June backup Youth Work Scene Redesign...Scene Magazine Issue 75, June 2013 5 MUI is a safe, friendly environment for anyone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and of secondary

YOUNG PEOPLE AND SOCIAL INCLUSION ISSUE

Issue 75, June 2013ISBN: 0791-6302

Irish Youth Work Centre’s

SCENEMagazine

New Research - The My World Survey

Resources

Practitioner’s Articles and Views

Policy Brief

Scene Magazine Issue 75, June 20132

Issue 75, June 2013Social Inclusion Edition

Contents:

3 Editorial Dr. Patrick J. Burke

3 Introduction to Social InclusionMatthew Seebach

5 My Unique Individuality (MUI)Leanne Sweeney, Carlow Regional Youth Service

6 Creating a Space: A youth service’s journeyto social inclusionSinead Allen, Youth Work Ireland Galway

8 “Young people joining in with the world” Martin McMullan and Gerard Hughes, YANI

12 Snapshot of Practice: Involve Youth ProjectKay McCabe

13 Snapshots of Practice: ACTivate Group Miriam Segondate

14 Resources NQSF Route MapSam O’Brien Olinger

16 Addressing Interculturalism in NEETS Tom Kent and TJ Hourihan, YMCA Cork

18 Young People and Social Inclusion - Whereto begin? Susan Menton, St. Andrews Resource Centre

21 A Volunteer’s Perspective of the NQSVLYGNoel Watson, St Andrews Resource Centre

22 Tithe na nÓg: Supporting young people to secure and establish sustainable accommodation.Delia Clarke, Galway Diocesan Youth Service

24 Policy BriefMichael McLoughlin, Youth Work Ireland

25 My World Survey: The Youth Mental HealthScene in IrelandDr. Barbara Dooley and Dr. Amanda Fitzgerald

26 IYWC Library Resources

Production Editors:Matthew Seebach and Gina Halpin

Contributors

Sinead Allen, Dr. Patrick Burke, Delia Clarke, Dr. Barbara Dooley, Dr. AmandaFitzgerald, T.J. Hourihan, Gerard Hughes, Tom Kent, Kay McCabe, Michael McLoughlin, Martin McMullan, Sam O’Brien Olinger, Matthew Seebach, Susan Menton, Miriam Segondate, Leanne Sweeney and Noel Watson

Layout

Gina Halpin

Printing

IFP Media www.ifpmedia.com

DisclaimerIt is open to all our readers to exchange information or to put forward points of view. Send in news, comments, letters or articles to the editors. Views expressed in this magazine are the contributors own and do not reflect those of the Irish Youth Work Centre or Youth Work Ireland.

ContactIrish Youth Work CentreYouth Work Ireland20 Lower Dominick StreetDublin 1Tel: 01-8584512

Email: [email protected] [email protected]: www.iywc.ie

Cover Image

Youth Work Ireland Galway

A wordfrom the

CEOGreeting all and welcometo the second edition ofthe Irish Youth WorkCentre’s Scene Magazine, for 2013, on the theme of social inclusion.

Just last weekend I attended a meeting inBrussels of the European Confederation of YouthClubs (ECYC). Youth Work Ireland has been theIrish member of this European wide network ofyouth organisations for many years. At themeeting we had the opportunity of having adiscussion with Mr. Pascal Lejeune, Head of theYouth Unit at the European Commission. At thismeeting there was a general consensus that thecurrent Irish Presidency of the Council ofMinisters for Youth is a particular success.Frances Fitzgerald TD, Minister for Children andYouth Affairs chaired the meeting of the Councilon May 16th at which agreement was reachedon two new EU policy positions including a set ofconcrete measures aimed at raising the profile ofquality youth work at European level andmainstreaming youth policy into broader EUpolicy initiatives on education, employment andtraining. The Minister stated "there is growingrecognition across Europe of the potential ofyouth work services to contribute to measures toenhance employability for young people.”

Social inclusion of course is not a static conceptbut rather a dynamic reality which we constantlyhave to analyse, understand and interrogate.We in the youth sector must continue toinnovate and develop new and creativemeasures to ensure that the young people withwhom we work can find ways to exit the oftendevastating effects of social exclusion on thempersonally and on their families andcommunities. Youth workers, paid or unpaidhave traditionally in Ireland played a leadershiprole in this process. In these challenging times itis essential that we continue to do this and todemonstrate to others the positive outcomesand impacts of our interventions.

Dr. Patrick J. Burke, Chief Executive, Youth Work Ireland

Scene Magazine Issue 75, June 2013 3

Introduction to thisEdition

By Matthew Seebach

In this edition of Scene Magazine youthwork practitioners describe their efforts tobring about social inclusion through theirpractice; but what is social inclusion?Social inclusion has many aspects, so articulating it isn’teasy. As contributor Susan Menton points out in herarticle, for practitioners the meaning of social inclusionis often influenced by the context in which we work andthe challenges and opportunities faced by the particularyoung people we work with. We tend to think of onlyone or two aspects of social inclusion at any given time.

In this edition of Scene magazine you can read youthwork practitioners’ perspectives on youth work andsocial inclusion. The articles provide a mosaic; each oneprovides a different aspect of social inclusion. Viewedtogether these practitioners seem to be suggesting thatsocial inclusion in youth work is about young peoplebeing allowed or enabled to take part in both youthwork and society. Importantly, taking part involvesyoung people meaningfully participating in decisionsthat affect them.

Some of these articles are about how practitionerswork to enable specific groups of young people tobecome involved in youth work and in society. Amongstthe several projects with different groups of youngpeople you can read of the work of the CDYS YouthWork Ireland’s project for children with an AutisticSpectrum Disorder and the Carlow Regional YouthService’s project to support young LGBT people. Thesestories detail the challenges and successes of this workand provide signposts to those of us who plan similarwork.

Other contributors look at how to change ourorganisations, our programmes and society to becomemore inclusive of all young people. Youth Work IrelandGalway provides details and learning from theirexperience of proofing their organisation to enable allyoung people to become involved. While the YMCACork STEP Programme assists young people to becomeincluded in the workforce through providing skills andpreparation, but also challenges racism and prejudice insociety through an intercultural element to thisprogramme.

The barriers to young people’s participation inmeaningful decision making are described in twoarticles, firstly Martin Mc Mullan Gerald Hughesfrom YouthAction Northern Ireland describesattempts to involve young people meaningfully inpolicy development in the North, while SusanMenton in St Andrews Resource Centre describeswork to ensure that every level of her organisationprovides opportunities to involve young people.

Taken together, these contributions providevaluable insights into the challenges encounteredand the successful strategies that we can all adoptin our work to involve and include all youngpeople and ensure their participation in decisionsthat affect them in our services and in society.

As Sinead Allen of Youth Work Ireland Galwaysays, “youth work is ideally placed to promotesocial inclusion; it opens doors for young peopleand facilitates young people to challengethemselves and society.” At the core of theseefforts is the youth work relationship.

Through developing trust with a young personyouth workers enable a young people tounderstand the situation in which they findthemselves and find their way into a fuller

involvement in society. For those young peoplewho are experiencing challenges in their lives, ayouth worker may be the only person who can dothis, as Delia Clarke’s story of the youthhomelessness story reminds us.

We all know the value of the youth workrelationship. Very importantly, the My WorldSurvey empirically demonstrates the value ofhaving “one good adult” in the lives of youngpeople. The research review provided in thisedition of Scene Magazine helps to prove thevalue of youth work in that it provides researchbased evidence of the value of the youth/adultrelationship and can quantify this value in terms ofthe significant impact these relationships have onmental health for young people.

This research is particularly useful for youthworkers in demonstrating the impact of our workin young peoples’ lives. With the publication ofthe My World Survey we can now point toevidence of what we have always known ‐ thatbecause the relationship is at the core of what wedo, all of our work, whether in social inclusion orotherwise, has an immense value to young peopleand society.

As the Irish Presidency comes to aclose, BeLonG To is holding aconference to address this themein relation to lesbian, gay, bisexualand transgender (LGBT) youngpeople.

BeLonG To Youth Services is thenational organisation for LGBTyoung people in Ireland. Theconference is being organised withthe support of the Department ofChildren and Youth Affairs and incollaboration with InternationalLesbian & Gay Association (ILGA‐Europe), the International LGBTQYouth & Student Organisation(IGLYO), the National Youth Councilof Ireland (NYCI) and the EuropeanYouth Forum (YFJ). The conference

will take place on 16‐17 June 2013.

The LGBT Youth & Social InclusionConference aims to contribute tothe Structured Dialogue Processamong European youthorganisations by focusing onactions to promote the inclusion ofLGBT young people – a significantlylarge group of young people whowere identified in the process to be“in the top of the most vulnerablegroups to social exclusion” inEurope.

This associated EU Irish Presidencyevent will bring together examplesof good practice on equality andinclusion work with LGBT youthand create a forum for discussingkey challenges and further

solutions. The four main topicsthat will be addressed, as adaptedfrom the seven thematic areas ofthe Structured Dialogue Process,are employment, education,participation and rights, and youthwork quality and access.

