2018–2022 · 2019. 4. 5. · our vision: our mission: young people are happy, healthy and...

2018–2022Strategic Plan

Charity number NIC106365 Company number NI035317

Inspiring young people Tackling inequalities

Investing in communities

6248 YouthAction strategic Plan_Layout 1 05/04/2019 18:07

ForewordOn behalf of the Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, membersand young people, I am delighted to present our strategic planfor the next five years.

Our planned actions and outcomes have been identified from ourongoing work with young people and our research and willcontribute to informing Government priorities. Increasingopportunities, building life skills, tackling disadvantage andaddressing inequalities remain at the core of what we do.

The significant investment from the Peace IV programmethroughout this 5 year plan, revives our ability to build positiverelations and contribute to a stable civic society through youngpeople’s efforts. We are pleased to work strategically and locallywith thirteen partners to share new methods of participativedemocracy, as well as distribute significant funds.

As a youth work charity, the Department of Education’sPriorities for Youth (2013) continues to provide a framework forour work. Our contribution to the parameters, defined asimproving the well-being of all young people living in NorthernIreland, in the draft Children and Young People’s Strategy 2017-2027 is clear.

In 2019 our charity will celebrate 75 years of successfullytackling issues most critical to young people across NorthernIreland. From 1944 as the Federation of Girls’ Clubs; to 1953Federation of Girls’ Clubs and Mixed Clubs in NI to 1961 NIAssociation of Youth Clubs and in 1990 YouthAction NorthernIreland, there have been many challenges facing young people. In2023 I look forward to reporting back on the many challengesahead.

Professor Ann Marie GrayChairperson - YouthAction Northern Ireland


Our vision: Our mission:young peopleare happy,healthy andhopeful.

YouthAction Northern Ireland is amembership-based youth workand arts charity, with a 75 yearhistory of working with youngpeople to tackle inequalities intheir lives; improve their lifechances; inspire them asactivists; and contribute toflourishing communities in apeaceful and shared society.

• The potential of young people – we strive todevelop young people’s capacity to improve thequality of their own lives and to affect change intheir communities.

• Equality, diversity and inclusion – we seek torespect the rights and responsibilities of eachindividual, and to challenge inequalities that existwithin society.

• Peace building – we want to contribute to asociety that is shared, peaceful, stable and fair;and in which there is no place for violence.

• Volunteering – we promote voluntarycommitment as an integral and vital contributionto economic and civil society.

• Participative democracy – we actively encouragethe involvement of young people in civicengagement, recognising active democracy as away of life.

• Building Leadership – we inspire leadershipqualities and skills in young people and adults.


Strategic goals

1 Raise 2 million pounds each year toachieve high quality youth work andvalue for money outcomes.

2 Invest in 1500 communities to embedquality youth work to support youngpeople’s development.

3 Improve the mental health, well-being, aspirations andopportunities of 15,000 young peopleaged 10-25years, each year.

4 Increase the skills, qualifications andemployability of 1000 young leaderseach year.

5 Build local and strategic partnershipswith charities, the business sector,academia, government and civic societyacross the UK and Ireland to meet theneeds of young people.

for 2018 – 2022


Young people will:

• Be more active in communities byvolunteering and leadership.

• Build their positive mental healthand well-being.

• Increase their creative expression.

• Improve their life and work skills.

• Increase their politicalengagement, citizenship andpeace-building.

for young people

Outcomes6248 YouthAction strategic Plan_Layout 1 05/04/2019 18:07

Strategic plan 2018 - 2022Outcomes for Youth work actions Strategic actionsyoung people

Be more active incommunities byvolunteering andleadership.

Contributes to:

Draft Programme forGovernment OutcomesIndicator ‘Increase theconfidence andcapability of people andcommunities.’

Priorities for Youth (DE2013) to

‘Develop the non-formal educationworkforce.’

‘Raise standards for All.’

EA OutcomesFramework ~’Activecitizenship – volunt-eering and socialaction.

Promote and utilise ASDAN YouthAchievement Awards as aframework to recognise and accredityoung people’s active participation intheir communities.

Secure programme resources forlocal members such as Money4Life,Generation Code & LIFEMAPS.

Deliver a range of recognised andaccredited training in youth work(level 1 – 4) to develop the skills ofyoung leaders, volunteers and parttime youth workers.

