Fergal Barr

Current occupation

Youth Co-Ordinator (Rural Youth Work Project)

Work experience

Areas of Work: Youth Information, Education Welfare, Community Relations, Volunteering, Peace & Reconciliation; Centre Based, Street, Participation & Rural-based Youth Work; Family Support; facilitation (local, national and international), consultation, evaluation and research., YOUTH/Youth in Action/Erasmus+ and Social Justice

Previous Employers: (Months in brackets) Parkdean Nursing Home (24), Securicor Omega Express (3), BELB (4) & WELB (33) (Belfast/Western Education & Library Boards) , NIACRO (Northern Ireland Association for Care and Resettlement of Offenders) (50) St. Columb’s Park House (18), Eglinton Youth Club (6), Off the Streets Community Youth Initiative (53), NI Youth Forum (3), The Inside Out Programme (85), CYPNI (Clubs for Young People NI), Claudy Rural Development Limited (3), NWRC (North West Regional College) (4) & EXTERN (12)

Freelance: Momentum World, British Council, Ecorys, Leargas, Co-operation North/Ireland, The Warrington Project, NUS/USI, Anna-Lindh Foundation, NI Youth Forum, Youth Council for NI, Derry City & Strabane District Council, Viennese Association of Youth Clubs & ELT (Austria), Klick e.V. (Germany) and YouthArt (Turkey), South Bank University, Coleraine Youth Forum, Focus on Family, Public Achievement, UU, NEELB Curriculum Development Unit, Community Support Services, Eglinton Community Limited

Organisational Management: Co-ordinator of The Inside Out Programme (Rural Youth Work), Claudy, 2006-13; Project Director with Off the Streets Community Youth Initiative (Detached/Street Work), Derry, 2002-06; Development Officer, Eglinton Youth Club, Eglinton, 99-00; Co-ordinator of Foyle Youth Institute (Young Leaders Programme), Derry, 1999 – 2005

Staff Management: 15 full-time staff (2 Assistant Managers, 12 Key Workers & 1 Project Worker) for Extern (2018); 2 full & 1 part-time staff for The Inside Out Programme (2006-11); 12 full & Part-time Staff at Off the Streets 2002-06; 2 full-time seconded employees & Apprentice Worker at NIACRO (96-98); Internal and External supervision of four university students (one from overseas) at varying times

Project Management: includes: SEUPB-funded Third Space Project for Extern (2018); EC-funded LID+ project and ‘Redhead300’ (2017); The LID Programme (2008- ); DfID-funded OCN-accredited ’Network Earth: Global Citizen for 21st Century’ Training Programme (2010-12); NW Mentoring Project 2000-02; Post-primary Political Ed & International Youth Leadership Programme (1998-99); 6 x 12 week Prince’s Trust Volunteer Programmes (1995-98); 17 x week-long residential international training programmes (2001- )

Financial Management: Managed Extern & Verbal’s SEUPB-funded Third Space project in 2018; Secured and managed European Commission-funded ‘LID+’ project in 2017; Between 2002-12 (before working freelance) secured and managed more than £1M from funders including YESIP, Erasmus+, DfID, Children In Need, Tudor Trust, Volunteer Development Agency, Community Relations Council, CFNI, DCSDC, Halifax Foundation, Western Area Children and Young People’s Committee, Irish Youth Foundation & IFI

Partnership Management: Extern’s Third Space project in partnership with Verbal, alongside stakeholders including SEUPB, YouthPact, Queens University, Department for Communities, and OCN (2018); 3-year DfID-funded OCN-accredited ’Network Earth: Global Citizen for 21st Century’ Training Programme in partnership with Children in Crossfire (2010-12); the NW Mentoring Project for NIACRO supported by Social Services, PBNI, Extern and Education Welfare; Managed/hosted 44 International Programmes (4 on behalf of the UK National Agency) with partners from 40+ countries

Event Management: ‘Market Place’ – Northern Ireland’s only public and large-scale 30th Anniversary celebration of Erasmus+ in 2017); ‘Redhead300’ Derry to Crosshaven Fundraising walk for Irish Cancer Society (2017); The PoP (Paths of Participation) Youth Assembly (2012); European Youth Capital Consultation Events (2010); ‘Getting it Right - Human Rights for Young People in Rural Areas’ Conference (2008); ‘Generation 2000’ Conference (2005); Off the Streets ‘LEGACY’ 10th Birthday Celebration (2005); Off the Streets Annual Celebrations (2003-2006); Inter-Schools Tenpin Bowling League in Derry area (1993); Fundraising walk from Derry to Limerick (1988)

