Providing inspiration across generations

Third Space was one of 11 Peace4Youth projects funded by the Special EU Programmes Body as part of the wider PEACE IV plan. Delivered in partnership with leading local arts organisation Verbal, the programme supported over 700 young people with making positive change in their lives. The conclusion of the project was marked with a special celebration event at our Queen Street premises attended by former and current service users, as well as key partners and stakeholders in the project.

The Personal Change Programme was part of Belfast City Council's PEACE IV programme, and worked with marginalised young people to explore issues of equality, identity, diversity and peacebuilding. It supported over 40 young people from across Belfast through one-to-one mentoring, group work, sports, cultural visits and OCN qualifications.

One important aspect of the programme was that it allowed the organisation to employ a number of Peer Mentors, young people with lived experience which they could use to better engage with project participants.

This proved particularly timely as the wider national issues of recruitment into the voluntary and community sector impacted on our ability to fill vacancies within our projects. This continued to be a major issue of concern as we moved into the new financial year.

Through our PEACE IV programmes, our Communities in Transitions programmes and our Conversation Piece initiative with the PSNI and Belfast City Council, where we facilitated difficult conversations between young people and the PSNI, Extern have demonstrated that as an organisation we can make a positive contribution to making a lasting impact within and between communities in Northern Ireland.

Going forward the aim of our young people and families services is to consolidate our core services and secure our transitional mentoring support services for 16-24 year olds.

This will involve working alongside Ulster University to identify a baseline for the role of mentoring within Extern and promote this as a model going forward in social care and employability. Such has been the success of peer mentoring that we will continue to look for opportunities in new tenders to establish this as a core of our service model going forward.

2,408

I was really struggling in my life when I first heard about Extern. I was facing feelings of anxiety, having low moods and was just so stressed out about things.

A friend put me in touch with Extern and from the very beginning I felt safe and supported. My first meeting with the team had a real sense of energy, of understanding and importance, which helped immensely.

The guys at the Youth Engagement Service provided a place for me where I could speak honestly about what was going on in my life.

Just having that space to share and talk helped me feel heard and less alone in my problems. This helped me come to terms with my own feelings and get advice on what I needed.

I understand now how to better handle issues in my life and have more of an insight into healthier coping mechanisms. Reaching out to Extern, even if it is just for a chat, can make all the difference if you are struggling like I was. I would recommend it to anyone.