While the June 17th conference isby invitation only; BeLonG To isalso holding a related public eventon the evening of 16 June. Thiswill include a discussion withinternational activists on LGBTyouth issues and a reception.Please contact BeLonG To for moreinformation: 01 670 6223 [email protected],www.belongto.org

Invitation to LGBT Youth & Social Inclusion Conference



MUI is a safe, friendly environment for anyone who islesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and ofsecondary school age to meet up, make new friendstake part in fun activities and share ideas everysecond Wednesday from 6‐8 pm.

MUI provides a safe, positive and fun environment forLGBT youth, empowering them to develop their ownsocial and personal abilities. There is a strongemphasis on confidence building, communityinvolvement and peer support. The group is open toany young people of secondary school age.

Young people in the group say that it is open andwelcoming of their identities, whoever they may be.Participants are enthusiastic that:

“You can be yourself ‐ I don’t have to hide who Iam anymore, people understand me here”.

Since the establishment of MUI the group has covereda wide range of activities, such as: team building,youth leadership training with BeLonG To, creating aFacebook page, making a rainbow for the St. Patrick’sDay parade and learning about issues such as mentalhealth. Future plans for the group include an 'LGBT'friendly sticker for local businesses and schools inCarlow County and to plan, implement and evaluate asouth‐east regional youth‐led LGBT residential toembrace being LGBT in local communities.

Programme DeliveryMUI follows best practice from BeLonG To andtheir role in the development of the group isimportant to acknowledge. These valuableguidelines have fit well within the overarchingpolicy and standards of programme deliveryemployed within Carlow Regional Youth Service(CRYS). Our standards strongly promote a youth ledethos that can easily be seen in MUI. Theparticipants work in a committee‐style format witheach participant having an opportunity to chair/steer the group, take minutes and put theirleadership skills to use.

Challenges and LearningAs programmes in CRYS are generally diverse andaccessible to a range of young people, a numberof LGBT young people were already engaged in theservice before we initiated MUI. When LGBT youngpeople expressed the need for further supports,we began working to develop MUI. In doing so, welearned that confirming the need for an LGBTgroup to be established is vital, as there is littlepoint in providing something that might not be

required just yet. We also learned the value ofperseverance; MUI is quite a specialised group andsuch groups can be slow to take off at the beginning.

However, the biggest challenge that we have faced ispromoting the group. There is understandably a lot ofconcern around confidentiality and safety for newmembers and conveying this is essential whenpromoting MUI to LGBT young people who may beinterested. The group have discussed at length theimportance of confidentiality in recruitment and howto promote the group.

Members have set their own recruitment policy andagreed that if someone new requests to join thegroup the young person must first meet with a youthworker to ensure the person is age and stageappropriate for MUI. This emphasis on openness andsafety has worked well when promoting the group tonew members as not all members are 'out' or feel theneed for their sexual orientation or gender to bemade known among their peers. The group ispromoted to other LGBT young people throughschools, local media, a Facebook page and throughyouth projects at CRYS.

Featured Project

MUI: My Unique Individuality is CarlowRegional Youth Service’s LGBTteenage youth group running sinceSeptember 2011 and supported byBeLonG To Ireland and TheCommunity Foundation.

By Leanne Sweeney

Irish Youth Work Scene Issue 75, June 20136

“Civilization is the process in which onegradually increases the number ofpeople included in the term 'we' or 'us'and at the same time decreases thoselabelled 'you' or 'them' until thatcategory has no one left in it”. Howard Winters (1994) in HowardDalton Winters: In Memoriam.

At the Youth Work Ireland organised ECYC GeneralAssembly 2013 earlier this year, several youthservices presented on the contribution of qualityyouth work to social inclusion. This article provides asummary of Sinéad Allen’s presentation whichhighlighted how Youth Work Ireland Galwayapproaches inclusiveness. The full presentation andpresentation text can be found atwww.youthworkireland.ie/what‐we‐do/news

At Youth Work Ireland Galway (YWIG) it wasdecided to employ an evidence‐informed approachto addressing social inclusion in youth work. Thisincluded reflective practice, the logic model ofplanning and evaluation, the use of the NationalQuality Standards Framework and the NationalYouth Council of Ireland’s Access all Areas DiversityToolkit. This article mainly discusses the use of thisToolkit.

Who to Engage in Social Inclusion andProofing?The Toolkit assists us to realise how diverse youngpeople are and how all‐encompassing our efforts insocial inclusion must be. The Toolkit tells us that

“Young people have 'multiple identities' andshouldn’t be seen under one identity alone”. Irelandhas long been a diverse country in many ways andincludes people with physical and learningdisabilities, lone parents, members of the TravellingCommunity, young people identifying as lesbian,gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) to name but a few.Recently Ireland has experienced increased diversityof ethnicity and religious orientation with the IrishCensus 2006 indicating that almost 10% of youngpeople under 24 years were born outside of Ireland.

Access All Areas identifies young people at risk ofsocial exclusion as those from minority ethnicbackgrounds, LGBT, Irish Travellers, young peoplewith a physical disability, sight loss or deaf, youngpeople with a learning disability or mental healthissues, young people involved with the juvenilejustice system, young parents, young people witheducation, employment or training needs, earlyschool leavers, exclusion that comes from youngwomen and men not being treated equally, that isto say challenging gender stereotypes.

How to Engage in ProofingAccording to the Toolkit including all young peoplein youth work requires: “identifying, understandingand removing barriers that exist to participation andbelonging”. It focuses on allocating resources toachieve equality of outcome for all. The Toolkitidentifies the '5 P' model of inclusion; Participation,Policies and Procedures, Public Image, ProgrammePlanning and Delivery, Professional Developmentand encompassing these criteria is the question ofpractice.

Featured Article

Creating A Space: A Youth Service’sJourney to Social Inclusion by Sinead Allen

Irish Youth Work Scene Issue 75, June 2013 7

The 'How To' of proofing that has emerged fromYWIG’s experience of using the Toolkit includes:

• Allowing for mistakes and providing learning opportunities.

• Prioritising inclusion.

• Availability of information and training.

• Strategic and operational planning.

• Evaluation and communication.

• Exercises in experiential learning and empathy.

Some of our work in these above areas includes:

• Collaboration with Galway County VEC in a NYCI conducted diversity audit.

• Use of the 'logic model' of planning and evaluation to critically review practice.

• Strategic planning is used to set goals in relation to diversity and other areas.

• Reflective practice is a core training for staff.

• YWIG participates in the Youth Work National Quality Standards Framework (NQSF).

• The use of the 12 Steps to Good Practice for Intercultural Youth Work ‐ NYCI has been extremely helpful to YWIG in facilitating the process of inclusion proofing.

• YWIG is committed to being an inclusive youth service based on an integrated model of service provision that includes targeted and mainstream groups.

Cultivating empathy ‐ as Harper Lee points out inher novel To Kill a Mockingbird:

“You never really understand a personuntil you consider things from his point ofview, until you climb into his skin and walkaround in it”.

Learning at YWIGTo be effective in promoting social inclusion, it isvital that youth services operate a zero tolerancepolicy on bullying and exclusion and has clearpolicies, procedures, training, supervision andsupport for young people, staff and volunteers.Workers must be fair, consistent, non‐judgementaland accountable. Partnerships with dedicated grassroots organisations targeting specific groups such asyoung people with learning disabilities and minority

ethnic groups is important. YWIG’s projects receivereferrals from organisations such as the IrishWheelchair Association and the Brothers of CharityService, both of whom work closely with youngpeople who have physical and/or learningdisabilities.

A major challenge emerging from inclusion proofingour services was a reluctance of staff to uncoverinformation about young people’s identity, as itcould be seen to be intrusive. Discussions achievedrelative consensus amongst staff that the benefit ofsuch information outweighed the risk of intrusion.Furthermore, techniques for gaining information ina non‐threatening way such as a universalregistration sheet, proved popular with staff andacceptable to young people.

The tendency for young people to gravitate to'clique’s' where commonality exists is a continuouschallenge but, we have found with sensitivity andskill this too can be addressed; for example bymixing up groups and with team activities.

Inclusiveness has become integral to strategicplanning at YWIG. The starting point has been avision and aspiration to be open to all youngpeople. The agency had an equality policy and werebecoming increasingly aware of the need for anintercultural policy. With the help of the NationalYouth Council of Ireland a comprehensive 'Equality,Diversity and Intercultural Policy' was developed.The YWIG equality statement recognises and affirmsthe equal right of all people to participate fully inthe social, economic, political and cultural life oftheir community. Furthermore the organisation iscommitted, in policy, to promoting interculturalismthroughout the organisation, for programmeparticipants, staff, volunteers and members of theBoard and management.

Sinéad Allen is a Community Youth Workerwith Youth Work Ireland Galway in the

Westside Youth Project. She has worked withyoung people from diverse backgrounds innumerous settings in the U.S.A. and Ireland

including young people in care, young people inthe asylum seeking process, refugee

communities and the Travelling community.

