine Focus. As this phase of the programme comes to an end, we are revisiting the projects to get updates on the great work they are doing. Next in the series is an update on WOMEN’STEC's Not Just for Boys programme.
Empowering girls through construction: Introduction to Construction for P7s WOMEN’STEC has introduced #NotJustForBoys ‘Introduction to Construction’ sessions for primary school girls. The sessions provide P7 girls with hands-on experiences of the world of construction, allowing them to explore their creativity and develop practical skills. Through interactive workshops and activities, the girls are introduced to various aspects of construction, from joinery, woodworking and bricklaying to Under-The-Bonnet car mechanic basics. So far, three primary schools have taken up the programme: Mercy Primary, Holy Cross Girls PS and Wheatfield PS. Engaging girls in construction at an early age opens their eyes to new career choices and opportunities. By exposing them to different roles within the industry, such as architects, engineers, tradespeople, and project managers, the sessions broaden their horizons and show them possible careers that they might not have considered before. Encouraging young women to pursue non-traditional careers: Girls Models students visit Graham Construction Year 11 and Year 12 students from Belfast Model School for Girls visited a Graham Construction site with WOMEN’STEC in Belfast City Centre. The girls are currently studying construction at GCSE level and get a first hand experience of the construction industry through the programme. The students witnessed the various stages of construction projects, from blueprint development to project execution. The aim of the visit was to ignite their curiosity and enable them to observe the coordination and teamwork required among architects, engineers, project managers, and skilled workers. They got to talk with professionals who shared their experiences and career journeys. Inspiring the next generation: Blessed Trinity College students visit McAleer and Rushe site WOMEN’STEC and a group of girls from Blessed Trinity College took a trip to Little Victoria Street, where a 15-storey purpose-built student accommodation is being built by McAleer & Rushe. The girls, who study Technology & Design at different levels, got a first-hand look at ongoing projects and met staff who offered valuable insights into the range of careers within the sector, from architecture and engineering to project management and skilled trades. NotJustForBoys These programmes and visits are part of #NotJustForBoys, a targeted initiative that seeks to address the underrepresentation of women in sectors where they are traditionally less prevalent, such as construction or IT. Its primary objective is to raise awareness among girls and young women about the vast range of career opportunities available to them beyond stereotypically gendered roles. NotJustForBys is supported by the Urban Villages Initiative. |
Urban Villages Partners News:
Carezone community champions, Wraparound Peer Mentors, Invisible Barriers film
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In the last few years, AYE has brought together stories from our partners in Ardoyne, Ballysillan and neighbouring areas and published them in the Urban Villages magazine Focus. As this phase of the programme comes to an end, we are revisiting the projects to get updates on the great work they are doing.
We continue our series with an update by our friends at YEHA (Youth Education Health Advice) about Carezone Community Champions, Wraparound Young Mentors and an exciting young women’s film project. Carezone Community Champions Carezone is a North Belfast community mental health and wellbeing initiative. The Community Champions are local volunteers who operate a mobile information unit, help organise street based information sessions and organise fun days and events of hope. The champions receive training to give them the skills and confidence required to work and consult with communities on issues affecting their mental health and well-being. This year, they have undertaken an OCN Level 2 in Mentoring Practice and training with CAMHs and Autism Services, to equip them with providing support for other parents and people in the community. This project involves YEHA and multiple community partners. Peer Mentors and Fresh Start Wednesdays Young peer mentors in Mercy College have developed an excellent initiative in their school - Fresh Start Wednesdays, with support from YEHA. They designed and implemented the programme based on young people's needs, and have been giving up their spare time on Wednesday mornings to help support other young people. Fresh Start Wednesdays have been really successful this year, with many young people in coming into school early for a nutritious breakfast, some games, music and access to youth workers for a chat. Meanwhile, the Streetbeat peer mentors have been active in Girls’ Model, Boys’ Model, Belfast Royal Academy and Hazelwood College. The peer mentors take part in a programme that teaches them practical skills to help support young people and gives them the opportunity to work towards an accredited OCN qualification. The Wraparound Peer Mentors is a joint initiative of Ardoyne Shankill Health Partnership, YEHA and Streetbeat. Invisible barriers Invisible Barriers, by YEHA Drama Project, is a short film highlighting key moments of women’s lives through the generations of North Belfast. The film uses an artistic and documentary style to celebrate the strength and resilience of working-class women in the backdrop of difficult times. This youth-led project represents how women became and continue to be the pillars of the community, and how they contribute to building a sense of connection and hope to the future generations. The young women hope that their film can make a difference in North Belfast by showing what the community has already achieved and the power of coming together. The film was shown at Strand Arts Centre in March. These projects are supported by the Urban Villages Initiative. |
Urban Villages Partners News:
Moving Forward together with TASCIT
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In the last few years, AYE has brought together stories from our partners in Ardoyne, Ballysillan and neighbouring areas and published them in the Urban Villages magazine Focus. As this phase of the programme comes to an end, we are revisiting the projects to get updates on the great work they are doing.
Next in the series is Challenging Conversations and Moving Forward Together, a programme by TASCIT. TASCIT (Twaddell Ardoyne Shankill Communities in Transition) has been holding its Challenging Conversations’ programme for local residents for over 10 years now. Together, the groups discuss culture, identity, Good Friday agreement, the legacy of the Troubles, peace walls, bonfires, flags, language, Brexit, interfaces, hold open forums with representatives from all main political parties and take participants on historical and cultural tours... Last year, TASCIT celebrated the success of past programmes with a certificates presentation at City Hall for 60 past participants. With support from Urban Villages, TASCIT supports ‘Moving Forward Together’ a group of past participants to stay in touch and work on common projects. This year, the group has been particularly active, holding open day inductions for the 10th course in Woodvale and Ardoyne and holding an event in Houben Centre to collect clothes for children looked after by Women’s Aid, where they were overwhelmed by the generous community response. The Moving Forward Together team also helped TASCIT organise its popular Christmas party at Twaddell Ambulance Station, and its Meet the Neighbours event in Everton Centre together with 10 Ardoyne and Ballysillan community groups. The programme is valued by all local political parties and residents, not least because of its philosophy: “We don’t seek to switch your viewpoint, we believe that by holding the space for a sustained dialogue with other people’s views, our communities can become better informed of one another.” 
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Urban Villages Partners News:
Champions of change
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In the last few years, AYE has brought together stories from our partners in Ardoyne, Ballysillan and neighbouring areas and published them in the Urban Villages magazine Focus. As this phase of the programme comes to an end, we are revisiting the projects to get updates on the great work they are doing.
