Proudly independent Youth Project based in Belfast working with young adults and families to address themes of employment, education, empowerment and poverty.
Out again tonight. Top and bottom Bruslee way cleaned up. Railings at the grotto painted. 16 areas down with two to go tomorrow. All the encouragement and comments are class.
Wee squad cleaning up the back of the shops at the bottom of the New Lodge in the rain. Lifted 18 bags of rubbish and assorted plastic, vapes, a dead pigeon, the remains of a belfast bike and a dog bed…
Back out this morning completing another two of the 18 areas we had set out to spruce up as part of our summer project. Tough one that. Thanks to the Bosco Cafe for supporting this initiative.
And that's a wrap...5 weeks of our summer clean up project completed. Tools packed away for another while. 130 black bags of rubbish lifted and streets transformed all of it paid for by the Bosco Cafe our social enterprise putting all of its profits back into the community.
Out this morning after being rained off last night. Completed another two areas with weeding, cutting back trees and bushes and sanding down railings around the grotto. 14 of the 18 planned areas completed. Out again tonight
Saturday morning and a wee squad painting out graffiti and scrubbing out the moss at Duncairn Parade…fella who lives there gave the lads a packet of foxes biscuits and four tins of coke 😀
Weeding and painting tonight as we completed another two of the spaces of the 18 areas we are aiming to refresh over the summer - top of the New Lodge and Hallidays Road.
21 years...remembering Terry for his humour, his kindness and strength. Our thoughts are with all the Enright family and all lucky enough to have called Terry their friend.
Bruslee way top and bottom cleared as part of our summer programme. 7 black bags full of weeds, rubbish, sand and muck lifted. Couple of extra helpers today…residents were all biz.
A fella bought our wee squad these tools out of his £600 heating allowance. Will be put to good use helping young people learn how to work and to care for their community and the environment…
Wee squad did a couple of jobs this morning local people had asked them to do that included the front of a pensioners house in Hillman Street and the bushes in Victoria Nursery…all go.
Our summer…of learning, working, earning, gardening, baking, cooking, walking up hills and along shores, dancing, playing football, laughing, sitting on buses, painting, talking, relationship building, exploring the outdoors, helping others, cleaning …is coming to an end.
Bit of painting,cutting back trees, wee bit of litter picked. 8 of 18 areas completed tonight. Another good shift put in…this is how getting your breakfast and lunch in The Bosco Cafe benefits this community.
A poorly resourced education system, stunted aspirations, generational unemployment, second class training...young people in our communities need support to see that their enemy is poverty in all its forms and incarnations.
For two months now we’ve been shopping twice a week for 22 housebound older residents getting them fresh food and household essentials. We also provide Sunday dinners for about 45 older people every week. It’s been great.
Bit of weeding, bit of tree surgery, bit of litter picking, lot of slagging and a crowd all wanting to do a bit. Ever read Tom Sawyer? Our summer scheme continues….
Another two spaces spruced up- hedges trimmed, walls painted and seven bags of weeds and litter lifted at Victoria Parade and the steps at the end of Bruslee. 6/18 areas complete- sponsored by the Bosco Cafe
Since March 2020 we have provided a weekly lunch to older residents and essential food shops. We prepared and delivered over 2000 meals...It was clear to us that it was not so much food poverty we were addressing but isolation and loneliness.
Wee squad clearing at the back of Victoria Parade beside the Reccy this morning…were shattered as they had stayed up all night for their own reasons but buoyed by a wee woman giving them £20 between them..all biz.
Painting and weeding today at Hartwell Place and on the New Lodge…filled three black bags with weeds and rubbish. Used two tins of paint…place looking better
Last day of the Summer work experience programme in the Bosco cafe today. Conal and Seaneen finishing today representing the last of 16 young people to gain paid training with us over July and August. We will be helping them all to update their CVs and find further work.
Wee squad cleaned the path and steps beside the barrack park this morning after being asked by local people to tidy it up…12 bags of rubbish, moss and weeds lifted.
Wee squad planted 240 trees this morning up at Glas na Bradan Wood…all happed up with borrowed boots two sizes too big for them. Always up to no good these lads…
As sheilding ends, today marks the last of our dinners for older residents. Our last grocery shop was this week also. A great effort by our volunteers over this past 4 months.
