Lottery funding for young people with learning disabilities

The four year funding package, from the National Lottery Community Fund NI, will support the ‘Ready, Steady, Go’ programme, which will be led by and run by the young people.

It will incorporate a charity shop, a fabrication and production lab and the successful ‘Tea in the Park’ mobile coffee shop in the Playtrail.

The charity shop will be based in Northside Shopping Centre and will open later this year.

While the majority of the stock will be second hand, the young people will be involved in designing and making some new stock for the shop.

Annemarie Donnelly, Transition Services Manager with the Liberty Consortium, said that the programme will provide the young people, aged between 16 and 25-years-old, with supported and structured work placement which is suited to them.

“Tea in the Park was a pilot programme and two of the young people who volunteered there have moved onto external work placements, with one securing employment.

“It has been a great success and the young people were heavily consulted and involved in every aspect of that project. There have been so many positive experiences from it.”

With the addition of the charity shop and fabrication lab, Annemarie said they will now be able to ‘expand the offering’ to the young people.

“The purpose of ‘Ready, Steady, Go’ will be to address gaps in current provision and areas of need for young people with learning disabilities and autism.

“They are the most disadvantaged group, furthest away from the labour market,” Annemarie added.

“With this programme the young people will benefit through up-skilling, increased work readiness and gaining meaningful work experience. The young people will also be front and centre at the heart of their community.”