Promote volunteering amongstyoung people and provideopportunities to get involved involunteering to develop skills thatare transferable to life and work.

Through the National Citizens’Service, CSN Front of House teams,Techie Crews, youth work incommunities and Young Men’sVolunteer Scheme.

Grow our strategic network & localmembership to improveopportunities for young people.

Continue to build strategicrelationship with Irish YouthFoundation to roll out Youth Bankas a youth-led citizenship-basedmodel.

Encourage wider investment inyouth work via our relationship withIrish Youth Foundation (UK) &Coca-Cola Thank you Fund.

Grow strategic partnership withUlster University and expand ourout centre status to widen accessfor young leaders.

Promote the Coherent TrainingRoute (CTR) as the recognisedtraining and progression pathwayfor the youth work workforce.

Continue to support the regionalvoluntary youth network & plan forfuture.

Build positive mentalhealth and well-being

Contributes to:

Draft Children & YoungPeople’s Strategy 2017 -2027 parameter 1‘Physical and mentalhealth.’

Priorities for Youth (DE2013) ‘help young peopleto gain confidence,develop their self-esteemand have high expect-ations and aspirations forthemselves.’

Making Life Better(2013) DHSS&PSHealthy & confidentyoung people. Youngpeople skilled for life.

Deliver our suite of LIFEMAPStraining and activities to youngpeople; youth leaders; youth groupsand clubs; and partner organisationsto build positive mental health inyoung people.

Support LIFEMAPS partners NIYouth Forum, Young Farmers’ Clubsof Ulster and Bytes.

Support young people with severemental health issues through youthwork, in Action Mental Healthweekly partnership across NI.

Promote our evidence based,positive psychology LIFEMAPS as ayouth work framework to buildpositive mental health in youngpeople across education, arts andhealth sectors.

Disseminate our LIFEMAPS report,research, workbook and toolkit.

Assist those who work with youngpeople to understand how to buildpositive mental health through youthwork.

Work with Ulster University~ TakingBoys Seriously 2 longitudinalresearch and dissemination initiative.


Outcomes for Youth work actions Strategic actionsyoung people

Increase creativeexpression

Contributes to:

EA Outcomes Framework ~’Development ofthinking skills, life andwork skills-creativity.’

ACNI Ambitions forthe Arts 2013.

Support young people’s artisticdevelopment through our creativearts and learning hub (RainbowFactory School of Performing Arts).

Develop the youth arts model thatsupports young people from a rangeof minority ethnic communities tobetter integrate and to increaseunderstanding of difference amonglocal young people.

Bring creative programmes intocommunities through Perform4Lifeoutreach.

Provide platforms for young peopleto excel through productions &performances.

Explore critical issues with youngpeople through issue based theatre.

Youth led festivals and events toprovide opportunities for creativeexpression.

Contribute to UU, NUIM YouthWork eLearning Partnership insupporting newly developingdigital forms of expression andsharing.

College Square North (Belfast)recognised as youth led hub foryoung artists, civic dialogue andyouth work.

Produce a model of youth work/youth arts to improve well-being.

Work with ACNI & PHA to assist inintegration of youth work & theperforming arts to build positivemental health in young people.

Improve life and workskills

Contributes to:

Draft Programme forGovernment to ‘havemore people working injobs.’

Draft Children and Youngpeople’s Strategy 2017 -2016 parameter 8‘Learning andAchievement.’

Draft Industrial Strategyfor NI (2018) Departmentfor the Economy.

Priorities for Youth(2013) ‘Closing theperformance gap.’

Deliver regional youth employabilityprogrammes for young people aged16 – 24 years who remain outsideeducation, training or employment.

Building skills for living, learning andwork through youth work.

GET Set for Work ~ 900 youngpeople across Ni will be better able toprogress to employment and furthertraining.

AMPLIFY ~ 960 young people acrossNI and border counties able to betternavigate life and build purposefulrelationships.

Beacon ~ 236 young people in theNorth West gain entrepreneurialskills and build positive relations.

Build partnerships with employersand business in key growthsectors where there are skills indemand to progress young peopleinto employment

Produce practice and policy briefsto inform Government of theimpact of employabilityprogrammes underpinned byyouth work.


Outcomes for Youth work actions Strategic actionsyoung people

Increase politicalengagement,citizenship and peace-building.

