Localise is a seven session youth and community action programme. It seeks to encourage and develop youth participation and leadership in community action. The programme is targeted at the 16+ age group and a group of between 6 - 16 participants is ideal for most activities. It is particularly appropriate where young people are opting out of education and / or existing youth & community provision. 

The aim of Localise is to enable young people to plan, act and review together in order to develop themselves, each other, and to encourage greater participation in their local community. 

Localise it is generally run over a 10-week period and it acts as a catalyst to further community action. Before the seven sessions with the young people there are four preparatory 'Steps' to be taken:

Step 1. Firstly an adult leadership team is formed. So the person who is the initial contact from community or school or parish will gather together a number of adults who have shown interest in supporting the programme. Although this is probably the most difficult part of starting a Localise programme, the fact that Localise has a definite commitment time and the Localise pack has all the preparation work done, makes it a much more attractive prospect to potential adult leaders.

Step 2. Over two evening sessions the adult leaders, with the help of a Localise worker from the Peace Corps Resource Centre, will explore the Localise pack and prepare for the programmes opening sessions. The pack is straight forward and user friendly.

Step 3. The recruitment of the young people is usually directly linked with the local schools. We make contact with the local school principals with a view to speaking to either 1st year or 2nd year students. We then give a brief but informative input to the relevant classes and we re-enforce this with the handing out of a Localise flyer. Simple but effective. We then return to the schools the day before the programme is due to start with the very essential reminder leaflet.

Step 4. The final logistics meeting. The localise worker and the adult leadership team meet to ensure that everybody is clear about their roles and responsibilities, and that we are thoroughly prepared for our Localise Opening night.

Outline of the seven sessions with the young people - as they are detailed in the Localise pack - which is supplied by the Peace Corps Resource Centre.

Session 1: Introduction (Setting the scene) 
The group gets to know each other and begins to look at what Localise has to offer.

Session 2: Your Community
The group begins to look constructively at their community and identify areas of need.

Session 3: What we gonna do
The group develops possible community and social activities, which they then organise and plan.

Session 4. Take action
As a result of the work in the previous sessions the group carries out their planned community work. At a later stage the group will also participate in their planned social activity. 

Session 5. What happened? 
A safety net session that allows the group to review their community work and to carry it out again if necessary.

Session 6. Evaluation 
A complete review of the entire programme to date.

Session 7. Planning for more
This is the final session of the Localise programme. It allows the group to consider future options. It allows the group to plan for their graduation ceremony, which involves themselves and their parents.