Featured Article


This article emphasises a youthwork process which involvesyoung people in participatoryyouth work, civil society andpolicy influencing processeswithin Northern Ireland.

We understand social exclusion from a youth workperspective in which young people have veryoften been marginalised from not only policydecision making processes, but also decisionmaking within their own communities andeducative contexts. Often they are involved inpolicy consultations only as consultants orconsumers. For example, since the establishmentof the Northern Ireland Assembly a plethora ofconsultations have taken place, of which youngpeople have been core stakeholders. Too often,however, these consultations are repetitive anddisconnected to previous consultations in whichevidence has already been provided. In reality thisis simply re‐packaged evidence gathering underthe latest umbrella term or policy thematic area.Youth democracy should not be solely passive orreactive but active, proactive and provocative.

In writing this article we are challenging theaccusation that young people are apolitical orpolitically apathetic. Rather, we welcome the useof creative methodologies to aid the participationand meaningful engagement of young people. We

also recognise participation as a basic humanright, in which young people are supported tocontribute to, connect with and create a healthydemocracy. This notion of youth participationsurpasses the practice of involvement and takingpart, to a more aspirational idea and practice ofactive citizenship, where young people areconscious and concerned about social, economic,cultural and political issues. Young people are thusactive volunteers and 'ambassadors of intent.' Thishas often been referred to as 'politicalconsciousness' (conscientisation) in which youngpeople are supported to have political literacy andbe politically literate citizens.

Since 2009 Youth Action Northern Ireland hasenacted youth work approaches which connectyoung people to civil and political life, involveyoung people in meaningful dialogue and action,and maintain a relevance and significance to theyoung people engaged. One example of this is asuite of sixteen 'Let’s Talk' dialogue and actionevents between young people, politicians andpolicy makers. Here young people join in with theworld, more so than necessarily changing it. This'pricking of conscience' may be the catalyst forfurther commitments. This article focusesprimarily on a youth work framework in whichtwenty five young people aged 16‐25 years, acrossthree areas within Northern Ireland and theborder counties of the Republic of Ireland, are'ambassadors of peace' locally, regionally andpotentially wider.

“young people joining in with the world”

by Martin McMullan and Gerard Hughes YouthAction NI

Featured Article


Young people as Ambassadors ofPeace and Equality (YouthAction NI)The YouthAction N.I. 'Champions for Change'initiative operates across Newry, Armagh andLouth; South Tyrone and Monaghan; and Belfast.This project is funded by Community RelationsCouncil/POBAL and the Peace III SouthernPartnership through the European Union RegionalDevelopment Fund. One aspect of the Championsfor Change initiative is to support young people asambassadors of peace and equality, primarilythrough a peer research process.

The rationale for our project brings together theactive involvement of young people as activecontributors within civil society, with a particularemphasis on young people as peace ambassadorsacross and within communities. As peerresearchers the young people undergo researchtraining including: ethical considerations, researchmethods, sampling, data protection, and datapresentation. Throughout this process youngpeople have opportunities to test out and practicetheir skills in this area. A core part of their roleinvolves consultations and data collection withother young people. Once this data is reflected onand framed into meaningful themes with theyoung people, a purposeful approach isimplemented to use the data to lobby localcouncillors and Members of the LegislativeAssembly. The peer researchers have embarked oncreating a peace youth manifesto from whichcontinued lobbying and 'asks' will be presented.

The landscape of education provision in NorthernIreland is undergoing significant changes. One ofthese changes involves recommendations toadvance 'shared education' in Northern Ireland. Assuch, young people and youth organisations havecollaborated with others to undertake a series ofconsultations addressing this current policy focusof 'shared education'. Since November 2012, thepeer research approach has engaged over 110young people to gather their perspectives.Findings to date indicate that young peoplebelieve that there should be more opportunitiesfor different communities to interact. At the 'Let’sTalk Sharing' event in Armagh (March 2013) youngpeople identified the core priority to improvedrelations and sharing as: “Young people comingtogether from different backgrounds to work on aproject unrelated to peace education” with 27.5%opting for this. In May 2013 the young people willfurther utilise an interactive methodology 'Table

of Free Voices' to engage in dialogue withDepartment of Education representatives. Thismethodology provides an equal platform whereyoung people have an active stake and share indefining themes and needs and in providingsolutions and recommendations for change.

Outcomes for young people include their voicesbeing heard, being more involved, being politicallyengaged, and having the bite to address exclusionexperienced by others. Outcomes for policyshapers include young people’s views being partof area based planning and regional planning, andcreating alternative modes of public engagementwith young people.

The outcomes and anticipated goals of this projectdemonstrate how youth work (as part of aneducational realm) can significantly contribute topeace building, social justice and equality. Peaceeducation and youth participation within youthwork can support young people’s collectiveconscience and action which can becomecontagious to others. The initiative builds bothhuman and social capital across the region withthe investment ultimately aiding leadership,participation, ownership and pride. This work isbest addressed through young people leading thejourney. Effective youth work in which the workerhas faith in young people to do the job, truststhem to plan, host and evaluate events,encourages them to make decisions, and ensuresthey are valued, provide an empowering catalystfor change.

We think it’s important that you ask us what wethink and what we should do. (comment fromyoung peer researcher). As the youth workernoted, this useful feedback affirms the clarity ofintention and understanding for all, and in whichpower dynamics are minimised.

The continued challenge in youth work is to 'prickthe conscience' of young people who have beensuppressed in terms of their critical thinking andinquiry. A balanced worldview based on idealismand wishful thinking is reflected with a backdropof suppression, prejudice and discrimination.Education is only one component in the complexreality of division and separation, reflected in allmodes of everyday life, such as housing, work,sport and social activities. Challenges are thusreflected in the wider cultural and institutionalisedsystems. Communities and decision makersremain unsettled by aspects of change and social

Featured Article


inclusion. Additional moral panics and portrayal of'loss more than gain' serve to protect the statusquo, rather than creating a welcoming placewhere appreciation of difference is at the fore.

On Thursday 9th May 2013 the First Minister andDeputy First Minister in Northern Irelandannounced a joined statement about a new goodrelations strategy, “Together: Building a UnitedCommunity”. This will be complemented by an all‐party group to consider parades and protests;flags, symbols and emblems and related matters;and the past. There is a degree of caution aboutthe intention and conviction of politicians withsuch statements, as these can often beunsubstantiated or a diversion from the core issue.

Maintaining the momentum with short termfunded projects remains a challenge for thevoluntary youth sector, reliant on short‐sightedimmediate tenders and contracts, focussed ontight delivery areas. Such challenges, though, areeclipsed with hope and optimism as theAmbassadors for Peace and Equality develop afully evidenced peace manifesto, with a continuedplan of positive messaging and action locally andregionally in which young people flourish.

Youth workers must support critical questioningand enquiry rather than developing young peoplewho necessarily conform. Young people needunique spaces to critique the social structures andespouse social change for a fairer and more equalsociety. Youth work must thus be embedded in awider struggle for change, ultimately tackingexclusion and promoting inclusion.

Image on Pg. 6 Back row (left to right) Chris Jenkins(Integrated Education Fund), Gerard Hughes(YouthAction NI), Conor Wallace, Cailum Carragher,David Morris (Front row (left to right) Chloe Johnston,Lauren Johnston, (Lord Mayor of Armagh) SharonHaughey‐Grimley, Darren Davidson, Charmain Jones(Rural Community Network)

YouthAction Northern Ireland, 14 College Square North, Belfast,

Northern Ireland, BT1 6AS T: 028 9024 0551

www.youthaction.org

Featured Article

Professional Education and Training for Youth Work An International Forum

NUI Maynooth, 25th‐27th June 2013Do you ever find yourself wondering…..

• What type of profession is youth work?• Is it a discipline? What discipline(s) underpin it• What is its core knowledge base? Its core value base?• What about ethics?• What is the relationship between education and training?• How is fieldwork practice integrated within programmes?• What is (the role of) theory in youth work education?

If so you are invited to participate in a forum to explore these issues.

Confirmed contributors so far include:• Trudi Cooper, Edith Cowan University, Perth• Robyn Broadbent, Victoria University, Melbourne• Dana Fusco, City University of New York• Päivi Honkatukia, University of Tampere, Finland• Howard Sercombe, Strathclyde University, Glasgow

How to get involved:

The Forum will facilitatecontributions in a range of ways,

including lecture inputs andposter presentations, but the

emphasis will be on exchange andinteraction.

If you are interested in making acontribution or in attending toparticipate in discussion then

please contact one of theorganisers at: [email protected]

Alternatively call one of us at:

Maurice Devlin: +353‐1‐7083781Hilary Tierney: +353‐1‐7086489


Call for Contributionsfor

Scene Magazine recently asked its readers about thekind of articles and features that they would findhelpful to them in their youth work practice. Based onwhat Scene readers asked for we are now looking forthe following articles for the September 2013 Editionof Scene Magazine.FEATURED PROJECTS: Every edition features the learning from aninnovative project or programme that is un‐related to the main theme ofthe magazine for the quarter. These articles are between 600 and 700words in length and document learning from novel youth work practiceand try to provide information and learning that other youth workpractitioners can implement in their own practice.

