David Graham OBE, International Fund for Ireland Board Member and Aileen O’Calaghan (front left), Project Co-ordinator, Youth Action celebrate with some of the young apprentices from Fermanagh and Monaghan their completion of the Youth Action Community Leadership Apprenticeship Project.
14 young apprentices from Fermanagh and Monaghan today celebrated their successful completion of the Youth Action Community Leadership Apprenticeship Project.
The Project is a youth work apprenticeship initiative which employs 43 young apprentices in Greater Belfast, the North West, Donegal and Fermanagh/Monaghan. It promotes empowerment, active citizenship, learning and community leadership among young people from Nationalist and Unionist communities.
Providing valuable work experience, the Community Leadership Apprenticeship, helps young people gain skills and qualifications to enhance their future job prospects in youth work and the growing performing arts industry. The apprentices gain an NVQ level 3 in youth work; training in ICT; first aid; child protection; performing arts facilitation and employability skills.
Speaking on behalf of the Project’s primary funder, David Graham OBE, Board Member of the International Fund for Ireland said: "As we continue on our journey towards a more positive, peaceful and stable future, programmes that promote peace and reconciliation by empowering young people to reach out to one another and build a shared future are vital.
“The International Fund for Ireland is delighted to see the positive outcomes of our funding in the successes of the young people who have come through this Project.”
The event was also used to celebrate the contribution made by these young apprentices in securing £800,000 funding towards a new mental health services initiative for the Fermanagh area called the Right Here Project.
Right Here is a five-year partnership project initiated by the Mental Health Foundation and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation to improve early interventions for emerging health problems for young people aged 16-25.
Through a series of positive, preventative, youth led interventions which focus on building resilience, the Right Here Project empowers young people to find their own solutions to emotional health and well-being.
Working together as a group, the Fermanagh apprentices undertook research and conducted community needs assessments in this area, which directly led to securing the £800,000 support for the Right Here Project.
June Trimble MBE, Director of Youth Action Northern Ireland said “Today is about young people taking action. The young leaders completing their apprenticeship have new skills, qualifications, valuable work experience and aspirations to be civic leaders and contribute positively to society. The Right Here young people are starting on a new leadership journey to build resilience amongst their peers, influence services and contribute to improving the mental health and well-being of young people in Fermanagh.”
Support for The Community Leadership Apprenticeship Project by the International Fund for Ireland triggered additional funding from the Department of Education, the Department for Employment and Learning, the Rank foundation, the Western Education and Library Board (WELB) and the Australia Ireland Fund.
A range of youth work experiences have been provided to the apprentices by the WELB, as well as excellent training facilities in the Lakeland Youth Centre. Work placements have also been provided by Carrowshee/Sylvan Hill Community Association in Lisnaskea, ARC Healthy Living Centre, the Bawnacre Centre and Youth Work Ireland Monaghan