Over 150 young people from 14 football clubs across greater Belfast came together for the fifth annual Play & Unite summer camp, supported by Clanmil Housing and six other housing associations.
Clanmil, alongside Apex, Ark, Choice, Radius, Woven and NB Housing, supported the Play & Unite camp, which was delivered by the Sport Changes Life Foundation.
The five-day programme took place at Clarendon Sports Complex in North Belfast, before concluding with a celebration event at the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park.
Designed for children aged 8 to 10, the camp used football as a vehicle to promote positive community relations, bringing together young people from different backgrounds to build friendships, develop new skills and learn important life lessons both on and off the pitch.
Participating clubs included Celtic Boys, Knockbreda, Albert Foundry, St Malachys, Doyle, Bloomfield, Albion Star, Carryduff Colts, Woodvale, Ridgeway Rovers, Kelvin Youth, Linfield, Willowbank and Berlin Swifts.
Alongside football coaching and games, participants took part in a range of interactive workshops focused on personal development, good relations, healthy relationships, mental health, community safety and player welfare. Sessions were delivered by Sport Changes Life Foundation and partner organisations including the Irish FA, Women's Aid, Tackling Awareness of Mental Health Issues (TAMHI), the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Professional Footballers' Association of Northern Ireland (PFANI).
The Play & Unite project is supported by the Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's Housing for All Shared Housing Programme.
Speaking on behalf of all the housing associations, Lauren Hamidi Craig, Community Investment Officer at Clanmil, said: "Our goal is to create homes where people can live well, and that includes encouraging those living in and around our shared neighbourhoods to take part in inclusive, community-building projects like Play & Unite. As we celebrate the camp's fifth anniversary, it's fantastic to see so many young people coming together through sport to build friendships, develop confidence and promote respect and understanding. We're proud to support an initiative that is helping create stronger, more connected communities."
Participant Finn, aged 10, Celtic Boys FC said: "I loved coming to Play & Unite because it was really fun every day. We got to play loads of football, but the best part was meeting loads of new people from different clubs. I made new friends that I probably wouldn't have met without the camp."