Pupils from Donaghadee Primary School recently made their way down to Donaghadee Sailing Club for something a little different - their very first time on the water.

The visit was part of a new six-week programme being delivered by RYA Northern Ireland, made possible by approximately £86,000 of investment through the PEACE PLUS Change Makers fund. The programme uses the sport of sailing to bring young people together from different community backgrounds, giving them shared experiences on and off the water that build confidence, friendships and connections across communities.

What the programme involves

Each six-week programme is designed to give young people aged 10 to 18 a full 15 hours of shared activity. Sessions include:

• Swim Safe sessions delivered in partnership with the RNLI, building water confidence and an understanding of safety around the water
• Peacebuilding workshops, including learning about participants' own communities and the maritime history of their local coastal area
• Environmental workshops delivered through the RYA Green Blue initiative, helping young people understand the importance of protecting blue spaces
• Sailing activity through the RYA OnBoard curriculum, where young people work alongside people from different community backgrounds, learning to sail, work as a team and navigate a course together

Each programme finishes with a festival event bringing young people together from different locations to share their experiences and compete side by side.

Across the two years of the project, 16 programmes will be delivered, reaching 324 young people in total across Northern Ireland.

Get involved

If your club would like to be part of this programme, get in touch with Jordan Conway at jordan.conway@rya.org.uk.

This programme is supported by the European Union's PEACE PLUS programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).