A new Youthscape programme funded by SEUPB, under the PEACE IV Objective 2.1 Children and Young People, was launched on Friday 19th January in The Termon Centre, Pettigo, Co.Donegal. The aim of the Youthscape project is to enhance the capacity of children and young people, ranging in age from 16 - 24 years, to form positive and effective relationships with others from different cultural backgrounds enabling them to collectively make a positive contribution to building a division less, inclusive society.
Welcoming the project Gina McIntyre, CEO of the Special EU Programmes Body said:
“The EU’s PEACE IV Programme has a core objective of helping to build a more cohesive and inclusive society, free from division and intolerance. This project will help to achieve the objective by encouraging young people to become more comfortable with and accepting of diversity, on a cross-community and cross-border basis.
“It represents an opportunity for wide reaching changes in attitude, by encouraging the hundreds of young people who participate in the project to share what they have learnt with their own families and communities.”
The Youthscape programme is a cross-border, cross-community interventionist programme developed in association with South West College, as Lead Partner, Donegal Youth Service and TIDES Training. It will operate in Counties Tyrone, Fermanagh and Donegal covering the 5 areas of Omagh, Enniskillen, Dungannon, Ballybofey and Letterkenny and will deliver a proactive, youth focused programme to 800 of the regions most marginalised young people.
Ciaran McManus, Head of Industry and Training at South West College said:
"South West College is delighted to be involved in the Youthscape project, which has a strong focus on youth development and education. This programme centres around core themes of Personal Development, Good Relations and Citizenship, all key aspect of social development that are so important in the development of an inclusive progressive society.”
The Youthscape programme focuses on a 'co-design' and 'person-centred' approach to learning and development, enabling the participants to have the opportunity to input into and form the structure and make-up of the programme. There will be an opportunity for participants to become Peace Apprentices and to join The Youthscape Youth Forum. These initiatives will be key mechanisms in empowering participants to utilise their voice to improve their individual life circumstances and become key influencers to relations and peers.
Each young person will be assigned a Key Youth Worker who will help support them throughout the programme and work with them to build good relations, become an active citizen in their community and support them to overcome barriers to their progression. Participants will be supported by staff to help them to progress to education, training or employment upon leaving the programme.
Match-funding for the project has been provided by the Northern Ireland Executive and the Department for Children and Youth Affairs in Ireland.
Anyone interested in finding out more about the programme or wishes to get involved can contact Jacqueline McDowell, South West College, tel: 028 8772 0681 or email: Jacqueline.mcdowell@swc.ac.uk