To ask the Minister of Education (i) whether the Bushmills Education Centre will benefit from the recently announced funding for such centres; and (ii) to detail the alternative educational uses being considered for the centre if it is not to receive support funding.

The Outdoor Education Centre Covid Relief funding is open to voluntary youth organisations that routinely provided curricular-relevant, residential outdoor learning opportunities for children and young people aged 4-24 years before April 2020, and that can demonstrate a negative financial impact as a result of a loss of residential activity since the emergence of the current pandemic.

In addition to residential outdoor centre programmes it is recognised that during the period April 2020 to March 2021 Covid-19 restrictions had an impact on the delivery many annual residential events and programmes. These larger scale events are planned in advance of delivery and can incur costs leading up to the event or programme.

The Bushmills Outdoor Learning Centre has not provided residential or outdoor learning activities since its closure in December 2017 and would not meet the funding criteria to avail of the Outdoor learning Centre Covid Relief funding.

The future development and refurbishment of the Bushmills Oasis Centre will provide opportunity for a multi-disciplinary approach to the delivery of Youth Services within the North Coast area. The Oasis Centre will facilitate a new office base for the Causeway Coast and Glens Youth Office and Creative Digital imaging studio for the development and training of young people in digital arts.

The centre will also facilitate the provision of a new REACH service (Resilience Education Allowing Change to Happen). This supports the development of trauma informed youth work, with a focus on developing positive mental health for children and young people aged 9 – 25 years. The service will provide 4 x workshop spaces and offices for full-time staff facilitating the service.

The development of a Peripatetic Outdoor Learning Service based within the Bushmills Oasis Centre site will provide great opportunities to develop the Outdoor learning provision within the local area. The peripatetic Outdoor Instructors will work alongside local schools and youth groups to engage children and young people both within the Bushmills Oasis Youth Centre grounds and using the natural surrounding environment to provide experiential outdoor learning experiences.

I hope this information is helpful in answering your queries. Please do not hesitate to contact Peter Parke, Head of Outdoor Learning Service peter.parke@eani.org.uk if you require any further information regarding this matter.