Local charities Include Youth and Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC) have announced plans to develop a former industrial warehouse into a first-of-its-kind youth space for Belfast city centre.
Two leading children’s charities have announced a major new development in the heart of Belfast’s iconic Cathedral Quarter.
Local charities Include Youth and Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC) have announced plans to develop a former industrial warehouse into a first-of-its-kind youth space for Belfast city centre.
Located at Great Patrick Street, Cathedral Quarter, work commenced on the 9000 square-foot space earlier this week, and will be ready to start operations in autumn 2022.
The project has been made possible with funding from three government departments- Communities, Health and Economy- with additional financial support from Atlantic Philanthropies, The Tudor Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Ulster Garden Villages, Whitemountain and Community Finance Ireland.
Once complete, the new centre will have dedicated ground floor space to host the full range of programmes delivered by the two charities, who work with children and young people with lived experience of care. The upper level will serve at the organisations’ regional headquarters.
The property was first acquired jointly by the charities in 2016 and plans for the redevelopment of the site have been drawn up in partnership with children and young people involved with VOYPIC and Include Youth.
Together, the charities have over 70 years of experience supporting vulnerable and marginalised children and young people across Northern Ireland.
VOYPIC is the charity for children and young people with experience of living in care in Northern Ireland. The organisation provides individual and group advocacy support, organises local and regional group-work programmes, and runs youth leadership schemes for young people in and leaving care.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the start of the works, Alicia Toal, Chief Executive of VOYPIC said:
