Young people who experience poverty are underachieving at school and missing out on other life-opportunities as well.

This is the challenge being addressed today at a conference in Belfast at which experts from across health and education will consider new ways of helping youngsters from socially-deprived areas to maximise their life opportunities.

At today’s event entitled ‘Making a Difference’, organisations from across government and the voluntary sector are to examine new ways of promoting better education and life opportunity.

Current research shows that children whose families experience poverty are almost nine times more likely to leave school without qualifications. Similarly, educational attainment is now also recognised as a factor in helping people to live longer.

Anne Lynch, director of planning with the Eastern Board, said the government’s 'Investing for Health' strategy had identified inequalities in health that must be addressed by many organisations.

“This means that organisations with a capacity to develop the community must work to improve educational and life-skill opportunities, particularly among younger people in socially-deprived areas,” Ms Lynch said. “There is already a lot of good practice going on and our objective is to harness this and then build upon it. The objective of today’s event is to find different solutions to a range of different problems.”

Tuesday’s conference has been organised by the Board through its ‘Investing for Health’ partnership – a venture that brings together many statutory and voluntary organisations in a quest to deliver the objectives of government’s wider health strategy.

(MB/SP)