Young people are being discriminated against

Fifty representatives from community organisations, schools, councils and sporting organisations from Londonderry, Strabane, Omagh and cross border areas participated in the Achieving Change Together (ACT) conference at the Waterfoot Hotel organised by the Western Education and Library Board (WELB) Youth Service Inclusion Team.

The context for the conference was presented by Lynsey Cathcart, WELB Youth Officer for Social Inclusion, who said: "Exclusion is a grim reality for many young people; discrimination due to religion, race, disability, gender or sexual preference is a daily occurrence within our communities. It is vital that we raise awareness of the issue of exclusion and help those who work with young people to overcome the many barriers to inclusion."

Through discussion and debate, the event created the opportunity for individuals and organisations who work with young people to identify strategies to promote the inclusion of young people from minority groups.

A keynote input was given by Roisin O'Hagan from SEEDS, an organisation who seek to promote racial, ethnic and cultural diversity in the North West of Ireland. Roisin highlighted the reality of racism and discrimination in our communities and the devastating impact that it has.

Workshops were facilitated by representatives from organisations who support minority communities, including The Cedar Foundation, The Travelling Community, The Rainbow Project and SEEDS. Workshops were carried out in a round table environment to encourage debate and discussion.

The afternoon session was introduced by Stephen Quigley, WELB Senior Youth Worker for Good Relations who encouraged participants to examine the strengths of the various groups participating in the Conference and to outline ways that barriers to inclusion can be over come through collaborative working practices.

The feedback and the evaluations from the Conference were extremely positive and highlighted possible suggestions for future work and partnerships.

If you have any questions or queries on the work of the WELB Inclusion Team, contact Lynsey Cathcart on: 02871313444 (ext 4) or email [email protected]

The ACT Conference and the WELB Inclusion Team is supported by the Peace III Programme managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the North West Peace III Cluster.