Overview:
Many small grass routes groups in both Wales and Ireland have been pioneering engagement and regeneration work in their own communities, this project will being together successful groups from geographically different areas to share best practice, resources and skills to enable young people to take on new initiatives in their communities. The whole project will involve the creation of Films / journals that other communities in Wales, Ireland and Europe will be able to use tools to regenerate their own communities by sharing the best practice developed between the Wales Ireland programme.

Potential should be investigated to create a cross boarder social enterprise support countries in Europe to regenerate community from grass routes engagement following the completion of the Wales Ireland Programme as a self financing exit strategy.

Brief Description of the project proposal:
To share best practice and experiences between significantly different areas in North Wales and similar areas in Ireland. The areas in Wales experience a variety of urban and rural social issues and the groups involved have all been significantly active in developing sustainable regeneration projects based on local needs that have been identified by local communities that also compliment the aims and objectives of local and national strategic action plans such as the Welsh Assembly Governments SRA (strategic coastal regeneration area), One Wales and Communities First along with the Single plan for Denbighshire and the Rhyl going forward master plan.

The project will engage at a local level within each community, targeting young people who are (NEETS) not in education, training or employment and those at risk of exclusion in developing, planning and implementing their own community regeneration projects.

Participants from Ireland and Wales will work within each others communities to develop the project in shared teams, monitoring and evaluating the work throughout the development of a “Wales Ireland story DVD”.

Participants from each community would be involved in accessing their own learning needs, undertaking training to address them, then assessing local community needs and developing their own priority action plans. These would beefed into wider community action plans for regeneration while staff will form strategic partnership and input channels to stakeholders and regeneration leaders.

The project will utilise the latest forms of ICT equipment and digital media as a core means of engagement and as a tool for self evaluation, monitoring and communication.

All of which helps build capacity, confidence and skills for future employability of the young people involved.

Young Peoples Information:
This project will put young people from Wales in touch with young people in Ireland to shape local regeneration. You will make films about your community as it is and how you want it to be, you will ask others in you area what is important to make the community better and then learn how to make things happen through funded projects. These projects could become social enterprises which employ young people in your community to run them and the whole process will be filmed by yourself and other young people who will be trained as film makers. With the skills you develop in Wales and Ireland you could create a group that could charge other communities across Europe to access your skills and experience

Key Aims: (Getting to know each other) Cultural and identity exchange (issues and identity of young people in different communities).

Digital stories (young people making 1 minute stories about their lives & interests).

Town stories (young people making short 10 minute films about their communities).

(Establishing a baseline)
Capacity building & needs analysis led by young people and youth workers.

Project visits across Wales and Ireland.

Basic skills development and identified needs based courses with young people.

Evaluation & consultation training for young people.

Evaluations of each project and community (baseline needs).

Development of action plans.

Training for young people and staff around regeneration and community development.

(Next steps)
Development of shared project ideas.

Community PB event  (Participatory Budgeting) .

Creation of YouthBank projects (young people to fund community projects).

Development of social enterprise / sustainable working methods.

Business Plan developments for 3 youth groups in Wales.

Local awareness raising and media with stakeholders.

Funding package developments and implementation.

Building links and relationships with stakeholders.

 Evidence needs  and encourage potential investors in communities, current employers and training providers to create a future plan linking training for young people to expected next generation employment and regeneration needs.

(Monitoring and evaluation)
Throughout the project (an as we see it film) circa every 2 - 3 months.

Sustainability plans linked with local regeneration strategies.

Standard project monitoring throughout on a monthly basis.

ICT online tools, blogs forums, video diaries.

Annual stakeholder review.