We facilitated the delivery of showcasingevents to highlight positive inclusiveyouth work practice:• ‘DiversitygoesCross-Border’• ‘ARoadLessTravelled’• ‘OutofReach?’

We produced a website for the voluntary youth sector to support inclusionwww.inclusiveyouthworkni.co.uk that includes:• Resourcelibrary• Accesstopublications,reports,multimediaoninclusivepractice• Anintroductionto‘AccessAllAreas’• Guidelinesforinterculturalwork We provide support to voluntary youth organisations working with minority ethnic communities to establish safe, welcoming and inclusive spaces for children and young people.

In addition to our advocacy work in relation to Transgender issues we continue to Co-facilitate the Trans youth group – Translate; Act as secretariat for the Trans Forum and facilitate the Trans Peer Support Group.

73participants took part in ‘OutstandingTraining’ during the year. This is a two day training programme designed to help youth workers explore Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender issues. A further 100peopleparticipatedinawarenessraisingfocusingonTransissues in more depth.

Inclusion

“Access All Areas”is an example of cross border

collaboration at its best, bringingtogether expertise to create somethingthat will have a lasting impact. It will prove to be an invaluable resource

for everyone working to make Ireland more welcoming of young people and volunteers from all backgrounds.” said

MinisterFitzgerald(DepartmentofChildrenandYouthAffairs)

Youthnet is the voluntary youth network for Northern Ireland. Our mission is to ensure the development and recognition of an effective and diverse voluntary youth sector that involves, empowers and meets the needs of young people.

“We thank allthe volunteers who on

behalf of the voluntary youth network continue to contribute their time, energy and expertise

to enhancing the livesof children andyoung people.”

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the following organisations / bodies who have supported our work during the year:• Department of Education• Youth Council for Northern Ireland• Special European Programmes Body• Building Change Trust

FullMembers

•Action Mental Health •An Munia Tober•Army Cadet Force Association

•The Beat Initiative•Belfast Islamic Centre•The Boys’ Brigade•British Red Cross•Brook NI•Bryson Intercultural•The BYTES Project•Cathog•Catholic Guides of Ireland•Challenge for Youth•Chinese Welfare Association

•Church of Ireland Youth Council

•Cinemagic•Clubs for Young People•Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta

•Contact NI•Corrymeela Community•Cruse Bereavement Care (Young Cruse Project)•Department of Youth & Childrens’ Work (Methodist Church)

•Disability Action Youth Project

•Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme

•Extern•Forthspring•GLYNI•The Girls’ Brigade•Girls Friendly Society

•GirlGuiding UK, Province of Ulster

•Harmony Community Trust

•Hostelling International•Include Youth•The MAC•MACS•Mencap•National Children’s Bureau NI

•New Life Counselling•NIACRO•NICHS•NI Children’s Enterprise•NI Council for Ethnic Minorities

•NI Deaf Youth Association•NI Forces Youth Service•NI Scout Council•Northern Area Sea Cadets•Ógras•Oh Yeah Music Centre Ltd•Opportunity Youth•Playboard•Positive Futures•Presbyterian Youth Department

•The Prince’s Trust •Public Achievement•RNIB•The Rainbow Project•Rathbone•St Columb’s Park House•St John Ambulance•Scout Foundation Northern Ireland

•Share Centre•Springboard Opportunities Limited

•Terry Enright Foundation

•The Spirit of Enniskillen Trust•VOYPIC•Voluntary Youth Workers Association•Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland – Young Person’s Development Project

•YMCA Ireland•Young At Art•Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster

•YouthAction•YouthCom•Youth Initiatives•Youth Link:NI

AffiliateMembers

•Belfast City Council•Belfast Education & Library Board•NI Citizen’s Advice Bureau

•NSPCC•NUS/USI•North Eastern Education & Library Board•The Police Service of Northern Ireland •Probation Board for Northern Ireland

•South Eastern Education & Library Board•Southern Education & Library Board•Western Education & Library Board

AnnualReview2012

Advocacy

Support

BuildingChange

Strengtheningthe

Network

Youthnet, 5th Floor, 14 College Square North, Belfast BT1 6AST: 028 9033 1880 F: 028 9033 1977 E: info@youthnet.co.uk

www.youthnetni.org.uk

Registered as The Voluntary Youth Network for Northern IrelandCompany Limited by Guarantee (NI 16988) Inland Revenue Charity Number: XR 15098/LS

Follow us on Twitter@YouthnetNIOr Facebook www.facebook.com/youthnetNI

design: www.conordiverdesign.com

Youthnet acknowledges funding support from the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund through the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (Peace III) managed by the Special EU Programmes Body

44 editions ofE-pipe were circulatedto over 500 recipients

during the year.

Welcometonewmembers:•ComhairlenaGaelscolaíochta

•TheMac

TheDirectory.TheDirectory gives member

Organisations the opportunity to highlight their work and provide

contact information to the voluntary youth sector and beyond.

A new edition of the member’s directory will be available to

download or view on our website www.youthnetni.org.uk

The Youthnet website has been revamped during the year and will be

available to you shortly. During the year the site

received 21,445hits. 70% were new visitors.

PrioritiesforYouth

Youthnet committed to the Minister of Education to consult with as broad a cross-section of the voluntary youth sector as possible on the Department’s ‘PrioritiesforYouth–ImprovingYoungPeople’slivesthroughYouthWork’. To this end we have held a number of local and regional consultation events involving staff, volunteers and management committee members. We also supported member organisations to consult with young people.