Contributes to:

Draft Programme forGovernment ‘to havea shared society thatrespects diversity.’

Draft Children andYoung People’sStrategy 2017 -2026parameter 8 ‘Equalityand good relations.’

Shared Education Act(NI) 2016.

EA OutcomesFramework‘development ofpositive relations withothers.’

Our youth Network for Peace willsupport 10,000 young people tohave meaningful, purposeful andsustained contact with other youngpeople from different communities.

Connect to www.radioynp.com

Our Critical Youth Research Hub willcreate dialogue and conversationspaces for young people to have avoice, ask questions and to furtherdevelop their curiosity.

Reduce violence in the Everyday Lifeof young men.

Out & About initiative for LGBTyoung people across NI.

Implement the Peace First Challengewith young people to tackleinjustices.

Share the AGENDA for peacemodel as a framework throughthe ONE SMALL STEP youthcampaign.

Youth Network for Peace willwork in partnership with 13partners and NI Assembly andlocal government to nurtureparticipative democracy amongyoung people

Invest in British - Irish 5 Nationpartnership to increase civicengagement opportunities foryoung people.

Disseminate Still ShoutingResearch and toolkit to improveskills and understanding of LGBTyoung people.

Disseminate Status toolkit toimprove services for youngtravellers.


GoalsOrganisational

Principles underpinning our w

ork

Ensure YouthAction Northern Ireland operates to the highestgovernance standards, within a clear constitutional and legalframework.

Strive for a sustainable and robust financial base for the work ofthe charity.

Inspire leadership, learning and growth in staff and volunteers tomaximise their contribution to our charity and society.

Raise quality standards in youth work through partnerships,research, training, resource development and demonstratingimpact, to influence a flourishing youth sector.

• Evidence based practice – our youth work is basedupon research, reflective practice and evaluation.

• Community development and area basedstrategies – community owned solutions withyoung people and local partners as key informantsto address identified needs.

• Partnership – local and strategic partnerships tobest meet the needs of young people.

• Voluntary relationships – young people will morereadily participate in voluntary processes.

• Young people led – young people are more likely toengage in initiatives of which they feel realownership.

• Innovation and creativity – to meet the diverseneeds and aspirations of young people we strive tobe responsive, flexible, creative and pioneering.


Equality and diversity work with young women – encouragesyoung women to value themselves, develop their abilities andpotential and helps them to understand and challenge theprejudice and inequalities they may encounter in their lives.

Youth arts – offers young people of all abilities, opportunities todevelop their performance and artistic potential, as well as theirsocial and educational skills, through the medium of performingand allied arts.

Work with young men – develops, implements and supportsstrategies to work with young men, in which young men can learnand develop alternatives to outdated and restrictive masculinities.

Training – formally recognises and accredits young people’sparticipation in and contribution to youth work withincommunities and creates pathways to employment.

Peace-building and citizenship – leads on a range ofpartnerships which commit to transparent peace-building withyoung people in Northern Ireland and the border counties as wellas nurturing young people as assets and active citizens withincivil, social and political life.

Rural development – enables marginalized rural young peopleto become active citizens in their own community and developprocesses through which they can articulate their needs andinfluence policy development and service provision.

Our youth work

priorities:


www.youthaction.org

ARMAGH

YouthAction Northern IrelandSt. Patrick’s Trian38A Upper English StreetARMAGH, BT61 7BA

Tel: 028 3751 1624

KILKEEL

YouthAction Northern Ireland1 Newcastle StreetKilkeelNEWRY, BT34 4AP

Tel: 028 4176 5685

BELFAST

YouthAction Northern Ireland14 College Square NorthBELFAST, BT1 6AS

Tel: 028 9024 0551

NEWRY

YouthAction Northern Ireland81A Hill StreetNEWRYCo. Down, BT34 1DG

Tel: 028 3025 6040

ENNISKILLEN

YouthAction Northern IrelandFermanagh HouseBroadmeadow PlaceEnniskillen, BT74 7HR

Tel: 028 6632 8534

NORTH WEST OFFICE

YouthAction Northern IrelandWaterside Library23 Glendermott RoadDerry ~ LondonderryBT47 6BG

Tel 028 7131 8854

Follow us YouthAction NI and @YouthActionNI

Tune in www.radioynp.com


2018–2022 · 2019. 4. 5. · our vision: our mission: young people are happy, healthy and...

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