Third in the series is the Champions of Change programme, a partnership between TAMHI, 22nd Old Boys and Shamrock FC. As the current round of Urban Villages funding comes to an end, Shamrock FC, 22nd Old Boys and TAMHI, are looking back on their successful Champions of Change programme and are making plans for the future, determined to keep up the partnership come what may. For those who may have been living under a rock, 22nd FC is a football club based in Ballysillan and Shamrock FC in Ardoyne, two neighbouring areas of North Belfast, one classed as PUL (Protestant Unionist Loyalist) and one as CNR (Catholic Nationalist Republican). And TAMHI is a charity that raises awareness of mental health through sports. Champions of Change is a good relations and wellbeing initiative for young people that they have been running together for the last three years. Throughout the programme, including almost two years of Covid restrictions, the clubs have run wellbeing programmes in schools, and afterschools clubs combining football and homework. The ladies’ teams of both clubs have built strong friendships, trained jointly, engaged in personal development programmes with TAMHI and organised successful tournaments together. The two clubs feel more united than ever, and have lots of exciting plans for the new year. A 6/7 aside is planned for January, the homework clubs in Woodvale and Ardoyne Youth Club continue with 5 to 20 participants per day, and the 22nd Old Boys homework and football club with between 8 and 20 attendees every Tuesday. Connor from Shamrock FC is running wellbeing programmes in Bunscoil Bhean Mhadagain and Holy Cross Boys PS. Joe Donnelly of TAMHI says: "the programme has been a great success to date with both clubs supporting the wellbeing and personal development of young people from North Belfast.” Brian Kerby of 22nd Old Boys gave us an update on the programme. “The Homework club is going really well, sometimes we have more than 20 attendees, depending on the weather and type of homework the children have. TAMHI has done mental health awareness sessions with the club and the kids have enjoyed that too. The two clubs are putting together a ladies programme, 4 to 6 weeks from mid-January, to bring different teams together, doing round-robins, games, mental health awareness. “Last year’s group had a visit from Extern and received packs on mental health awareness, dealing with stress, Lifeline and other helplines numbers, Extern leaflets etc. We aim to do the same this year. Belfast Ravens, 22nd Ladies, Shamrock Ladies and Lisburn Distillery participated in the tournament. This year, we aim to reach out further, to involve teams from Ballymena and West Belfast.” The two ladies’ teams are currently involved in playing Futsal, a five-aside game which is becoming increasingly popular. On the week of the interview, 22nd Ladies were due to play playing this Friday night against Rosario in Shankill Leisure Centre. “There are games every Friday night in Shankill Leisure Centre until after Christmas. You can go and watch a game there any Friday, even on a night when we’re not playing. It’s great craic and you’ll be welcome.” Brian is keen to keep building on the friendship developed between the teams: “When the Urban Villages funding ends, we are very confident that we can keep growing the relationship between the two clubs. The homework club will definitely continue and hopefully the other programmes too. The programme brought us together through the Ladies’ teams but the men’s teams are now working together as well, training, playing friendlies and socialising together. I can’t stress enough how successful it’s been in terms of breaking barriers and reducing tensions, due to the two clubs buying into it and working hard together. A great success for sport too! We would love to see the Urban Villages programme continue but whatever happens we will find ways to keep running inclusive programmes together.” Conor Stiobhard, Shamrock FC, also commended the programme: “The Champions of Change project is a great cross community programme that we have enjoyed over the past few years, it is a great community resource for our club. The Ladies football element speaks for itself as both clubs have been working together for many years. The Educational Impact Programme with the two local schools, Holy Cross Boys PS and Bunscoil Bheann Mhadagáin, has proved to be a hit with the children and parents alike, the feedback has been very positive. The key theme of the programme is 'Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard enough' with specific emphasis on working hard in the classroom and on the field of play. We would like to thank TAMHI and Urban Villages for the opportunity and we are looking forward to building our relationships and projects moving forward.” For more information, you can visit these Facebook pages: Northern Ireland Futsal Federation 22nd Old Boys and Ladies Shamrock FC TAMHI |
Urban Villages Partners News:
Ardoyne and Ballysillan young leaders united
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In the last few years, AYE has brought together stories from our partners in Ardoyne, Ballysillan and neighbouring areas and published them in the Urban Villages magazine Focus. As this phase of the programme comes to an end, we are revisiting the projects to get updates on the great work they are doing.
Second in the series is the Ardoyne Ballysillan youth leadership programme. The Youth Leadership Programme, a joint initiative by Ardoyne Youth Club and North Belfast Alternatives, is now in its third year, and stronger than ever. A thriving programme Funded by Urban Villages, the programme currently has 25 14-16 year olds currently on board - 11 from Ardoyne and 14 from Ballysillan. Some have come and gone but 14 of them have been on the programme since it started in the middle of the pandemic, in July 2020. AYC youth worker Liam Davey says it has been a challenge keeping the young people engaged through the COVID crisis but he is proud of the long-term friendships that have been built, and of the great progress and developing maturity he has observed in the young people. Youth leadership skills This term, the group is focusing on life skills and leadership skills - time management, confidence building, critical thinking, problem solving, self awareness and long term goals. Social action In the last two weeks, the young people have designed social action projects to complete in the run up to Christmas. Split in three teams to encourage healthy competition, they're planning a toy collection and visit to the children's ward at RVH, Christmas hampers for local families in need and a toy drive for children in their areas. Donations of non perishable food, toys, toiletries etc through Ardoyne Youth Club and North Belfast Alternatives are very welcome. The staff and young people are also planning a Christmas dinner for residents from retirement homes in Ballysillan and Ardoyne. Passing on their skills to prepare for the next stage With two OCNNI courses, sessions on mental health, healthy relationships, diversity and inclusion and three sets of social action projects already under their belts, the young people are now ready to pass on some of their learning to a younger group. Gary and Mark, the two NBA youth workers are designing a six-week induction programme for February-March, where the group will help deliver ice breakers and activities to a new younger group. This will give them the chance to put their youth leadership skills in practice in preparation for the next stages in their lives, and help ease the new group into a similar programme which will hopefully start in April. The three youth workers are very excited about this latest development which will benefit both the senior group and the juniors. The news has travelled fast and 14 young people in each area have enrolled already and raring to start. |
Urban Villages partners news: ART THERAPY schools programme
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In the last few years, AYE has brought together stories from our partners in Ardoyne, Ballysillan and neighbouring areas and published them in the Urban Villages magazine Focus. As this phase of the programme comes to an end, we are revisiting the projects to get updates on the great work they are doing. We start with Jigsaw art therapy programme in Mercy and BRA.
Teaching about mental health through art
In April-June 2022, Jigsaw Community Counselling Centre brought together students from Belfast Royal Academy and Mercy College for a creative mental health education programme supported by Urban Villages. Combining formal learning with CBT and art therapy The learning sessions focussed on depression, anxiety, stress, relationship difficulties, self-harm and suicide; looking at how these difficulties may develop, warning signs that someone is struggling, advice on how to manage your mental health and information on where to seek support should someone need professional help. Facilitators created a safe and supportive space and encouraged participants to explore their own difficulties and share with the group if they felt able to. The group completed CBT style exercises to help the young people gain self-awareness by making links between their own thoughts, behaviours, physicality and emotions An exciting part of the project was the art-therapy expression tasks related to each topic, which created an additional, less intimidating, means of self-expression. The jigsaw Within each session, participants created a jigsaw piece which represented their learning. In the final showcase, the young people put the jigsaws together for their schools to keep, and reflected on which parts were most impactful for them. Great feedback The young people reported increased awareness of mental health issues, feeling more comfortable to talk about mental health and wellbeing, and being more likely to seek mental health support if needed. Some positive comments: “I enjoyed all the art therapy”, “The clay was fun”, “I liked learning about different types of mental health”, “I really liked all the art and the videos”, “Meeting new people was good”, “I enjoyed using art to express my feelings”, “All the activities were fun”. Some notes for improvement: “More talking individually”, “We could have spoken in groups more”, “More group tasks would be good”. |
Snapshot: a month of youth work
Our part-time youth work team is always busy. Here's a snapshot of what they do.
From 15 Oct to 15 Nov 22:
236 young people engaged with on the streets
2 outreach detached stalls engaging with over 170 young people
1 young person helped with CV and interview prep
2 young people helped with personal statement for university
12 young people referred to other organisations
14 young people referred to our new Emerge group
4 Tuesday night sessions with MADE group of 20 young people from Ardoyne and Monkstown, in partnership with Monkstown Boxing Club, focusing on diversity and personal development.
4 sessions with our Her Voice Young Women's Group - 8 young women on a youth leadership development programme
In addition, our youth team is starting a new OCNNI Level 2 in Personal Development (Relationships and Sexual Health) at Trinity College, and the new intake of our Emerge Group started on 15 November and will run every Tuesday.
From 15 Oct to 15 Nov 22:
236 young people engaged with on the streets
2 outreach detached stalls engaging with over 170 young people
1 young person helped with CV and interview prep
2 young people helped with personal statement for university
12 young people referred to other organisations
14 young people referred to our new Emerge group
4 Tuesday night sessions with MADE group of 20 young people from Ardoyne and Monkstown, in partnership with Monkstown Boxing Club, focusing on diversity and personal development.
4 sessions with our Her Voice Young Women's Group - 8 young women on a youth leadership development programme
In addition, our youth team is starting a new OCNNI Level 2 in Personal Development (Relationships and Sexual Health) at Trinity College, and the new intake of our Emerge Group started on 15 November and will run every Tuesday.
Youth work at AYE... a great year at a glance
Coming up to the summer, our youth team is mainly focusing on outreach and drop-in. We have two brilliant groups that have grown from our outreach work - Emerge and HerVoice. We're also planning our summer intervention programmes.
We recently took stock of what our youth team achieved in 2021-22. Here are a few highlights:
We recently took stock of what our youth team achieved in 2021-22. Here are a few highlights:
- 1,554 outreach detached engagements with young people on the streets of Ardoyne, Marrowbone and Oldpark and in our drop-in.
