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2024-03-31-annual-report

APRIL 2023- MARCH 2024 SSYCC ANNUAL REPORT

106c Moy Road, Portadown, Co. Armagh, BT62 1QP

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page 3 Scotch Street Youth & Community Centre

PAGE 21 CHRISTMAS LIGHT SWITCH ON

Page 4+5 Chairpersons Report

PAGE 22 UNITED COMMUNITIES

Page 6 -16 EA Rural Craigavon Programme Overview

Page 17 KidsInc

Page 18 T:BUC Mega Camp

Page 19 Transition Project Schools

PAGE 23+24 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

PAGE 25 QUALITY ASSURANCE

PAGE 26-29 QUOTES AND FEEDBACK

PAGE 30 THANKS TO FUNDERS AND PARTNERSHIPS

Page 20 BUD Project

SCOTCH STREET YOUTH & COMMUNITY CENTRE

SSYCC’S VISION

A WELCOMING, VIBRANT AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETY WHERE PEOPLE ARE SUPPORTED TO ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL, AND EVERYONE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATES IN COMMUNITY LIFE.

MISSION

SSYCC’S MISSION IS TO MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE BY ENCOURAGING PARTICIPATION, STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS AND PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT.

ESTABLISHED IN 2008, SCOTCH STREET YOUTH & COMMUNITY CENTRE (SSYCC) IS AN UNINCORPORATED VOLUNTARY ORGANISATION OFFICIALLY REGISTERED WITH THE CHARITY COMMISSION NI AND THE EDUCATION AUTHORITY. GOVERNED BY A VOLUNTARY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, SSYCC IS SITUATED IN THE VILLAGE OF SCOTCH STREET, LOCATED 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF PORTADOWN IN COUNTY ARMAGH. OPERATING FROM A SPECIALLY DESIGNED MOBILE STRUCTURE, SSYCC PROVIDES A DIVERSE ARRAY OF SOCIAL, EDUCATIONAL, AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN A SECURE AND NURTURING SETTING FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE. SSYCC HELPS PROVIDE ACCESS TO SERVICES TO YOUNG PEOPLE FROM ALL SURROUNDING RURAL AREAS.

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CHAIRPERSONS REPORT

SSYCC remains committed to delivering on its strategic plan, launched in October 2020, following extensive consultation and development of a five-year roadmap (2020-2025). This plan, shaped by members, volunteers, staff, and the management committee, established a clear vision and mission for our organisation:

Vision: SSYCC’s vision is of a welcoming, vibrant and inclusive society where people are supported to achieve their full potential, and everyone actively participates in community life.

Mission: SSYCC’s mission is to make a positive difference by encouraging participation, strengthening community relationships and providing opportunities for learning and development.

From April 2022 to March 2023, we conducted three management committee meetings. We extend our gratitude to all committee members for their dedication and invaluable contributions to the governance of our organisation.

Strengthening Partnerships

Collaboration remains a cornerstone of our success. We are deeply grateful to our partner organisations for their unwavering support in addressing the needs of children, young people, and the communities we serve.

Over the past year, SSYCC has delivered an extensive range of programmes across the local area and the wider Armagh, Banbridge, and Craigavon Borough Council region. Our continued partnership and conclusion of the Uniting Communities through Sport & Creativity project, funded by the Department for Communities (DfC), has allowed us to lead an impactful initiative alongside Healthy Kidz and Oasis Youth and leave a lasting legacy.

iRural Project: A Lasting Impact

The iRural project has played a pivotal role in our growth over the past year. This initiative has profoundly benefited children and young people in rural communities while also strengthening the organisations that serve them. By enhancing existing efforts and ensuring long-term sustainability, iRural has helped rural youth organisations continue their vital work beyond the project's conclusion earlier this year.

We extend our sincere thanks to the staff and volunteer teams across the ABC area for their hard work and dedication in making these projects a resounding success.

