Carrick Connect receives funding for Futurebound Transition project with Mid and East Antrim primary schools
Primary Seven pupils in the Mid and East Antrim area are to avail of a new programme aimed at engaging with the community and building confidence in policing.
The Futurebound Transition project is being facilitated by the Queen’s Award-winning youth organisation Carrick Connect, after they received funding from the Northern Ireland Policing Board's Police Property Fund.
The programme consists of eight sessions facilitated weekly in participating schools, with emphasis placed on supporting young people throughout the transition from primary to secondary education.
Following the announcement of the project on Saturday, February 28, there was a “massive uptake” from local schools, Carrick Connect confirmed, with eight quickly securing a place.
Carrick Connect co-founder and project coordinator, Tracey Ewart said: “We are hoping that with early intervention in P7 classes, we will be able to raise awareness on a deeper level of the many challenges that young children may have to encounter and support them with knowledge and coping mechanisms. [This] will through time benefit them and their wellbeing when encountering new situations as they move forward through life.
"Our sessions will delve into many areas, beginning with looking after our mental health and self belief and moving on to raising awareness of drugs/alcohol, bullying, antisocial behaviour and its consequences, and anxiety. All of these are known as big factors in young people's lives and over the next few years will become challenges for many.
"Carrick Connect, with the support of the police hope to make this transition period a little smoother.”
In early 2025, Carrick Connect made the very difficult decision to step back from over 10 years of weekend outreach work, Tracey added: “Whilst we knew it was time, it was a decision that was not taken lightly. When out on the streets, the positive relationships built with young people are powerful; pure consistency is the key and we knew that once that contact wasn't there, that life would be very different for us as an organisation.
"It has been very different and we have had to make adjustments, but we firmly feel more than ever that stepping out of one chapter almost immediately led us into another.”