Public Achievement won the “Participation and Involvement” award 2009

Tuesday 23 February 10

By Shauneen – Member of the Belfast WIMPS Crew

Public Achievement won the ‘Participation and Involvement’ Award at the Slugger O’ Toole awards 2009 due to it is ongoing engagement with the people of Northern Ireland from all walks of life.   Public Achievement is the leading civic education organization for young people in Northern Ireland and works to provide a channel through which they can engage with key decision makers and influence the issues which affect their everyday lives. The organization, in its twelfth year, works through many associations such as schools, youth clubs and community centers as well as through its award winning WIMPS.

Participation and Involvement is one of the most important categories highlighted in the awards as it shows the willingness of the public to provide channels through which the public can engage with their decision-makers and actively support positive growth of their community. I feel that winning this award was a major step for Public Achievement, which will propel it to achieve their goals and become a bigger presence in Northern Ireland.

As well as being active in Northern Ireland, Public Achievement has maintained strong links with organizations worldwide in the Middle East, Europe, South Africa and the USA. The organization provides opportunities for the young people in Northern Ireland to experience new situations and to explore the community in which they live and has recently afforded two young people the opportunity to visit Bush Radio in Cape Town, South Africa to work with their ‘Away From Violence’ programme.

One of Public Achievement’s projects, WIMPS, has worked to bring newscasts and voxpops from the streets of Belfast to the people of Northern Ireland via their website as well as interviewing politicians and members of the local political circuit. Public Achievement also aided young people with the ‘108 campaign’ which was widely successful and has resulted in the establishment of the process of setting up a Youth Assembly for Northern Ireland.  Recently Public Achievement have also launched the WIMPS Peace Channel which provides a platform for the young people of Northern Ireland to discuss issues they face whilst living in a post-conflict Northern Ireland and also to produce media on the issues.  Public Achievement works in the communities of Northern Ireland for those communities to help the young people of Northern Ireland help themselves and build a better future for all.

Public Achievement has benefitted me, as a member of the WIMPS group in both academic and social pursuits as Public Achievement do not merely facilitate the process of civic education but instill within those it works with a sense of pride and hope for their community and the future. I hope that this award gives Public Achievement the opportunity to work with many more young people and also encourages the youth population of Northern Ireland to participate in the work of Public Achievement for themselves and their community.