Leadership Positions: Currently member of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s ‘Youth 19’ Steering Group; Member of the IYWT (International Youth Work Trainers) Guild 2014-17); Chairperson of the CASCADE International Network (2009-11) and CRYWN (Community Relations Youth Work Network) in Northern Ireland (1998-2000); member of Youth Council for NI (2000-03), WIFH’s Teenage Transitions/Children & Young People’s Sub-group (2007-14)

Strategic & Policy Development: Oversaw policy reviews and development of three-year Strategic Plans for Off the Streets & Inside Out; contributed to the strategic development of the IYWT Guild 2014-16; part of the UKNA’s Trainer/VC Pool from 2012–2016 performing the role of VC (Visit Co-ordinator) and Trainer on 3 & 2 occasions respectfully; Participation Worker for ‘The Big Deal’ Project (incl. ELB’s Youth Service, NI Youth Forum, YouthNet & Youth Council for NI)

Training: Data Protection, Marketing & Communications, TCI (Therapeutic Crisis Intervention), Outcomes Star, Child Protection, Safeguarding, Management Skills and RSA Team Leaders Award with Extern (2018):; QNUK Level II in Safeguarding with NWVC in Oct 17); Storytelling with Holywell Trust (2015); ‘Active Citizen’ Training with British Council (2010); Chaparone Training with BELB (2008); OCN Level III Exploring Diversity with Youth Action (1999)

Facilitation & Training: including hosting 44 international residential programmes in Derry, 17 of which have been at minimum of 6 days in length. Overall record for training/facilitating in an international context is: Facilitator/Trainer (only) on 24 occasions, Co-ordinator on 24 occasions & Co-ordinator & Facilitator/Trainer combined on 15 occasions. Many of these programmes were designed ‘from scratch’ and covered a wide range of themes including Conflict, Culture, Humour, Alcohol, Upcycling, Citizenship and open Space among others. If you take the average duration of an E+ programme, I have spent almost 2 years of my entire professional career (120+ programmes) working residentially with international groups.

Generating Ideas: including examples such as: The LID (Leadership through Intercultural Dialogue) Programme which provides international learning opportunities for young people, young leaders, youth workers and ‘other’ practitioners; Humour is Serious Business: – a training programme using humour to engage young people which positively contributes to Health and Well Being; ‘LID+’ - tailored services that promotes awareness off, accessibility to and supports participation in the Erasmus+ programme; PinBoards – enhancing your meeting, seminar or conference; Perspectives – Training that supports individuals to examine and reimagine how they view challenges; Social Technology – helps people to re-engage with one another

Assessment: Having submitted 40 successful applications to Erasmus+ and assessed almost 100 Youth in Action, Erasmus+ & Causeway Applications for British Council & Youth Council for NI, much insight has been gathered as to what it takes to make a successful submission

Research: (i) Claudy Visioning Process , (ii) Anti-Social Behaviour in the Greater Shantallow Area of Derry: Reasons & Causes - Developing effective responses for addressing the issue of Anti-Social Behaviour and Young People’. (iii) Anti-Social Behaviour: Issues, Concerns and Experiences of Young People in the Greater Shantallow Area (iv) ‘A Study of Values, Attitudes and Opinion Young People in the Greater Shantallow Area’

Evaluations: (i) Focus on Family and (ii) Coleraine Youth Forum,

Project Reports: (i) The ‘Why?’ Project, (ii) The PoP (Paths of Participation) Youth Assembly, (iii) Youth Manifesto (iv) Anti-Social Behaviour: A COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY? (v) Measuring the Intangible (vi) Factors, Influences, Causes and Recommendations – working towards an agreed approach;

Consultation Reports: (i) ‘The only game in town-Embedding a culture of participation in youth provision’, (ii) CYPNI report on Participation Structures;

Other reports: (i) Report & Activity Pack for an EU YOUTH funded Training Programme, Creating an Common European Consensus and (ii) Report & Activity Pack for an EU YOUTH funded Training Programme, Web of Experience and (ii) Derry City Council’s shortlisted bid for European Youth Capital 2013;

Strategic: Off the Streets Strategic Plan & The Case for Supporting Our Work as well as their Annual Report in 2005 and Annual Report in 2004;

Contributions to ‘Third Party’ publications: (i) Youth Council for Northern Ireland’s ‘Impact of International Youth Work’ (ii) Global Links: Human Rights, Democracy and good practices of social transformation (P76-82) and (iii) South Bank University’s (iii) ‘Inventing Adulthoods: A Biographical Approach to Youth Transitions’ for South Bank University;

Books: (i) The Things People Say, Political Quotations from the Northern Ireland Peace Process and (ii) The Yet Unknown Little Brown Book, A Collection of Poems;