Category Archives: Craigavon LPG Launch

Portadown Gets Active celebrates Innovation Award!

Posted on by

 

The Portadown Gets Active Programme extended its reached to over 71 children and 43 peer mentors over Easter in April 2018. Activities during the programme included physical activities and sport, baking, growing your own edible garden, Go Fly Your Kite and a Talent Show to round off the programme.  The edible garden will be revisited in the summer programme to enjoy the fruits of the effort by participants.

 

The Portadown Gets Active Programme is a partnership approach to tackling holiday hunger that includes includes physical activity, healthy eating and a continued learning/educational element.

Following on from the Summer 2017, Halloween and Christmas Programme, Oasis Youth Project continued to lead the very successful project in partnership with the Craigavon Locality Planning Group to provide a packed programme for children and young people in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough.

 

 

Feedback from Young People and Families

  • One young person spoke following the programme and said “I learnt how to be healthy and eat vegetables and fruits, thank you very much”

 

  • A Peer Mentor who supported the delivery of the programme said at the end of the programme that “Every volunteer got to interact with the kids and I’ve gotten so much out of it”.

 

  • Many parents congratulated the programme leads and feedback on how much their children enjoyed the programme. One parent spoke to us during the programme and said “Portadown Gets Active is a fantastic programme. Well done!”

 

Click here to download our report card from the Portadown Gets Active Easter Programme

 

Special Recognition to Our Peer Mentors!

 

During the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s Community Awards ceremony on 10 May 2018, the Peer Mentors from Portadown Gets Active won the Innovation Award for their amazing work on the programme. Well done to all the young people who volunteered their time during the programme to support Portadown Gets Active!

 

Contact Us:

To find out more about this workshop and the role of the Newry Locality Planning Group contact:

Darren Curtis, Southern Area Locality Planning Officer by email at darren.curtis@hscni.net or telephone 028 95 363966

 

Portadown Gets Active Success!

Posted on by

 

Children in Northern Ireland ran a summer scheme to support local children in Portadown.  The programme was delivered in partnership with the community and voluntary sector, statutory agencies, local schools and local government with additional support from Craigavon based Almac Group.

The scheme Portadown Gets Active was aimed at tackling the problem of holiday hunger.  This new and unique initiative was aimed at offering children a fun and active holiday programme, which not only provides a free nutritious breakfast and lunch but also gives children the opportunity to gain an OCN qualification in Healthy Living. 
Pauline Leeson, Chief Executive of Children in Northern Ireland, said: “It is incredibly sad that in this day and age we still have families struggling to provide enough food for their children.   Not only is food poverty detrimental to children’s health, it also has serious implications for their educational future.  Which is why our project is so unique in its approach and why it has been a huge success by improving many outcomes for children.”

Some of the improved outcomes from this project include:

– Improved mental health and well-being for young people
– Improved nutrition during school holidays
– Improved educational achievement and no loss of educational memory
– Increased confidence and skills
– Reduced poor health through nutrition and exercise
– Improved employment prospects and progression (OCN qualification)
– Higher levels of social interaction and participation
– Increased confidence, health and well-being.
  

Speaking about the scheme, Kevin Reid, VP Corporate Marketing, Almac Group, stated “Portadown Gets Active is a fantastic project which we were delighted to support.  The kids who participated over the summer have developed a range of valuable skills and knowledge about nutrition, health and well-being whilst making friends and, most of all, having fun in the process. Congratulations to the team of volunteers who helped make the programme such a success.”
The Portadown Gets Active project will be running throughout the year during school holiday times summer, Halloween, Christmas and Easter.

The project in Portadown is a partnership between Children in Northern Ireland, Oasis Youth Portadown, Children & Young People’s Strategic Partnership, Pathways Activities and Presentation Primary School with additional support from the Public Health Agency, food supplier Brakes UK and the Almac Group.

To view the video of the project visit here.

 

Contact Us:

For further information please contact Ellen Finlay, Children in Northern Ireland at 02890 401 290 or by email at Ellen@Ci-NI.org.uk 

Portadown Gets Active Programme July – August 2017

Posted on by

 

The programme will bring together partner agencies including CiNI, CYPSP, Pathway Adventures NI, Oasis Youth Project of Craigavon Intercultural Programme and Niacro. It will give young people, particularly from ethnic minority communities the opportunity to participate in a month of activities during school holidays including physical activity, OCN accredited Health and Hygiene programme, mini medics first aid course and fun cookery sessions that will provide young people them with the skills and confidence to cook small simple meals on a budget.

 

A series of discovery days have been planned for July that will provide young people with a taster session of the programme before signing up the programme to ensure expectation and retention of participants is managed. The programme will run two days per week over the month of August. It is anticipated that 60 young people will complete the programme.

 

Alongside the youth activities, the Portadown Gets Active Programme will work with young people aged 12-16 years through a peer mentor scheme in July followed by a residential opportunity in Ballykinler at the end of the summer. The peer mentors will be empowered with the confidence and skills to support the delivery of the 8-12years youth programme.

 

Click here to download a copy of the flyer for the Portadown Gets Active programme

 

Contact Us:

For more information or to enquire about registering on the programme please contact: Andrew McCreery or Gordon Woolsey: 02838 335 322

 

Exploring the emotional impacts of poor food choices in the Southern Outcomes Area

Posted on by

 

Following on from the success of the Southern Area Toxic Childhood Conference in October 2016, Bridin McKenna from Life Therapies facilitated a focused ‘Food and Mood’ workshop last month on the connection between our food choices and behaviour with the CYPSP Craigavon Locality Planning Group.

Twenty-two community, voluntary and statutory sector representatives from the Southern Outcomes Area attended the workshop and were informed of the key elements of basic nutrition and the impacts that food choices can have on an individual’s mental health.

 

Click here to read more about the Mood and Food workshop 

Click here download Dr Bridin McKenna’s presentation 

 

Contact Us:

For further information  please contact Darren Curtis, Southern Outcomes Area Locality Planner by email at darren.curtis@hscni.net or telephone 028 95 363 216

 

SAVE THE DATE: Mood and Food Workshop with Bridin McKenna, Life Therapies

Posted on by

Following on from the success of the Toxic Childhood Conference in October 2016, the CYPSP Craigavon Locality Planning Group will host a one day workshop with Bridin McKenna from Life Therapies on the relationship between Mood and Food.

 

27 February 2017 from 9.00-16.00 at Brownlow Community Hub

(7 Brownlow Road, Craigavon, BT65 5DL)

 

Read more about the Mood and Food workshop

 

How to book a place

For further information or to book a place at the workshop please contact Darren Curtis by email at darren.curtis@hscni.net or telephone 028 9536 3966 or 07725 232566

Note: Spaces are limited therefore booking is essential. Payment by cheques should be made payable to Children in Northern Ireland.