The East Belfast Pathways project, run by Phoenix Education Centre NI has been running for one year, and to date has supported 25 young people facing significant barriers to education, helping them reconnect with learning, build confidence and consider new routes towards their future.
The programme has delivered:
• 154 one-to-one mentoring sessions
• 23 outreach sessions, and
• 25 Personal Progression Plans
For young people who have previously disengaged from mainstream education, this progress is significant.
The project takes an individual approach, recognising that there is no single route back into learning. Three young people have been supported to sit GCSE Maths and English examinations through their former schools, while others are working towards Essential Skills Literacy, Numeracy and ICT, alongside OCN and other accredited qualifications.
Just as importantly, the programme provides a consistent, relationship-led environment where young people can build confidence, wellbeing and aspirations at their own pace.
For some participants, Phoenix has become an important alternative route back into education where mainstream provision has broken down. The aim is not simply to get young people back into a classroom, but to help them see themselves as learners again and recognise what they can achieve.
This is such a valuable programme, and we are pleased to support it. However ‘all work and no play’ is also a valuable lesson, and it was lovely to see some of the fun activities these young people had the chance to enjoy over the summer. We wish them the very best for their upcoming year.