In partnership with the Youth Council for Northern Ireland, 4 Regional seminars took place and the themes of international, support for practice, and workforce development were explored. Local consultations included: Belfast, Bangor, L/Derry,

Downpatrick, Ballymena, Dungannon, Portadown, Newry, Fermanagh, Omagh

As I come to the end of my time in office the key issue facing the voluntary youth sector is the outworking of the Department of Education’s (DE) consultation on Priorities for Youth. We look forward to seeing some very clear and positive statements in the new policy, i.e. a clear statement that future relationships will be based on the principles of the Concordat; a clear statement which moves youth work from youth work ‘in’ education to recognising youth work in its own right as a distinct educational service within the education family. We will be looking to DE and its Minister to act as champions for youth work and to develop clear links to key strategies for children and young people across all areas of Government.

We seek clear acknowledgment of the independence of the voluntary youth sector and the added value that it brings. We look forward to DE taking operational issues out of the draft policy and creating a framework through which these can be addressed within the spirit of collaboration and partnership identified in the Concordat. Finally, we seek clear recognition of the role and value of our most significant asset, our volunteers.

Throughout the year Youthnet was engaged in a process of exploring and preparing for change both internally and externally in partnership with the members. Internally, a number of key programmes came to a close impacting on staffing levels and priority areas of work. To those staff who have now moved on we wish them well in their new roles.

I would like to acknowledge the support and commitment from the staff and the Executive Committee and in particular would like to thank the Honorary Officers, David Brown and John Meikleham. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those standing down this year, Michelle Taylor, Paul McKinstry, John Peacock and Jonathan Gracey for their positive and valuable contribution to the work of the organisation.

I extend a warm welcome to the new Chairperson and wish the organisation continued success in the years ahead.

Michael WardlowChairperson

DuringtheyearwemetwithMinister,JohnO’Dowdtopromotetherolethatvoluntaryorganisationshaveinengagingwithandencouragingtheparticipationofyoungpeople.WealsoraisedtheissueoftheConcordatprinciplesunderpinningrelationshipswiththeDepartmentofEducation(DE)anditsagents.

Youthnet represented the voluntary youthsector on:-• Department of Education (DE) Priorities for

Youth Advisory Group in the development of the policy;

• Curriculum Development Unit (CDU) Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) Steering Group in the development of the new QAF;

• Youth Service Sectoral Partners Group (YSSPG. This group is currently focused on matching youth work outcomes to educational outcomes;

• Education Joint Consultative Forum and responded to DE and ELB’s Audit of Inequalities and Action Plans;• CRED Reference Group;• Safeguarding Education Stakeholders Group; and Access NI Stakeholder Group;• Review of National Occupational Standards for Youth Work.

Other areas of advocacy in response to the sector….3 Department of Education (DE) on Priorities for Youth3 Identifying a pension scheme for voluntary youth sector workforce.3 DE re NI Anti Bullying Forum establishing a TransphobicBullyingTask

Group.3 EducationCommitteeon Priorities for Youth and the proposed closure of

Artillery Youth Centre.3 DepartmentforSocialDevelopment(DSD) on funding for Youth Arts.3 PatientsClientCouncilandChildAdolescenceMentalHealthServices

(CAMHS) on issues affecting young trans people.

We also worked in partnership with... 3 The EqualityCommission in producing a DVD for ‘TacklingInequalitiesin

Health’ Conference.3 PublicHealthAgency in the development of an e-learningmoduleonTrans

issues.

PeaceIII-NorthSouth

Youthnet continues to lead on the development of effective cross-border collaboration and has worked with the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) to re-establish the North/South Working Group. Youthnet and NYCI have collaborated on a number of areas including Impact Measurement, Inclusion and Workforce Development. Youthnet also led on the development of the summary paper‘YouthWorkPolicyandDeliveryinIreland’ - a valuable resource for the sector. The group has commissioned a mapping exercise of the youth work workforce in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) to complement the work carried out in the North last year. This should be available in early 2013.

Chairperson’s Review Advocacy

ComingSoon

SafeguardingWe have been supporting organisations

on the changes to Disclosure and Barring in particular the guidance on supervision of

volunteers. Throughout the year our team of ‘Keeping Safe’ Trainers have delivered 88 Courses

to 1425 volunteers and we have processed 360 applications for Access NI checks.

“the training was very relevant and will helpme to look at my practice and what improvements I can put in place to

safeguard children and young people.”Child Protection

Training participant.

Governance

During the year Youthnet delivered 15trainingsessions to youth providers on goodgovernancepractice.

We continue to contribute to the work of the GoodGovernanceGroup which is currently reviewing and updating the CodeofGoodGovernance,GovernanceHealthCheck.

We are also working with a consortium of member organisations led by the Girls Brigade NI (GBNI), having secured funding from the Youth Council for Northern Ireland to build an e-learning governance training site.

We continue to operate and maintain a range of compliance systems internally which are designed to ensure that Youthnet’s own governing body is effective and fully supported at all times.

Youthnet is approaching a new strategic planning cycle which will be led by our new Chairperson. Last year the Executive Committee took the decision to adopt a bridging plan at a time when the organisation was exploring change both with regional voluntary organisations and local youth providers to reposition the network to respond to the anticipated impact of Priorities for Youth and other economic factors.

The Executive Committee agreed that the plan would be reviewed at the end of 2012 to incorporate new developments and ensure that the strategic direction of the organisation was responsive to the membership.

FinanceFinancial and administrative information is available on request and via ourwebsite www.youthnetni.org.uk in the full set of financial statements for the yearending 31 March 2012.

KingGeorgeVIYouthAwards18 applications were processed and approved, total awarded: £5,310.

Support“I’m looking forward to this new online Governance training…..the

way I see it, I will be able to work away at my own pace, dipping in and out or spending more time on those areas that are more

relevant to my circumstances.” ManagementCommitteeboard

member