A youth learning group based on the peace line that helps hundreds of young people across Belfast has celebrated the launch of its newly refurbished centre.
Active Communities Network, based on Northumberland Street, helps around 80 young people every week with everything from education and employment advice to mental health support and fitness.
Starting 11 years ago in a port-a-cabin off the Whiterock Road, it has grown over the years and has now opened its newly expanded and refurbished centre, where it hopes to help even more young people across the city.
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Active Communities Network primarily focuses on those aged 14 to 25 who have fallen out of mainstream education or are considered to be at risk.
Rachelle McCurry, who heads the project in Belfast, said: "We provide support to around 300 young people from across all parts of Belfast and help them to get a good start in life.
"This can be through helping them to achieve employment qualifications, work placements and training, help with their essential skills and education, along with allowing them to take charge of our various campaigns themselves in order to make a difference in their communities.
"As many of the young people we work with are vulnerable or considered to be at risk, we ensure that they are fully funded in order to take part in our courses free of charge and we also make sure they are provided with food, travel expenses and child care.
"Being based on the peace line, we are open to every community across Belfast and we have people from North, South, East and West coming together for our courses and creating bonds that they may not have been able to do in other settings.
"Our goal is to help these young people have a career to follow so they are able to take charge of their own lives moving forward."
The new centre has been funded by a £512k grant from the government's levelling up fund, with the organisation also recently receiving a grant from the Big Lottery Fund for £500k for three years of work in North and West Belfast.
Rachelle continued: "This newly refurbished centre will allow us to do even more work with young people in the community and provide them with classroom spaces and areas where they will be able to train and look after their physical wellbeing."
Reece Coleman, 22, from Turf Lodge, is one of the young people using Active Communities Network in order to acquire an SIA card to help him with employment while he attends university.
He said: "I have been coming here for about a month now in order to train for my SIA Card so that I would be able to work for a company like G4S while I am doing my university course.
"It would allow me to work somewhere with more flexible hours while doing my course and should hopefully be a huge benefit for me. There are also other courses available, such as lifeguard training, that I am very interested in doing.
"The course itself has been really good, the staff are very helpful and informative, while the training itself is quite informal and laid back. It doesn't feel like you are being put under a lot of pressure while you are doing the work which really helps.
"The one to one support you receive has been a great benefit because you know that you are able to ask your mentors if you have any issues and they will be on hand to help you.
"It is also great that there are people from across Belfast here so there is a great mix of people from different backgrounds and you get to know people from across the city."
If you would like more information about Active Communities Network, please visit their website.
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