The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)".
The principal object of the charitable company is to, without discrimination on grounds of age, gender, disability, sexuality, nationality, ethnic origin and political or religious opinion, promote the physical, mental, spiritual and social welfare of young people in Northern Ireland through education, youth work, and volunteering, and to pursue other charitable purposes that the trustees shall decide.
Youth Initiatives NI is a cross community youth work charity which aims to awaken hope, inspire initiative, and mobilise youth to make a vital contribution to their community and to reconciliation in Northern Ireland, through the discovery and renewal of Christian faith in daily life.
The charitable company fulfills its objectives through projects jointly led by staff and young people aimed at the personal, social, physical, mental and spiritual development of young people.
The trustees have taken cognisance of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland's guidance on public benefit as defined in the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
During the year ended 31 March 2023, Youth Initiatives (NI) ('YI'), continued, developed and expanded its work through the following projects:
NUTS (11-14’S): The YI West Belfast programme for 11 – 14’s that has been made possible through funding from BBC Children in Need & The National Lottery Foundation. The NUTS programme, through a large team of youth volunteers provides weekly programmes in Poleglass with many young people attending outreach summer schemes in Poleglass and Twinbrook. Through these programmes it aims to help young people explore their personal, social and spiritual development through creative and interactive sessions while also providing both boys and girls after school programmes.
West Belfast 11-14s Girls Project (FLARE)- creates personal and social development where young women feel safe and comfortable to be themselves. Flare focuses on the self-development of the young women through using a range of different topics such as creativity nights, cultural exploration, exploring beliefs, self-care and exploration. This year we focused on the young women building relationships with each other and the differences that people experience in life. We also explored different cultures around the world to help to deepen the understanding of others.
Lifeline West Belfast: The National Lottery funded 15-18's programme in West Belfast creates a family-like environment where young people can journey together with each other and their youth Leaders, through personal and social development themes as well as engaging with community relations, citizenship, mentoring and skills learning. Through school work, detached street work and other forms of outreach, we engage with young people from the socially disadvantaged Colin Area to help them achieve their full potential. Our focus currently is on building mental, social and personal resilience in response to the pandemic and the alienation this has fostered among a generation of young people.
Through weekly centre based sessions, small groups, 1-1 meetings, day trips, residentials and local outreach, we connect to over 100 young people a week and help them 'join the dots' between different aspects of their lives by providing a wide base of support.
Many of our West Belfast volunteers are young people who have journeyed up through Lifeline and are now giving back to their community by helping run the programmes and mentor other young people. They receive training, join in with team meetings and help to plan and deliver youthwork sessions.
In our West Belfast Young Men’s 15-18's work: we run a weekly programme focused on building character, camaraderie, learning new skills, fostering a sense of adventure and tackling issues relevant to young men. With a backdrop of toxic masculinity, paramilitarism, third generation unemployment, poor mental health and a perceived lack of opportunities we walk with these young men to enable them to establish their own identity and make positive choices for their future.
West Belfast Girls Work Project (GLOW) - YI's West Belfast 15-18's girls outreach programme which aims to create positive relational environments where young women feel comfortable and safe. The Glow project focuses on the holistic development of the young women that participate and look at a range of topics over the year. This year we focused on developing good positive relationships between the young women we have looked at learning new skills, confidence building programmes, outdoor adventures and the creative arts.
Faith Development: YI’s Faith Development project has continued engaging young people and helping them discover the hope found in Christ through programmes, mentoring, and one-off events. Sarah Nilles regionally coordinates our faith development work. At our all staff retreat in September the staff team received training in the YI Faith Development Model which outlines our faith based work. Regionally, we had termly meetings with all the faith based workers across all the YI areas to support one another and develop strategies to share faith with YI young people. In West Belfast, Daniel Byrne became a support worker alongside Christopher Donnan to oversee the faith development work.
