Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report

1.1        To bring forward for Members consideration, a recent request received seeking sponsorship support for the delivery of the Common Purpose’s NI Legacy Programme which will take place in late January / early February 2026 (dates TBC).

2.0        Recommendations

2.1        The Committee is asked to:

·         Consider and agree the request received to sponsor the delivery of the Common Purpose NI Legacy Programme (2026) to a total value of £10,000.

3.0        Key Issues

            Background and Context

3.1        As Members will be aware, Common Purpose is a non-for-profit leadership development organisation which supports people and communities from all backgrounds, beliefs and experiences. In recent years (October 2021, January 2024 and January 2025) Council has worked with Common Purpose and provided funding to support the delivery of their NI Legacy Programme in Belfast, alongside a range of other organisations including Translink, Queens University and Power NI.

3.2        The most recent NI Legacy Programme delivered in January 2025 attracted 76 participants aged 18-25 from across Belfast and areas. The diverse group were made up of participants some of whom were in employment, some were NEET; some were studying, a few were volunteering; many were activists, whilst others finding their own causes. However, they found commonality in that they were living through the same generation and had a vested interest in Belfast and how it should look in the future.

3.3        The two-day programme provided multiple opportunities to engage, develop leadership skills and get new perspectives to help shape the future of Belfast. This included:

·         Immersion visits to a range of businesses and organisations across the city including East Belfast Enterprise, Danske Bank, MSC Group, NOW Group, Tourism NI, Turnaround Project and Translink.

·         ‘Café Conversations’ with a range of strategic leaders including Maebh Reynolds (CEO and Founder, GoPlugable), Sara McCracken (Founder, The PR Club), Kayley Curtis (Production Coordinator, Makematic), Conor Forker (Youth Worker in Charge, Clonmore Youth Club), Diane Davis (Director, Minority Recognition Awards NI), Maeve Brennan (Programme Officer, Belfast Healthy Cities) to gain fresh perspectives and understanding.

·         Keynote Speeches and engagement sessions with Paul Murnaghan (Chair, BT (NI) Board) and Micky Murray, (The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of Belfast)

·         Group planning and presentations to a panel of leaders including Jacqui Kennedy (Chief People Officer and Corporate Services Officer, Translink) and Caroline Young (Vice-President (Students and Corporate Services), Queen’s University Belfast) which enabled young people to reflect on their key priorities for change.

3.4        In addition to the above, the young people also engaged with Council’s Strategic Performance Team as part of the consultation process for our Performance Improvement Plan 2025/26. This enabled Council to capture views and feedback from young people which can often be overlooked.

3.5        with the majority of participants reflecting positive change as summarised below:

·         83% have greater confidence in their role as a leader

·         92% feel more willing and able to impact Northern Ireland

·         85% feel that they will be more open to diverse perspectives

·         87% have identified shifts they want to make and have set goals to help them reach them

3.6        Appendix 1 ‘Impact Report’ provides more information relating to the programme that was delivered in January 2025 and its impact on participants involved.

            NI Legacy Programme 2026 (BCC Sponsorship Request)

3.7        Following the success of the previous three programmes, Common Purpose plans to bring forward a further programme to deliver in Belfast in late January / early February 2026. The new programme will engage new participants aged 18-25 with a renewed focus on engaging young people within inclusive growth cohorts across the city.

3.8        Common Purpose has approached Council and other partners across the city to seek sponsorship of £10,000 to support the delivery of the programme. Funding will help to support the organisation to offer the programme free of charge to young people across the city and engage up to 100 participants. This will help to remove barriers to participation and ensure that all those who wish to participate can do so.

3.9        Whilst the full agenda is still under development, the programme will aim to:

·         Deliver individual learning outcomes for participants as they grow and develop their cultural intelligence.

·         Create valuable connections between peers and generations across the city.

·         Identify the tangible actions and outcomes to support young people to make a difference in their local areas. 

3.10      As a potential sponsor Council will have the opportunity to:

·         Secure 20 places for our younger members of staff and/or young people from inclusive growth cohorts across the city to enable them to benefit from the learning, impact, inclusion, and networks that the programme provides.

·         Engage and speak on the programme and to listen to and gain new perspectives from, the diverse eyes of the young leaders (including engagement with Lord Mayor).

·         Include our branding on all marketing materials and related social media posts to further raise the profile of Council with young people.

3.11      To encourage and secure participation from inclusive growth cohorts, Council officers and Common Purpose will:

·         Share the programme information via Council and Common Purpose social media.

·         Provide programme details to members to share via own networks and within their local communities.

·         Engage with established networks and stakeholders including Neighbourhood Officers, VCSE Panel representatives and Community Planning Partnership members to raise awareness of the opportunities available.

3.12      A further update will be provided to members upon Common Purpose securing the required funding to deliver the programme.

            Financial and Resource Implications

3.13      The proposed £10,000 total funding will be sourced from the existing City and Organisational Strategy budget.

            Equality or Good Relations Implications /

            Rural Needs Assessment

3.14      There are no equality or rural needs implications arising directly from this report as the initiative seeks to offer opportunities for young people of all communities and backgrounds”

            The Committee:

·         agreed the request received to sponsor the delivery of the Common Purpose NI Legacy Programme (2026) to a total value of £10,000; and

·         agreed that a report regarding a conference sponsorship framework be submitted to a future Committee for consideration and, in the interim, no further requests for conference sponsorship be submitted to the Committee.