Bronagh Austin - Office Manager

I am the Office Manager for Public Achievement, and my role is to managing the administration of the organisation and to help Public Achievement to grow and prosper. I'm also the person most likely to answer the phone when you call the office. My background is in the community arts sector, and I was attracted to Public Achievement because of its creative way of working with young people and helping them turn their ideas into reality.

Helen Kalland International Volunteer

I am Helen, the EVS volunteer from Norway. I am doing a degree in Development Studies at the University of Bergen but decided to take a year off to volunteer with Public Achievement. My background is mainly working with young refugees. I immediately liked the way PA is working with young people and hope to learn a lot from youth in Northern Ireland about how they experience life and what we all can do to make our community a better place to live in. I will also work quite a bit with WIMPS which I am really excited about.

Mandy McClenaghan - Volunteer Communications Officer

I used to be a funder of the WIMPS project, and I got so invovled, that I've decided to volunteer to help get the project and the organisation the exposure it so richly deserves! I am helping with events to promote the work, with a communications strategy, and working with Bronagh and Paul on fundraising. Please drop me a line with your ideas and suggestions - I'd love to hear from you!

Sean Pettis - Training Officer

My background is in Community Relations work, mainly with young people. I am also interested in wider citizenship programmes that fully engage young people to create the change they want to see, and in youth volunteering both locally and internationally. I am a keen, but highly amateur, musician and footballer. I also support the greatest team in the history of the world, Liverpool F.C. I am responsible for Training within Public Achievement, in particular with the Volunteer Coaches, so sign up now!!!!

Ben Preston - WIMPS Co-ordinator

I was part of the original group of 10 young people who conceived and established the first website, back in 2004 - so you can imagine how delighted I am to become the Co-ordinator of the project as it enters another exciting stage. I was President of the Student's Union in Queens University for two years - which taught me a lot about politics. If you have ideas for the WIMPS site, I would love to hear from you.

Kamal Salem - Media Co-ordinator, WIMPS

I am originally from Egypt. I have worked in the media for the past 30 years, including for the BBC and Ulster Television in addition to sattelite channels in Northern Ireland and around the world. I have been working with Public Achievement for the past 4 years in both a voluntary and paid capacity. I am now part of the WIMPS team, working to help groups create their video and audio products for the new website. I am excited about the ways in which young people can use new media to get their voices heard.

Paul Smyth - Director

I have been working as part of the Public Achievement staff since January 2003, and was involved before that in the setting up of the organisation following a study tour to the USA in 1998. I worked previously with the Youth Council for Northern Ireland, the University of Ulster and the Peace People. My background is in community relations work as a practitioner, policy maker and action researcher. I am very excited about the range of Public Achievement's projects and their potential impact on young people, their communities and their schools, youth centres and museums. I am a creative person, and particularly enjoy seeing how Public Achievement helps people to come up with imaginative solutions to issues they face.

Laura McFall - Action Research Officer

As Action Research Officer my role is project management of the Youth Work in Contested Spaces and Away from Violence projects. I previously worked with Public Achievement in 2005 in schools and as Training Officer. I am greatly enjoying this new role with all the challenges and new opportunities it brings. It is very inspiring to work with this organisation and learn form young people as they come up with ideas to develop their communities. I'm excited about new projects starting up - Away from Violence in particular - and look forward to getting stuck in. In my spare time I enjoy body boarding, hawaiian dancing and drinking too much tea. So if you fancy a cup of tea come round to the office and I tell you all about how you can volunteer with us.

Mustafa Uluk - EVS Volunteer

I have worked as a volunteer for about 4 years in Turkey, mostly with the disadvantaged young people and now I have started to work as a volunteer through the European Voluntary Scheme (EVS) for Public Achievement. What has brought me here is the work and achievements that Public Achievement have done to improve the society by helping young people have their say. I believe with young people we will build more equal communities. By the way, I like football but can’t play well; like animals but afraid to touch them; and can’t ride bicycle. Although, it is said that I dance well.