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| Singing for their Supper |
Tue 12 May 2009 |
The Co-op in the community fund has made a number of donations over the past few years to the work of Carrickfergus YMCA . They have been very supportive of our Parents and Kids Together Projects which are based directly in the communities they support . These projects provide creche ,adult education ,after schools clubs and teenager programmes . The projects have a small staff team supported by 20 dedicated volunteers who work with 130 families across Carrickfergus .
More recently the Co-op made a £4000 grant to the work of the joint YMCA ,Community Safety Partnership Bridge Project .This project involves working with youth in the age range 12-20 years old involved in or at risk of becoming involved in anti -social behaviour. The Co-op sees early intervention work with at risk young people as being the best way forward for them and society in general .
The YMCA has two very dedicated detached youth workers involved in the project ,who meet young people in the areas where they live or are known to congregate . They get to know them over a three to four week period and then invite them to take part in a 12 week programme looking at issues that effect their lives .
As a result of the above Robyn Morton and Gillian Hanna of the Co-op (back row 3rd and 5th from the left ) invited parents and children of the YMCA's Woodburn /Sunnylands PAKT group to come along to their Annual General meeting which was to take place in the Europa Hotel . Their would be chips and ice cream a plenty on offer . The only catch was they would have to sing for their supper . The Children thought the idea was great especially the bit about the ice cream .
They went to the event and sang in front of approx 100 member of the Co-operative . The only ones who were nervous about it were their parents , the children sang two songs and sang them beautifully , receiving rapturous applause which left them beaming . They all really enjoyed the evening and hopefully the Co-operative members did as well .
Over the past 10 years Co-operative members have donated more than £8m to The Co-operative Community Fund, allowing hundreds of local groups, projects, community groups, self-help organisations and charities nationwide to benefit. The YMCA is a cross-denominational youth organisation committed to Christian social action in the local community and would offer its sincere thanks to the Co-op . We would also like to thank NIHE and Horizon Surestart for making the PAKT projects possible .
The photo shows Chris McCaughan -Chairperson of the Co-op council in Northern Ireland ( backrow first on left ) with staff ,volunteers ,parents and children from Woodburn Sunnyland PAKT
The children are back row:Ciaran Curran ,Benjamin Gibney, Robin Collins, Stephen Jackson .
Front row ; Adam Hagen, Thomas Mckeown , Jamie Jackson , Lewis Hamilton ,Lisa Mckeown , Rebecca Gibney ,Ashley Close
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