- MADE group with Monkstown Boxing Club: 17 young women
- Engage group with RCity: 40 young people
- Personal development programme at Trinity College: 11 young people
- Pilot course in Safer Finances OCNNI Level 2 in partnership with Consumer Council: 10 young women graduated from AYE
- Tuesday outreach group: 12 young people
- HerVoice young women's group: 9 participants
- 20 at-risk young people from Ardoyne and Shankill areas participated in a programme of 118 mentoring sessions, in partnership with R-City
Welcoming Newcomers 21-22
A great year for our Welcoming Newcomers Programme, with over 400 participants in 21-22. It was lovely to be able to see everyone face to face again and we sure made the most of it!
- 192 joined Small Worlds workshops where members of Belfast Friendship Club shared their stories of migration, asylum and cultural diversity in schools, youth centres and community groups. - Over 200, locals and newcomers together, joined in social events: a fun day for families and local youth groups at Ardoyne Youth Club and Yeha Belfast/ NBWisp community gardens at Our Lady’s Deany in September, and a multicultural celebration event at Marrowbone Youth Club in March. We also worked with North Belfast Friendship Club and Family Comfort NI Charity to accompany newcomer families on social outings and signpost to support services where needed. We couldn't have done it without great partnerships: Community Relations Council, Community food bank, Beyond Skin, New Lodge Arts, WheelWorks, Northern Ireland Youth Forum, New Lodge Youth Centre, WOMENSTEC, GRACE Family Centre, R City, Ballysillan Primary School and Nursery, Wheatfield Primary School, Sacred Heart Boys Primary School and many more. |
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OCNNI training with AYE
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In 2021-22, Ardoyne Youth Enterprise delivered 24 OCNNI courses for 208 learners for/in partnership with Ardoyne Youth Club, New Lodge Youth Centre, R-City, Girls Brigade, Black Mountain Group, Spectrum Centre, Grace Family Centre, Trinity College, Harmoni, Consumer Council and North Belfast Strategic Good Relations Programme.
The courses ranged from Youth Work L2 Award, Youth Leadership and Mentoring Skills courses to Social Media, Personal Motivation, Exploring Feelings and Emotions, Mental Health Awareness, Youth Justice, Safer Finances, Diversity, Inclusive Youth Work for YP with ASD. Massive congratulations to the 194 learners who completed and achieved their certificates. 4 other courses are currently in progress, and 4 more are at planning stage. We can offer courses for youth groups in wider North Belfast, providing support for your tutor, assessment support, internal verification and administration. Or if you would like us to provide a tutor, talk to us and we will see what we can do. Contact us to discuss requirements, arrangements and costs: [email protected] |
Our course catalogue:
| aye_ocnni_courses_catalogue_21-22_-_web.pdf |
AYE youth work news - 2021
Outreach
Our youth engagement team remains very busy with outreach work, engaging with young people on the streets of Ardoyne and Marrowbone, holding information stalls, helping to minimise anti social behaviour and ease tensions at interface areas. Of course, the main role of outreach detached work is not to manage crisis situations but to support young people through early intervention and encourage them to get involved in youth clubs and activities.
The team helped the Community Foodbank with their Family Friday activities packs deliveries and more recently with their outdoors barbecue. From 22 January to 9 April 21 we delivered 50 cooking and creative activities packs per week, a total of 600 packs.
Thanks to a partnership between local youth clubs, a new Empowering Young People Outreach Detached Project, an enhanced outreach programme has been unrolled, providing much needed support. Our team coordinates its efforts with the project to ensure that more times and parts of the district are covered.
On 25 June 21, we ran a successful family fun event together with Ardoyne Youth Club, with support from Cooperation Ireland through Ashton Community Trust.
In 2021, we also ran an enhanced programme of outreach engagement in collaboration with the Empowering Young People Outreach Detached Programme and local youth clubs.
Monkstown Ardoyne programme
The Ardoyne and Monkstown boys from our MADE programme finally got together for a go-karting session and a residential in Ballintoy, after doing most of the year's programme on zoom. We are so proud of what they achieved over 2 years, including an award in Diversity and Good Relations, but mostly building strong friendships and challenging their preconceptions. Well done boys!. We hope to take on new challenges together in other programmes.
Uniting Opportunities group celebrate better days
From January to March 21, we took our young women's group on a journey exploring creative ways to support good mental health, thanks to a programme with New Lodge Arts, led by Ashton Community Trust. The girls worked with our youth workers and with artist Fionnuala Duffin to create a beautiful banner and billboard celebrating Better Days to come, and a Better Days video explaining what helped them keep their spirits up. Their timing was perfect as their billboards, posted in April, brought much needed positivity to North Belfast. The girls also contributed to our International Women's Day video.
Summer programmes
We've started our planned intervention summer programmes, including the ENGAGE programme with R-City and a young women's group also with RCity and Active Communities Network. Watch this space for more news on what the young people from Ardoyne, Oldpark and Lower Shankill get up to together.
We ran a drugs and alcohol awareness workshop with a group of young men, and they helped make a great video for Ashton Community Trust on the theme of making your own choices. You can see the video here: AYE - #OwnYourChoice
We have a group of young women learning digital fabrication with NERVE Centre. A massive thanks to Nerve Centre for this exciting training, and for donating digital fabrication equipment which will enable young people to put their learning in practice, and which will greatly enhance our training facilities.
We have lots of other activities, both ongoing and in planning, but due to Covid regulations there are specific criteria about numbers and targeted groups. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more information.
Young people sharing their expertise
In June, we facilitated a conversation where young people from Ardoyne, Lower Shankill and New Lodge shared their experiences and hopes with University of Massachusetts peace studies summer school. We also spoke about the role of youth and community development in peace building.
We brought a group of young women to a 'Youth Beyond Covid' consultation event, where they reflected on how they coped with the past year, what could have been done better, and what steps should be taken to support them, while local councillors, MLAs and the Children's Commissioner listened and took note. We were proud of their input, and of our youth workers' facilitation at the event.
Our youth engagement team remains very busy with outreach work, engaging with young people on the streets of Ardoyne and Marrowbone, holding information stalls, helping to minimise anti social behaviour and ease tensions at interface areas. Of course, the main role of outreach detached work is not to manage crisis situations but to support young people through early intervention and encourage them to get involved in youth clubs and activities.
The team helped the Community Foodbank with their Family Friday activities packs deliveries and more recently with their outdoors barbecue. From 22 January to 9 April 21 we delivered 50 cooking and creative activities packs per week, a total of 600 packs.
Thanks to a partnership between local youth clubs, a new Empowering Young People Outreach Detached Project, an enhanced outreach programme has been unrolled, providing much needed support. Our team coordinates its efforts with the project to ensure that more times and parts of the district are covered.
On 25 June 21, we ran a successful family fun event together with Ardoyne Youth Club, with support from Cooperation Ireland through Ashton Community Trust.
In 2021, we also ran an enhanced programme of outreach engagement in collaboration with the Empowering Young People Outreach Detached Programme and local youth clubs.
Monkstown Ardoyne programme
The Ardoyne and Monkstown boys from our MADE programme finally got together for a go-karting session and a residential in Ballintoy, after doing most of the year's programme on zoom. We are so proud of what they achieved over 2 years, including an award in Diversity and Good Relations, but mostly building strong friendships and challenging their preconceptions. Well done boys!. We hope to take on new challenges together in other programmes.
Uniting Opportunities group celebrate better days
From January to March 21, we took our young women's group on a journey exploring creative ways to support good mental health, thanks to a programme with New Lodge Arts, led by Ashton Community Trust. The girls worked with our youth workers and with artist Fionnuala Duffin to create a beautiful banner and billboard celebrating Better Days to come, and a Better Days video explaining what helped them keep their spirits up. Their timing was perfect as their billboards, posted in April, brought much needed positivity to North Belfast. The girls also contributed to our International Women's Day video.
Summer programmes
We've started our planned intervention summer programmes, including the ENGAGE programme with R-City and a young women's group also with RCity and Active Communities Network. Watch this space for more news on what the young people from Ardoyne, Oldpark and Lower Shankill get up to together.
We ran a drugs and alcohol awareness workshop with a group of young men, and they helped make a great video for Ashton Community Trust on the theme of making your own choices. You can see the video here: AYE - #OwnYourChoice
We have a group of young women learning digital fabrication with NERVE Centre. A massive thanks to Nerve Centre for this exciting training, and for donating digital fabrication equipment which will enable young people to put their learning in practice, and which will greatly enhance our training facilities.
