Longford Community Resources Limited

Youth Service

County Longford Youth Service (CLYS) was established in 1997 with support from Longford Community Resources Limited (LCRL). In 2005 funding was secured by LCRL and professional youth workers were hired, which permitted the expansion of the services being offered to young people of County Longford. The Youth Service currently offers valuable services to the Young People living in County Longford and has a specific focus on disadvantaged and marginalised young people works to integrate young people from different backgrounds and ethnic origin into local activity.

Meet the Staff

Sarajane McNaboe -Co-ordinator                            Mark Noble - Youth Worker

Micheal Wall - Youth Worker                                   Kate Swain Nolan - Youth Worker

Main Objective

The main objective of the Youth Service is to promote and support the physical, social, educational and personal development of young people in County Longford, which is to be achieved through the following:

• To promote and support the development of services and supports for young people by working in partnership with other bodies who share these objectives;
• To recruit and support volunteers to work in clubs and groups with young people in the county;
• To carry out research as to the needs of young people;
• To promote and raise awareness locally of the issues affecting young people;
• To engage with and respond to national policy initiatives;
• To support young people to respond to policy and other issues which affect their lives;
• To promote and support the development of special services for young people;
• To procure resources to sustain and further develop the Youth Service in County Longford.

Services Provided

• Direct Work with Youth Groups – CLYS continues to run youth groups throughout the county on a weekly basis. There are currently youth groups running in Granard, Edgeworthstown, Longford Town and Lanesboro. CLYS also work to support other agencies that are involved with young people, eg Lus Na Griene in Granard.
• Direct work with schools – CLYS have developed and deliver programmes in schools around issues that affect young people. CLYS have had great success with the Peer Mentoring Programme, which is used in secondary schools throughout the county. The Bullying Awareness Programme has also been delivered in a number of both primary and secondary schools. Thematic programmes are also delivered, notably Halloween Safety.
• Organization of Youth Summer Camps – affordable Summer Camps that are run throughout the county during the summer months for young people aged 10 and over. In the past, summer camps have included Dance & Hip Hop, Dj-ing, sporting activities, Drumming, Drama, Mural Painting, Arts & Crafts.
• One to One Mentoring of young people – a confidential service for young people requiring support. This is delivered by CLYS staff in comfortable, private surroundings.
• Support and Information – e.g. organizing youth activities, legal, health and safety regulations, insurance, presentations to community groups etc. Information regarding issues affecting young people is also available.
• Programme Development – examples of programmes devised and provided are: Arts, Crafts, Drama, Personal Development, Dj-ing Workshops, Sport for Health, Sexual Health, Copping on Programme and IT Workshops.
• Volunteer Training – CLYS have developed a training programme for those who are interested in volunteering with young people. The training is run by CLYS and covers guidelines, policies and procedures for supervising young people.
• Referrals – work with young people referred from other state agencies (Garda, HSE, and Probation & Social Welfare Services).

Youth Projects

Projects will be run both short-term and long-term and will encourage young people to participate in a range of educational, social and recreational activities. They will provide outreach supports to community and youth groups in rural areas. It will help the groups to develop, design and deliver structured training programmes, train voluntary leaders and recruit volunteers to support the establishment of youth services in their areas. Each project will be aimed at providing support and encouragement to young people, i.e. encouraging education, raising self-esteem and confidence building, and ultimately to develop the whole person. It is hoped the young people will witness the benefit of team work through self and community development.

External Links

www.teenspace.ie - Teenspace provides information on events, activities and recreation services for young people from 10 to 18.

www.spunout.ie - an independent, youth powered national charity working to empower young people to create personal and social change.

Contact Information

For more information please contact County Longford Youth Service at 043-3340907 and ask for the Youth Service Co-ordinator or email at longfordyouthservice@gmail.com. The service operates from 6 Earl Street, Longford.