Advocacy and Representation

SSYCC has remained a strong advocate for children, young people, and rural communities. Our staff and committee members actively participate in various committees, steering groups, and action groups to highlight the challenges and needs of these communities. To measure and evaluate our impact effectively, our staff continue to utilise Upshot, an online monitoring and evaluation tool, which enables us to collect valuable data and demonstrate the significance of our work.

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Key Achievements

Since our last AGM, SSYCC has engaged in a wide range of activities across multiple programmes, including the SSYCC Programme of Work which includes the EA Rural Project, iRural Project and Uniting Communities.

Over the past year:

A total of 7920 attendances were recorded across all programmes.

These figures highlight the extensive and meaningful work carried out by SSYCC in support of our communities.

Governance and Operations

The Senior Management Team (SMT), comprising the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Leader in Charge of SSYCC's programme continued to meet bi-monthly to oversee operational and strategic decision-making.

Funding and Sustainability

Securing funding remains a top priority, and considerable efforts have been made over the past 12 months to access essential resources. We successfully secured funding not only for our centre but also for our partners involved in the EA Rural project, benefiting organisations throughout the ABC council area.

Alongside our core funders – EA Youth Service and The National Lottery Community Fund - we have also collaborated with:

We sincerely thank all our funders for their invaluable support and recognise the dedication of our staff in preparing funding applications, reports, evaluations, and financial submissions.

Looking Ahead

As we move into the next year, our focus will be on continuing the successful delivery of our EA Rural Project across the wider ABC area and also identifying new funding opportunities to ensure SSYCC continues to meet the evolving needs of children, young people, and rural communities across the ABC council area.

Appreciation and Gratitude

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our partner organisations for their strong collaboration, which has been instrumental in delivering successful projects. We also express deep appreciation to our staff and volunteers, whose dedication and hard work make everything possible. Most importantly, we thank our service users - the children, young people, and communities we serve - for making SSYCC the vibrant and impactful organisation it is today.

We look forward to another year of growth, innovation, and positive impact.

Gordon Woolsey Bethany Ebron

Chairperson Vice-Chairperson

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PROGRAMME

OVERVIEW

All programme of work and practice in SSYCC are embedded by key policies such as Emotional Health and Wellbeing Framework. Examples of this include programmes focused on health and wellbeing programmes, emotional resilience, healthy relationships and much more. CRED is another policy embedded in all work at SSYCC through good relations programmes and ensuring our space is safe and inclusive to all young people.

Growing Together Project

Growing Together was a project targeting our 9- 13 year old members and was delivered over 19 sessions. This project had a specific focus on mental health, it included our staff and PIPS delivering sessions focused on positive mental health. Young people learnt more about horticulture and were able to get involved in planting, harvesting and preparing meals with vegetables from our garden. This taught young people the importance of looking after their fruit and vegetable and they were able to take home what had been grown or give out to local community. There was a total of 735 contact hours in this project.

Maghery Health & Wellbeing Project

Maghery Health and Wellbeing Programme was a 6 week programme delivered in an area which we had no previous engagement in and one which has lack of services or provision for young people. Majority of young people took part in sports at the Muga and we focused on learning more about staying healthy, both physically and mentally. This project was delivered to 27 young people aged 9-13 years old and was delivered in Maghery Community Hall. 100% of Young people said they enjoyed the Project.

Young person comment, “I learned how to control my emotions and look after myself”.

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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

Youth+

Youth+ runs every Monday Night at SSYCC for young people aged 1st year - 18 year olds. Through this project, young people have been able to create new and develop existing friendships, improve their health and wellbeing in a safe and welcoming environment. During our drop ins we were able to do a range of sports sessions, road safety workshop delivered by the PCSP, attend health fairs and refer young people onto other relevant and needs based projects eg health relationships or mental health support. In total, there was 87 individual registered members who attended 57 sessions throughout the year with a total of 3573 contact hours.

OCN Level 1 in Youth Work

11 young people completed an OCN Level 1 in Youth Work Practice, where we focused to up-skill our current volunteers and young leaders to learn vital aspects of youth work and develop new skills. All young people gained accreditation. Within this project, young people explored leadership styles and skills, the qualities of a good youth leader and their responsibilities. Young people were challenged to improve their communication skills through group discussions and a presentation to a larger group of young people. The young people were then tasked to plan, deliver and evaluate a session.