We have lots of other activities, both ongoing and in planning, but due to Covid regulations there are specific criteria about numbers and targeted groups. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more information.
Young people sharing their expertise
In June, we facilitated a conversation where young people from Ardoyne, Lower Shankill and New Lodge shared their experiences and hopes with University of Massachusetts peace studies summer school. We also spoke about the role of youth and community development in peace building.
We brought a group of young women to a 'Youth Beyond Covid' consultation event, where they reflected on how they coped with the past year, what could have been done better, and what steps should be taken to support them, while local councillors, MLAs and the Children's Commissioner listened and took note. We were proud of their input, and of our youth workers' facilitation at the event.
Accredited training at AYE
This past year, we've seen a growing appetite for accredited training in youth and community organisations. AYE has responded by increasing its catalogue of qualifications and by supporting tutors to run courses for Ardoyne Youth Club, R-City, New Lodge Youth Centre and GRACE Family Centre, as well as our in-house training.
In 2020-21, we delivered 11 OCN courses to 128 participants, and 116 of our learners passed their qualification - a 90.65% pass rate.
Courses included Mental Health Awareness, Level 2, Youth Leadership Level 2, Youth Work Level 2 award, Diversity and Good Relations Level 1 and 2, Peer Mentoring Level 2 and Personal Motivation Level 1.
Get in touch if you would like to run an OCNNI course with us, we may be able to help.
We run some of these courses with support from Community Relations Council through NBSGRP and Belfast City Council Capacity Building. Others are commissioned by youth organisations.
In 2020-21, we delivered 11 OCN courses to 128 participants, and 116 of our learners passed their qualification - a 90.65% pass rate.
Courses included Mental Health Awareness, Level 2, Youth Leadership Level 2, Youth Work Level 2 award, Diversity and Good Relations Level 1 and 2, Peer Mentoring Level 2 and Personal Motivation Level 1.
Get in touch if you would like to run an OCNNI course with us, we may be able to help.
We run some of these courses with support from Community Relations Council through NBSGRP and Belfast City Council Capacity Building. Others are commissioned by youth organisations.
Read all about it... AYE eNewsletter
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Our summer 2021 eNewsletter is out.
You can read it (and past editions) here: AYE eNews Summer 21 If you would like to receive regular newsletters, subscribe here: SUBSCRIBE TO AYE eNEWS |
Where do I get help ... in Upper North Belfast
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We have updated our guide to community services in Upper North Belfast.
You can download Where Do I Get Help During Covid 19 Crisis here. This version is published with help from Belfast City Council and distributed through North Belfast Foodbank, community foodbank, local schools and community groups. If you would like to help us distribute guides around your area, we have some paper copies left. Contact us to arrange something: [email protected] |
Children of Lockdown: a children and young adult writing competition with Paul McVeigh
UPDATE: All the stories and writings are now published here: Children of Lockdown.
Paul McVeigh and Ardoyne Youth Enterprise are running a ‘Children of Lockdown’ story competition for children and young people who live in Belfast and surrounding areas.
Paul will judge the competition, and the winning stories will be published on Ardoyne Youth Enterprise social media and website. Paul is the author of The Good Son, a novel about growing up in the 1980s in Ardoyne.
There are 3 categories:
DEADLINE
All stories to be submitted to: [email protected] by Sunday 27 September, 5 pm. Entrants must include their name, an email address, phone number, postal address and age. Under 18s need parental permission for their story to be published.
Read more here: www.ardoyne.org/children-of-lockdown
Paul McVeigh and Ardoyne Youth Enterprise are running a ‘Children of Lockdown’ story competition for children and young people who live in Belfast and surrounding areas.
Paul will judge the competition, and the winning stories will be published on Ardoyne Youth Enterprise social media and website. Paul is the author of The Good Son, a novel about growing up in the 1980s in Ardoyne.
There are 3 categories:
- aged up to 11 – write a story or poem about life in Coronavirus-Land, or on any theme that inspires you. Maximum 500 words.
- 12 to 15 year old – write a short story inspired by your experience as a young person in Covid-19 times, or imagining a post-Covid-19 world – or on any theme that inspires you. Maximum 750 words.
- 16 to 24 year old – write a Covid-19 inspired short story – or a story on any theme that inspires you. Maximum 1,000 words.
- a special reading by Paul McVeigh for their school, youth group or a group of their choice (for the over 16s, Paul can offer a personal one hour mentoring session if they prefer);
- a £40 book token from No Alibis bookshop for themselves;
- a family ticket to Belfast zoo for the under 12 winner; voucher for 2 under 16 + 1 adult visit to Titanic Museum for 12 to 15 winner; a copy of ‘the Good Son’ and cinema (or drive-in cinema) tickets for the over 16 winner.
DEADLINE
All stories to be submitted to: [email protected] by Sunday 27 September, 5 pm. Entrants must include their name, an email address, phone number, postal address and age. Under 18s need parental permission for their story to be published.
Read more here: www.ardoyne.org/children-of-lockdown
Youth outreach and summer intervention programme
July-September 2020 - As lockdown eases and young people are out and about again, we have restarted out street outreach work, having taken advice on ensuring the health and safety of our youth workers and young people.
Youth outreach is an important part of our summer activities, to keep engaging with young people where they are, on the streets and in local parks to ease potential tensions and support young people to keep safe and make positive decisions.
This is a particularly difficult year for young people, with few outlets for meeting and enjoying themselves safely. We are running summer intervention trips starting in August for small groups of young people, and continue to mentor young people who are in need of additional youth work support. If you need to refer a young person or talk to our youth workers, contact [email protected].
We continue to run our Youth Work OCNNI course online, and have started another Mental Health Awareness course. We are planning a new series of courses to start in September.
We can offer Small Worlds workshops to youth and community groups in and around North Belfast, both online and in socially distanced settings, preferably outdoors. Contact [email protected] if you would like a workshop for your group.
Our office and meeting room as still closed to the public. Staff take it in turn to maintain a presence in the office and work from home as much as possible. Our garden is open for socially distanced outdoor activities. If your group would like to make use of the AYE garden, contact [email protected].
Thanks to the Education Authority for its support for our summer intervention programme.
Youth outreach is an important part of our summer activities, to keep engaging with young people where they are, on the streets and in local parks to ease potential tensions and support young people to keep safe and make positive decisions.
This is a particularly difficult year for young people, with few outlets for meeting and enjoying themselves safely. We are running summer intervention trips starting in August for small groups of young people, and continue to mentor young people who are in need of additional youth work support. If you need to refer a young person or talk to our youth workers, contact [email protected].
We continue to run our Youth Work OCNNI course online, and have started another Mental Health Awareness course. We are planning a new series of courses to start in September.
We can offer Small Worlds workshops to youth and community groups in and around North Belfast, both online and in socially distanced settings, preferably outdoors. Contact [email protected] if you would like a workshop for your group.
Our office and meeting room as still closed to the public. Staff take it in turn to maintain a presence in the office and work from home as much as possible. Our garden is open for socially distanced outdoor activities. If your group would like to make use of the AYE garden, contact [email protected].
Thanks to the Education Authority for its support for our summer intervention programme.
Ardoyne born author Paul McVeigh reads extracts of his novel The Good Son
We asked local author Paul McVeigh to read extracts from his novel 'The Good Son' every Sunday morning at 11am for 5 weeks.
Here are the first two readings. Enjoy!
The full series can be found here: Paul McVeigh - The Good Son - Ardoyne Youth Enterprise
Thanks to Community Relations Council for its support for this project through NBSGRP.
Here are the first two readings. Enjoy!
The full series can be found here: Paul McVeigh - The Good Son - Ardoyne Youth Enterprise
Thanks to Community Relations Council for its support for this project through NBSGRP.
Youth work (and community development) still works at AYE
April to June 2020 - Due to the Covid 19 crisis, we had to close our youth drop-in and street outreach services in March until further notice. Staff are mainly working from home but we are still very much engaged with young people and with the community we work for.
Online engagement with young people through our social media, group work through online conferencing, and just about to start a new 'mentoring through online gaming' initiative. Because rules are, rightly, strict about child safety and parental consent, some of these initiatives can be a bit slow to put in place, but we have a very active girls' group and seniors group. Young people who may feel isolated and parents/guardians who have any concerns about a young person can email [email protected] for a referral.
