Page 26 - Clanmil Together Magazine Summer 2025

Steve Morrison of Street Beat Youth Project, This project also encourages young people
Peer mentoring improving mental
health among school students
A group of 40 Belfast secondary school students have completed
training to support younger students with their mental health, thanks
to support from Clanmil.
The Year 13 students who attend Belfast Boys
Model, Belfast Girls Model, St Malachy’s and
Mercy College, have been trained to become
peer mentors by youth workers from Street
Beat Youth project and the Youth Education
Health Advice team over 20 weeks.
Belfast Girls’ Model School Peer Mentors
Roxy Martin, Neve Johnston and Molly Scott
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based in north Belfast said: from different backgrounds to work
“We’re grateful to Clanmil for supporting us together, which aligns with the good
to bring the peer mentoring into schools in relations work we carry out in the areas
Belfast. Young people are more likely to where we manage shared housing.”
talk to people of a similar age about their During their training, the peer mentors spent
problems, which is why this project has time with their counterparts in other schools
been so successful when we’ve run it so they could get to know each other and
before. As well as helping the younger share common experiences.
students, the project is also beneficial to One of the peer mentors who has completed
the peer mentors who are gaining useful the training is Maddox Montgomery. He said:
experience if they choose to continue “It’s important for some of the younger
youth work in the future.” ones that we’re available, so they know
Lauren Hamidi Craig, Community Investment they have someone to talk to, and that
Officer at Clanmil added: someone is there for them. I’m looking
“At Clanmil we’re always keen to support forward to meeting the other peer
mentors at the other schools.”
initiatives like this one, that will empower
individuals and strengthen communities.
The training has equipped the peer mentors
with the skills to listen to and support Year 8
students with concerns like bullying and
loneliness, as well as recognizing when more
specialist help is needed from school youth
workers or counsellors.
As well as gaining useful Belfast Boys’ Model
experience, the participants Maddox and another Peer Mentor meet School Peer Mentor
Maddox Montgomery
have attained an OCN some Year 8s at the Boys Model School
Level 2 qualification in Peer
Mentoring Skills and
Techniques.
The project is supported About Clanmil’s shared housing schemes
through the NI Executive
Together: Building a United Clanmil manages 14 shared housing developments in Northern Ireland.
Community Strategy, which The Peer Mentors project was funded through Felden, Newtownabbey, a shared
reflects the Executive’s housing development managed by Clanmil and supported by the Department for
commitment to improving Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. Just over £995,350 was
community relations and invested in the development of the scheme and associated five-year Good Relations
continuing the journey Plan which supports project within a five-mile radius. Felden was established in 2016
towards a more united and as part of the NI Executive Together: Building A United Community Strategy.
shared society.
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