They looked at what resources would be required, who their target audience would be, what activities would be appropriate for that target audience and what evaluation method would work well to capture both the effectiveness of their delivery and the general satisfaction of the young people who participated.

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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

UpSport Project

During the year, we also delivered a 6 week cross community health and well-being project between young people from Maghery and Scotch Street. There was 29 young people and a total of 896 contact hours. This project we delivered in both the Maghery area and Scotch Street, it was a great success in both areas. The recruitment and retention of young people, we had more young people participate from Maghery than from Scotch Street which was positive and encouraging to see. We had physical sports sessions delivered by Healthy Kidz and a positive mental health session delivered by the Sunshine project. 100% of young people enjoyed this project.

Enviro-art

Enviro Art Project was planned by our kids panel who were involved in the planning of the full project and this included what was made each week and they also helped to promote others to recycle and bring in items from home to make art projects. Participant's showed their active citizenship through being involved in recycling and bringing in items on a weekly basis and it was positive to see young people taking ownership and lead on the project. The young people made their own advent calendars, stress balls and a range of other art ideas. 85% of people stated that they enjoyed the project.

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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

Through a new lens

Though a new lens project involved 17 young people coming from 7 different primary schools and across a range of rural areas. This project focused on preparing young people for transition, learning more about resilience, coping with change, identity, mood etc. As the group was so diverse, all young people met new friends and built new relationships. Young people were able to focus on developing skills to help them cope with change. Young people had the opportunity to improve relationship building skills and make new friends.

Street Based Work

During the first 2 quarters we completed street based work as a way of recruiting and building relationships in the rural areas. The Weekly engagment ranged between 30-35 participants and engaged with all ages and parents. This has been great addition to promote our programme in new rural areas. Overall we made 730 interactions with around 150 people. We also had 30 young people engaged with us on a weekly basis in the local MUGA for various sports activities.

InTouch

Needs based 6 week project for young women ages 14-16 year olds focusing specifically on understanding healthy relationships, human & body development, sexuality, understanding gender, consent and general health and well being. This project helped young people have a greater understanding of what a healthy relationship looks likes and learn more about consent.

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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

Positivitea

Positivtea was a project delivered over 6 weeks at our Youth+ Drop in and it focused on healthy and positive relationships. During the first 3 weeks we had 2 facilitators from Love For Life working on 2 of their sessions 'Housmates' and 'Game On' followed by 3 weeks of sessions delivered by staff. 100% of young poeple answered yes to the following question "Did this project help you understand how to deal with relationships with your friends, partners, family etc?"

Citizenship Project

Citizenship Project is a project which ran for 6 weeks for 12 young people where they each completed a community profile and focused on mapping out their community and discussing issues in their area. The young people felt strongly about the litter in area and Road Safety. Throughout this project young people were able to learn about the role they play in their community and get involved in giving back to their community through a social action project which involved a litter pick in the Scotch Street Area.

Volunteering Project

We completed a 6 week volunteering project with 10 young people focusing on the important aspects of being a junior leader such as risk assessments, session planning, session evaluation and leadership styles. A big aspect of this project was seeing young people use these skills in sessions where they delivered games or activities to a younger age group at Elevate and evaluated it.

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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

DoSomething

Our Kids Panel conducted a Social Action Project by creating Self Care Packs for young people within their drop in session in order to promote ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ as well as methods to promote positive health and well being with some tools for de-stressing and some positive aspirations. This was a great opportunity for young people to develop positive relationships and appreciate the peers around them. This became an idea after young people in Elevate stated they felt lonely so this was an opportunity to show them support. The Kids Panel led a fundraiser and raised £200 to be able to build packs and assemble and distribute them.

Health and Wellbeing with Boys & Girls Club

We were able to avail of the pilot Health and Wellbeing Programme Delivered by Niall from Boys & Girls Club, which provided the opportunity for 13 young people to take part in a 8 week long programme focusing on all aspects of health and wellbeing and looking at issues which young people felt where important to them.