YI delivered 50 personal, social and spiritual development classes at St Colm’s High School, engaging with 420 students on a regular basis. The Well Prayer Youth Group, which runs weekly on a Sunday evening, has been a space for young people to explore and make personal faith choices. This autumn, the Well ran Depth Charge (Life in the Spirit Seminar) where 25+ young people engaged with questions about life and faith. The West Belfast Faith Development project is financially supported by the Ardbarron Trust, Koch Foundation, local parishes, St. Colm's High School and other donations.
Crosslinks: has continued to work in partnership with Diverse Youth. We welcomed Risa Basselin onto our staff team along with a number of new volunteers enabling young people from our East and West Belfast hubs to connect with young people from the wider BAME community and enjoy the richness that brings. Crosslinks brings over 70 young people together to engage in team building and good relations workshops exploring the theme ‘Identity’ through summer programs, arts workshops and a training residential OCN in Global Citizenship. Crosslinks’ team of 15 youth peer mentors received leadership training and helped design and delver the program. The culminated in live theatre performance that the young people wrote, composed, choreographed and designed - 'The Journey to the Red Door' where the audience follows the adventures of Rachel as she learns the 5 valuable lessons of respecting identity. This took place in Stranmillis Theatre to an audience of over 400 friends and family. Crosslinks was funded this year by Central Good Relations Fund, TEO, Belfast City Council & Dept of Foreign Affairs.
YI’s East Belfast Hub has five staff team members, twelve 15-18-year-old volunteers, and two adult volunteers assisting with our Strand Road and Ballymac sites.
YI ran EA funded programmes at the Ballymac friendship centre on Mondays and Fridays and at our Strand Road Hub on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Outreach/detached: Weekly street based outreach and four schools based sessions a week. Area leader is also involved with the East Belfast Youth Practitioners Forum, EA LAG Group, Churches East Belfast Network and Street Workers forum. This has helped us to expand our impact and signpost young people to other services when needed and receive referrals from partner organisations.
NUTS Project: 10-14 year olds- weekly outreach, Impact programme (weekly PSSD programme)
15 to 18s Single Gender Groups: GIRLS and BOYS single sex programme currently have 16 young people participating.
YI East Youth Volunteer Program: We recruited six new young volunteers with six more returning. Each volunteer completed volunteer training within our summer academy program and helped deliver our outreach summer schemes. 15 young people completed their Level 1 in Youth work through our partnership work with Youth Action. 15 Young people are currently taking part in a OCN Level 1 in Peer mentoring.
Link-d project: 15-18 year olds - weekly outreach, drop-in, personal, social and spiritual development programme, single sex programmes for young men’s and young women, and a volunteer leadership team.
Mentoring: YI East staff are currently mentoring five young people.
Faith development: Continues to be central to all the work that we do weekly in East Belfast. We have
taken young people to a number of faith based events, for example, Crown Jesus Ministries’ One Way event.
The coordinating work of YI East Belfast’s Area Leader in building a YI youth community hub is funded by the National Lottery Empowering Young People programme.
YI Banbridge has continued to see momentum build in the last year which we are very excited about! Partnership continues to be key for our work in Banbridge as we work alongside other organisations at “The Basement”. Our partnership with YFC in delivering our core programmes together has become more established as both organisations have learnt better how to work alongside one another and discussed at times how our partnership requires compromise or clarity as we have become “better together”
Summer 2022
In summer 2022, we had 30 young people in total attend YI camp (July) and YFC camp (August). This was a great opportunity for our young people to hear about our respective organisations, spend time doing Good Relations workshops and grow in faith. We also ran a T:BUC Good Relations programme which included trips to Derry, to Craigavon Watersports, and joining with other YI areas at “Summer Olympics” in Antrim and then a social action project in which we made window boxes for a local nursing home. We ran one week of summer scheme for 40 young people. We also ran drop in’s throughout the summer to keep young people connected.
