PEACE IV Sports Conference has Young People talking Health!

July 3, 2019

A diverse group of young people recently took part in a cross-community sports conference at the Innovation Factory as part of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s Peace IV ‘Understanding Culture through Sport’ programme. 

During the course of the four workshops: Autism Awareness, Multi-sports (which included athletics, soccer and tag rugby), Mental Health and First Aid these young people examined cultural conflict through the lens of sport.

Keynote speaker Pat McGibbon told the participants about his experiences playing football with people from different cultures and religions when he played football for Manchester United, Wigan Athletic and Northern Ireland and how it was necessary to adapt to the cultural environment.  Pat also spoke about the devastation he faced when his brother took his own life whilst he was living in England and explained how sport helped him overcome this.

PEACE IV Manager at Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Niamh O’Carolan commented: “It’s refreshing to see so many young people from a diverse range of sports and backgrounds attending this conference. I’m delighted that the workshops concentrated, not only on the physical, but also the mental wellbeing of young people.  It’s so important these days that young people in sport look after their mind as well as their body.”

Programme participant, Jack from Lisburn Rapid Table Tennis, said: “I really enjoyed the Sports Conference because it taught me how to be more inclusive and engage with those who are on the autistic spectrum so they feel involved.  As a sports person it was good to find out why our health and well-being is important, and it was great to hear Pat McGibbon talk about his experiences in sport.”

Copius Consulting representative James Daly added: “It was a pleasure to have been part of this project which saw young people becoming more aware of how they can support each other both on and off the field. I hope the big takeaway for all the participants is the importance of looking after their mental health and how they can take care of both themselves and others.”

The final stage of the programme will be a celebratory event at the end of the summer.

Match-funding for the project has been provided by the Executive Office and the Department for Rural and Community Development.