We have been running two OCNNI courses - Mental Health Level 2 in partnership with Ardoyne Youth Club, and Youth Work Practice. Both were slowed down due to the need to move to online teaching, but are now back on track.
We are concerned that some young people who have issues with internet access (lack of free wifi at home, or unable to afford mobile data...) are left behind in the move to online youth work and remote schoolwork, so we have signed this letter to internet providers, and your encourage you to add your name to the campaign: www.ipetitions.com/petition/internet-access-for-all.
We have updated our online guide to youth and community services to include groups' response to Covid 19 crisis and expanded it to take in services provided in all our neighbouring areas in Upper North Belfast: www.ardoyne.org/whats-on-in-ardoyne.html.
We have organised this info into an 8-page guide to Covid 19 support services for North Belfast Partnership and North Belfast Foodbank to distribute to households.
We made over 350 sunflower growing kits for North Belfast Advice Partnership for a project to help children and families keep active and happy. The next stage of this joint project is to distribute hula hoops.
We are exploring ways to kick start our cross community groups and welcoming newcomers multicultural programmes again, because we think this work is a important as ever and should not be left behind. We have restarted our Small Worlds workshops as online events.
We continue to engage with our young people, members and partners in many different ways: you can follow some of our work on:
Twitter: @ayebelfast
Instagram: ayebelfast
Facebook: ArdoyneYouthEnterprise
YouTube: Ardoyne Youth Enterprise
Don't be afraid to send requests, comments and suggestions to: [email protected]
Online engagement with young people through our social media, group work through online conferencing, and just about to start a new 'mentoring through online gaming' initiative. Because rules are, rightly, strict about child safety and parental consent, some of these initiatives can be a bit slow to put in place, but we have a very active girls' group and seniors group. Young people who may feel isolated and parents/guardians who have any concerns about a young person can email [email protected] for a referral.
We have been running two OCNNI courses - Mental Health Level 2 in partnership with Ardoyne Youth Club, and Youth Work Practice. Both were slowed down due to the need to move to online teaching, but are now back on track.
We are concerned that some young people who have issues with internet access (lack of free wifi at home, or unable to afford mobile data...) are left behind in the move to online youth work and remote schoolwork, so we have signed this letter to internet providers, and your encourage you to add your name to the campaign: www.ipetitions.com/petition/internet-access-for-all.
We have updated our online guide to youth and community services to include groups' response to Covid 19 crisis and expanded it to take in services provided in all our neighbouring areas in Upper North Belfast: www.ardoyne.org/whats-on-in-ardoyne.html.
We have organised this info into an 8-page guide to Covid 19 support services for North Belfast Partnership and North Belfast Foodbank to distribute to households.
We made over 350 sunflower growing kits for North Belfast Advice Partnership for a project to help children and families keep active and happy. The next stage of this joint project is to distribute hula hoops.
We are exploring ways to kick start our cross community groups and welcoming newcomers multicultural programmes again, because we think this work is a important as ever and should not be left behind. We have restarted our Small Worlds workshops as online events.
We continue to engage with our young people, members and partners in many different ways: you can follow some of our work on:
Twitter: @ayebelfast
Instagram: ayebelfast
Facebook: ArdoyneYouthEnterprise
YouTube: Ardoyne Youth Enterprise
Don't be afraid to send requests, comments and suggestions to: [email protected]
MADE 19-20: Monkstown Ardoyne Diversity and Empowerment Programme
Watch our 2019 Christmas video: Ardoyne and Marrowbone sing 12 days of Christmas
Donate your outgrown school uniforms
Ardoyne Youth Enterprise is a drop-off point for school uniforms for Ardoyne and Marrowbone Community Festival.
If you (or your children) have outgrown any item of school uniform, you can donate them for the Uniform Swap Shop. Any item, including sports kit, is welcome, cleaned and in good condition. All North Belfast school uniforms welcome.
You can drop them in during office hours (9.30 to 5pm) or leave them with our youth workers at the drop-in (usually 6pm to 10pm).
Other collection points: Marrowbone Community Hub and Volunteer Project Teach Eilís, Ardoyne Association, Ligoniel Improvement Association, Ashton Community Trust and Houben Centre.
The Swap Shop will be held in August in Flax Shopping Centre during Ardoyne & Bone Community Festival.
You will be able to collect free uniform items from 10am to 12pm on 12 to 16 August.
Every bit helps. Tell your friends, families and neighbours.
If you (or your children) have outgrown any item of school uniform, you can donate them for the Uniform Swap Shop. Any item, including sports kit, is welcome, cleaned and in good condition. All North Belfast school uniforms welcome.
You can drop them in during office hours (9.30 to 5pm) or leave them with our youth workers at the drop-in (usually 6pm to 10pm).
Other collection points: Marrowbone Community Hub and Volunteer Project Teach Eilís, Ardoyne Association, Ligoniel Improvement Association, Ashton Community Trust and Houben Centre.
The Swap Shop will be held in August in Flax Shopping Centre during Ardoyne & Bone Community Festival.
You will be able to collect free uniform items from 10am to 12pm on 12 to 16 August.
Every bit helps. Tell your friends, families and neighbours.
Summer interventions:
keeping young people safe and engaged through the summer
Youth and community groups are working hard throughout the summer to deliver a great programme of outings and activities for children and young people in Ardoyne and Marrowbone, helping to keep them safe, happy and engaged.
So far, our youth engagement team has brought young people to Let's Go Hydro, Tayto Park, We Are Vertigo, go karting, ice skating, and football in Marrowbone Park.
More outings are planned, and we will continue to encourage young people to join in with activities of Ardoyne Youth Club, John Paul II Club, Marrowbone Youth Club, Deanby Youth Club, local sports clubs and festival events suitable for their age groups.
There is plenty to do for young people here and in surrounding areas, and this is to be applauded. Many families can't afford to take their children away and our young people and communities deserve a great, trouble-free summer.
If you live in North Belfast and are looking for activities for your children this summer, look up our Facebook page, or give us a ring on 9074 1479. Our outings are all booked up for now but we can put you on a reserve list and let you know about events coming up in the area.
So far, our youth engagement team has brought young people to Let's Go Hydro, Tayto Park, We Are Vertigo, go karting, ice skating, and football in Marrowbone Park.
More outings are planned, and we will continue to encourage young people to join in with activities of Ardoyne Youth Club, John Paul II Club, Marrowbone Youth Club, Deanby Youth Club, local sports clubs and festival events suitable for their age groups.
There is plenty to do for young people here and in surrounding areas, and this is to be applauded. Many families can't afford to take their children away and our young people and communities deserve a great, trouble-free summer.
If you live in North Belfast and are looking for activities for your children this summer, look up our Facebook page, or give us a ring on 9074 1479. Our outings are all booked up for now but we can put you on a reserve list and let you know about events coming up in the area.
North Belfast Street Team:
making the case for coordinated youth outreach all year round
North Belfast Street Team, a film about the award-winning extended outreach project makes the case for coordinated outreach to become an all year round project.
Extended outreach: a great youthwork partnership between 4 North Belfast areas
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From 11 January to 23 March 2019, AYE coordinated extended outreach on the streets of Ardoyne, Ballysillan, New Lodge and Woodvale every Friday and Saturday night (and on St Patrick's day). We worked together with four other organisations: North Belfast Alternatives, StreetBeat, BlueHouses and New Lodge Youth Centre. There was a mix of outreach work on the streets and open drop-ins, with 2 youth workers per area on Friday nights, 4 on Saturday nights.
A great partnership helping young people stay safe and out of trouble. Unfortunately this important service has now stopped as the funding was only for a short period of time, but we hope it will be resumed in some form or other in the not too distant future. Meanwhile, usual youth work and outreach services continue in the 4 areas. In AYE we are a bit short staffed just now so our youth workers are only out and about 4 nights a week until the end of April. |
The Silence of the Ceasefire Generation - children, legacy and peace building
The Silence of the Ceasefire Generation
A panel discussion on children, legacy and peace building, by Ardoyne Youth Enterprise and Imagine Festival
Wednesday 27 March, 6.45pm, Belfast Met Springvale Campus, Main Atrium
Speakers
Judith Thompson - NI Commissioner for Victims and Survivors
Koulla Yiasouma - NI Commissioner for Children and Young People
Phil Glennon - Northern Ireland Youth Forum
Thomas Turley - Leader in Charge, Ardoyne Youth Club
Compered by Catherine Morrison - BBC Newsline
The panel discussion explored the exclusion of young people’s voices and involvement in the continuum of Northern Ireland peace agreements and proposed legacy bodies.