FEATURES ON OUTCOMES IN YOUTH WORK: In this edition Scene particularly welcomes contributions from practitioners that document thesuccessful strategies to plan, implement and capture outcomes in youth work that address the mainpriorities of current funding (child protection, social inclusion, active citizenship etc.) Importantly, wewould also ask contributors to describe how they plan, implement and capture outcomes that are un‐related to the main priorities of youth work funders. These articles will need to be approximately 700‐1100words.

YOUNG PEOPLES AND VOLUNTEERS’ VIEWS: In this edition, Scene particularly welcomes contributions onany youth work practice issue that volunteers and young people would like to be heard. These articles areplanned to be approximately 400‐600 words.

RESEARCH REVIEWS AND DIGESTS FOR PRACTITIONERS: Every Scene edition features a contribution frompractitioner researchers that summarise evidence of what works in engaging young people. The articleshould also suggest to practitioners how they can apply this learning to their work with young people. Wewelcome reviews of existing research, or digests of original research conducted in Ireland. These articlesare planned to be approximately 600‐1000 words.

If you are interested in featuring your work in Scene Magazine please submit a 200 word summary of yourproposed contribution by August 5th. Scene Magazine will attempt to use all writing that is submitted tous. The Scene Magazine editorial team will carefully review all proposed contributions. We will work toselect contributions that provide Irish youth work practitioners with a diversity of views, youth workpractice experience and ideas. We apologise in advance if we can not accept all proposals.

Please email your 200 word proposal only to Gina Halpin,[email protected] with your full name, the youth serviceyou are associated with, the title of the article that you are proposingand the type of article that you are proposing.

Content for the September edition of Scene Magazinefeaturing Outcomes in Youth Work as its theme.


The Red Carpet Showcase Night

involved 16 young people aged 10-16

who are involved in our youth service at

the Unity Centre in Navan.

The idea for this project came about through theNQSF (National Quality Standards Framework)process. Within our NQSF CIP (ContinuousImprovement Plan) we had set out to improve howwe communicate that our service is “Young personCentred”. To do that, we had a discussion withyoung people and asked them how they wanted toget their message about our youth group out to thegeneral public, their parents and other youthservices in the town of Navan. Their idea was a RedCarpet Showcase Night and each young personinvited 1‐2 family members, teachers or anotheradult in their lives. We also helped them sendemails to Politicians and other Youth Services.

The young people were involved in everything fromthe invitation design to the guest list. However,teenagers in general are not great at 'blowing theirown trumpets' and some were embarrassed toinvite family members. Being a youth service that

specialises in working with young people from theTravelling Community it is important to portray apositive image of young people and all the activitieswe take part in. But for the most part this is a veryeasy process, as all the young people have a positivestory to tell.

The young people had a sense of achievement andpride in their youth project. It was great to seethem explaining our different projects and activitiesto our guests and in return receiving praise andadmiration. It was a very positive evening withstanding room only.

At times, as youth workers we ask ourselvesquestions such as; 'are we making a difference?' or'what’s it all about?' well, an evening like this is agreat opportunity to see a sense of pride in theyoung people’s work. It was a fantastic opportunityto sit back and let the young people take the reinsand showcase their youth service.

Kay Mc Cabe is a Youth Co‐ordinatorwith Involve Youth Project Navanwww.involve.ie

Involve Youth Project

Snap Shots of Practice

The Red Carpet Showcase NightKay McCabe Youth Worker

13

Snap Shots of Practice

ACTivate is a weekly group that bringstogether children aged 8 and over withAsperger’s/Autism that encourages childrenwith an Autistic Spectrum Disorder tointegrate with other children on thespectrum as well as their siblings.

Members can relax and have fun in a multisensorylearning environment that encourages social andcommunication skills as well as positive emotionalwell‐being.

As with all children, group members are part of ourcommunity and deserve as much help as possible indeveloping the skills needed to integrate into thecommunity and encouragement to live as full a lifeas possible within their capabilities.

Every young person is unique and young people onthe Autistic Spectrum present with varying degreesof difficulties in social communication, socialinteraction and social imagination as well as otherchallenges in areas like speech and language andsensory processing. In general, the group membersare very vulnerable, so we have ensured thatvolunteers and staff understand the difficultiesthese young people face as their safety and well‐being is a primary concern.

The programme staff is made up mainly of parentsof children with Asperger’s/Autism but who alsoinclude youth centre workers and volunteers. Weare able to provide excellent staff support on thenight the group meets to ensure participants aresafe while still being able to enjoy themselves in afun and relaxed atmosphere. We have also providedlots of fun activities to entertain the kids andencourage social and communication skills.

The group has been successful in:

• Helping group members meet other young people who are like themselves.

• Providing an opportunity to play together in a supportive environment ‐ which may be the onlytime they play with other children in the week.

• Integrating siblings with other young people whohave Asperger’s/Autism as well as their siblings.

• Providing a choice to either take part in a group activity or if they need some space they can chill out on the sofa.

• Exposing members to a social setting where communication skills are encouraged and emotional well‐being is promoted.

Youth workers are a valuable asset to ourcommunity and it’s only by working with groups likeACTivate that the true community spirit comesalive. This group has very vulnerable children whohave Asperger’s/Autism, but who have muchstrength behind this label. By working with thesekids, youth workers can bring out these strengths byencouraging them to take part in their localcommunity and receive the respect of peoplearound them. This encourages social andcommunication skills and will empower them to liveas full a life as possible.

For more information see www.cdys.ie


By Miriam Segondate ACTivate Volunteer and Mother of a Programme Participant”

ACTivate Group


Resources NQSF Route Map Sam O'Brien Olinger,

Graduate Intern Centre for Effective Services

The Route Map for National QualityStandards Initiatives for Youth Work andYouth Activities (Route Map) is aninteractive online resource that has beendeveloped by the Centre for EffectiveServices (CES) on behalf of the YouthAffairs Unit in the Department of Childrenand Youth Affairs. The Route Map makesavailable an array of web‐basedinformation which is international in scope.

The resources have been selected based on theirquality and capacity to inform and support youthwork and youth activities, with all materialsassessed on a set of inclusion criteria. Thematerials come from a wide range of reliablesources, including government departments,national and international youth organisations,academic institutions, independent research andpolicy agencies.

The Route Map is also accompanied by a moredetailed table of resources which contains over100 quality materials to support staff‐led youthgroups and over 30 resources to supportvolunteer‐led youth activities.

The Route Map directly relates to the NationalQuality Standards Framework Core Principles andStandards. For example, if a youth worker isinterested in resources that will help them to deal

with issues surrounding racism, xenophobia,homophobia, social inclusion, diversity and/orequality they can go to ‘Core Principle 4: Equalityand Inclusiveness’ on the Route Map. Here theywill find a range of practical, accessible andrelevant online provisions to help them with thesespecific issues.

The map is accessible on the CESwebsite at:http://www.effectiveservices.org/our‐work/National‐Quality‐Standards‐Framework

Resources

The Irish Youth Work Centre (IYWC) wasestablished in 1992 to provide for theinformation and continuous professionaldevelopment needs of youth workpractitioners in Ireland. Irish youth workhas changed greatly since then and wehave too. After 20 years of serving theIrish youth sector we have undertaken afull review of our provisions to membersand updated our facilities and services.

Through surveys and consultations with membersand the wider sector we have worked togetherwith practitioners to identify services that helpmeet the challenges that youth workers now facein their work. Benefits of being an IYWC memberinclude:

Immediate access to all new IYWC resources whichare sent directly to members electronically and inhard copy when they are current. Non‐memberscan eventually access resources when they arearchived on our publicly available web‐page.IYWC members also get free and preferentialaccess to events, lending library and otherservices.

Our offering of new and updated services toIYWC members include:

• Youth Studies Ireland: Youth Studies Ireland is the first professional youth studies journal to be published in Ireland. Youth Studies Ireland ispublished bi‐annually, overseen by an academicEditorial Board and advised by an Advisory Committee which includes representatives from youth work organisations, colleges, state agencies and funders across the island.

• Youth Work Specific Research Resources and Reports: These include the upcoming IYWC publication in cooperation with NUI Maynooth Research on Reflective Practice and the My World Survey Report (an introduction to this report is featured in this magazine).

• Scene Magazine: The all new magazine for youth work practitioners. Scene provides practitioners with an opportunity to promote and share their practice and learning with other practitioners in Ireland. Features include policy briefs, research briefs and profiles of practice that youth work practitioners can apply in their own work.

• Training and Webinars: A new training programme will launch in September 2013. To date the IYWC has run more than 80 successfulseminars and training events. Future trainings will be based on a recent survey that IYWC conducted with members to identify training interests.

