A RECENT employability event aimed at steering vulnerable young people away from risk introduced some of the exciting career options that exist within the creative industries sector.
Over 90 people, aged 16-25, from all over Ireland, attended the cluster event at the Nerve Centre in Derry/Londonderry.
The event brought together projects that are funded through the International Fund for Ireland’s Personal Youth Development Programme (PYDP) and highlighted a range of opportunities within the creative sector.
Participants sampled bite-size sessions of what a career could look like across a wide range of disciplines including; special effects for movies, digital fabrication, animation, digital photography, studio engineer, robotics and brand building.
There are currently 32 PYDP projects across Northern Ireland and the border counties and they specifically engage with young people aged 16-25 who are vulnerable to polarisation and/or recruitment by criminal gangs. They will also have typically faced a range of complex issues including; substance abuse, homelessness, difficult family backgrounds, been in or close to criminal system, suffer from poor mental health issues and have not participated in society in a positive manner.