Make a Difference Challenge NI

‘You are never too young to make a difference’ is the message from Dr Anne Rice Regional Coordinator with Young Citizens. ‘Make a Difference Challenge NI’ 2019 is now open for applications.

The ‘Make a Difference Challenge NI’ is an active citizenship project for 7-11 year olds from the educational charity Young Citizens. The project helps children take the lead in identifying, researching and addressing a social or environmental issue in their community by developing an awareness raising campaign, fundraising or taking direct action. The ‘Make a Difference Challenge’ started as a pilot project in 2008 with just a handful of schools in London and Birmingham taking part. Now over 3,000 pupils are making a difference to causes they care about in Buckinghamshire, Durham, Leeds and London.

Dr Rice explains:

“We were delighted to bring the programme to Northern Ireland for the first time last year and we are really excited about running it again in 2019. It is a pleasure to help the children realise that they are never too young to make a positive difference to the issues and causes they care about. Research shows the project increases empathy levels, problem-solving and community skills and also reduces anxiety levels’.

Councillor Mark Murnin, Chairman of Newry Mourne and Down Council encourages primary schools to get involved and make a difference. He says

‘I was delighted to host this project last year and learn about this ground breaking work. It was wonderful to learn from the children first-hand what they have been doing to tackle some of the toughest social issues such as loneliness in the elderly’

To find out how your school can get involved in the challenge please contact Dr Anne Rice by e mail on Anne.Rice@youngcitizens.org or by mobile 07400116065.