September 22-June 23
From September 2022, we have ran the following programmes at the Basement:
Primary Programme on Mondays from 3-4:15pm (P5-P7)
Youth Alpha on Mondays from 4:30-5:30pm from Sept-Dec (Year 8+)
Plugged In single gender groups on Mondays & Tuesdays (Year 8+)
Wednesday Lunch-time detached at St Patrick's College (12-1:45pm)
Wednesday Nite Project from 7-8pm (Year 8-Year 10) and 8:30-9:30pm (Year 10+)
Friday Lunch-time drop in's at Newbridge Integrated College (12-2pm)
Friday Drop in from 3:30-4:30pm (Year 8+)
Friday Detached from 7-9pm
We have seen our numbers dramatically increase in the last year with approx. 60-70 young people attending our Wednesday Nite Project alone! We continue to recruit new volunteers to support us in our work alongside our Moorlands student Zac Carlisle.
The work of YI Banbridge is funded by the Ardbarron Trust, TBF Thompson, House of Vic Ryn and general donations – plus an EA generic local support grant.
YI Downpatrick Project: Our Youth Community Hub based in the centre of the town works alongside 10-14 year olds and 15-19 year olds through a variety of centre based, school based and street based provision. Included are drop-ins, content-based programmes, faith development events, single gender activities and one to one mentoring. This year we had a team of 3 paid staff and one local intern who took part in the Job Start Project. This past year, we have continued to grow in the number of young people engaging with 15-18s and our 10-14s programme. We have particularly seen growth and a sense of community in our Spark and Constructed single gender after school’s programme.
YI has continued its partnership with Blackwater Integrated College providing drop ins and lunch time clubs. We began a new partnership with Down High School working 10 hours per week as the school’s youth workers delivering personal social development classes, lunch time outreach, and mentoring sessions. Our work in Down High has led to a new Wednesday afternoon drop in programme for pupils we’ve engaged with in school to come to our centre. We began new work with De La Salle High School supporting pupils through weekly sessions each term. We also provided one off sacramental prep sessions for local primary schools. YI was generously funded by individuals and churches in the community. It is also funded by Tudor Trust, Newry, Mourne, & Down Council, Koch Foundation, and the Education Authority.
YI Derry/Londonderry: YI Derry has now been running for nine years. Our staff team saw a number of changes this year with John Robinson moving back to Belfast and Rachel McLaughlin moving on. The team now consists of Jonny, Aoife and most recently Caoimhe Mahoney. Artbridge continues to run a creative good relations project for 11-16, funded by Donors & TEO CGR. This year we continued our regular pattern of an art Exhibition of young people's work in 'The Playhouse'. In the summer of 2022 we ran our 3rd TBUC camp, heading to Ganaway in July with all other areas of YI, with the most we have ever taken to a YI camp from Derry. The exciting development of partnership with the Franciscan Friars continues, allowing us to have a base & space in the Galliagh estate at St Pio House particularly developing a 10-14's programme and drop-in sessions. This year we have seen encouraging growth of young people connecting to the safe places we provide.
We continue looking at how we develop young leaders for the future through our volunteering and young leadership programme, a number undertaking a level 1 qualification with the EA. This year our NUTS volunteer team won the Connect award at our annual YI volunteer awards dinner. We continue to build good relationships with a number of schools in the city, one of those allowed us to re-run the Re-Ignite programme with an entire new year 8 group over 6 weeks. Another school invited us in to run a 6 week programme with 10 young men around managing emotions & anger. We value the unique relationships we are building with the young people in the city of Derry and the privilege it is to be invited into their worlds and journey alongside them. It has been exciting to see encouraging growth despite the staff changes.
The work of YI Derry / Londonderry was funded by the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Ardbarron Trust, a TEO Central Good Relations grant and by generous YI donors.
YI Lisburn: During the past year we concluded our partnership with Damask Community Outreach after 7 successful years engaging with 100s of young people in the local community. As part of this we ran our 3rd and final year of the BBC Children In Need funded 10-14s “GO” programme which saw us exceed our target of working with 70 young people across 3 years, especially significant since the COVID pandemic happened right in the middle. BBC CIN were highly complimentary of our efforts throughout As we transitioned away from working with Damask on the Seymour Street premises two of our team- Rebecca Wills and Rebecca Ringland took on posts with Damask Community Outreach and continue to provide the same youth services to support those young people and families in the Hilden community.