• Symposia for Practitioners: These symposia provide practitioners with an opportunity to informally meet and engage on critical topics inyouth work. The series of youth work practitioner symposia scheduled for 2013 marks a new venture for the IYWC. These events are provided in response to readers of Scene Magazines’ requests for further opportunities to both showcase and demonstrate the quality and importance of their work, while also deepening their understanding of what works in supporting the development of young people in Ireland today.

• Library Facilities and Lending Services: The IYWC library includes recently published key texts on youth work and youth research as wellas historic documentation of youth work in Ireland. The IYWC updates its holdings of publications every quarter using a dedicated budget to ensure that the most recent and relevant publications are available to youth work practitioners and students. These publications are available on loan to IYWC members. Members not able to visit the librarycan avail of a postal lending service.

To view our full offer of services and receive amembership form go www.iywc.ie to or contact usat [email protected]

NEW IYWC MEMBERSHIP OFFER


The STEP ProgrammeYMCA STEP was launched in 1989 as a pre‐vocational training programme for 18‐25 year oldswho were both educationally disadvantaged andlong term unemployed. The programme is aimedat early school leavers who frequently remain onthe margins of the labour force often hindered byweak interpersonal skills, poor qualifications, a lackof confidence and consequent poor motivation.

The STEP Programme lead to a full FETAC Level 4Award and is delivered using youth workmethodologies. The programme covers componentsin Personal Development, ECDL, Teamworking,Customer Service, Career Planning and WorkExperience as well as Intercultural Studies.

Why Interculturalsim Training? Over a decade ago, the YMCA identified a need toaddress the issue of rising levels of racism amongyoung people involved in the programme. Acomponent was developed called Share Our Worldwhich looked at the behaviour and qualities of aresponsible local and global citizen and enablingyoung people to take action on the injustices theywere exploring in their own lives and communities.In this way the intercultural studies component hasbeen developed in accordance with the

commitment to build equality, make the most ofdiversity and promote interdependence within theYMCA movement and in our communities (YMCAQuality Standard 4).

The aims of the component are in keeping with theholistic nature of YMCA work and provide achallenge in the form of a quality opportunity forparticipants to develop spiritually and mentally(YMCA Quality Standard 2). The component alsosought to make the most of the linkages which existbetween the Irish YMCA and YMCAs in thedeveloping South thus supporting the YMCA familyand playing a part in its development, locally,nationally and internationally (YMCA QualityStandard 5).

An important component is to challenge racist anddiscriminatory attitudes and actions and provideyoung people with opportunities to interact,collaborate and exchange ideas with people ofdifferent cultures, ethnicity or religion.Interculturalism asserts that diversity can enrichsociety and that by planning for andaccommodating cultural diversity, everyone canbenefit from a more equal and inclusive society.

Another aim of the component is to promote adeeper understanding of the way the world worksthrough examining concepts such as power, trade,poverty, war and conflict etc., as well as thechallenges and benefits of living in a multi‐ethnicsociety. The component seeks to engage youngpeople in critical analysis, reflection and action forlocal and global citizenship and participation. It isabout supporting young people in understandingand in acting to make changes in their own livesand the lives of others at personal, local, nationaland international levels. Once young people areaware of international issues, global youth work canequip them to take positive action that not onlyhelps their personal development, but can also leadto real change in the world around them.

Addressing Interculturalism in NEETSNot in Education, Employment or Training Programme ProvisionThe YMCA STEP Programme

by Tom Kent & TJ Hourihan

Featured Project


Delivery MethodologiesThe delivery methodologies for this component arechosen based on the needs and profile of thelearner together with the themes and content ofthe component. The phased development oflanguage, literacy and numeracy skills are facilitatedthrough these chosen methodologies.Methodologies are inclusive of the range of learningstyles of the learners.

The following are the delivery methodologiesemployed in delivering this programme, asappropriate:

• Directed learning experiences.

• Group discussions and interactions to tease out programme content.

• Practical sessions using appropriate equipment, resources and facilities.

• One‐to‐one delivery.

• Self‐directed learning which may include practicetime, preparation, study and reflection time.

• Blended learning.

• Active engagement in campaigning or other awareness activities.

Youth Work and ExperientialLearning MethodologiesExperiential learning is an integral part of themethodologies used on the programme, meaningthat learning and development are achievedthrough personally determined experience andinvolvement, rather than on received teaching ortraining. We might also regard experiential learningas growing a person from the inside, whereasconventional teaching and training can be seen asthe transfer of capability to a person from theoutside. When facilitating the sessions it isimportant that these are directly connected to thereal life experiences of the young peoplethemselves as well as being sensitive to the learningstyles of the young people.

Addressing Racism andPrejudiceTo deliver this component it is important that thetrainers understand how prejudices can beeffectively challenged, how to deal with negative

attitudes from participants and the principles ofglobal youthwork. We have learnt that information,reasoning and debate will not necessarily removeprejudice! Some of the things that contribute tothe debating of racist attitudes and views include:

• Where possible ensuring exposure to the personor thing that is provoking a racist attitude allows hearsay or conditioning to be challenged with personal experience.

• Being honest and encouraging honest communication.

• Promoting self‐awareness opportunities and thus allowing for the exploration and naming of confused or mixed emotions.

How to deal with negative attitudes fromparticipants• Ensure thorough preparation.

• Encourage participants to separate stories from issues.

• Tell positive stories.

• Help participants to identify common ground (links to themselves).

• Refrain from lecturing or telling off when negativity spills over.

• Let the participants have their say.

• Ask them questions (where did you hear that?).

• Challenge without criticising.

• Distinguish fact from opinion (ask how opinions have been formed).

Other learning from delivering thisprogrammeWhat we have learned is that while interculturalismand personal development are at the heart of ourSTEP Programme, there are significant barriers inaddressing these issues for groups. For the mostpart we get to the point of the learners being ableto be honest about prejudices and beginning toexplore with them the consequences of prejudices.As part of this a substantial amount of time isneeded to dispel myths that exist and to create reallife experiences for young people to get to knowthe real people behind the labels.

Featured Project


“I believe in Young People and their abilityto achieve whatever they choose, we justneed to support them to do this”.

I am proud to have worked for St. Andrew’sResource Centre in the Pearse Street area of Dublin2 as the Youth Services Manager for the past 18years. I have worked as a paid youth worker formore than 22 years and as a volunteer in a youthproject in Ballyfermot for many years before that.My own teenage years were immersed in youthactivities in Ballyfermot were I grew up, so youthwork was always in my blood. I returned toeducation and qualified from NUI Maynooth andnow continue in lifelong learning throughcompleting a Masters in Applied Social Studies inNUI Maynooth. In fact my first youth workqualification was a certificate with NYF in YouthStudies with Louise Hurley back in 1993!

Social Inclusion to me as a practitioner, is creatingthe foundations for equal participation foreveryone. We often use the expression 'socialinclusion,' but if that is broken down it can meandifferent things to different people depending onwhere they are in their everyday lives. For many ofus, we often find ourselves working in areas ofdisadvantage with pockets of poverty, welfaredependency, youth unemployment and socialissues. These communities do not enjoy an equalfooting in terms of inclusion and participation indecisions within society.

The Challenge to YoungPeople’s Social InclusionMaurice Devlin’s study of Inequality and theStereotyping of Young People conducted for theNYCI found that young people felt they weretreated unequally by adults, except when it came toyouth workers, so why is this? As practitioners ouroverarching challenge is to change negative

attitudes towards young people’s abilities andcapacity to contribute and engage in real decision‐making. If we are to change these negativeattitudes we need to promote tangible examplesand case studies of how young people’sengagement brings positive impact and we need toact as strong advocates.

Our Social Inclusion Aims andStrategiesThe culture within our project encourages andsupports active participation at all levels, not just informal constructed structures, i.e. in everydaydecisions, making the youth service their own, theNQSF implementation team, focus groups for thedesign and delivery of programmes and juniorleaders structures. As well, we are now creatingspace for young people on our board ofmanagement.

The aims of the strategies we use derive from anidentified need, i.e. if a need is identified weresearch, develop and implement a programme orintervention with clear needs aims and objectivesand recorded outcomes. The actual strategies weemploy are multifaceted and take a youth workapproach, as such we begin where the youngpeople are at ‐ metaphorically speaking! This meansidentifying their abilities and building on these. Forthis reason, within our project we have variousmethods and levels of participation.

Levels of Participation, Methods and Aims• All young people take part in and decide on the

content of their programmes to be implemented from a young age (5+yrs) using creative methodsand age appropriate activities.

AIM: This embeds a natural understanding thatyoung people can and should make choices and

Young Peopleand SocialInclusion where to begin?by Susan Menton, St. Andrews Resource Centre

Featured Article


Featured Article

influence decisions that have an impact on theirlives by participating in everyday decision, not justthrough formal structures.

• In the next level young people take responsibilityfor implementing part of the programme with youth workers. This can be within a single session or a number of sessions. They identify research, plan, prepare and implement the programme.

AIM: This is also a process through whichparticipants can become familiar with decision‐making in everyday activities and it createsopportunities for experiential learning to take place.