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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

Cook, Connect, Co-Operate

We successfully delivered a 3 week needs based programme as part of our Outreach work to 23 young people aged 9-13 Years Old which explored ‘Positive Relationships, Building Group Work Skills, Bullying and How to Cook’. Young People were so appreciative and thankful for being able to access

this service and parents have also shared the impact of the programme on their child. 100% of young people said they improved their cooking skills through this project.

Derrymacash Health & Wellbeing Project

We delivered 3 health and well-being session’s in Derrymacash. We had between 50 and 70 young people attend each session. We had some issues with the venue and cancellations. During these sessions we had Healthy

Kids coaches deliver sports workshops and the PCSP delivered a road safety workshop. As well as promoting good health and wellbeing, a main focus for our staff was to build good working relationships with young people and youth leaders in the area.

Let Talk Risks

Let’s Talk: Risks project was a 6-week project with 8 young people which focused on risks and risk taking behaviour, specifically drugs and alcohol awareness, online safety, influence and consequences. After our learning youth work session, the young people planned and recorded a podcast in which they discussed all of the things they learned about risks and risk taking behaviour. This project allowed young people to learn about the everyday risks they take, peer pressure and the people they allow to have influence over them, how they may influence others and the physical, mental and legal dangers of engaging in certain risk taking behaviour.

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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

Lets Cook Aghagallon

Let’s Cook project was delivered in Aghagallon Community Centre for 4 weeks to 23 young people aged from 1st year to 18 years old. This project combined cooking where young people engaged in a cooking activity in each session and traditional group youth work to young people who had never previously engaged in any youth work project other than drop in. During this project we were able to build a good working relationship with young people and other key stakeholders in the area who engage with young people. The young people engaged in an entry into youth work projects, and we have established a good foundation for future projects in the area. To conclude the project, we had a celebration trip to prison island which all of the young people really enjoyed, all young people stated that they increased their personal capabilities as a result of the Lets Cook project.

Other sessions

We delivered a link up session in Maghery during

mid term which was a great opportunity for a cross community event with Scotch Street and Maghery. 26 young people took part in the link up event were they got to participate in a sports or arts and crafts activity. We completed a needs analysis during this session. For 4 weeks we supported Junior Drop in 7 Derry's leading activities, sessions and enhancing their programme - this was a good opportunity to build relationships with young people for future work in Aghagallon.

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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

Elevate

Elevate Drop in has proved to be very popular in the area of Scotch Street with a total of 114 registered members through 61 sessions. There has been numerous activities and themes throughout which include: talent show, pizza party, water fight, milkshake day, valentines party, self care day, colour run etc. A 4 week Good Relations Project was delivered by our staff member Katie as part of her Level 2 OCN Assessment which was a great opportunity for young people to explore certain stereotypes and other important subjects.

We are getting attendances from wide variety of areas such as Birches, Maghery, Craigavon, Portadown Town Centre, Annaghmore and much more. Elevate provides opportunity for young people to improve their health and wellbeing, develop new skill, enhanced personal capabilities and much more.

Volunteering Opportunities

There is a group of 10 young people who volunteer regularly every Tuesday Night at our Elevate Drop In. The Volunteers are involved in the planning, set up, delivery, clean up and evaluation of the session. This has been an essential part for the delivery of our Elevate Drop in and the support from our volunteers is vital and its great to see them taking a lead and organising fun team games and becoming young leaders and role models to our P5-P7 group.

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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW - PARTICIPATIVE STRUCTURES

Voice of young people is the core of all work at EA Rural and ensuring young peoples thoughts, feelings, emotions and needs are heard and implemented into our programmes on offer. After most sessions, we seek feedback with

young people on what they thought about the session or future

recommendations which included questions such as: what did you think of tonight?, what would you like to see more of in this session?, what would make it better? These help give young people opportunity to share their honest feedback . During our sessions we would have a whiteboard with the plan of the night so young people can see the schedule of the night. We would often ask questions on the board and allow them to write their anonymous response which helped implement our future projects and sessions.