The event assessed how children are involved in discussions about the past and building a positive future in a peaceful and equal Northern Ireland.
This event was supported by the Urban Villages Initiative.
A panel discussion on children, legacy and peace building, by Ardoyne Youth Enterprise and Imagine Festival
Wednesday 27 March, 6.45pm, Belfast Met Springvale Campus, Main Atrium
Speakers
Judith Thompson - NI Commissioner for Victims and Survivors
Koulla Yiasouma - NI Commissioner for Children and Young People
Phil Glennon - Northern Ireland Youth Forum
Thomas Turley - Leader in Charge, Ardoyne Youth Club
Compered by Catherine Morrison - BBC Newsline
The panel discussion explored the exclusion of young people’s voices and involvement in the continuum of Northern Ireland peace agreements and proposed legacy bodies.
The event assessed how children are involved in discussions about the past and building a positive future in a peaceful and equal Northern Ireland.
This event was supported by the Urban Villages Initiative.
North Belfast young people swap ideas with Lord Mayor
On Wednesday 9 January 19, Lord Mayor Deirdre Hargey and Belfast Youth Forum met with young people from Ardoyne and wider North Belfast at Houben Centre, in Ardoyne Youth Enterprise’s first AYE Matter event of the year, with support from the Urban Villages Initiative.
The Lord Mayor talked about the importance of young people getting their voices heard on issues that affect them, and about how their views can be included into the Council’s vision for the city’s future. She argued that they have a vital role to play in movements for social change. She gave examples of how young people played a major role in bringing positive change to our society over the years, including in the civil rights movement and the Good Friday agreement. She presented Ardoyne Youth Enterprise with a Lord Mayor Certificate in recognition of its outreach work and initiatives to empower young people in the area.
John Jo McGrady and Megan McConnell of Belfast Youth Forum outlined the Forum’s role in keeping young people’s needs and priorities on the Council’s agenda, on issues as diverse as mental health, bringing the voting age down to 16, and the rights of minorities and asylum seekers.
Tamera Farrell, a young leader at Ardoyne Youth Club, talked about her journey with the Club and explained how young people can participate in decision-making in their local youth club and community.
Linsey Farrell of Urban Villages, outlined the Department's youth and community initiatives.
Ardoyne musicians Michael and Dominic Mullan of Who Owns Ye proved a popular addition to the event.
As well as a short but lively Q&A session, there was a 'post-it' consultation of the under 25s in the room, where they could put forward their views and suggestions on where change needs to happen in home and school life, their community and their city. The young people prioritised mental health as an issue for Council, government, and schools to address. Homelessness and the rights of minorities were high on their agenda. They also talked about bringing the voting age down to 16, and asked how reforms to youth and education services can be addressed in the absence of a fully functioning Stormont government.
The Lord Mayor talked about the importance of young people getting their voices heard on issues that affect them, and about how their views can be included into the Council’s vision for the city’s future. She argued that they have a vital role to play in movements for social change. She gave examples of how young people played a major role in bringing positive change to our society over the years, including in the civil rights movement and the Good Friday agreement. She presented Ardoyne Youth Enterprise with a Lord Mayor Certificate in recognition of its outreach work and initiatives to empower young people in the area.
John Jo McGrady and Megan McConnell of Belfast Youth Forum outlined the Forum’s role in keeping young people’s needs and priorities on the Council’s agenda, on issues as diverse as mental health, bringing the voting age down to 16, and the rights of minorities and asylum seekers.
Tamera Farrell, a young leader at Ardoyne Youth Club, talked about her journey with the Club and explained how young people can participate in decision-making in their local youth club and community.
Linsey Farrell of Urban Villages, outlined the Department's youth and community initiatives.
Ardoyne musicians Michael and Dominic Mullan of Who Owns Ye proved a popular addition to the event.
As well as a short but lively Q&A session, there was a 'post-it' consultation of the under 25s in the room, where they could put forward their views and suggestions on where change needs to happen in home and school life, their community and their city. The young people prioritised mental health as an issue for Council, government, and schools to address. Homelessness and the rights of minorities were high on their agenda. They also talked about bringing the voting age down to 16, and asked how reforms to youth and education services can be addressed in the absence of a fully functioning Stormont government.
Speak Up Ardoyne and Marrowbone: Arlene Murphy
Arlene Murphy, a teacher at Holycross Nursery School, kicks off Speak Up Ardoyne and Marrowbone, a series of short films about some of the lovely people who make Ardoyne and Marrowbone a good place to be.
They tell us about what they think about the area and the community, what they love and what they'd like to change, their hopes and worries, their memories and their dreams for the future.
You can watch the series grow here, as more films get added to the original 12: Speak Up Ardoyne and Marrowbone!
The series is a project by Ardoyne Youth Enterprise (AYE), supported by the Urban Villages Initiative.
Ardoyne Youth Enterprise hopes to release at least one film per week over the next few months.
There are 12 films ready so far, and AYE hopes to have up to 60 by the end of March.
If you or anyone you know is interested in participating, contact Catherine at [email protected], phone 9074 1479, or message AYE on Facebook: ArdoyneYouthEnterprise, Twitter: @ayebelfast, or Instagram: ayebelfast
They tell us about what they think about the area and the community, what they love and what they'd like to change, their hopes and worries, their memories and their dreams for the future.
You can watch the series grow here, as more films get added to the original 12: Speak Up Ardoyne and Marrowbone!
The series is a project by Ardoyne Youth Enterprise (AYE), supported by the Urban Villages Initiative.
Ardoyne Youth Enterprise hopes to release at least one film per week over the next few months.
There are 12 films ready so far, and AYE hopes to have up to 60 by the end of March.
If you or anyone you know is interested in participating, contact Catherine at [email protected], phone 9074 1479, or message AYE on Facebook: ArdoyneYouthEnterprise, Twitter: @ayebelfast, or Instagram: ayebelfast
Ardbone Festival 2018 - Ardoyne Youth Enterprise gets festival fever
Small Worlds Workshop. Photo: Chris Flack
Friday 17 August
Ardoyne Youth Enterprise “Speak Up Ardoyne and Marrowbone” project launch and barbecue
12.30-2.30pm – Ardoyne Youth Enterprise office, 11a Flax Street (beside Ardoyne Youth Club).
Free event. Donations to NI Children's Hospice welcome.
Come and share some craic with us, and find out more about our project to get at least 60 Ardoyne/Marrowbone residents to tell us what the area means to them.
This youth video project supported by Urban Villages will interview and film local people over the next eight months to find out what people think about life locally, what’s good, what could be better, memories, observations and hopes for the future.
Come along and see what it’s all about, watch our first few short films, munch on some barbecued lunch.
You can also stick your name down to be immortalised on film. We want to talk to all types and ages of people in the districts so everyone is welcome.
The films will be uploaded to our You Tube account: Ardoyne Youth Enterprise, and shown on social media.
(Speak Up Ardoyne and Marrowbone is a youth programme of Ardoyne Youth Enterprise, involving young film makers and the community, and supported by the Urban Villages Initiative)
Monday 20 August
Small Worlds – a friendly workshop on migration and asylum
6.30pm - 8pm, St Gemma’s Library – organised by Ardoyne Youth Enterprise
Free event, light refreshments provided. Donations to North Belfast Friendship Club welcome.
The Small Worlds workshop is a relaxed event where you can meet people from around the world in a friendly environment, have a chat with them, and find out about the lives of migrants and refugees.
In Ardoyne and Marrowbone, we all have relatives who moved to England, America or Australia in search of work, and many of us have families or neighbours who had to flee their homes during the troubles… But how much do we know about the experience of people who came to Belfast from other parts of the world as migrants, asylum seekers and refugees?
The workshop will give you the chance to hear from people who have done just that, and maybe exchange your own experiences of migration and asylum with them.
This event is supported by North Belfast Strategic Good Relations Programme.