YI Lisburn has developed our relationship with the nearby Fort HIll Integrated College, with whom we have worked over the past 5 years. We have piloted a “Youth Workers in Schools” programme where staff spend a full day on the premises, providing ad-hoc support to students and teachers, as well as 1-1 and targeted intervention programmes with small groups of students. We also started running an after schools programme on the premises which has had a very positive response. This work has been primarily with junior school students (year 8-10), and we have also recruited several new 16 year olds to our Volunteer Leadership Programme. Next year we will extend this to additional students, as well as start to provide an enrichment programme for those in year 13 & 14. YI Lisburn has allso started working in Lisnagarvey High School, providing 1-1 sessions with students in need of support staying in school. This will also be extending to provide additional targeted intervention sessions with small groups of students.
We have worked in partnership with Exodus and Lagan Valley Vineyard to provide additional short term projects in schools such as Alpha and the SOAR (Self Leadership) programmes to 14-16 year olds. Our Summer Scheme in 2022 was attended by over 40 young people across a 2 week period, and this summer we will be running our first Summer Scheme at a new venue.
The work of YI Lisburn was funded by the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Ardbarron Trust, BBC Children in Need, an EA generic provision grant and by a variety of YI donors.
The Volunteer/Leadership Development Programme: With Covid restrictions finally removed the YI Volunteer Programme returned to the normal pattern of summer recruitment for volunteers at summer schemes. With more than 150 volunteers signed up across NI they came together for training, fun and building relationship. Of the 150 that were involved in summer 120 took up the commitment to volunteer weekly throughout the year. In September they attended a training weekend in Ballintoy which focused on Creating a Culture - including Outreach youth work, creative youth work and creating positive relational environments. Throughout the year the volunteers continued to grow in their skill, ability and character in terms of volunteering and leadership. Serving alongside staff and supporting our weekly programmes on average each volunteer gives 4hrs per week. In January 2023 due to funding changes and cost increases for residentials we delivered a non-residential training programme across 2 days. The first of which was locally focused and based in each youth community hub. The second day Brought together the 6 youth community hubs for training focused across the 5 levels (Rookie, Apprentice, Pro, Master, Legend) and the afternoon focused on team building. With a Cross City Belfast challenge teams had to make it from the hub in West to the hub in East Belfast for dinner and then on to spend the evening at a Belfast Giants game.
The YI Volunteer Leadership Development Programme was funded by the Tudor Trust, the DFA Reconciliation Fund, the T:BUC camp programme and a variety of YI donors.
Together: Building a United Community Camps: Across the YI youth community hubs 7 different camps programmes took place running pre and post camps activities. For the residential aspect of the programme all camps came together and were hosted at YI at Ganaway, Millisle, with over 300 young people from across Northern Ireland present. The cross community Camps brought together young people aged 11-18 years old for a 5 day summer camp, community relations workshops and recreational activities, with pre and post camp activities across the youth community hubs. The T:BUC camps are funded through TEO and administered through the Education Authority.
YI Regional Strategic Work: Youth Initiatives NI is a recognised Education Authority funded Regional Volunteer Youth Organisation (RVYO) giving governance, quality assurance and youth work delivery support to smaller voluntary youth organisations. From 2021-23 we supported 10 member groups including our own 6 YI Hubs and expanded the network to 30 member organisations by March 2023.
The charitable company receives its income mainly from grants and donations. The expenses of the charity were incurred in the running, staff and programme costs of the projects.
The results for the year are set out in detail on pages 15 to 31. The charitable company returned net deficit for the year of £115,492 (2022 net deficit – £12,439).
At 31 March 2023, the total funds of the charity amounted to £823,161 (2022 - £938,653) comprising restricted funds of £656,634 (2022 - £718,940) and unrestricted funds of £166,527 (2022 - £219,713). The Trustees expect to apply the reserves to continue and expand the work of the charitable company.