Youth Forum

Youth Forum is made up of 9 young people and it has been an essential aspect of EA Rural since April 2023. It

has become a vital aspect of all our work and the young people have been involved in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of many projects. It's a platform to give young people the voice and opportunity to guide our work and delivery. The young people spent a lot of time applying for 2 EA small grants applications for a project and event. Youth Forum was successful with both applications, and this is a great testament to the great leaders and role models they are for EA Rural and shows all the hard work they have put in. We have

seen young people really develop skills such as planning, public speaking, youth work skills, evaluation skills, and much more, where they are becoming real leaders and examples in their community.

Comment from member of youth forum: “I enjoy being a member of youth forum as it gives us a chance to say what we feel should be added to the youth club and helps bridge the gap between the young people and leaders“.

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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW - PARTICIPATIVE STRUCTURES

Kids Panel

Kids Panel is made up of 8 young people aged P5-P7. The importance of having a group in EA Rural Craigavon to help plan and implement our delivery. Planning of our 'Talent Show' to which we invited Oasis Youth P5-P7 Juniors too, they planned the night, advertising it and delivered it. The kids panel was involved in the planning of other activities and sessions such as our valentines party, themed nights, fundraisers and social action projects. The young people worked on a budget to plan a party and there was great learning for them and it also enhanced the development of their thinking skills, teamwork skills and budgeting skills. The kids panel have been great in being role models in their local communities for young people their age.

Young person feedback: “Being Part of Kids Panel makes me feel so happy and included. I also get opportunities to help plan things out and help out community. I love it.”

“Ok so kids panel makes me feel really really a part of my fab community so thanks!”

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KIDS INC

For children in P1 to P7, we delivered an after-school club on Tuesday afternoons. Our primary focus for our junior members was on relationship-building and play.

We provided a wide range of structured activities, including arts and crafts, sports sessions, cooking, group games, and trips such as our Christmas outing to the Rink. Additionally, we offered less structured drop-in sessions where young people could choose their own activities, such as playing on consoles, using the pool table, colouring in, basketball, building Lego, board games, and much more.

Throughout our junior programme, we delivered a total of 28 sessions, with 1,180 attendances and 55 young people taking part. We engaged with a diverse group of children from Scotch Street and the surrounding areas, representing various cultures and backgrounds. During this time, we also ran a 12-week sports programme in partnership with Healthy Kidz, which was a great success. The programme helped teach young people how to stay active and build relationships in a fun and supportive environment.

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T:BUC MEGA CAMP

This project was delivered during the summer of 2023 and was a huge success. It involved 108 young people from across the ABC council area. This project featured a range of sports and arts and crafts sessions, with a specific focus on good relations and helping young people build strong and meaningful relationships, step out of their comfort zones, and learn more about each other.

Young people had the opportunity to attend a two-night residential at Greenhill YMCA, where they participated in a variety of activities, faced new challenges, and built stronger, more meaningful relationships.

During the first sessions of the TBUC Mega Camp, young people decided they wanted to support children and families in the local community who are struggling with the cost of living, particularly those experiencing food poverty. They chose to raise sponsorship through the 'Colour Run and Fun in the Park' event and donate the proceeds to the local Craigavon Foodbank.

Additionally, young people supported the Coffee Morning to gather items for a Christmas Treat Food Hamper campaign. Some baked goods for the Coffee Morning, while others collected money and items for the hampers. A total of 42 hampers were created and donated to the Craigavon Foodbank, supporting families and children in the Portadown, Lurgan, and Craigavon areas. In total, young people also raised £600 for the Craigavon Foodbank. Young Person Feedback:

"I loved the camp so much, it got me active while having fun. I made new friends and learnt new skills taking part in new/different sports and activities."

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TRANSITION PROJECT SCHOOLS

We delivered a four-week programme to 6 primary schools in the SLNRA area - St. Marys Derrymore PS, St. Marys Derrytrasna PS, St. Marys Maghery PS, Birches PS, St. Patricks Derrymacash, and St. Patricks Aghgagallon. The programme was centred around transition, focusing on identity, emotions, relationships, and coping with change. The aim was to help young people feel more at ease about moving schools by addressing their worries and providing reassurance.

