Our Generation
Our Generation Project is a three-year project running from November 2024. The project is delivered in education, youth and community settings and in the urban village areas of Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Northern Ireland and Ireland. Our Generation is a cross border partnership of 7 regional organisations, led by Action Mental Health in partnership with Donegal Youth Service, Co-Operation Ireland, Youth Action NI, Youth Work Ireland, PlayBoard NI & Ulster University.
The Our Generation project is supported by the European Union’s Peace IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
Youth Work Ireland OG team provide a lot of wonderful opportunities for young people to develop their knowledge around issues such as emotional well-being, sexual health, and leadership through the Mind Matters, CHOICE, Stand UPP and Rise Up programmes.
Mind Matters: Building Friendships, Resilience, and Personal Growth
Mind Matters is a 5-session emotional resilience programme that educates & supports young people (aged 11-25) to explore their thought processes, the impact of positive/negative self-thought, and how to implement critical thinking skills in assessing the information we are receiving. Mind Matters uses practical steps and strategies through the 5-A-Day approach to emphasise building emotional resilience.
Programme Highlights:
- Emotional Wellbeing and Body Awareness
- Managing thoughts and thinking styles
- Effective Interpersonal Communication
- Mindfulness and Adaptive Coping Strategies
Flexible Delivery: can be delivered to all year groups within the school
CHOICE: Contraception, Healthy Options for Intimacy, Consent, and Empowerment
The CHOICE Programme provides empowering sexual health and reproductive education for young people aged 14-25, delivered through 5 dynamic, interactive sessions.
Programme Highlights:
- Sexual Identity and Relationship Dynamics
- Understanding Your Body
- Consent, Communication, and Boundaries
- Wider Influences and Informed Decision-Making
- Contraception and STI Awareness
Stand UPP: Understand Power & Prevention in Gender Based Violence
A transformative programme for young people aged 14-25, focusing on gender-based and sexual violence prevention.
Programme Highlights:
- Differentiate sex and gender, challenge gender stereotypes
- Explore societal attitudes towards violence & the impact of power imbalances in unhealthy relationships
- Healthy Emotional Expression & challenge attitudes towards violence
- Bystander Intervention and how to access support
Rise Up: Youth Leadership & Community Action
Rise Up is an empowering initiative for 14-24 year olds to take an active leading role in their community by engaging in a social action project and enact positive change in their community.
Programme Highlights:
- Leadership and Teamwork Development
- Build confidence to voice opinions, & challenge respectfully
- Community Needs Assessment
- Perspective-taking and cultivating empathy
- Practical Social Action Experience
Practical Details of all our programmes
- Programme Length: Mind Matters; CHOICE; and Stand UPP are approximately 5 sessions each, with a reward activity as part of the final session;
- Rise Up is approximately 15 sessions
- Session Duration: All programmes are 1.5-2 hours per session
- Flexible Scheduling: Adaptable to school timetables
These projects will be delivering across the border counties of Cavan, Monaghan, Sligo, Leitrim, and Donegal. Contact Tracey McArdle for more details.
Support Services leaflets
Click on each leaflet below to download ↓
What People Are Saying
We were very impressed with the Be Well programme. We felt that a large number of our students were having a difficult time post lockdown and were delighted to engage Our Generation to provide our students with mechanisms of dealing with stress and anxiety.
Their method of reaching out to students was very interactive and showed a high level of preparation. Their presentation style was very impressive, they brought great energy and enthusiasm to a sometimes serious topic. Our students have benefited greatly from this programme, and we look forward to inviting Our Generation to present on the Be well and other programmes into the future
Coláiste Dun an Rí, transition year students participated in the YES programme in December 2020. Students engaged as part of their senior cycle RSE programme, which complements the work being done by their class teachers. Students really enjoyed the small group learning and individual attention that they received from the two facilitators. The topics covered in the programme were pitched at a level that held students' attention and was interesting to them. Students said that the YES programme was fun and particularly enjoyed the freedom of asking questions through the 'Question Box'. Our thanks to the ladies who delivered in our school and funders involved.
