Students from Ireland and Northern Ireland Collaborate on EU/UK Youth Citizenship Workshop in Derry~Londonderry

**From left: Eirini Kareta, British Council, John Peto, Nerve Centre Head of Development, NWRC students Rhiannon Muise and Ciara Barnett at the EU/UK Youth Stronger Together Citizen Workshop** ©
Nerve Centre

Wednesday 08 November 2023

Students from Ireland and Northern Ireland are taking part in a Citizenship Workshop hosted at Nerve Centre in Derry~Londonderry this week (6-10 November), as part of the EU/UK Youth Stronger Together programme.

Media industry professionals are mentoring the Media, Journalism and Performing Arts students, from North West Regional College (NWRC), to create media content that reflects their diverse viewpoints around key issues impacting on the lives of young people living across the island of Ireland today.

Led by Nerve Centre on behalf of the British Council, and in partnership with NWRC, 15 students from Ireland and 15 students from Northern Ireland are coming together over five days to create short films that will premiere publicly at NWRC. Youth organisations from across Northern Ireland will be joining them for a networking forum on Friday 10 November.

The British Council’s EU/UK Youth Stronger Together programme offers young people aged 15–30 from the UK and across Europe opportunities to connect, cooperate, influence and implement change together on topics of common interest.

The programme aims to facilitate close and sustainable relationships between young people in the UK and the EU for Europe’s collective benefit, working with young people across schools and youth organisations as well as with young activists and journalists.

Francisca Valentim from Portugal and Gabriela Gergova from Bulgaria, young journalists who are grantees of the programme, are visiting Derry~Londonderry to report from the Citizenship Workshop.

Ciara Barnett, a Creative Media, Film and TV student at NWRC, from Donegal, Ireland, is thrilled to be taking part, saying: “Being here, I feel that I get to provide a voice for the people in my generation with regards to the issues that we face on a daily basis. I’m really looking forward to learning more about the area that I live in and listening to young people, hearing about these issues, how we relate and how we can build on ideas and put them into the film that we produce. I think it’s important for us as young people to use our voice, to share our ideas and our opinions to try and better the world we live in.”

James Dalzell, a Creative Media student at NWRC, from Derry~Londonderry, added: “This is a great opportunity for gaining industry experience and developing context within the industry, as well as getting experience of working with different people, with different skill sets, and learning how they delegate and work within a team.”

John Peto, Head of Development at Nerve Centre, commented: “Nerve Centre helps young people to create, communicate and collaborate across borders and communities. The EU/UK Youth Stronger Together programme builds on this work by bringing together young people from across the island of Ireland to give voice to issues impacting them today. Our continued partnership with North West Regional College, with support from the British Council, provides young people here with valuable skills and connections to carry forward in their careers and communities.”

The EU/UK Youth Stronger Together programme is delivered by the British Council in co-operation with the European Movement International and co-funded by the European Union.

Secondary schools from across Northern Ireland are able to partner with schools across Europe on social action projects; and young journalists and activists will be invited to join workshops, training opportunities and networking events.

Speaking about the programme, Eirini Kareta, British Council EU Programme Manager, said: “It’s wonderful to see the collaborative work of young people from Ireland and Northern Ireland as part of our EU/UK Youth Stronger Together programme. Through this initiative, we are providing opportunities for connection, cooperation and collaboration between young leaders and among organisations in the youth sector across the UK and the EU, empowering young people to become agents of positive change and lead the way to the future together.”

Suzanne Rodgers, Curriculum Manager for Media at NWRC, added: “These five days are a fantastic opportunity for our students to receive mentoring from industry professionals and share perspectives on issues that matter to young people across the island of Ireland. Crucial to this project is the fact that students, who are the journalists, film-makers, and performers of the future, can create content on issues that affect young people and share them through the medium of film. We look forward to the premiere at NWRC.”

~Ends~

For media enquiries, please contact:

Anna Christoforou, Senior Media and Campaigns Manager, UK Nations, British Council

E: anna.christoforou@britishcouncil.org

Notes to Editor

About EU/UK Youth Stronger Together in Northern Ireland

Young people from Northern Ireland can get involved in EU/UK Youth Stronger Together in various ways including:

School programmes: Schools from across the UK and the EU will come together to highlight the role of young people aged 15–18 as changemakers, active global citizens and leaders at a local, national and European level. Schools will have the opportunity to join virtual thematic events on Climate, Integration of Refugee students and Fake news/disinformation.
Youth organisations: Youth leaders and representatives of youth organisations aged 18–30 will come together from across the UK and EU. This will include through focus groups, youth policy and networking events and the creation of a network of youth organisations.
Young activists: Young activists aged 18–30 from across the UK and EU will work together through joint events and training to promote shared fundamental values and give prominence to the role of youth in bringing about positive change, social cohesion and peace. This includes a Competition receiving creative entries on the value of cooperation between the EU and the UK.
Young journalists: Young journalists from across the UK and Europe will be provided with training and networking opportunities. Following workshops in summer 2023 we offer travel grants to young journalists to cover major youth events across the continent.

To find out more and register your interest in being part of the EU/UK Youth Stronger Together programme visit: https://www.britishcouncil.be/programmes/education/stronger-together

EU/UK Youth Stronger Together continues the British Council’s work, building connection, understanding and trust between people in the UK and overseas through arts, education and English language teaching. To find out more about the British Council’s work in Northern Ireland visit nireland.britishcouncil.org, or follow on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

About Nerve Centre

Nerve Centre is Northern Ireland’s leading creative media arts organisation with a vision of ‘changing lives through creative technologies and the arts’. More than 120,000 people a year benefit from a wide-ranging programme of arts events, innovative projects, creative learning, and production facilities. A successful social enterprise, Nerve Centre employs 50 staff in Derry~Londonderry and Belfast. At an educational level, Nerve Centre has developed the Creative Learning Centre model, empowering teachers and community learners to engage with creative technologies to unlock learning in the curriculum. Nerve Centre’s artistic output has gained an international reputation with Oscar, BAFTA and Turner Prize nominations.

About North West Regional College

North West Regional College (NWRC) is a leading provider of Further and Higher Education and skills training in Northern Ireland, and has five main campuses located in Derry-Londonderry, Limavady and Strabane, supporting over 10,000 students each year. Students attend from various parts of Northern Ireland and Ireland, undertaking full-time or part-time courses in a range of professional and technical areas.

The College has four main curriculum departments with course options for school-leavers, mature students, professionals, community organisations, and the unemployed. These departments reflect programmes in a range of career areas including Business Administration & Management, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Construction, I.T., Early Years, Health & Social Care, Music & Performing Arts, Hairdressing & Beauty, Media, Multimedia and the Creative Arts, Traineeships & Apprenticeships, Hospitality, Tourism and Sport.

NWRC’s Business Support Centre provides a range of innovation and skills training programmes to support the requirements of companies across the region. The College makes a significant contribution to the economy both as an employer, a provider of education and training, and as a direct support to industry through skills mentoring and innovation.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language.  We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2022-23 we reached 600 million people.