The charitable company works closely with organisations such as; DfC Belfast Regeneration Office, Garfield Weston Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Education Authority Regional Strategic Grant, who all supported the core costs of YI during the year.
Reserves Policy
The Board of Directors have decided that Youth Initiatives should hold financial reserves for the following reasons:
1. YI has no long term funding sources and is entirely dependant for income year on year on short term grants and donor funding, which is inevitably subject to fluctuation.
2. YI requires protection against, and the ability to continue operating despite, fluctuations in income or events threatening to the organisation.
3. YI requires the ability to continue to employ workers and continue youth work projects in between periods of grant funding.
The Trustees have decided that the level of the reserves should ideally be the equivalent of three to six months’ personnel and overheads costs (£167,395 and £334,791 in 2022/23), calculated and reviewed annually, and have decided that reserves should be built up to the desired level in stages consistent with the charitable company's overall financial position and its need to maintain and develop its charitable activities. At 31 March 2023 the free reserves of the charity amounted to £143,571. The Trustees continue to give consideration to how this level of reserves can be increased.
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
Going Concern
After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charitable company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Further details regarding the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the accounting policies.
In the 2023-24 year we will take the particular focus of ‘Through our Lens’ – doing what we do through our distinctive YI approach. We will press into the heart of youth work and how we can continue to serve the many communities we work alongside. We will build upon raising up a new generation of leaders by developing a new Leadership bespoke curriculum and training program. We will implement year one of our new 5-year strategic plan – developed after significant review and planning by the YI management team and trustees. We are excited to continue building our Youth Community Hubs and supporting the many other voluntary organisations with our YI Network.
The charity is a company limited by guarantee and was set up by a Memorandum of Association on 9 January 2014. It is registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland under charity number NIC100849.
The principal object of the charitable company is to, without discrimination on grounds of age, gender, disability, sexuality, nationality, ethnic origin and political or religious opinion, promote the physical, mental, spiritual and social welfare of young people in Northern Ireland through education, youth work, and volunteering, and to pursue other charitable purposes that the Trustees shall decide.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
Organisational Structure and Decision Making
The governance of the charitable company is the responsibility of the Trustees who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Articles of Association, which state that a person willing to act as a Trustee may be appointed by ordinary resolution or by a decision of the Trustees. Trustees are briefed on their duties and issued with an induction pack prior to their appointment.
The directors have delegated the management of the work of the charitable company to a four-person Management Team. The Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tony Silcock, oversees the day to day running of the organisation. In 2020-2021 Youth Initiatives employed a staff of 35 plus 10 interns and over 120 youth volunteers.
Risk Management
The Trustees have responsibility for maintaining a sound system of internal control that supports the achievement of the policies, aims and objectives of the charity. The system of internal control is designed to manage rather than eliminate the risk of failure to achieve policies, aims and objectives, it can therefore only provide reasonable and not absolute assurance of effectiveness. In this regard, the trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, in particular those related to the operational and financial aspects of the Company. The Trustees are satisfied that appropriate risk management systems and processes have been put in place and that these evaluate the nature and extent of those risks and ensure that they are managed efficiently, effectively and economically.
The trustees, who are also the directors of Youth Initiatives (Northern Ireland) for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that GMcG BELFAST be reappointed as auditor of the company will be put at a General Meeting.
In preparing this report, the directors have taken advantage of the small companies exemptions provided by section 415A of the Companies Act 2006.
The Trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Youth Initiatives (Northern Ireland) (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:
the information given in the Trustees' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared, which includes the directors' report prepared for the purposes of company law, is consistent with the financial statements; and
the directors' report included within the Trustees' report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors' report included within the Trustees' report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies' exemptions in preparing the Trustees' report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
As explained more fully in the statement of Trustees' responsibilities, the trustees, who are also the directors of the charity for the purpose of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
We identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, and then design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, including obtaining audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
In identifying and assessing potential risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliances with laws and regulations, we considered the following:
The nature of the industry and sector, control environment and business performance, including the company’s remuneration policies for directors, bonus levels and performance targets, if any;
Results of our enquiries of management about their own identification and assessment of the risks of irregularities;
Any matters we identified having obtained and reviewed the company’s documentation of their policies and procedures relating to:
Identifying, evaluating and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instance of non-compliance;
Detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud; and
The internal controls established to mitigate risks of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations;
The matters discussed among the audit engagement team regarding how and where fraud might occur in the financial statements and potential indicators of fraud.
