RISE, our Ballina 2023 Legacy Programme aims to upskill, empower and build capacity within the community, creating a strong legacy that will keep delivering long after 2023 has passed.

Ballina 2023 Youth Programme
A year-long partnership project, offering young people aged 17-24 an opportunity to gain experience and training in a participant-led programme to include events, music programming, radio and digital broadcast media, sports training, the arts, community leadership, health, social media, community development and youth voice. Participants may also avail of mentoring.

Community Sports Programme
A year-long community-based sports programme with partners the Celtic FC Foundation and their partners Sport and Social Change Network Ireland and Ballina Town FC including free community football sessions, coaching and education in schools, league competitions, summer camps and tournaments and celebratory events with special guests.

Volunteer Programme
Ballina 2023 has partnered with Mayo Volunteer Centre and Telus International to build our volunteer team for the year, with opportunities in areas like event planning, marketing, PR & social media, fundraising, customer service and stewarding, with comprehensive training provided by Stuart Garland of Volunteer Ireland that will benefit the community into the future.

Blue Bus Broadcaster
A partnership with Ballina Community Radio BCRFM, bringing an offsite broadcaster to the people and places of Ballina and the surrounding regions throughout 2023. Ballina 2023 will broadcast weekly on BCRFM and online and will also be used to record a Ballina 2023 podcast series, featuring interesting people with links to Ballina.

Communities Creating Change
Ballina 2023, The Mary Robinson Centre, Mayo County Council and the University of Galway, will hold a week-long international sustainability assembly in July 2023, supported by a broad group of national and regional stakeholders and focusing on the themes of sustainable development and enabling grassroots community climate action.

This Giant Tent
This Giant Tent will build on a very special project developed in Ballina from 2018-19 by children from Involve Youth Project and Scoil Íosa, celebrating culture and identity. For 2023, the project will be developed into a public multicultural event rooted in community and celebration of Traveller culture in Ballina and of the myriad of cultures and communities that call Ballina home.