The Base
Youth Recruitment
Coleraine Youth Forum
Examples of current work
CCSP Youth Diversionary Programme
Activities offered
Project participant comments
Project Statistics

The establishment of the Coleraine Youth Forum & The Base has developed rapidly over the last eight months due to the efforts of the Inter-Agency Partnership, project staff and volunteers, the young members and through vital funding from the Coleraine Borough Strategic Partnership (CBSP) and the Coleraine Community Safety Partnership (CCSP).

The CBSP grant has paid for the Youth Development Worker’s recruitment, salary and mileage whilst also providing essential grant aid for premises rental and project insurance. The CCSP grant has been used specifically as funding for a Youth Diversionary Programme for the project and has been used towards the refurbishment of the rented premises, a full training programme for the youth forum members, contributions towards rent, heat, light, insurance, project evaluation, office costs and specific events. The project has also benefited from funding from the Community Fund that has seen The Base fully fitted-out in a youth-friendly design with relevant resources.

This report aims to outline what exactly has been achieved during this time-frame and the subsequent benefits that this has produced for the youth forum members and the wider community.

At the project onset in August 2004, the premises identified for the project were at 18 Waterside, Coleraine. These were the old West Bann Development offices and had not been in use for several months. Initially, the premises were developed into suitable office space and over time, and in full consultation with the young people accessing the project, the premises have become the impressive ‘Base’ venue. The premises have been completely transformed – a new outer sign, full interior decoration, and new resources including computers, pool table, CD decks, TV/PS2, stereo, kitchen, seating area and information stand. The end result is a venue that young people have helped to design, are keen to access and one which adds greatly to the development of an area in urgent need of regeneration.

developing project ideas and funding proposals relevant to the wider youth membership; and devising action plans to address key issues and potential solutions.

Issue: Graffiti Project: Accessing funding for the design and painting of a mural on a large visible wall in Windyhall

Issue: Anti-Social Behaviour Project: Working with the CCSP to design and produce an inter-active CD-Rom that addresses ASB among young people and the role they have to play in society

Issue: Environment Project: Accessing funding and working with Conservation Volunteers to develop The Base garden at the back of the premises

Issue: Peace & Reconciliation Project: Joint cross-community residential with The Warehouse members to design a poster based around P&R issues

Issue: Sexual Health Project: Info sessions run by Family Planning Association scheduled for June 2005

Issue: Youth Recreation Project: Canoeing and Football courses run through Council Sports Development Officer

CCSP Youth Diversionary Programme

In achieving the above, it was deemed necessary to offer a balance of ‘fun’ activities (Bowling, Go-Karting, DJ Skills) in order to engage young people in the project before moving into more intensive training such as Personal Development and Leadership Skills.
This process was also vital in that many of the young people had little or no experience of structured group work and to attempt to involve them in the more challenging training elements, without the fun activities, would have been extremely difficult in terms of youth engagement.

The workshops were well-attended and led to a great deal of interest in the project whilst allowing several young people to emerge as potential DJs of the future. They now have the opportunity to hone their new skills using the DJ equipment recently purchased for The Base.

The course looked at many issues such as personal identity, behaviour, citizenship, moral issues, European and international culture, racism and positive attitudes. The young people benefited immensely from this course as it got them used to the format of ‘youth work’ in a fun and enlightening way. It also allowed them to examine their own roles within society and what it means to be a model citizen in today’s ever-changing culture.

Facilitated by a local IT specialist, this course used Macromedia Design software to teach a dedicated group of youth forum members all the skills needed to set up and install a web-site from scratch. The course taught the young people relevant skills whilst allowing them to develop their own creative ideas through a series of ‘link’ pages. The course was also used to design the project’s own web site which is nearing completion and can currently be viewed at http://home2.btconnect.com/coleraine-youth-

The aim of the course was to teach the members relevant skills necessary for their own personal leadership development with a view to ultimately being in charge of The Base during set opening hours in the future. From this, a group of 5 young people emerged as potential peer leaders for the project. These young people are due to embark on Child Protection Training in the near future and then following PECS checks, will be in a position to open and run The Base during specific times during the week. This further strengthens the project’s capacity to train young people to run their own project, thus providing them with a vital skill base and relevant experience.

Held towards the end of March at the Lodge Hotel in Coleraine, Base Blast brought together a vast range of youth-centred services and groups along with many local young people – some existing Youth Forum members and many new young people. The event encompassed a range of youth information stands, followed by inter-active workshops and finished off with food and music provided by local bands and DJs. The Base Blast helped to raise the profile of the project, its partners and funders; and to recruit more young people whilst allowing our existing members the opportunity to get involved in a major event from the initial ideas to the actual day itself.

Run over Easter week, the Outward Bound trip rewarded the ten young people who had been most involved in the Youth Forum and training programmes. Taking place in Ullswater, Lake District, the course was based around team-building, group skills, water-sports, orienteering, mountain climbing, confidence-building and much more. The group had a unique experience and one that will stay with them all for a long time to come. The trip also helped to develop the core group of Youth Forum members who had done so much to benefit the project from its inception.

The main aim of the overall project is to involve young people in the running, organisation and management of the Youth Forum, in order to develop their skills and to produce a genuinely youth-led group. To this end, the Youth Forum members have a range of participation levels open to them, from accessing the service and resources, to engaging in the range of training opportunities on offer, to Youth Forum meetings, right through to sitting on the Management Committee.

This structure and the varying levels of participation encourage young people to get involved in the project without undue pressure and to ‘find their feet’ within it.

By consulting with the young members and actually acting upon their views, ideas and opinions, the project is creating a vehicle which young people have genuine ownership of and one, which can only grow and develop in the future.

B Patterson
April 2005