Creative youth projects set to flourish with Ulster Bank backing

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  • Ulster Bank is investing £22K in two Northern Ireland youth initiatives with the announcement of this year’s Round Two winners in the bank’s £2.5 million UK and Ireland Skills & Opportunities Fund. 

    Regional voluntary youth charity, YouthAction Northern Ireland, has secured £18.5K and will roll out a range of regional creative industry initiatives to help 220 young people aged 14-25 build aptitudes, attitudes and qualifications required for work.  The programme will focus on young people who face barriers to learning and those from various backgrounds, particularly young people living in socially disadvantaged areas. 

    Established over 70 years ago, Youth Action NI aims to inspire young people, tackle inequalities and invest in local communities and supports a range of non-formal educational programmes province-wide including youth arts, training, equality work and volunteering.   

    Maire Campbell, Artistic Director at YouthAction Northern Ireland, said: “Our YouthAction team is thrilled to win a Skills & Opportunities funding award and we’d like to thank everyone who took the time to vote for our project.

    “Without this financial support from Ulster Bank we simply could not put in place all the elements of our Building Creative Skills initiative. The funding means we can integrate employability training across our aptly named School of Performing Arts, the Rainbow Factory.

    “The programme provides a unique opportunity to support young people throughout Northern Ireland and help them build skills for living, learning and working. We’re looking forward to partnering alongside staff at Ulster Bank who will come on board as volunteers.”      

    Banbridge-based YouthBank International has been awarded £3.5K and will utilise the funding to help 16-21 year olds in the Banbridge region deliver social entrepreneurship and youth philanthropy schemes as part of the Build your Future initiative.

    Based at Banbridge Youth Resource Centre, YouthBank is part of a global network of grant-making committees run by young people.  The Banbridge group focusses on organising collective sustainable projects such as Ireland’s first ever Teenage Market which showcased local  traders, musicians and businesses  and generated funding for other community projects including  mental health initiatives in the County Down town. 

    Director of YouthBank International, Vernon Ringland, said: “YouthBank Banbridge has had a tremendous year and this Skills & Opportunities award from Ulster Bank will allow the young team to further develop the excellent sustainable grant making work they’ve achieved this year. 

    “Ulster Bank’s funding award will support additional Teenage Markets with the next one scheduled to take place on 11th February, as well as new Fab Lab events which will bring together traders and young people to take part in mentoring sessions.”      

    Ulster Bank’s Skills & Opportunities Fund supports local and disadvantaged communities by helping people to learn new skills, get into the world of work or set up their own business.   

    Overall 800 applications were submitted to Round Two from across the UK and Ireland with 94 organisations reaching the shortlist. Following the judging process which included a public vote attracting 30,372 votes, fifty-two groups were selected to receive grant funding of over £1,328,863. 

    Congratulating Youth Action Northern Ireland and YouthBank Banbridge, Sean Murphy, Managing Director, Branch Banking, Ulster Bank said: “Our Skills & Opportunities Funding programme once again attracted a high quality and diverse range of submissions and I’d like to thank all groups for entering.  We’ve seen the impact funding has at grass roots levels with previous award winners and I’m looking forward to following Youth Action and YouthBank, Banbridge’s initiatives as they roll out next year.”

    Northern Ireland winners in 2015 and 2016 have secured over £154,392 of funding.  In addition to YouthBank and YouthAction the other winning projects to date are Lenadoon Community Forum, Ballybeen Women’s Centre, Young Enterprise NI, Cooperation Ireland, Sentinus and West Bann Development. 

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