As a result of these procedures, we considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the company for fraud and identified the greatest potential for fraud in revenue recognition. In common with all audits under ISAs (UK), we are also required to perform specific procedures to respond to the risk of management override.
We also obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that the company operates in, focusing on provisions of those laws and regulations that had a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The key laws and regulations we considered in this context included the Companies Act 2006, and local tax legislation.
In addition, we considered provisions of other laws and regulations that do not have a direct effect on the financial statements but compliance with which may be fundamental to the company’s ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty.
Our procedures to respond to the risks identified included the following:
Reviewing the financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with provisions of relevant laws and regulations described as having a direct effect on the financial statements;
Enquiring of management concerning actual and potential litigation and claims;
Performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud;
Reading minutes of meetings of those charged with governance and reviewing correspondence with tax authorities; and
In addressing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, testing the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments; assessing whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias; and evaluating the business rationale of any significant transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of business.
We also communicated relevant identified laws and regulations and potential fraud risks to all engagement team members and remained alert to any indications of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations throughout the audit.
Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. In addition, as with any audit, there remains a higher risk of non-detection of irregularities, as they may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the company’s members, as a body, in accordance with section 391 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Youth Initiatives (Northern Ireland) is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Northern Ireland. The registered office is 50 Colin Road, Poleglass, Belfast, BT17 0LG.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
These financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis. The charity's unrestricted funds at the year end amounted to £166,527 which equates to two months' expenditure. The trustees acknowledge the level of reserves is slightly under the Reserve Policy target of 3 to 6 months of operational costs. The trustees are committed to achieving the targeted level and continue to monitor the level of unrestricted reserves.
The trustees consider that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operation for at least twelve months following the signing of these financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Support costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the company and include project management carried out at Headquarters. Governance costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the company and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.
Charitable activities and Governance costs are costs incurred on the company's operations, including support costs and costs relating to the governance of the company apportioned to charitable activities.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
The annual depreciation charge on fixed assets depends primarily on the estimated lives of each type of asset and estimates of residual values. The directors regularly review these asset lives and change them as necessary to reflect current thinking on remaining lives in light of prospective economic utilisation and physical condition of the assets concerned. Changes in asset lives can have a significant impact on depreciation and amortisation charges for the period. Detail of useful lives is included in the accounting policies.
Short term debtors are measured at transaction price, less any impairment. Impairment of such debtors involves some estimation uncertainty.
Grants
Outreach and Cross Community Youth Work
Income from charitable activities in the current and prior year are from unrestricted funds.
Programme costs
Resources materials
Equipment and software
Transportation
Accommodation costs
Tutor/facilitator costs
Partner agency expense
Training/qualifications costs
Research and development of projects
General overheads
Meeting refreshments
Fees and subscriptions
Sundry expenses
Depreciation
Fundraising and newsletter
Other expenses
Insurance
External evaluation
Trustee's expenses
Legal and professional fees
Accountant fees
Governance costs includes payments to the auditors of £4,080 (2022 - £3,708) for audit fees.
During the year, one trustee received reimbursement of travel expenses of £nil (2022 - £11).
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
Remuneration payable to key management personnel in the year was £120,712 (2022 - £108,064).
During the year, one employee left under redundancy terms and received a compensation payment of £1,640.
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxationof Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:
The deferred income arises in respect of income being received in the year which relates to a future accounting period and in respect of income received in the year where conditions for recognition have not yet been satisfied. The income will be released to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which it relates.
See note 19 and 20 for explanatory notes to the funds.