The workshop is limited to 30 participants max: you can register in advance with Ardoyne Youth Enterprise: phone 90741479 or email [email protected]; or register at the door (first come first served).
What participants say:
‘Heart-warming, hard-hitting, genuine and touching experience’
‘Near cried, learnt more than I have in six years in school’
‘Best workshop I’ve ever been to’.
Tuesday 21 August
North Belfast Friendship Club does Ardoyne and Marrowbone Festival
6pm to 8pm, Houben Centre, Crumlin Road. Free event, light refreshments provided
North Belfast Friendship Club meets every Tuesday evening for people from around the world – and locals too - to meet for tea, coffee and a chat in a friendly and relaxed environment. As part of the Ardoyne and Marrowbone Festival, the Club is extending a warm welcome to all the community in Ardoyne and the surrounding areas.
We have teamed up with the Club to set up a minibus service for the evening, to facilitate people attending from further afield, with stops at City Hall, New Lodge and Antrim Road. This is provided with support from the Urban Villages Initiative.
For more information on the bus route and timetable, contact North Belfast Friendship Club on their Facebook page: North Belfast Friendship Club.
Wednesday 22 August
Barnardos and Ardoyne Youth Enterprise present: RESILIENCE - a film screening and discussion
2pm to 4pm, Houben Centre, Crumlin Road.
Free event, light refreshments provided
‘The child may not remember but the body remembers’
Resilience is a one-hour documentary film that looks at how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) affect people’s long term physical and mental health.
Now understood to be one of the leading causes of everything from heart disease and cancer to substance abuse and depression, ACEs can alter brain development and have lifelong effects on health and behaviour.
The event aims to explore the role of youth practitioners and communities in minimising the impact of ACEs and help the next generation break the cycles of adversity and disease.
If you are a youth worker, teacher, classroom assistant, a professional working in children's services or mental health, a counsellor or trainee counsellor, or a parent interested in the impact of childhood trauma, then this film is a must see for you.
Ardoyne Youth Enterprise “Speak Up Ardoyne and Marrowbone” project launch and barbecue
12.30-2.30pm – Ardoyne Youth Enterprise office, 11a Flax Street (beside Ardoyne Youth Club).
Free event. Donations to NI Children's Hospice welcome.
Come and share some craic with us, and find out more about our project to get at least 60 Ardoyne/Marrowbone residents to tell us what the area means to them.
This youth video project supported by Urban Villages will interview and film local people over the next eight months to find out what people think about life locally, what’s good, what could be better, memories, observations and hopes for the future.
Come along and see what it’s all about, watch our first few short films, munch on some barbecued lunch.
You can also stick your name down to be immortalised on film. We want to talk to all types and ages of people in the districts so everyone is welcome.
The films will be uploaded to our You Tube account: Ardoyne Youth Enterprise, and shown on social media.
(Speak Up Ardoyne and Marrowbone is a youth programme of Ardoyne Youth Enterprise, involving young film makers and the community, and supported by the Urban Villages Initiative)
Monday 20 August
Small Worlds – a friendly workshop on migration and asylum
6.30pm - 8pm, St Gemma’s Library – organised by Ardoyne Youth Enterprise
Free event, light refreshments provided. Donations to North Belfast Friendship Club welcome.
The Small Worlds workshop is a relaxed event where you can meet people from around the world in a friendly environment, have a chat with them, and find out about the lives of migrants and refugees.
In Ardoyne and Marrowbone, we all have relatives who moved to England, America or Australia in search of work, and many of us have families or neighbours who had to flee their homes during the troubles… But how much do we know about the experience of people who came to Belfast from other parts of the world as migrants, asylum seekers and refugees?
The workshop will give you the chance to hear from people who have done just that, and maybe exchange your own experiences of migration and asylum with them.
This event is supported by North Belfast Strategic Good Relations Programme.
The workshop is limited to 30 participants max: you can register in advance with Ardoyne Youth Enterprise: phone 90741479 or email [email protected]; or register at the door (first come first served).
What participants say:
‘Heart-warming, hard-hitting, genuine and touching experience’
‘Near cried, learnt more than I have in six years in school’
‘Best workshop I’ve ever been to’.
Tuesday 21 August
North Belfast Friendship Club does Ardoyne and Marrowbone Festival
6pm to 8pm, Houben Centre, Crumlin Road. Free event, light refreshments provided
North Belfast Friendship Club meets every Tuesday evening for people from around the world – and locals too - to meet for tea, coffee and a chat in a friendly and relaxed environment. As part of the Ardoyne and Marrowbone Festival, the Club is extending a warm welcome to all the community in Ardoyne and the surrounding areas.
We have teamed up with the Club to set up a minibus service for the evening, to facilitate people attending from further afield, with stops at City Hall, New Lodge and Antrim Road. This is provided with support from the Urban Villages Initiative.
For more information on the bus route and timetable, contact North Belfast Friendship Club on their Facebook page: North Belfast Friendship Club.
Wednesday 22 August
Barnardos and Ardoyne Youth Enterprise present: RESILIENCE - a film screening and discussion
2pm to 4pm, Houben Centre, Crumlin Road.
Free event, light refreshments provided
‘The child may not remember but the body remembers’
Resilience is a one-hour documentary film that looks at how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) affect people’s long term physical and mental health.
Now understood to be one of the leading causes of everything from heart disease and cancer to substance abuse and depression, ACEs can alter brain development and have lifelong effects on health and behaviour.
The event aims to explore the role of youth practitioners and communities in minimising the impact of ACEs and help the next generation break the cycles of adversity and disease.
If you are a youth worker, teacher, classroom assistant, a professional working in children's services or mental health, a counsellor or trainee counsellor, or a parent interested in the impact of childhood trauma, then this film is a must see for you.
Havana Court gardening project: we need your help!
Last year, we commissioned a youth mural from local artist Mickey Doc, in Havana Court. This year (2018), we've added grow boxes in front of the mural. Young people have promised to help us repaint fences to brighten up the square and we hope to get them involved in community gardening.
We've been getting great help from some lovely neighbours of all ages, but we're going to need more help to make it a success:
- if you live in the area, help with watering from time to time, especially in the hot dry weather we've been having, the plants get very thirsty
- if you have any plants to donate, bring them to our office at 11a Flax Street, or plant them directly in the grow boxes, to replace any damaged ones.
Thanks from everyone at Ardoyne Youth Enterprise
We've been getting great help from some lovely neighbours of all ages, but we're going to need more help to make it a success:
- if you live in the area, help with watering from time to time, especially in the hot dry weather we've been having, the plants get very thirsty
- if you have any plants to donate, bring them to our office at 11a Flax Street, or plant them directly in the grow boxes, to replace any damaged ones.
Thanks from everyone at Ardoyne Youth Enterprise
Join our lovely team!
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Are you passionate about youth work and outreach?
Help us inspire young people. We're looking to build up a bank of sessional youth workers. £9.49 per hour. You need: OCN Level 2; two years (paid or voluntary) working with young people in recognised youth project including one year delivering outreach and detached youth work. Skills required: - Team member – the ability to work as a member of a team, providing support to colleagues in an efficient and effective manner - Ability to identify and deal with the needs of young people and other stakeholders - Ability to influence and build relationships with all providers - Proficiency of Microsoft Word, Excel and the Internet Email [email protected], stating experience, qualifications and availability (daytime / evening / residentials) |
Exploring diversity together: the MADE programme
In 2017-18, we took a group of young people from Ardoyne and Monkstown on a journey to explore diversity and inclusiveness.
For this project, we partnered with Monkstown Boxing Club, and got funding from North Belfast Strategic Good Relations Programme.
The group explored ethnic diversity, homelessness, asylum, disability and more, and concluded in March with a celebration and certificates presentation. The young people also spent an evening volunteering with Homeless Aware.
We hope to be able to run a similar programme this year.
In this short film, some of the young people told us about the programme and what they learnt from it:
For this project, we partnered with Monkstown Boxing Club, and got funding from North Belfast Strategic Good Relations Programme.
The group explored ethnic diversity, homelessness, asylum, disability and more, and concluded in March with a celebration and certificates presentation. The young people also spent an evening volunteering with Homeless Aware.
We hope to be able to run a similar programme this year.
In this short film, some of the young people told us about the programme and what they learnt from it:
Out of Order: young people tell it like it is on discrimination and harassment
Young people often get a bad press, but here at Ardoyne Youth Enterprise we think young people are amazing, and that they deserve to be heard and respected.
