Building the skills and confidence of young people enables them to contribute to the development of peaceful and stable rural communities’. This is one of the key drivers of Youth Action Northern Ireland which this week launched its rural community leadership programme delivering employment based initiatives to young adults in rural communities.A large audience comprised of young people, Government Department representatives, rural community organisations, local youth and community workers and statutory agencies attended the event in Parkanaur College, Dungannon. The project was funded by the International Fund for Ireland, which contributed £322,940 while  £115,335.85 was granted by the European Union through the (Peace II Programme) managed for the SEUPB by the Northern Ireland Rural Development Council (RDC).  The project was also supported by the Rank Foundation. Representatives of all the funders attended the event and commended the capability of the young people themselves to drive the initiative forward. Anne Henderson from the International Fund for Ireland highlighted the importance of this type of opportunity, “The International Fund is committed to funding programmes that contribute to peace building across the region.  This programme is an excellent example of providing important building blocks to a more positive future especially for rural young people and their communities”. Adding the support of the Northern Ireland Rural Development Council (RDC) Chief Executive Martin McDonald commented “RDC is very proud to have supported this project through the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation. The funding has been used to directly contribute towards staff managerial costs; employ two peer support workers; the training and development of 14 community leaders and additional training including University of Ulster modules and NVQ awards.  The enthusiasm and commitment of the young people involved has been truly inspirational and it is our hope that the investment in the lives of these young people will pay dividends for the rural communities in which they live and work”. Combining community youth work training alongside practical work experience the programme is specifically tailored to meet the needs of rural young people aged 18 -25 years who want to gain the necessary qualifications and experience to move into leadership roles within their community.Within the programme the new NVQ Level 3 in Youth Work is being firmly placed within a Modern Apprenticeship framework. This model is being piloted in the hope of creating new modern apprenticeships within the youth sector where traditionally they were not available.Speaking at the launch, Mr Will Haire, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Education commended YouthAction Northern Ireland for their excellent co-ordination and management of the programme. He especially welcomed the development of a programme which specifically targets young people living in rural areas.The programme provides a package of training which includes the City & Guilds NVQ Level 3 in Youth Work, NIOCN Introduction to Community Relations/Equity Diversity and Interpendance, Information Technology, First Aid, Child Protection and Youth Achievement Awards.  Combined with this comprehensive youth work training package sixteen young community leaders are each employed for 18 months to work within community based partner organisations across rural Northern Ireland.Ciara Boyle, a Placement Supervisor from Bardic Educational Arts and Media (BEAM) speaking at the launch welcomed the opportunity to be involved in the programme and the contribution it was making to the local community. Ciara stated;‘I know Emma can work on her own and support her own groups.  She has great practical experience which you can’t get on courses alone.  There is no substitute for practical experience.’Arlene Boyle and Andrew Magennis, two of the young community leaders working in Keady and Middletown hosted the event and a number of their colleagues shared their experiences of the programme and future hopes of employment or university places. Arlene Brady from Keady, speaking at the launch, noted;‘ Doing the NVQ means you are always trying things out in a practical setting and this gives me confidence when I know I can plan a session and introduce new ideas. I can relate my experience because it is so real and it is my own ideas being put into practice”.

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