VOYPIC Young Women Celebrate Good Relations Awards Success
Young women from the VOYPIC Young Women’s Peer Support Group have been named as Runners-Up in the Youth Award category at this year’s Good Relations Awards.
Organised by the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council (NICRC), the Good Relations Awards recognise exceptional achievements in promoting community relations, intercultural work, and peacebuilding in Northern Ireland.
The group of young women from VOYPIC were recognised for their project supporting a diverse community of care experienced young people from across the greater Belfast area. In December the group organised a clothes swap shop- Care to Swap- bringing together their peers in an attempt to de-stigmatise the use of pre-loved clothing.
Money raised from the event was used to purchase backpacks from a charity, Ten Foundations, and these backpacks were then donated to young people in care.
The group hopes they can be used to transport personal items, when a young person moves home within their care experience.
Accepting the award on the group’s behalf were Martha McCallin and Rhianna Brown.
Rhianna said, “It’s really special to win this award, and to know that the judges understood what we were trying to do through the Care to Swap event. I’m really pleased that more care experienced young women across the city are getting involved, and we’re already looking forward to our next event.”
The award is all the more special for this group of young women, as it comes on the eve of International Women’s Day (8 March). A key focus of the Young Women’s Peer Support Group has been to empower care experienced young women to connect, share and create change within their communities.
Geraldine McGuigan, Area Manager for VOYPIC, said, “We are immensely proud of this group of young women, and what they have achieved in such a short space of time. It has been a delight for the whole team at VOYPIC to watch their confidence grow, to watch friendships flourish, and to watch them lift each other up when there are challenges to face.
“I am so pleased that their efforts have been recognised by the Community Relations Council through this Good Relations Award. Congratulations to everyone involved.”
The Young Women’s Peer Support Group is made possible thanks to support from The National Lottery Community Fund.