Through this programme, young people gained a deeper understanding of their personal identity and emotions, equipping them with strategies to navigate change with confidence. They developed stronger interpersonal skills, allowing them to build positive relationships in their new school environments. The sessions also fostered resilience, helping them manage challenges and uncertainties more effectively. By creating a supportive space for open discussion, we empowered young people to voice their concerns, gain practical advice, and develop a sense of belonging. This not only eased their transition but also boosted their self-esteem and emotional well-being, ensuring they felt prepared and optimistic about their next steps.

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BUD PROJECT

Our BUD steering group consisted of seven dedicated young people who had worked together for a long time, playing a key role in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of programmes. They were actively involved in delivering initiatives for young people aged 4-18, demonstrating strong leadership and commitment to their community.

The group delivered a range of projects, including the Be Me project, which was designed for P1-P4 children, as well as other programmes tailored to different age groups. They worked exceptionally well together, showcasing teamwork, leadership, and a passion for making a positive impact. As role models within their community, they inspired and supported other young people through their dedication and hard work. This project was a partnership between SSYCC and Oasis, funded by BBC Children in Need’s We Move Fund: Youth Social Action.

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CHRISTMAS LIGHT SWITCH ON EVENT

It was a fantastic night for our community Christmas lights switch-on, which brought around 200 people together for a fun-filled day. Our festive fun day featured a wide range of activities for families to enjoy, including a visit from Santa, arts and crafts, face painting, a balloon modeller, an animal farm, a jumping swing, and the Fun Bus.

The event was a great success, spreading Christmas cheer throughout the community. The atmosphere was full of joy and excitement, and we received wonderful feedback from those who attended.

Feedback:

“The lights switch was amazing my children loved it so much. You do so much for our community, this is amazing thanks for another fabulous night.”

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UNITING COMMUNITIES PROGRAMME

Uniting Communities was a project delivered in partnership with SSYCC, Oasis Youth, and Healthy Kidz. This cross-community programme took place across the ABC area and brought together participants from over 20 nationalities, fostering inclusivity and cultural exchange.

In total, over 300 young people took part in the project, engaging in a range of different sessions.

One of the programmes for the Portadown and Lurgan cohort which was delivered, involved under 100 young people from across the ABC area. Sessions were based at South Lakes Leisure Centre (for Good Relations and Creativity Sessions) and Lismore Comprehensive School (for Sports). Additional activities took place at various locations, including visits to the Belfast Giants, Shamrock Park, the Athletics Showgrounds in Armagh.

The programme was highly successful, with very good feedback from parents and young people . The project concluded in September 2023, leaving a lasting impact on participants by promoting community integration, personal development, and new experiences.

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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

MAGHERY PROVISION

One of the highlights for EA Rural has been the provision delivered in Maghery, where we delivered a range of different projects and activities such as Maghery Health and Wellbeing Project, Upsport (cross community project between Scotch Street & Maghery), Cook, Connect Co-Operate & themed session. Maghery being an area with no provision and lack of activities for young people and we saw the need for more opportunities for young people. Quite quickly after the first 2 projects we built up strong relationships with young people, community members and parents/ guardians and this saw an increase in our attendance in Maghery. In total, there was 309 attendances in session with 53 registered members.

Young Person Feedback - “I get really excited when my mum tells me your going to be in Maghery and it gives me something to do.”

Parent - “Thank you - my girls had the best time. Delighted with these opportunities as there is nothing for them in our area.”

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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

ELEVATE - SCOTCH STREET

Another highlight for EA Rural has been the Elevate Project which is our drop in session ran every Tuesday night 6-9pm for P5-P7. This was something completely new in the area of SSYCC as we previously ran sessions for P1-P7's. We seen huge success with a total of 113 registered members in this age range. This was a major highlight of the year as it added a new opportunity for this age range and welcomed in a large number of young people. Through Elevate, Drop in members were able to take part in more opportunities, including a range of different projects such as growing together project, enviro-art project, health and wellbeing, themed drop in and a wide range of activities. Throughout Elevate we have had young people coming to our session through a range of different areas including Birches, Craigavon, Dungannon and wide spread areas of Portadown.

