Agenda item

            The Committee was reminded that Common Purpose was a non-for-profit leadership development organisation which supported people and communities from all backgrounds, beliefs and experiences. In recent years (October 2021 and January 2024) the Council had worked with Common Purpose and provided funding to support the delivery of their NI Legacy Programme in Belfast, alongside a range of other organisations, including Allstate Northern Ireland, Belfast Charitable Society, Belfast Met, Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland and Power NI.

            The most recent NI Legacy Programme which was delivered in January 2024 attracted 77 participants aged 18-25 from across Northern Ireland. The two-day programme encouraged young people to think bigger, get new perspectives, be challenged to think differently to shape the future of Northern Ireland. The Council hosted day 2 of the programme at the City Hall and also directly supported the delivery of the programme with The Rt. Hon. Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Ryan Murphy, delivering a keynote speech and facilitating a Q&A session with participants. Other activity included immersion visits with local organisations, including Another World Belfast, Translink and NOW Group to name a few. Café conversations were also facilitated by senior leaders across the city and the participants were challenged to deliver presentations to a panel of experts which enabled young people to reflect on their key priorities for change in Northern Ireland.

            The programme delivered considerable impact for those involved with the majority of participants reflecting positive change as summarised below:

·        92% have greater confidence in their role as a leader

·        96% feel better prepared to work with people who are different from them

·        89% feel better able to make a positive impact

·        96% will be more open to diverse perspectives

·        86% feel more willing and able to impact their city’s future

            Common Purpose produced a video which summarises the 2024 NI Legacy Programme here.

            The Director of City and Organisational Strategy advised the Committee that, following the success of the previous two programmes in 2021 and 2024, Common Purpose planned to bring forward a further programme to deliver in Belfast in January 2025. The new programme would engage new participants aged 18-25 with a renewed focus on engaging young people within inclusive growth cohorts across the city.

            He reported that Common Purpose had approached the Council and other partners across the city to seek sponsorship of £10,000 to support the delivery of the programme. Funding would help to support the organisation to offer the programme free of charge to young people across the city and engage up to 100 participants. This would help also to remove barriers to participation and ensure that all those who wish to participate can do so.

            The programme would bring together a diverse group of young people: some in employment, some not; some studying, some volunteering whilst some would be passionate activists and others would be finding their own causes. It would focus on supporting the human capital, social capital and civic capital for those involved:

·        Human capital - individual learning outcomes for participants as they grow and develop their cultural intelligence.

·        Social capital - creating valuable connections between peers and generations across the city.

·        Civic capital – identifying the tangible actions and outcomes to support young people to make a difference in their local areas. 

            As a potential sponsor, the Council would have the opportunity to:

·        Secure 20 places for our younger members of staff and/or young people from across the city to enable them to benefit from the learning, impact, inclusion, and networks that the programme provides. We would intend to liaise with community partners and members to raise awareness of this opportunity.

·        Engage and speak on the programme and to listen to and gain new perspectives from, the diverse eyes of the young leaders.

·        Include our branding on all marketing materials and related social media posts to further raise the profile of Council with young people.

            A further update will be provided to members upon Common Purpose securing the required funding to deliver the programme.

            The Committee approved the request for funding received to sponsor the delivery of the Common Purpose NI Legacy Programme (2025) to a value of £10,000.

            The Committee agreed also that a report be submitted to a future meeting on the impact of previous years’ programmes.