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
The unrestricted net current assets of the charity at 31 March 2023 total £143,571 (2022 - £213,933). This figure represents the charity's free reserves.
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund. The pension cost charge represents the contributions payable by the charity to the fund and amounted to £16,345 (2022 - £18,012).
A portion of grants received may become repayable if the company fails to comply with the terms of letter
of offer.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2022 - none).
Unrestricted Funds
General Funds
This fund includes all core funding that the charity receives and is expendable at the discretion of the directors for the general purposes of the charity.
Restricted Funds
Restricted funds comprise of the Building Fund of £634,576 (2022 - £655,028) and remaining restricted fund balances held for a specific purpose of £22,058 (2022 - £63,912). Details of the restricted funds are as noted below.
Building Fund - The building fund was accumulated to finance the construction of the charity's youth facility. The balance on the fund represents the net book value of the building and fixtures and fittings held as fixed assets on the balance sheet.
Ardbarron Trust - To fund Youth Ministry workers, general management and core costs.
Armagh, Banbridge, Craigavon City Council - To support Banbridge Good Relations
BBC CIN NUTS Project - To fund the salary and programme costs of NUTS West Belfast.
Belfast City Council - To fund community activities for the Queen's Jubilee.
BBC Children in Need/McDonalds - To develop and grow community relationships.
BCC WB Community Support - To fund community support in West Area
BCC Crosslinks residential - To fund Crosslinks residential.
Charis Community - To fund faith development project costs.
Colin Neighbourhood Partnership- To fund volunteer and cross community support costs.
Colin Neighbourhood Partnership Urban Villages/Youth Justice Agency- To fund the Outreach/Detached work in West Belfast.
Community Relations Council (CRC) Core - To fund the salary of the Good Relations Development Officer.
CRC Outbound- To fund volunteer costs.
Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade - Reconciliation Fund (ROI) - To fund Cross Community Programme costs.
Department for Communities - CED - To fund Project Support Worker salary.
Department for Communities - Job Start - To fund salaries for JobStart employees.
Education Authority Regional Strategic Grant - To part fund the salaries of Management team, as well as key staff members.
Education Authority local support grants - To fund local Branch Programme costs.
Education Authority Planned Intervention - To fund summer intervention in West Area.
Education Authority Strand Road - To fund Strand Road (East Area) activities and salaries.
Education Authority Ballymacarrett - To fund Ballymacarrett (East Area) activities and salaries.
Education Authority TBUC 11-14s - To fund Summer programme costs.
Education Authority TBUC 15-18s - To fund Summer programme costs.
Education Authority TBUC Volunteers - To fund Summer costs of the Volunteer Programme.
Education Authority - Small Grants - To fund Young men's project in Downpatrick.
Garfield Weston - To fund core costs.
House of Vic-Ryn - To fund staff salaries.
Include Youth (Strive) - To fund the Strive project costs and salary costs.
Koch Foundation - To fund faith development project costs.
Newry Mourne & Down/PCSP - To provide early intervention and diversionary activities in Downpatrick.
National Lottery - To cover 13-18s youthwork in East and West Areas.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - To fund core costs for CEO and replication of hubs.
Rank Foundation - To fund the salary for Media internship
The Executive Office Central Good Relations Fund Crosslinks - To fund Crosslinks programme and salary costs.
The Executive Office Central Good Relations Fund Artbridge - To fund Foyle Artbridge programme and salary costs.
TBF Thompson - To fund Banbridge staff salaries.
Tudor Trust - To fund mentoring and support for Youth Volunteer Leaders.
Ulster Garden Villages - To fund Outreach work in Banbridge.
Urban Villages - To fund the Outreach/Detached work in West Belfast
Victoria Homes - To fund programme costs in Downpatrick.
Youth Link Transform - To fund the SEUPB Peace IV Transform project.
Transfers
During the year, there were transfers of £19,917 from restricted funds to unrestricted funds. This relates to income that was misallocated to restricted funds in a previous year.
The charity had no debt during the year.