Innovative projects developed by young people to tackle a range of issues including mental illness, disabilities and antisocial behaviour will benefit from a £5.2 million grants windfall announced by the Big Lottery Fund today.

The grants totalling £5,223,638, are being announced under the Big Lottery Fund’s ground-breaking Change UR Future programme which will distribute £10.8 million to improve the lives of young people across Northern Ireland.

The twelve successful projects being awarded funding include programmes to improve the lives of young people caring for sick parents, those with a life-limiting illness and disadvantaged youths looking for something more in life than hanging round the streets.

Rethink was awarded a grant of £373,459 to develop Open Your Mind, a five-year mental health campaign and peer education project targeting 130,000 students in full-time education and 150,000 part-time students aged 16-25, across Northern Ireland.

The pioneering project and partnership between Rethink and the National Union of Students and the Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI) will raise awareness of mental illness issues and attitudes and will recruit and train young volunteers to undertake peer led mental health promotion and campaigns.

Fergus Cooper of Rethink said: “We will roll out an on-going programme of services across all campuses in Northern Ireland. We will be meeting, potentially, 50 per cent of the young people aged between 16 and 25 in Northern Ireland who will be affected by mental health, so, through the students’ unions, we will be delivering an anti-stigma campaign.

“When we were talking to service users, we became aware that many people had their first episode of mental illness when they were in higher education and how traumatic that had been for them. We hope to raise awareness of mental illness and encourage people to access appropriate treatment and support.”

John Coburn from Lisburn was diagnosed with schizophrenia while he was a student in Wales. The 29-year-old, who returned home and spent more than a year in hospital, said he was delighted that the project was being developed.

He added: “I know first hand the importance of having these type of support services for students. When I had my breakdown I felt totally isolated and dropped out of university completely. My family brought me back home and I only started getting my life back when I got involved with Rethink

“I am now back at college and feel positive about the future. I think it is fantastic that this project has been developed as students can feel under tremendous pressure, particularly if it is the first time they have lived away from home. It is important to raise awareness of mental illness and provide support and advice.”

Paul Cavanagh, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund’s Young People’s Fund Committee, explained how young people were at the centre of creating and delivering the successful projects announced today.

He said: “I am delighted to be announcing this round of projects which are helping young people be healthy, contribute to their community and overcome economic disadvantage by funding activities that will make a real difference to their lives.”

(JM/KMcA)