Future Focus
Programme 2024–2025

Welcome to Future Focus, a transformative initiative aimed at empowering the youth and fostering positive change in communities across Northern Ireland.

Future Focus
Magherafelt, Cookstown, and Dungannon

Future Focus Magherafelt, Cookstown, and Dungannon focuses on outreach activities, combining digital and traditional youth art interventions to engage disengaged young people aged 11 to 17 in the Mid-Ulster area. Emphasising cross-community connections and conflict management, our model operates on two levels: prevention work with at-risk youth, and intervention work with disengaged young people who are involved in risk-taking and sectarian activities.

Future Focus+
Downpatrick and Kilkeel

Future Focus+ is dedicated to recruiting and supporting at-risk young people aged 12 to 17 in Downpatrick and Kilkeel. Our goal is to engage and guide young people from to become young peer leaders. Through activities involving both traditional arts and digital technology, we strive to enhance cross-community connections and promote good relations, promoting an understanding of conflict management.

ChillCart

ChillCart is a mobile social space offering a safe alternative to antisocial behaviour to at-risk young people in Northern Ireland. It is an integral part of the Future Focus and Future Focus Plus programmes in Mid-Ulster and Newry, Mourne and Down, and provides a welcoming environment for young individuals from diverse backgrounds, promoting engagement in social activities and arts workshops.

Outcomes

Our outcomes are centred on empowering the new generation through creative engagement and cross-community sessions, creating connections and understanding among individuals from different backgrounds. Through diversionary activities, we aim to break down barriers, reducing the motivation to become involved in sectarian antisocial behaviour. We hope that participants can build friendships and respect for each other's backgrounds, promoting long-lasting positive changes.

The programme also seeks to address environmental issues, increase community pride, and encourage social actions among young people. By supporting youth partners and fostering a shared vision, we empower young people to share experiences with family and friends, leading to longer-term changes within communities and the creation of an inclusive and peaceful society.