| Project Name: | West Lisburn Community Centre |
|---|---|
| Zone: | South Eastern |
| Category: | Capital |
| Social Investment Fund Outcome: | Increasing Community Services |
| Status: | Operational – Construction Complete |
| Funding awarded: | £560,485 |
About the Project:
This project included demolishing the existing community centre that was no longer fit for purpose and rebuilding a new state of the art youth facility. The size and condition of the previous community centre limited the activities and programmes which could be delivered.
The development of this dedicated youth facility not only represents an investment in a deprived area but also an investment in the young people of that area. The new centre has helped children and young people by providing a safe and secure environment to facilitate drop in facilities, group rooms, arts space and kitchen facilities creating opportunities for young people to learn, socialise, develop and acquire new skills. It provides training programmes, young parenting classes, accredited training and sessions on mental health, wellbeing, antisocial behaviour and substance abuse. The youth centre currently acts as a springboard for young people, allowing them to progress into social enterprise, community work and employment. This facility is fully integrated into the local community development and regeneration infrastructure maximizing the beneficial outcomes for local people.
This facility caters not only for the local community in Old Warren. Young people from other disadvantaged areas in Lisburn and the wider SIF zone can access and use the centre. The Old Warren Community Association and the Resurgam Trust have used existing relationships and partnerships to encourage other groups and sections of the community to use the youth facilities and increase the impact of this project.
Resurgam have reported that the construction of the centre has delivered a number of wider benefits for the local community, including:
- increased employment in the area;
- enhanced links with local businesses; and
- increased opportunities for volunteering.
Progress to date:
This project has completed. This has been a successful project delivering a much needed fit for purpose upgraded youth facility to the SIF South Eastern Zone. The suite of key community services and activities to young people delivered will improve the educational skills, personal skills and development and mental and physical wellbeing of the young people in the local areas. This, in turn, will lead to improved school performance and improved health and wellbeing to give young people the best start in life and help the local communities to reach their potential. The new facility is located adjacent the Laganview Enterprise Centre, which is also a SIF project, and this has helped to ensure that it is fully integrated into the overall community development and regeneration infrastructure and maximise the benefits to everyone in the local communities.
Impacts:
Monitoring and evaluation of all Social Investment Fund projects is carried out using “Outcomes Based Accountability” (OBA). Where SIF has funded capital works, the project provides quarterly “post-capital” data for a period of 3 years which details the positive impacts enabled by the capital works undertaken. West Lisburn Community Centre has completed its 3 years of post-capital monitoring. Below are the capital and post capital infographics which highlight the key impacts of the project.
