Young NI Ambassadors Visit Liverpool For Training

A group of young people training to become leaders in the community have been commended by the Communities Minister.

Dierdre Hargey hailed the ten youths as they put their leadership and good relations training into action on a practice visit to Liverpool, working alongside world class athletes.

The Sinn Fein MLA said: "I am delighted that ten T:BUC Uniting Communities Ambassadors have been given this opportunity to utilise the power of sport and creativity to help them to enhance their leadership qualities on this learning trip to Liverpool.

"The T:BUC Uniting Communities programme enables young people to learn new skills, make new friends but most importantly empowers them to develop the confidence and leadership to tackle the issues that are being faced by people in their own communities. No doubt they will bring back learning from this experience and I look forward to following their progress."

The Department's Uniting Communities through Sport and Creativity programme is part of the Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) Strategy and aims to train young people to be motivated, upskilled and socially responsible individuals who can drive forward positive change in their communities.

The trip is part of a programme delivered by the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust in partnership with PeacePlayers International NI and brings an opportunity to experience first-hand how sport is used to help develop skills and to improve understanding of diversity.

Over the course of the three days, the group will be working with elite athletes from Dame Kelly Holmes Trust including British Taekwondo champion Henry Cookey, Paralympic swimming champion Liz Johnson and European skateboard champion Neil Danns. They will be meeting young people from Liverpool who have previously attended a Get on Track programme with the Trust, taking part in a Ninja fitness session with Henry and visiting Goodison Park to work with Everton in the Community.

Liz Johnson, athlete mentor at the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust said: "I've been working closely with this group over the past nine months and it's great to be able to take this group from Belfast over to Liverpool to experience all that the city has to offer. The three days are packed full of activities and events that help them with more tools and skills to help them become leaders and ambassadors within their own communities."



(JG/MH)