Newstart Education Project (Belfast)

Newstart is a community based organisation in West Belfast which has served the community for over 20 years. As an Alternative Education Centre it provides a cross-community service for young people who are excluded or disengaged from the mainstream education system. It has developed an innovative approach to the education of young people and a wraparound support service for them and their families. The multidisciplinary team at Newstart work towards enabling young people to re-engage with education, to become independent and to re-integrate into the communities in which they live. It deals with issues such as drug and alcohol misuse, mental health difficulties, behavioural challenges, violence in the home. We are based in Dunlewey Street off the Falls Road. Our young people come mainly from West and North Belfast, but we also have a number of referrals from outside the area. New start was initially set up in 1989 as a community initiative, working with those young people most at risk and in danger of marginalization within our society. We also work with their families and the wider community. The organization has grown and developed over the past sixteen years. The Education Project was established in 1998 as a direct result of assessing the needs of the young people and the Communities we serve. An opportunity to continue learning Five day per week provision – for young people with a structured time-table which meets the needs of our young people . A range of accredited subjects including GCSE , Essential Skills, OCN, Occupational Studies. Vocational Training and Work Experience. Young Enterprise Adventure Learning Business Enterprise Parental/ family support – including informal and formal courses/sessions on issues of relevance. Outreach Programmes and ‘In-House’ programmes as required specifically tailor made to suit the group. Evening classes Social & Life Skills Programmes – designed to suit individual or group needs of those referred to the Centretby statutory, voluntary or community organisations. Since its inception Newstart has worked with hundreds of Young People and their families. Within the Alternative Education Programme, in order to provide an individualised programme which meets the needs of all our young people we try to work within a ‘ceiling’ of 20 young people annually. However through our Outreach Programmes during the course of any one year we have in excess of 110 – 130 young people, parents and others availing of our service provision . Our referrals come from many of the schools within West, North and South Belfast, Education Welfare Services, Social Services (including young people in care), Youth Justice Agency, Probation Board NI, the local Community and Parents/Guardians. We work very closely with parents and those support agencies involved in the lives of our young people.