Belfast youth worker honoured in art installation for community work
A Belfast youth worker's community efforts are being highlighted and celebrated in an art installation in London.
Conor Largey is one of seven 'game changers' from across the UK who are being honoured in the installation to kick-off The National Lottery's 30th birthday celebrations.
The portraits of the seven appeared on the water at London's iconic St James's Park, managed by The Royal Parks charity, in recognition of their game-changing impact on their respective communities with the help of National Lottery players who raise £30 million every week for good causes.
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Conor said his involvement with National Lottey funded projects throughout the years helped transform his path in life from skipping school and getting in trouble, to dedicating his life to helping young people achieve their potential.
When The National Lottery Community Fund was developing their young people’s funding programme in Northern Ireland 10 years ago, Conor shared his experiences of growing up in North Belfast, helping give an insight into the issues affecting young people.
Since then, this programme has distributed £65.5 million to 155 projects, supporting nearly 100,000 children and young people across Northern Ireland, helping them get the skills they need for their future, have better relationships with their support networks and good health and well-being.
He progressed to become the youth development worker and then Coordinator of the National Lottery £500,000 Hidden Communities Project in St Peter’s Immaculata Youth Centre, helping at-risk young people change their lifestyles.
Conor then developed the L.E.A.D (Learning, Engaging And Developing) Project in Holy Trinity Youth Centre, enabling young people to take the ‘Lead’, reconnect with their community, develop key social and life and leadership skills and gain valuable qualifications and employability opportunities, supported through a further £500,000 of National Lottery money.
These efforts have earned him national recognition in Northern Ireland and contributed to the positive development of Belfast's youth sector. Today, Conor continues to be an aspirational senior youth leader in West Belfast, inspiring the next generation, giving them a voice and the confidence to shape their own futures.
Conor said: "Getting involved with the National Lottery-funded Ardoyne Youth Club’s Breaking Through Barriers project helped me to transform my path from one that had been characterised by skipping school and getting in trouble, to a life dedicated to helping young people achieve their goals and potential.
"Every day we are working with young people on the street, helping them to gain qualifications, training opportunities, and make new friends. I feel humbled to be able to continue this tradition of transformative National Lottery funded projects through my current work."
The stunning art installation in London was created by renowned grandmaster graffiti artist Luis Gomez De Teran, the images on Perspex screens appear to float on the water at the Royal Park and were unveiled by broadcaster, Adele Roberts.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the first draw in 1994, The National Lottery is celebrating 30 inspirational people - Game Changers - who have achieved amazing things across the UK in the last 30 years, with the help of National Lottery funding.
David Knott, chief executive officer at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: "Celebrating The National Lottery’s 30th birthday is a momentous occasion, and there's no better way to mark it than by honouring extraordinary people who have changed the game for their communities across the UK, thanks to three decades of support from National Lottery players.
“At The National Lottery Community Fund, we believe everything starts with community. Every three minutes a community shares its dream with us, and every eight minutes, we award a grant to help make those dreams a reality. So, we are thrilled to showcase these powerful stories and hope this incredible installation will inspire even more people to see the difference National Lottery funding could make in their own communities."
The community and voluntary sector in Northern Ireland has received £786 million of National Lottery funding for life changing good causes since 1994.
Could National Lottery funding make you the next Game Changer in your community? Find out more here: https://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/gamechangers
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