YMCA M-Power: Meaningful Cross Community Youth Empowerment

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YMCA Ireland works with children and young people of all ages, primarily those who are disadvantaged and disaffected. There are 17 autonomous local YMCAs throughout NI and the Republic of Ireland - 9 of them are involved in this bid along with YMCA Ireland, the lead partner and the YMCAs umbrella body. YMCAs provide services involving peace building and good relations, vocational training, youth justice, outdoor education and health education. All work is based on the principles of effective non-formal education. 26,000 young people use YMCA services every year. The YMCA Ireland / Peace IV M: Power Project is a dynamic, youth focused programme which will achieve positive results and create real change for 800 disadvantaged young people aged 14 to 25 years old. 264 young people will participate each year for 4 years. 200 will successfully engage for 3 to 4 days per week over a 6 month period and will attend for at least 80% of the agreed time. The project’s main Objective is to ensure that these young people form positive and effective relationships with others of a different background and make a positive contribution to building a cohesive society. We believe that the key to recruiting and retaining disadvantaged young people to the programme and acheiving the desired outcomes lies in working with small groups, building relationships of trust between young people and staff and amongst the young people themselves, allowing young people to co-create and co-manage the project and developing activities which the young people value (for example outdoor pursuits, adventure pursuits, sports, leisure activities, arts and music) in order to deliver the outcomes. This approach is one which YMCA Ireland has championed over many years. The project will operate at YMCA centres in Belfast, Derry / Londonderry, East Antrim (Carrickfergus & Larne), Lisburn, Newcastle (Youth Base), North Down and Ards and Southern Region (Portadown & Lurgan). It will also operate at YWCA Monaghan. The M:Power Project will work with young people who are disadvantaged, excluded or marginalised, have deep social and emotional needs, are at risk of becoming involved in anti-social behaviour, violence or dissident activity and are not in education, training or employment. The project will also target young people suffering or at risk of mental ill health and young people with physical disabilities. Around 4% of beneficiaries will be young people from ethnic minorities (the 2011 Census estimates 4.3% of the NI population were born outside the UK or Ireland). All young people will participate in a non-formal professional YMCA youth work development programme which has been proven to bring positive outcomes for young people. This will include everyone: engaging in personal development workshops and activities with people from a different community; engaging in leisure activities with people from a different community; undertaking an intensive outdoor pursuits and workshop based weekend residential; and participating in a cross border activity or series of activities. YMCA M:Power will involve young people in a programme that develops their soft skills and a respect for diversity through a non-formal youth work programme. Activities and programmes will be designed to achieve positive change and demonstrable distance travelled under the 3 Peace IV desired outcome themes of Good Relations, Personal Development and Citizenship. The detailed programme will include sport and leisure activities, outdoor pursuits, personal development workshops and learning activities, art / music / drama based explorations of different cultures, volunteering and other active citizenship opportunities and activities and opportunities to give support to peers and help to lead and manage aspects of the project. There will be opportunities to gain accredited qualifications through innovative YMCA accredited programmes such as the Reconciliation and Peace Peer Programme (RAPP), Preparing for Participation personal development programme, and Young People and Politics and Youth in Government citizenship programmes. All young people will be involved in residential work. YMCA M:Power is an innovative and original programme which will work with small groups of highly marginalised and ‘at risk’ young people (8 young people at a time) who will partner with us to co-create and help manage their own activity programmes. The project has been developed from learning gained by the YMCAs working with disadvantaged young people throughout NI and Ireland over the last 10 to 15 years. For example, we know that this client group will: respond best when working in small groups to develop a positive relationship with staff and each other (a weekend residential experience at the beginning of each intake will help bond and motivate these small groups); engage positively with an adventure based programme; respond better to active personal development and good relations workshops involving arts, creative activities, visits and relevant speakers The small group nature of the project and its emphasis on encouraging young people to co-design and co-manage the project will also ensure the continued participation of those attending and facilitate successful completion of the programme. As a result of the project, marginalised and disadvantaged young participants will: develop their soft skills and a respect for diversity; report an increased knowledge of their own and other cultures and display a willingness to engage with those of a different culture in a meaningful and long term manner and; think that relations between Protestants & Catholics are better than they were 5 years ago and that relations between Protestants & Catholics will be better in 5 years’ time.

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