• Junior leaders programme is a specifically targeted programme with the objective of training young people aged 15‐17 years to be junior leaders. This is a two year training programme that is designed and adapted depending on their identified needs. They then organise and run programmes, activities and events for younger age groups. This also plays a significant role in ensuring that programmes can take place.

AIM: Creating space and opportunities to learnknowledge, skills and values in a structured waywhile implementing their learning in a safeenvironment with youth workers and seniorvolunteers (18+yrs) This environment also providesfor those who wish to delve further into youth workpractice as practitioners. Many past participants ofthe project are still involved as senior volunteersand others have built on this experience to continueon into third level education to study socialprofessions.

• The International Programme gives opportunitiesto further develop skills and experiences for young people in unfamiliar environments and unchartered territory with different languages and programme criteria. Through this programme, junior leaders have become involved in projects as far afield as the Philippines. All aspects of these projects are executed from concept to completion by young people.

AIM: To create a safe environment for experientiallearning where young people organise, create andimplement programmes for both themselves andyoung people and learn vital life skills during theprocess.

ChallengesThe challenges to our work include influencingattitudes to recognise that young people, whilstthey have legal age limits imposed on them, areequal members of society. While we endeavour toinfluence positive societal change in this regard, thechange can be slow or non‐existent. We can,however, influence and change our own worksettings and those of like‐minded colleagues. Oftenin our own work we talk about inclusion andparticipation, but in practice our structures andprocesses do not always foster this. We need tochallenge our own structures to be actively inclusivein our organisational culture, structures, proceduresand programmes. This is an on‐going developingprocess that needs to reflect and analyse how weare doing as we grow. We need to act as livingexamples of good practice ourselves in order toprovide the evidence base for inclusion.

In response to this challenge we:• Have an aspiration to achieve an organisational

culture of being practice aware with ongoing reflection. We do this through asking ourselves questions such as: “are we being as inclusive as possible?”

• Are currently reviewing our active reflective practice on informal learning and progression processes. This is being done with young people,staff and volunteers.

• Engage young people from a very young age in decision making and involvement of implementation as much as possible.

• Implement programmes and developments only after exploring and establishing a need and then establishing a focus group for design and implementation.

• Continuously verbalise and show in our actions that the youth office belongs to everyone, staff, volunteers and young people.

• Have created formal structures with junior leaders, implementation teams, project development groups and have been working to achieve places for young people on St. Andrew’s BOM Youth Service Sub Group.

“Young people are members ofcommunities – now, not at some point in the future.”

Youth Work through the Youth or Adult?Initiative, 2008


LearningWe have learnt that while this process is excitingand challenging, it is not easy. We often engage insoul‐searching and questioning of how we dothings, but we also recognise all the good practicewe have developed unconsciously over time. Thisprocess tells us that we naturally have equality andinclusion at the heart of our work, but we do notalways get it right!

Experiential learning is crucial for young people tohave the opportunity to practice and have thesupport in reflective learning to ensure

development and progression through stages intheir own lives as well as negotiating socialstructures and breaking down barriers.

We must ensure we as youth work practitionerscreate those spaces for these opportunities. Wemust work with young people, but also beadvocates and promote young people in their ownright to participate and contribute now and not waituntil they are adults.

Susan Menton is the Youth Services Managerat St. Andrew’s Resource Centre

See www.standrews.ie

Featured Article

Do you think the working methods which you areusing in your youth organisation/club are gettingold and not functional? Do you need inspirationand innovative methods? Are you interested indeveloping your skills as a trainer in internationalatmosphere? Are you keen to learn more fromother youth leaders and trainers from variousEuropean countries?

With this Seminar we want to offer the youthleaders and trainers the possibility to develop theirskills and knowledge on non‐formal educationmethods around the themes of interculturallearning and human rights education.

We aim to: • Provide youth leaders and trainers from across

Europe with the skills, knowledge and information relevant to being trainer in an all‐inclusive youth work practice.

• Enable participants to provide training to other youth leaders and youth workers in their own communities and organisations.

• Discuss differences and similarities in youth work practices throughout Europe

• Develop and explore training tools and practicesfrom different areas.

• Create a space to share best practices and develop co‐operation among participants from ECYC member organisations

What next?All candidates must apply using the applicationavailable through the ECYC website www.ecyc.orgApplications should be sent to ECYC SecretaryGeneral Rares Craiut by email at [email protected] for applications: 8th of July at 12:00 CET.

Application forms to be sent to ECYC SecretaryGeneral, Rares Craiut with the subject “ECYCTraining for trainers” by email at [email protected]

Further information: Gunnar E. Sigurbjörnsson, Vice President, ECYC

Email: [email protected]

Stijn Belmans, Vice President, ECYCEmail: [email protected]

‘Facilitating Intercultural Dialogue in Open Youth Work in Europe’

Training for Experienced Youth Workers and VolunteersSeptember 22-29, Kildare



I’m a voluntary youth worker with anindependent youth club called Southsiders and Ialso work voluntarily with The Talk About YouthProject, based in St Andrew’s Resource Centre inPearse Street.

I’ve been involved in voluntary youth work in oneshape or form in this are, for my entire adult life, atthis stage that adds up to 30 years. During those 30years I have witnessed huge changes in the qualityand delivery of services to the young peopleinvolved.

Gone are the days of packing as many kids aspossible into a few privately owned cars andheading up to the Dublin Mountains for the daywith no real planning, without proper insurancecover, consent forms or consideration of childprotection guidelines.

I distinctly remember one incident back in the early80s, travelling in convoy from a trip to Britas Baybeach with four lads packed into the back seat of anestate car, two more in the boot and one in thefront seat, when the windshield of the carshattered. No one was particularly fazed by this, infact it was a great adventure, a story to tell, to beexaggerated and retold, the driver elevated to thestatus of superhero. The car pulled over and a holewas knocked in the glass and we continued back toPearse Street. There were no hysterical parentsthreatening to sue, no written reports, no insuranceclaims. Can you imagine what would be involved inan incident like that today? I think you may even belooking at prison time.

When I first became a youth worker these were thesort of issues that were just starting to be addressedand bit by bit methodologies were put in place toaddress them. Umbrella organisations like CDYSBand CYC were actively engaged in assisting withtraining and funding for youth groups. Hardly a yearwent by that I didn’t take part in some form of

accredited youth work training. And over time thistraining has helped me to deliver a professionalservice to the young people I’ve worked with. Asthis training was brought back to clubs and groups itbecame the norm and the essence of a standardbest practice was created.

Youth services have evolved, as has the volunteeryouth worker. I was lucky that funding was availableto support me in delivering a quality service,enabling volunteers and volunteer led groups toapply best practices to the work they do, ensuring auniform standard of delivery of service no matterwhat area of youth activities the young people areinvolved in. It is unfortunate that this funding hasbeen curtailed so stringently in recent times and isno longer available to those young people who arenow volunteering.

Voluntary youth work is not just about organising asafe and secure space for young people to freelyexpress themselves and have fun in, it is not justabout ensuring that we have the right materials forthe activity we are undertaking, or the correct ratioof youth worker to young people. It is also aboutassisting in the development of these young people.It is about enabling them to realise their fullpotential as active citizens within our society, ofencouraging them to give back to the communitiesthat have nurtured them.

As youth work and youth workers have evolved sotoo is it only natural that a uniform method ofrecording the work we do should evolve too. TheNational Quality Standards Framework will be anadditional tool in the volunteers repertoire toensure best practice continues in youth servicesacross the country.

A Volunteer’s Perspective onNational Quality StandardsInitiatives for Volunteer-LedYouth Groups (NQSVLYG)

by Noel Watson

Noel Watson is a volunteer withSt. Andrews’s Resource Centre

www.standrews.ie

Volunteer Perspective


Tithe na nÓg is a Galway Diocesan Youth Service(GDYS) project that provides support and guidanceto young people (18‐25 years) who are homelessor at risk of becoming homeless in Galway City orCounty. The need for the project was identifiedthrough the work of the No.4 drop in centre – along established service of GDYS that works withyoung people who are facing challenging times intheir lives. Over a number of years the No.4service identified that youth homelessness hadbecome a significant issue requiring enhancedprovision and resources.

The HSE provided initial funding to explore theneed and potential benefits of a specialist youthhomeless prevention service. In January 2009 aproject leader was appointed and the servicedeveloped organically from that time. Initiallybased upstairs from the No.4 project, youngpeople were referred informally to meet with theproject leader and to explore individual needs andsupports required. A pattern of need becameevident over a few months, allowing formalprocesses and procedures to be developed and‘Tithe na nÓg’ was established in June 2009. Sincethen the project has worked with 271 youngpeople. In 2012 we reported a 71% positiveoutcome rate, meaning that 71% of young peoplewe worked with moved from being homeless or atrisk of homelessness into a stable housingsituation.

