Continuing Mary Ann’s legacy, the Mary Ann McCracken Foundation, in partnership with Belfast Charitable Society and The James Kane Foundation, have created a bursary programme for post primary schools in North Belfast. The bursaries are targeted at 16+ year olds who face financial barriers which may prevent them from continuing to AS / A-Level, further or higher education, employment or apprenticeship. The bursaries are administered by each of the twelve post primary schools in the North Belfast area.
Norma Sinte, Chair of the Mary Ann McCracken Foundation, explained “We often ask ourselves ‘what would Mary Ann do today’? Living to the ripe old age of 96 she was a fierce proponent of the poor of Belfast, fighting to ensure they had access to opportunities in education, training and apprenticeships. We believe these new bursaries, which will support young people to stay in school or progress into the right jobs, are exactly the kind of initiative Mary Ann McCracken would have supported if she were alive today.”
The schools receiving the bursaries will have the flexibility to use the funds in a number of ways to support those pupils who need it most, or would be disadvantaged due to financial barriers.