In Spring 2017, a group of young people from North Belfast worked with Ardoyne Youth Enterprise and GIGA training to create a series of short films on being young in Belfast.
Each participant worked as part of a team to create their own short film based on the theme of identity, exploring issues facing young people in North Belfast, producing a series of short documentaries titled “Out of Order”.
Released this month, the seven short films focus on labels and how these impact on their lives as young people, young women, people with disabilities, from being treated as second class citizens to downright harassment and assault.
They make a compelling argument for respect and fairness for all young people. Filmed in the Cathedral Quarter, they also provide a record of this iconic area of Belfast.
Working with film industry professionals, the young people got hands on experience at being scriptwriters, directors, camera operators and editors, and successfully completed an OCNNI course in film making as part of the project, which was supported by the Urban Villages Initiative.
The films can be seen on Ardoyne Youth Enterprise You Tube account and Facebook page.
One of the films, 'Trouble', tells the story of how young people are often portrayed as trouble makers, and how it makes them feel. Watch it here:
In Spring 2017, a group of young people from North Belfast worked with Ardoyne Youth Enterprise and GIGA training to create a series of short films on being young in Belfast.
Each participant worked as part of a team to create their own short film based on the theme of identity, exploring issues facing young people in North Belfast, producing a series of short documentaries titled “Out of Order”.
Released this month, the seven short films focus on labels and how these impact on their lives as young people, young women, people with disabilities, from being treated as second class citizens to downright harassment and assault.
They make a compelling argument for respect and fairness for all young people. Filmed in the Cathedral Quarter, they also provide a record of this iconic area of Belfast.
Working with film industry professionals, the young people got hands on experience at being scriptwriters, directors, camera operators and editors, and successfully completed an OCNNI course in film making as part of the project, which was supported by the Urban Villages Initiative.
The films can be seen on Ardoyne Youth Enterprise You Tube account and Facebook page.
One of the films, 'Trouble', tells the story of how young people are often portrayed as trouble makers, and how it makes them feel. Watch it here:
Ardoyne and Monkstown boys unite over sports and physical activities
In partnership with Monkstown Boxing Club, we've been working with a group of young men on a good relations through sports programme. They went off on a residential over the mid-term break. Here's a few photos, and more here, with thanks to Monkstown Boxing for a great programme.
Ardoyne youth survey pulls no punches
Listen Up!
AYE Youth Survey 2017 launched
On 19th December 2017, NI Commissioner for Children and Young People Koulla Yiasouma will launch a report by Ardoyne Youth Enterprise on an opinion survey of over 150 12-17 year olds and 15 youth workers in Ardoyne/Marrowbone. The event at the Houben Centre will also be an opportunity to hear from Connor McMullan, a young person from Ardoyne.
The survey recorded the views of over a quarter of 12-17 year olds on how they perceive their area and their place in it, their issues and concerns and suggestions for improvements.
The young people gave a big thumbs-up for youth work and had a more positive view of their community than is generally expected. They expressed serious concerns about drugs and alcohol, mental health, anti-social behaviour, and fear of socialising in and out of the area. They called for better facilities for young people and more community cohesion.
To address these issues, they would first turn to youth workers (80%), followed by people in the community (61%) and government (57%). Traditional support structures, such as schools (29%), family support groups (21%) or the church (6%) come far behind.
AYE Director Shane Whelehan said: “As advocates for young people’s needs, we wanted to hear their opinions, share them widely, and act on them to help improve service provision.
Their comments are frank, thoughtful, sometimes humorous, often very moving, and definitely worth a read. We were struck by their calls to be heard and respected by service providers and decision makers.
They told us that youth work has a massive role to play and that they want youth organisations, the community and statutory agencies to work together to give them a better future.”
The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, Koulla Yiasouma added: “The days of designing and planning laws, policies and services without young people are behind us, and this report reminds us of this.
Not only does it make sense to involve end users in the development of services that affect them, but indeed young people have a right to have their voices heard by service providers and decision makers.
It is clear youth workers in the area are tuned into the needs and concerns of the young people here, and they need support to act now.
I share the concerns that young people have raised, particularly concerning mental health, which is one of NICCY’s priorities.”
The project was funded by the NI Executive’s Urban Villages Initiative. Linsey Farrell, Programme Director, commented: “This is a fantastic piece of work that the young people have put together, and we are delighted to have been able to support the project. Listening to the voice of young people is so important to help inform us as to where investment may be needed to build capacity in north Belfast.”
Read the report on our Publications page.
AYE Youth Survey 2017 launched
On 19th December 2017, NI Commissioner for Children and Young People Koulla Yiasouma will launch a report by Ardoyne Youth Enterprise on an opinion survey of over 150 12-17 year olds and 15 youth workers in Ardoyne/Marrowbone. The event at the Houben Centre will also be an opportunity to hear from Connor McMullan, a young person from Ardoyne.
The survey recorded the views of over a quarter of 12-17 year olds on how they perceive their area and their place in it, their issues and concerns and suggestions for improvements.
The young people gave a big thumbs-up for youth work and had a more positive view of their community than is generally expected. They expressed serious concerns about drugs and alcohol, mental health, anti-social behaviour, and fear of socialising in and out of the area. They called for better facilities for young people and more community cohesion.
To address these issues, they would first turn to youth workers (80%), followed by people in the community (61%) and government (57%). Traditional support structures, such as schools (29%), family support groups (21%) or the church (6%) come far behind.
AYE Director Shane Whelehan said: “As advocates for young people’s needs, we wanted to hear their opinions, share them widely, and act on them to help improve service provision.
Their comments are frank, thoughtful, sometimes humorous, often very moving, and definitely worth a read. We were struck by their calls to be heard and respected by service providers and decision makers.
They told us that youth work has a massive role to play and that they want youth organisations, the community and statutory agencies to work together to give them a better future.”
The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, Koulla Yiasouma added: “The days of designing and planning laws, policies and services without young people are behind us, and this report reminds us of this.
Not only does it make sense to involve end users in the development of services that affect them, but indeed young people have a right to have their voices heard by service providers and decision makers.
It is clear youth workers in the area are tuned into the needs and concerns of the young people here, and they need support to act now.
I share the concerns that young people have raised, particularly concerning mental health, which is one of NICCY’s priorities.”
The project was funded by the NI Executive’s Urban Villages Initiative. Linsey Farrell, Programme Director, commented: “This is a fantastic piece of work that the young people have put together, and we are delighted to have been able to support the project. Listening to the voice of young people is so important to help inform us as to where investment may be needed to build capacity in north Belfast.”
Read the report on our Publications page.
Ardoyne and Marrowbone do Jingle Bells
In December 2017, Ardoyne Youth Enterprise got together with schools, youth and community groups to make a youth and community music video for the Ardoyne/Marrowbone Community Festival. The film was premiered at the Drive-In movie, just before the screening of Home Alone.
The video celebrates unity and community spirit, and puts young people at the heart of the community. Participating groups are: Ardoyne Youth Enterprise, Ardoyne Afterschools Club, Ardoyne Youth Club, Marrowbone Youth Club, Flax Foyer, Ardoyne Association, Glenbrook Surestart, Lawrenson Toal School of Irish Dancing, North Belfast Friendship Club, Holy Cross Boys Primary School, Holy Cross Girls Primary School, Holy Cross Nursery School, Mercy Primary School, Bunscoil Bheann Mhadagáin and Sacred Heart Boys Primary School.
Holy Cross Play Group made us a great prequel for the film. You can see it below, or on Ardoyne Youth Enterprise Facebook page.
The video celebrates unity and community spirit, and puts young people at the heart of the community. Participating groups are: Ardoyne Youth Enterprise, Ardoyne Afterschools Club, Ardoyne Youth Club, Marrowbone Youth Club, Flax Foyer, Ardoyne Association, Glenbrook Surestart, Lawrenson Toal School of Irish Dancing, North Belfast Friendship Club, Holy Cross Boys Primary School, Holy Cross Girls Primary School, Holy Cross Nursery School, Mercy Primary School, Bunscoil Bheann Mhadagáin and Sacred Heart Boys Primary School.
Holy Cross Play Group made us a great prequel for the film. You can see it below, or on Ardoyne Youth Enterprise Facebook page.