Overview

Title: Procurement of Professional Technology Trainer and Freelance Facilitator
Issue Date: 30th October 2025
Closing Date for Submissions: 19th November 2025 at 12pm 
Contract Period: 1st December 2025 – 31st December 2026 

Budget: To be proposed by bidder, inclusive of all costs. Value for money will be a key consideration.
Contact for Queries: stephen.mccrudden@youngsocialinnovators.ie
Submission Instructions: see enclosed for instructions.

Background and Rationale

About Young Social Innovators (YSI)

Young Social Innovators (YSI) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering young people to use their creativity, energy, and ideas to tackle real-world social challenges. Since its establishment in 2001, YSI has engaged over 187,000 young people across Ireland in youth-led innovation projects that promote social justice, inclusion, and sustainability.

YSI’s award-winning programmes build essential skills in critical thinking, collaboration, innovation, and leadership, enabling young people to become confident, active citizens. Working with schools, youth groups, and community organisations, YSI supports young people to design and implement projects that drive meaningful change — addressing issues from mental health and climate action to digital inclusion and community development.

The Ignite Community (IC) Programme, under which this procurement sits, is a cross-community initiative designed to build digital skills and social connections across Northern Ireland (NI) and the Border Regions of Ireland (BRI). The programme promotes inclusive innovation, encouraging young people from diverse backgrounds to collaborate through technology and creative problem-solving.

The IC programme is funded by the SEUPB under the current PEACEPLUS funds and is a partnership with Donegal Youth Services, Kippie, Arts Care and HAPANI. YSI is the lead partner and responsible for the overall programme and financial management of the programme. 

Purpose of This Procurement

YSI is seeking to engage an experienced professional technology trainer/freelancer to deliver the Code Club component of the Ignite Community Programme.

The successful contractor will:

1. Deliver training for adult Guides and youth Mini Guides.
2. Support the establishment and sustainability of 12 innovative mobile Code Clubs or Tech Hubs designed to enable Ignite Community partners to make the programme accessible to all young people, regardless of geography, background, or ability.
3. These hubs will act as flexible, creative spaces for learning and innovation, capable of reaching diverse communities through mobile or locally adaptable formats. This approach aligns directly with YSI’s core strategic objective of building a world-class social innovation experience that is accessible to every young person and of using technology as an enabler to strengthen human connection, collaboration, and empowerment.
4. Facilitate 4 Hackathons to build creativity, confidence, and community innovation.
5. Propose a solution for the equipment supply of Code Club Kits sufficient to support 12 Code Clubs (i.e. approximately 6 kits).

Through this contract, YSI aims to expand the Ignite Community’s capacity to embed digital and social innovation learning within community networks, bridging access gaps and ensuring all young people — including those from rural, marginalised, or underrepresented communities — can participate fully.

Objectives

The purpose of this assignment is to strengthen the capacity of communities and young people to use technology as a driver of social innovation, peace building, and inclusion.

Key Objectives:
1. Establish and operationalise 12 sustainable Code Clubs.
2. Train and mentor up to 80 adult Guides and 60 Mini Guides.
3. Deliver 4 youth Hackathons promoting innovation and social impact.
4. Propose a solution for the equipment supply of Code Club Kits sufficient to support 12 Code Clubs (i.e. approximately 6 kits). The proposal should include:

• Recommended hardware and devices suitable for coding activities, including suggested quantities per kit.
• Peripherals and accessories necessary for effective club delivery (e.g. keyboards, mice, power supplies, storage media).
• Learning resources and software to support beginner to intermediate coding activities.
• Connectivity and networking solutions to enable collaborative learning.
• Storage and mobility solutions to allow safe transport and secure storage of the kits.
• Support and warranty options, including set-up assistance and technical support.

5. Produce comprehensive training materials and documentation. It is anticipated that the successful contractor will work closely with current YSI staff on development of training materials aligning to other YSI technology offerings.
6. Promote cross-community collaboration, equality, and empowerment.