Trees cut back, bushes, weeds - tonight’s two clean ups seven hills, front of the shops, bottom of the New Lodge and Pinkerton. The first of 18 planned clean ups this summer sponsored by a he Bosco Cafe…
Great wee street party organised by families in the New Lodge supported by the Bosco Cafe - the second of seven street parties our wee social enterprise is funding this summer in North Belfast 🎉
A different young world...working class young people changing their community, improving their skills and life chances. Having fun and challenging perceptions of what youth work can do...
Saturday Morning and a wee bit of cleaning round the barrack…lads putting a good shift in. One local gave the lads a couple of quid and they are all bizz!
It costs on average £12k a year for a young person to go to University -fees,accommodation,living costs and £340k a year for each young person in prison. Poverty, lack of opportunity, educational exclusion and neglect is a costly business...
18 people doing their driving theory class, 30 families and teenagers at the lyric theatre and 7 young people studying GCSE maths. The positive face of youth people in the New Lodge
So much nonsense talked about youth provision in the New Lodge this past couple of days by carpetbaggers and opportunists attempting to exploit the young people of this community for their own political agenda. Shameful stuff endorsed by people you thought would no better.
Young people fixed up 11 bikes to make them summer safe last week; Bosco Cafe has had a busy week with young workers taking the lead; wee bit of outreach to deter young people from fighting on the interface; and, 22 young people coming along tomorrow to find about our summer jobs
Wee squad cleared top Pinkerton and the alley up to Bruslee this morning before the rain was due…a local resident gave them a few quid so they’re delighted.
Couple of weeks break from the Saturday morning clean ups for the wee squad…they’ve tidied up most of the Lodge this past while. Starting with some graffiti painting out and murals next month and some big jobs over the summer…
Education remains a pivotal strand in our work with young people…for working class communities of all shades, denominations and backgrounds access to education represents freedom and hope
Round the barrack this morning…toughest clean up yet. These weeds fought back…glad to be finished. Lads being treated to lunch in the Bosco paid for by a local resident.
Artillery has pioneered youth work that challenged the economic injustice we see around us. We started a Credit Union. We set up a social enterprise café. We support working families and during Covid we redirected our financial resources to support the vulnerable and isolated.
Friday morning in the Bosco Cafe our wee social enterprise. We’ve trained and found jobs for 17 young people in this past year. Youth work at its heart.
Talked a young fella out of fighting today with others who were armed with knives and got knocked back from funding from the Lottery…to be fair both easier than they sound.
Brilliant to see the Bone Hills getting approval for redevelopment, renewal and regeneration. It does though put the lack of facilities in the New Lodge in sharp focus. Our children and young people deserve better, they really do.
Took part in a workshop at the weekend where a middle aged participant described how one of the first choices they had made as a young person was to play the violin and drop piano…different set of choices for young people round our way at that time and since
Just for the record we have recieved no funding from peace 1,2,3 or 4. Not a penny from the European Social Fund. Nothing from CRC or Executive Office. No EA core funding, nothing from Communities in Transition...and we are totally fine about it. Did get a free Peace 4 pen once..
Opened in 1969 as a Belfast Corporation Youth Club. Operated as a BELB youth club until 1996. A youth led independent young adult centre for the past 25 years...resilient,creative and a fierce advocate for this community and its children and young people.
Shopping for 20 pensioners and delivering on a Tuesday and Friday. Making Dinners for 44 on a Sunday every week. Working with 3 pharmacies and 12 volunteers to deliver vital medicines. Lunches for 16 school children twice a week. 9 books borrowed from our library. Its all good
Wee squad back at it cleaning up the dead space at the back of the shops at the bottom of the New Lodge and outside Victoria Nursery and the bottom of the seven hills.
50 hampers including meat parcels and toys to families needing a wee hand and isolated older residents of the New Lodge, Newington and Tigers Bay. We linked with NBAP to ensure we were reaching those who needed support. Over £2k donated by local business and residents from NLR.
The Bosco and Artillery closed up today until the new year. We want to wish all our friends, supporters, patrons, members and volunteers a happy and peaceful Christmas.
Anthony Duffy was the leader in charge at Artillery in the 1970’s, still lives locally, still interested in our work, still a strong community spirit…youth work is still the purest expression of community development if it’s done right.