Article written for CRC by Youth Initiatives NI. CRC supports the organisation through its Core Funding Scheme.
Youth Initiatives Northern Ireland and Scotland joined forces this month and also spent a weekend at a volunteer leadership training residential in Newcastle, NI. We brought together 100 active volunteers aged 15-25 who support our programmes weekly to talk about their experiences volunteering and what they can learn from each other and our staff members. Through training, games, activities, and time together, our volunteers made new relationships, grew their confidence in volunteering, and had some much needed fun time together. Every young person specified that the value they found in our cross-community work came in large part from the opportunity to meet and talk to new people.
From conversations with our young people, they find that their volunteering has particularly helped them in their lives outside of YI, whether that’s at work, home, or school (one volunteer specifically mentioned debates in English class). Multiple young people noticed volunteering has boosted their confidence, passion, teamwork, sense of responsibility, and leadership skills. They recognised how much better they are at relating to and understanding young people from traditions that differ to the ones they were brought up in. The eagerness to learn and grow amongst our volunteers was evident, particularly in their social and relational skills. One intern specified that this eagerness to learn stretches into the young people they work with and when given a space to learn about diversity, the young people show a genuine engagement.
These residentials bring together multiple communities from across the island together and feedback from our volunteers has highlighted an increase in their self awareness, how quick they are to judge people, and the need to pause and question that judgement. One of the biggest benefits from these times together is the peer learning opportunities where strangers become friends who then grow in knowledge and awareness of the ‘other’. Their behaviours are then shaped by this learning rather than preconceived ideas or misconceptions, allowing friendships to flourish.
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Youth Initiatives aims to awaken hope, inspire initiative, and mobilise youth to make a vital contribution to their community and to a shared future in Northern Ireland.
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