Approach to Project DeliveryTithe na nÓg is based at a central location in thecity and operates on both drop in andappointments basis. Young people can accessservices by self referral (phone, drop in or email)or by referral. An out of hours service is provided

up to 8pm Monday to Thursday inclusive. Theproject focuses on resolving the housing andrelated financing issues with the young person.However, the project aims to work holistically andencourages the young person to address any otherissues they may also be experiencing, includingmental health issues, debt, family conflicts and/oraddiction issues. In doing this, Tithe na nÓgsupports young people to link with specialistservice providers and provides the link betweenagencies.

Tithe na nÓgs’ Objectives are to:• Facilitate young people to secure timely and

suitable accommodation and avoid the need toutilise emergency accommodation.

• Support young people to move from emergency accommodation as quickly as possible into sustainable accommodation.

• Build the capacity of young people to manage independent living and stabilise their accommodation by offering training, education and support.

• Support young people to integrate into their new community and to access the support theyneed from local youth service providers.

The project has faced a number of challenges;identifying the appropriate age range to work withwas a key issue for the project in the early stages.The No.4 Project in 2009 worked with youngpeople from the age of 15 years to 25 years. Ourproject accepted all referrals from the No.4project in the first 6 months. Regular evaluationand monitoring of the new service highlighted anissue for the project in its work with young peopleunder the age of 18 years.

Tithe na nÓg‘supporting young

people to secure andestablish sustainable

accommodation’

by Delia Clarke

Featured Project


Child protection legislation for under 18 year oldswas a concern and the challenge of working withyoung people who had left home under the age of18 years presented a level of complexity for theservice beyond the expertise of the project. Theproject sought the involvement and guidance of thesocial work department for all such cases. In realitythis wasn’t always readily available particularlywhen young 15, 16 and 17 year olds contacted theservice in crises late in the working afternoon orcalled our out of hours service in the evening. After6 months the project and the organisation board ofmanagement agreed to limit access to the service to18 to 25 year olds only.

Partnership development was a key area for theproject from the outset. A key challenge wasdefining and presenting the project as a uniqueservice that was not overlapping with other servicesprovision. In the first few months young peopleworked between services and on occasions this wasnot effective. Boundaries and roles were agreedwith particular services such as The HSE After CareTeam and with Emergency Accommodation. Theseagreements remain in place and ensure the youngpeople receive the attention and support requiredand services are clear about their roles without fearof overlapping with Tithe na nÓg. Attending theYouth Homeless Forum meeting also provides anopportunity to discuss any issues that arise whenworking with young people we have in common.The Youth Homelessness Forum works inpartnership with other homeless service providersand youth services providers across the City andCounty to:

• Ensure young people meeting the project remit are brought to the attention of the project.

• Provide a holistic service to young people.

• Share good practice and to address common issues including developing innovative approaches to meeting the needs of young people across agencies.

Key principles of the project are to:• Provide a tailor made service for each young

person.

• Develop a strong relationship between youth worker and the young person that is based on trust and transparency on both sides.

• Empower the young person to lead the process

and to learn the skills necessary to address the issues they are experiencing. Young people we have worked with over the years dip back into the project for information or advice when a housing issue reoccurs. An impact of Tithe na nÓg is evident from their ability to utilise this information and to address the issues with limited intervention from project staff.

• Work with integrity and guide young people to benefit from the services and financial supports available while encouraging the young person to broaden their horizons and work towards a sustainable lifestyle that is appropriate to their potential in the longer term.

In practice this requires services to be deliveredthrough intensive one to one work, which forms thebasis to our approach and is proven to be effectivein supporting the young person to progress in ashort period of time. Each young person is allocateda key worker from the Tithe na nÓg team. The keyworker is often the first person to meet with theyoung person enabling the professional relationshipto develop from the outset. The key worker meetswith the young person regularly (about three timesa week) to facilitate them to overcome the crisesperiod and develop the trust. These appointmentscan involve accompanying the young person tosocial welfare appointments and viewing houses.Appointments can also be used to review theagreed action plan and deepen the understandingof the underlying issues experienced by the youngperson.

Young people working with the project haveexpressed appreciation for the clarity projectworkers have enabled them to bring to theirsituation. Homelessness or the risk of homelessnesscan overpower young people and alter theirperception of all aspects of their lives. Working withthe young person to identify and list the issues theyare experiencing and prioritising the areas to beaddressed can relieve the pressure for the youngperson and thereby improve their overall mentalwell‐being. Knowing their keyworker will be onhand to take each step through the process withthem is also said to be a strength of the project.

Delia Clarke has a background in communitydevelopment. She will havebeen the Tithe na nÓgProject Manager four yearsnext month.

Featured Project


The following are excerpts from aquarterly Policy Brief produced tobetter inform thinking and knowledgeon policy issues relevant to the areasof youth and children. These will beshort updates on current developmentsin national policy which may be useful.

Young People Taking the Brunt of RecessionIn a recent report the ESRI has highlighted the impact ofthe recession on young people and has concluded thatthe impact of recent economic change has been greateston this group. The National and Economic Social Councilhas made similar findings particularly focussed on theissues of employment. It pointed out “Youthunemployment varies by county, with the highest rates inLimerick city (50%), Donegal (49%) and Wexford (47%). Itwas lowest in Dún Laoghaire‐Rathdown 27%, followed byFingal, Cork county, Galway city and Dublin city”

ESRI Reportwww.esri.ie/UserFiles/publications/RN20130104.pdf

The NESC Reportwww.nesc.ie/en/news‐events/press‐releases/latest/the‐social‐dimensions‐of‐the‐crisis‐the‐evidence‐and‐its‐implications/

Youth Emigration a Huge Issue

The NYCI recently launched a report on Youth Emigration.“Time to Go?” is a qualitative study of the experience ofemigration amongst young Irish people. It particularlyfocusses on those in the UK and Canada. The reportpoints out “Over the past 2 years over a quarter of ourpopulation has been affected by the emigration of a closefamily member, and half of our 18 – 24 years olds havesaid they would consider emigrating themselves”

Time to Go Reportwww.youth.ie/sites/youth.ie/files/NYCI_Youth_Emigration_Report.pdf

Youth Related Questions

A number of youth related issues such as Youth Cafes,Garda Vetting and funding for Youth Diversion Projectshave been raised in the Dail by a variety of deputiesrecently. Similarly cuts to youth work funding continue tobe raised in Dail.

Youth Work Cuts (Roisin Shorthall) www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2013‐04‐16a.95

Youth Diversion Funding – (Brian Stanley)http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/Debates%20Authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/takes/dail2013042300076#N43

Garda Vetting (Eric Byrne) http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/Debates%20Authoring/DebatesWebPack.nsf/takes/dail2013042300077#N14

Child and Family Support Agency andChildren’s Services Committees The Children’s Rights Alliance held a conference on thenew Child and Family Support Agency which wasaddressed by Gordon Jeyes and others. The eventeffectively laid out the need for a robust and integratedagency in this area but specifics are still hard todetermine and legislation is awaited in the area.Children’s Services Committees continue to be animportant instrument in the work of the DCYA.

Questions on CFSA (Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin)www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2013‐04‐16a.16Children’s Services Committees (Roisin Shorthall)http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/dail2013041600095?opendocument#WRTT03550

Childrens and Young People’s PolicyFramework

Work on the Children’s Policy Framework and theconstituent Youth Policy Framework are nearingcompletion. There has been only limited scope for inputthrough public consultation and the work of the NationalChildren’s Advisory Council. However at the same time itappears decisions are being made that may impact on thefuture of youth work. An NYCI delegation recently metwith the Minister and it has been agreed that there willbe more regular meeting and interaction with thevoluntary sector.

Download the full Policy Brieffrom www.youthworkireland.ie

Policy Briefby Michael McLoughlin

Head of Advocacy & CommunicationYouth Work Ireland

Policy Brief


The My World Survey (MWS) is the first nationalstudy of youth mental health in Ireland, looking atboth risk and protective factors in young people aged12‐25 years. The MWS has established a nationalyouth mental health database in Ireland. Thisdatabase is intended to inform policy, allow us tomeasure the impact of innovative services such asHeadstrong’s Jigsaw initiative and provide a baselinefor youth mental health.

Two versions of the MWS were devised, one foradolescents attending Second Level schools in Ireland(MWS‐SL) and a second survey devised for youngadults who are in Post‐Second Level education (MWS‐PSL). For the MWS‐SL, 72 post‐primary schools wererandomly selected and 6,085 students completed thesurvey, with an average age of 14.92 years. Over half(51%) of the sample were female. In the MWS‐PSL,8,221 young people completed the survey with amean age of 23.5 years, and 65% female.

This summary identifies mental health risk andprotective factors that have relevance for youth workpractice. This includes data in relation to distresslevels, alcohol, the effect of bullying on young people,suicidal behaviour, the importance of talking and therole of a 'One Good Adult' in a young person’s life.These are important considerations that can informyouth work practitioners when working with youngpeople today.

Key learning points relevant to youth workpracticeWhen working with young people it is important torecognise that the number one health issue for themis mental health.

Key risks are:• Levels of distress increase through the teen years

and peak in early adulthood.• There are significant links between risky alcohol

behaviour and mental health problems such as depression, stress and anxiety.

