PEACE Academy celebrates first year of inspiring young leaders

PEACE Academy celebrates first year of inspiring young leaders

•      Young people, volunteers and partners gather in Sligo to celebrate PEACE Academy’s first year of inspiring leadership, creativity and community impact.

•      Participants’ achievements are formally recognised, while PEACE Academy ambassador Sello joined young people for an interactive music workshop.

Young people from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland were recognised for their leadership, creativity, and community impact as the Rio Ferdinand Foundation PEACE Academy celebrated the first year of helping to transform lives for the better.

Held at Atlantic Technological University in Sligo, the celebration brought together young people, volunteers, and partner agencies to recognise leadership, personal growth and the positive impact participants have been making across neighbourhoods.

The PEACE Academy is an innovative three-year cross-border initiative developed by the

Rio Ferdinand Foundation and supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). PEACEPLUS is co-funded by the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland, and the Northern Ireland Executive.

A highlight of the event was a live performance by PEACE Academy ambassador, Sello. In the lead-up to the event, the pioneering Irish hip-hop artist worked with participants through a music programme designed to build creativity, confidence and performance skills before joining them on stage for a collaborative performance.

The event also gave young people the opportunity to reflect on the friendships they had fostered, the confidence and skills they had gained through the programme, and their ambitions for the future, underlining the lasting impact of the PEACE Academy's first year.

The success of some was recognised through an Oscars-style awards ceremony, with Moise Mbongo winning ‘Player of the Tournament’, Osita Wilson winning the ‘Team Spirit Award’, Faelan McGuckian winning ‘Community Champion Award’ , and Magda Sangodele winning the ‘Personal Development Award’, just some of those that were handed out by Rio Ferdinand Foundation’s PEACE Academy Programme Co-Ordinator Cormac Correia and project partner in Belfast’s Glentoran Football Club’s PEACE Academy Programme Co-Ordinator Joe Gibson

Gary Stannett, the Chief Executive Officer at the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, said: “This celebration event is not really about trophies or awards – it is about recognising the incredible journeys these young people have been on over the last year. We have seen them grow in confidence, discover new talents, build friendships across communities and step into leadership roles they may never have imagined possible.

“What makes me most proud, however, is not just what all these young people have achieved individually, but what they have achieved together. They have crossed borders, broken down barriers and built relationships that show just how powerful sport, music and creativity can be in bringing communities together.

“The PEACE Academy is only in its first year, but the impact is already clear. These young people are proving that, when they are given the right opportunities and support, they can become leaders, role models and changemakers within their communities,” he added. “That is something everyone involved in this programme should be incredibly proud of.”

Between now and 2029, hundreds of young people in the Belfast and Sligo areas are set to have the opportunity to engage with the ambitious PEACEPLUS Programme, which is funded by the Special EU Programmes Body. Over this period, weekly sports sessions will run twice per week in Northern Ireland and Ireland, engaging up to thirty young people per session in a safe, inclusive space. 

Quarterly community events for up to one hundred and fifty participants will foster cross cultural understanding, while monthly personal development sessions are intended to build confidence, leadership skills and also cultural awareness among participants. The programme will award some one hundred and fifty annual qualifications alongside social action projects intended to tackle racism and sectarianism between 14 and 21-year-olds.