The Executive Office (TEO) Communities in Transition (CIT): Raising Aspirations for Young People Programme (aged 4 – 16 years) in the North Belfast CIT Area

Description

The Executive Office (TEO) is seeking to establish a Contract for the provision of a programme that has the potential to improve educational, employment and life aspirations for young people (aged 4 – 16 years), as well as providing additional supports for families and communities who are raising young people within the North Belfast CIT Area; this relates to New Lodge and Greater Ardoyne (maps of the designated areas are attached at Annex A of the Specification). This programme will focus on lack of aspiration for children and young people at both primary (age 4 – 11 years old) and post primary school level (age 12 – 16 years old), parents/carers/key influencers. In doing so, the programme will help to: • Raise educational attainment of school age youth; • Improve employment opportunities and life aspirations: • Improve learning outcomes for young people; • Build the capacity of parents, families and the wider community to support the young people to make better life choices and achieve a better quality of life This tender is linked to the Communities in Transition (CIT) Project which had been due to end in March 2024 however the Executive made a commitment to extend the overall Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime (EPPOC) to March 2027. As CIT is a key element of EPPOC, it has also been extended to 31 March 2027. This phase of delivery is classed as Phase 3 of CIT and will operate from 01 April 2025 – 31 March 2027. Phase 1 of the Project provided a firm foundation for continuing to address the issues that allow Paramilitarism, criminality and coercive control to persist within communities. Phase 2 presented an opportunity to further refine the work under a thematic approach as we move forward. Phase 3 will see delivery move from a thematic approach to an issues-based approach focusing on the key issues caused by paramilitarism in communities. This Contract falls under Phase 3 and will support the Department in its overall delivery of the CIT Project. The Contractor’s programme will incorporate and deliver a number of programme activities, described at paragraph 6.4 of the Specification. The Contractor must not be delivering general youth activities as part of this programme, activities must be clearly linked to addressing issues which have arisen as a result of living in a community with high levels of paramilitary activity, criminality and organised crime and, to the Benefits Framework (as listed at paragraph 6.5 of the Specification). Full details of all the requirements for this Contract are provided for within the Specification of Requirements Schedule. It is anticipated that the Contract will commence in April / May 2025 and run until March 2026 with the option to extend for a further period of 12 months, up to 31 March 2027.