After the opening of ARCHES House, a problem developed with groups of youths congregating in the Lane who became a nuisance to people using the businesses in the Lane and the facilities in ARCHES House. It also became an issue for the staff in ARCHES office who began to feel threatened by the youths’ behaviour.
A solution came in the form of Peace II funding which ARCHES applied for to carry out a Youth Development Scheme to keep the young occupied. Before the funding was granted two workers from a scheme run by Antrim Borough Council and NEELB Youth Service started a course of DJ-ing workshops alongside personal development sessions in the Pneutrol building which ARCHES had just purchased. These were a great success and had the desired effect of getting the youths off ARCHES Lane.
Another plus of this initiative was to have one readymade group to start working with as soon as the Peace II funding was granted. This group continued to meet for the duration of the funding under the guidance of Youth Service and PSNI personnel and formed a very successful football team who played on land kindly lent by the late Stewart McCartney with generous input from George Barkley. This arrangement lasted long after the end of the funding period and some of the young lads involved became leaders themselves of other younger groups.
At the same time work was initiated with young people in Neillsbrook, again under the guidance of Youth Service and PSNI – an activity group for girls and football for boys which was mainly under the supervision of the late William Beggs and which has evolved into the Neillsbrook Cross Community Soccer School which still flourishes today.
