ESG Report 2023 Digital Final - Flipbook - Page 16
02/SOCIAL
(x80 YP)
• Community Football
Tournament – HAPANI
(x50 YP)
• Graffiti Art Project (x14 YP)
69 accreditations achieved
including:
• Community Sports Leader
Award (CSLA) Level 1 – East
Belfast (x10 YP)
• CSLA Level 1 – HAPANI
(x19 YP)
• Equality, Diversity, & Inclusion
(x10 YP)
• Digital Skills Level 1
(x10 YP)
• Mental Health & Wellbeing
(x20 YP)
199 participants engaged in
social action projects:
• Graffiti Art Project
(x14 YP + 10YP helped at
painting sessions)
• Community Football
tournaments (x85 YP)
• Somali National Day (x90 YP)
98 Participants engaged with
motivational and careers events:
• Big Data in Sport learning
about the use of technology
within jobs in sport (x24 YP)
• Into the Sport Industry with
Glentoran FC (x32 YP)
• Into the Tech Industry with
Fibrus and W5 Life (x42 YP)
Choice Housing Scholarships
During the year, Choice also
continued to work with Queen’s
University and Ulster University
to provide financial support to
students facing financial, social
or logistical barriers to furthering
their education through its
scholarship programme. The
scheme, now in its final year,
has run for five years with each
awardee receiving £1,000 which
helps to reduce the stress of
financial pressures while studying,
improve their self-confidence and
give them an emotional boost.
Brian McKenna Student
Placement Programme
(incorporating the Brian
McKenna Prize)
Brian McKenna, who passed away
in February 2019, was a member
of the Choice team for more
than twenty years and, during
his time with the organisation
made a huge contribution to
the lives of tenants, colleagues,
and the communities he worked
in. As a board member of the
Voice of Young People in Care
(VOYPIC), Brian was committed to
working to improve the lives and
opportunities for young people
both professionally
and personally.
In memory of Brian, the student
placement programme offers
seven students the opportunity to
work for a year in the ICT, Assets,
Finance and HR departments.
During their time with Choice
they will receive support from
a dedicated line manager who
will guide them as they develop
skills aimed at preparing them for
employment, through practical
learning and real time problem
solving. Students earn a living
wage during the year’s placement
and the opportunity to win
payment of their final year’s tuition
fee for submitting the winning
entry in a business innovation
programme.
Overlapping Themes Initiatives
Street Soccer NI – Four Nations
Challenge Cup
Choice have supported Street
Soccer NI (SSNI) on a number of
occasions to attend the Homeless
World Cup. Due to Covid
restrictions this year’s world cup
was cancelled and replaced with
the Four Nations Challenge Cup.
This was a 3-day event held in
Edinburgh and brought men’s and
women’s teams from each of the
UK home nations.
SSNI selected 8 men and 8
women from their projects in
Belfast and Derry~Londonderry
to represent Northern Ireland.
Both teams got to the finals.
All 16 players went through five
weeks of trials and training in
the lead up to the event. Each
player completed a support plan
was given one to one support to
help make positive changes in
their lives.
‘Health and Wellbeing’
Destitute Asylum Seekers
Accommodation Project
This service commenced in 2018
to provide support to four women
asylum seekers with no recourse
to public funds. Choice partnered
with Participation in Practice
of Rights (PPR), Community
Foundation Northern Ireland
(CFNI), East Belfast Mission (EBM)
and the NI Law Centre (LCNI) to
provide furnished accommodation
15
Choice Environmental, Social and Governance Report