Young Person Feedback - “I enjoy coming to Elevate it so so fun and helps me make friends and gives me something to do.”

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QUALITY ASSURANCE

Quality Assurance is crucial for EA Rural Craigavon and is met by the following:

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YOUNG PEOPLE FEEDBACK

Young people’s feedback is very important for all the work delivered by SSYCC - here is a range of different feedback:

“It makes me feel like an adult sometimes and I’m really happy to be a part of this, its been really helpful to communicate with other people.”

“Being part of youth forum makes me feel so good and happy, it gives me purpose. It allows me to be a voice for young people who don't have a voice.”

"I really enjoyed planting my own veg, it was my first time I liked planting with the young leader John. I learnt how to plant and give me ideas for at home.”

“Youth+ has helped me connect with my local community and make new friends."

“The sessions are really interactive and it taught me what a healthy relationship is”.

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QUOTES FROM PARENTS + YOUNG PEOPLE Yes it has I have made loads of new friends since starting "I have learnt what it is like to have friends I can talk to or just someone in general to talk to about stuff in school or how my weekend was. l always walk out of youth+ with a smile" . D008 Elevate Iwlp you make better cholces and feal better about yourseifR "Yes because I think it's a 2nd home and I feel better" "Yes because I made a new friend in Maghery. I wasn't that confident to do that when I started" "It makes me feel g(￿y and understand things" Ioiied the c1￿k. Connect and tioèperat project. He was so excited to go every week and loved the opportunity to socialise with old and new friends. while learning new skills. Wish there was something on every week. it's so needed in the areal" "The sessions are really interactive and taught me what healthy relationships are" I have Iwo boys thal currently attend actiVFties organised by SSYCC in Maghery. They love going to these sessions thal are organised as Maghery don'l have a youth club and the only ihing that can do is play football in the MUGA. These sessions have given my boys the opportunity to mix with other5 and build their confidence in mixing with others. They enjoy going to sessions and when the￿re over they can't wait for the next sessions to start again. Would love for il to be something more permanent for them. From my family point of view I think the cross communily aspect of this group is phenomenal. Staff are outstanding. Milo is making friends and the activities provided are an amazing opportunity for all. May this continue. My son has really enjoyed all Ihe programmes offered by SSYCC & will definitely be attending any upcoming programmes 27

USER SATISFACTION FEEDBACK

Satisfaction survey asked to all young people in April 2024 about programming:

100% young people stated they would recommend Youth+ Drop in to a friend

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USER SATISFACTION

FEEDBACK

----- Start of picture text -----
100% of young
people enjoyed
Upsport Project
100% of young people from
Elevate feel happier as a
result of attending
programmes!
----- End of picture text -----

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Club Sponsors, funders, and gestures of goodwill

SSYCC would like to thank the following funders, businesses, and people for their support over the last year to the running of the club, events, and fundraising.

FUNDERS

The National Lottery Community Fund BBC Children in Need

Education Authority Youth Service

Department for Communities – Uniting Communities TADA/Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council America Ireland Fund Neighbourhood Renewal T:BUC - Together Building United Communities

PARTNERSHIPS

Community Intercultural Programme (Oasis) – Programme opportunities & partnerships in projects

Healthy Kidz – Programme Partnership

Wheelworks - Partnership Programme

Boys & Girls Club NI for Governance & Programme Support South Lough Neagh Regeneration Association (SLNRA)

iRural Partners - Clonmore Youth Club, Evolve Youth, HYPE, Killicomaine JHS

P7 Transition School Programme – St. Marys Derrymore PS, St. Marys Derrytrasna PS, St. Marys Maghery PS, Birches PS, St. Patricks Derrymacash, and St. Patricks

Aghgagallon

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