Minister's seal of approval for north Lurgan film project

Michal Martin, who is Dublin’s Foreign Affairs Minister, payed a visit to North Lurgan Community Centre on Monday.

The Minister was introduced to teenagers and youth workers who produced a film called ‘Wasted’ earlier this year.

The film was the result of four months work and was shown on the silver screen at Belfast's Odeon Cinema.

'Wasted' details the stresses of life for young people living in north Lurgan from the point of view of a local teenager.

The project was carried out by the North Lurgan Young Leadership Project.

Mr Martin said it was a “privilege” to come to meet the people involved.

He said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to see at first hand some of the excellent work taking place in Lurgan to promote reconciliation and to build sustainable community relations.

“It’s a great privilage to come up here from Cork and I would like to pay tribute to the young people involved in this film. This project is your work and nobody can take that away from you. It’s a message to young people that there are so many possibilities out there."

Mr Martin also visited the Jethro Centre before travelling to Belfast.

The Minister added: “We continually seek to devise new ways to encourage young people to get involved with their communities. There are many housing estates in Ireland with major problems, but I have witnessed some wonderful achievements, such as this one. You are a credit to your community and you have a lot to offer the wider society.”

The 20 minute film was produced by Cinemagic and Cooperation Ireland and none of the young people involved had any previous drama or production experience.

Erin Duffy, the project’s co-ordinator, said she was delighted with Mr Martin’s visit.

She said: “It’s great for the young people here to receive recognition for their achievements. The hard work paid off and I can see huge changes with all the young people involved. They are a lot more confident and I’m sure they will all go far in life."