• Bullying negatively impacts on the mental health of young people and reduces protective factors associated with mental well‐being.

• Financial stress in young people is linked to elevated distress, self‐harm and suicide.

• Risk taking behaviour is linked to self‐harm and suicide attempt.

Key protective factors: • Low risk alcohol behaviour is related to better

mental health outcomes.• Talking about problems is associated with better

mental health outcomes.• One Good Adult in a young person’s life is a

significant protective factor in a young person’s wellbeing. This last point is particularly relevant to youth workers and it is worth noting that research with young people in Ireland has confirmed that having at least one caring adult in a young person’s life can act as a buffer against distress and lead to positive psychological functioning.

MWS provides an evidence base to support key youthwork practices. For a youth work practitioner,engaging with young people and being thatsupportive adult and encouraging young people totalk, in particular males, is key to unlocking some ofthe distress that young people in Ireland today areexperiencing. Promoting mental health awareness iskey to healthy living in this age group and reducingstigma.

The Youth MentalHealth Scene inIreland by Dr. Barbara Dooley & Dr. AmandaFitzgerald

What can the My World Survey tell us?

Research Evidence

Given the significance of the importantfindings in the My World Survey (MWS)in terms of youth work practice, it maybe of use to youth workers to read amore in-depth version of this report

specifically prepared for youth workersby Dr. Barbara Dooley and Dr. Amanda

Fitzgerald (UCD and Headstrong).

Read this report at www.youthworkireland.ie

Irish Youth Work Scene Issue 75, June 201326

IYWC Resources

New IYWC Library ResourcesJust some of the resources held in the library at IYWC

which relate to social inclusion and youth workA handbook ofChildren and YoungPeople’sParticipation -Perspectives fromtheory and practiceBy Barry Percy-Smith andNigel Thomas (Ed), 2010

This text brings together key thinkers andpractitioners from diverse contexts across the globeto provide an authoritative overview ofcontemporary theory and practice around children’sparticipation. Promoting the participation ofchildren and young people – in decision‐making andpolicy development, and as active contributors toeveryday family and community life – has become acentral part of policy and programme initiatives inboth majority and minority worlds. This bookpresents the most useful recent work in children’sparticipation as a resource for academics, studentsand practitioners in childhood studies, children’srights and welfare, child and family social work,youth and community work, governance, aid anddevelopment programmes.

Children, YoungPeople and SocialInclusion:Participation forWhat? By John M. Davis (Ed)

Social inclusion andparticipation have becomepolicy mantras in the UK and Europe. As theseconcepts are being translated into policies andpractice, it is a critical time to examine ‐ andchallenge ‐ their interpretation, implementation andimpacts. This book asks how far and in what waysocial inclusion policies are meeting the needs andrights of children and young people. Leadingauthors write from a variety of backgrounds anddisciplines, including social policy, education,

geography and sociology. The book criticallyexamines the concepts of participation and socialinclusion and their links with children andchildhoods; considers the geography of socialinclusion and exclusion; explores young people'sown conceptualisations of social inclusion andexclusion; and examines how these concepts havebeen expressed in policy at various levels.

Essential Skills forYouth Work PracticeEmpowering Youth andCommunity WorkBy Kate Sapin, 2008

This text appears on the readinglists of several youth and community modules taughtin Ireland. A useful text, it analyses the key skills inyouth work, ranging from the initial steps through tosupervision, which can be applied across a varietyof settings and roles. Throughout the book, practicalexamples grounded in participatory and anti-oppressive practice address the core values and thepurpose of youth work. Suggestions for furtherreading, definitions, and theories are also provided.

The Spirit Level: WhyMore Equal SocietiesAlmost Always DoBetterBy Richard G. Wilkinson andKate Pickett, 2009

Everyone knows that the poor in rich societies aremore likely to have shorter, less healthy, lives, to doless well at school and to end up on the wrong sideof the law. But The Spirit Level goes further thanthis, to demonstrate for the first time that a wholerange of social problems – from poor health toeducational failure, from mental illness to obesity,from drug addition to violence, from teenage birthsto the weakening of community life – share oneoverwhelming feature: they are all several times

Irish Youth Work Scene Issue 75, June 2013 27

more common in more unequal societies. Theevidence that bigger income differences createmore problems is conclusive. Rather than affectingjust the poor, inequality reduces the quality of lifefor everyone in less equal. This groundbreakingbook, based on 30 years research by two of the UK'sleading social epidemiologists, provides a powerfuland fascinating new perspective on the socialfailings of rich societies.

Using Theory inYouth andCommunity WorkPractice By Ilona Buchroth, ChrisParkin, Janet Batsleer andKeith Popple (Eds.) 2010

As the use of theory is an element of professionalyouth work practice that has received attention oflate, both practitioners and students will find thisbook useful in developing their understanding.Practitioners will welcome the numerous real-worldexamples and exercises which will help them toapply their understanding of theory to their relevantpractice situation. Key areas addressed by theauthors include education, reflective practice andgroup work.

Working withDiversity in Youth and Community WorkBy Sangeeta Soni, 2011

This book provides solid practicalexercises and techniques thatcan be applied to youth work withyoung people, whether they are from diversebackgrounds or not. Exercises and practicalinformation on conversation, trust building andstorytelling in youth work settings are presentedalong with easily understood discussions of keyconcepts related to diversity. The overall focus of thebook is the nature of cross-cultural practice, aninevitable aspect of working as a youth andcommunity worker in multicultural Britain today. Itenables students to understand how cross-culturaldynamics can set the tone of their relationships andhelps them to understand how individual action andsome processes in society can contribute to themarginalisation of others.

Youth Policy AndSocial Inclusion:Critical Debates WithYoung PeopleBy Monica Barry, 2004

Addressing the context in the UK,this book includes contributionsfrom such well known youth work and youth policycommentators such as Howard Sercombe andWilliamson. Taking a holistic and multidisciplinaryapproach this book identifies and analyses thefactors which promote or discourage social inclusionof young people in today’s society. It criticallyexamines the discriminatory attitudes towards youngpeople and focuses on the 'problem' of adults ratherthan the 'problem' of young people themselves.

IYWC Resources

The IYWC updates its holdings ofpublications every quarter using a

dedicated budget to ensure that themost recent and relevant publications

are available to youth workpractitioners and students.

The publications listed above are justsome of the new resources held in the

library at the IYWC which relate tosocial inclusion and youth work.

These publications are available onloan to IYWC members. Members notable to visit the library in Dublin can

avail of a postal lending service.

Contact [email protected] or see ourwebsite at www.iywc.ie

The IYWC second symposium of 2013 will focus on the theme of Social Inclusionand will provide a space for practitioners to hear contributors and theircollaborators speak on this topic, looking at the challenges for organisations,individuals and the sector of bringing social inclusion tools and practices intotheir work and asking the question “what now?”.

11:30 Registration tea/coffee and informal discussion.

12:00 Introductions (Matthew Seebach, Youth Work Ireland and Mary Robb, CDYSB).

12:15 Brief presentations from contributors.

1: 15 Light lunch and discussion groups with contributors.

2:45 Questions and Answers Sessions with contributors.

3:10 Close.

Delia Clarke, Galway Diocesan Youth ServiceDelia will discuss her contribution, 'Tithe na nÓg: Supporting Young People to Secure andEstablish Sustainable Accommodation' and the role of relationships to support socialinclusion.

Martin McMullan, YouthAction Northern IrelandMartin will discuss his contribution, 'Young people joining in with the world' and theimportance of supporting young people in critical questioning and inquiry.

Susan Menton, St Andrew’s Resource CentreSusan will discuss her contribution, 'Young People and Social Inclusion ‐ where to begin!' andtaking a whole organisation approach to the participation of young people.

Deirdre Bermingham, Youth Work Ireland Galway and Anne Walsh NYCIDeirdre will discuss her contribution, 'Creating A Space: A Youth Service’s Journey to SocialInclusion' while Anne will discuss how to take a whole organisational approach to socialinclusion and diversity.

David Carroll, Belong To and Leanne Sweeney, Carlow Regional Youth ServiceDavid will discuss the experience of assisting to establish projects like, 'My Unique Identity'and the challenges to social inclusion in the wider youth work sector. Leanne will discuss herarticle 'My Unique Individuality'.

TJ Hourihan, YMCATJ will discuss his contribution, 'Addressing Interculturalism in NEETS ‐ Not in Education,Employment or Training Programme Provision ‐ The STEP Programme' and how a globalperspective can inform efforts towards social inclusion.

Programme Contributors

Tickets for this event are FREE of CHARGEhowever there is limited availability and places will

be issued on a first come first served basis.

http://sceneinclusionsymposium.eventbrite.ie

Symposium on Social Inclusion

Irish Youth Work Centre

Wednesday June 26 2013Youth Work Ireland National Office

Documents

June backup Youth Work Scene Redesign...Scene Magazine Issue 75, June 2013 5 MUI is a safe, friendly environment for anyone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and of secondary