Conor Largey

Getting involved with the National Lottery-funded Ardoyne Youth Club’s Breaking Through Barriers project helped him to transform his 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.

Conor Largey credits National Lottery programmes for changing his life, benefitting from their impact at various critical junctures throughout his formative years. He helped to co-design the National Lottery’s £50 million youth programme, Empowering Young People, by sharing his experiences of growing up in North Belfast. This project aimed to support people across Northern Ireland including carers, those with a learning disability and those who face barriers to education, training or employment.

Conor progressed on to become the youth development worker and then Coordinator of the National Lottery funded Hidden Communities Project in St Peter’s Immaculata Youth Centre, helping at-risk young people change their lifestyles. He then developed the L.E.A.D (Learning, Engaging And Developing) Project in Holy Trinity Youth Centre through the Empowering Young People Fund, 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. These efforts have earned him national recognition in Northern Ireland and contributed to the positive development of Belfast's youth sector.

Conor Largey 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 honoured to be able to continue this tradition of transformative National Lottery funded projects through my current work with their Empowering Young People programme in West Belfast.”