Issue 72 - Magazine for Irish youth work practitioners - Scene

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Issue 72 - Magazine for Irish youth work practitioners - Scene
Irish Youth Work

Scene
  Magazine for Irish youth work practitioners

                                            IN THIS EDITION OF SCENE
                      Symposium on Exploring Outcomes in Youth Work
                            The Irish Youth Music Awards (IYMAs) 2012
                                      Youth Work Ireland Week Review
                             Guide to Setting Up a Youth Club Launch
                                          Limerick Youth Service Profile
                         Body Image & the Media Activity Supplement

                  Issue 72
                 June 2012
Issue 72 - Magazine for Irish youth work practitioners - Scene
Contents:
3             Editorial
4             Symposium on Exploring Outcomes in Youth Work
6             The IYMAs 2012
8             Youth Work Ireland Week Review
9             Being Young and Irish - President’s Consultation
10 Setting Up a Youth Club Guide
11            The Media and Body Image Activity Supplement
15            Limerick Youth Service Going Strong After 40 Years
18 Round Up
19            Training
20            IYWC New Library Resources
23            IYWC Recommended Reads
 Contributors: Patrick Burke, C.E.S., John Gilmore, Gina Halpin, Dermot Lambert, Charlene Logue
 and Dermot Troy.

 Layout & Design: Gina Halpin     Printing: Metaphor    Editor: Gina Halpin

 Cover Image: Exit Fire from CDYS Youth Work Ireland - winners of the IYMAs 2012

 Disclaimer
 It 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 editor. Views expressed in this magazine are the contributor’s
 own and do not reflect those of the Irish Youth Work Centre or Youth Work Ireland.

                                      Irish Youth Work Centre
                                          Youth Work Ireland
                                    20 Lower Dominick Street
                                                Dublin 1
                                            Tel: 01-8584512
                               Email: ghalpin@youthworkireland.ie
                                       Website: www.iywc.ie
                                           ISSN: 0791-6302

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Issue 72 - Magazine for Irish youth work practitioners - Scene
Editorial

Have your say on the
future of Irish Youth Work...
Welcome to the latest edition of Scene. Changes to youth work in Ireland are bringing new challenges and
opportunities for young people, volunteers and staff within the youth work sector.
Recent developments include new standards and assessment for youth clubs and youth work
services, a new focus on evidence and outcomes and a decrease in funding. Even more changes are
coming with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs now writing a new Youth Policy
Framework (YPF) for Ireland. At the same time communities, families and young people are dealing with
austerity, disruption and new social pressures.

The forthcoming Youth Work Ireland Consensus Conference which will be held in Farmleigh House on
Saturday September 22nd 2012 will address these and other emerging challenges and opportunities. It
will do this by offering young people, volunteers and professional youth workers a safe space to:

     Come to consensus in identifying the elements of our practice that need to be protected and
     developed in the new Youth Policy Framework and by Youth Work Ireland;
     Learn from each other as well as policy makers about the challenges that the new Policy
     Framework will bring and the opportunities that exist to over come these challenges;
     Work together to reach consensus on collective actions we can take to engage the new Youth
     Policy Framework;
     Have their ideas presented to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs for consideration
     in developing the new Youth Policy Framework.

The Consensus Conference is your chance to be heard. In preparation for this event Youth Work
Ireland is organising scoping workshops and surveys at all levels that will set the agenda for this impor‐
tant Conference and will allow anyone who wants to be involved to get involved. The questions we are
asking in the workshops and surveys reflect key issues identified so far in the developing Youth
Policy Framework. You can have your say on this by logging onto www.youthworkireland.ie or go
directly to the online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/6Z9SVF9

Use this opportunity to have your voice heard. Enjoy your read.

Patrick J. Burke, CEO Youth Work Ireland

                                                                            Irish Youth Work Scene ¦ 3
Issue 72 - Magazine for Irish youth work practitioners - Scene
Symposium on Exploring
          Outcomes in Youth Work
Introduction
The Centre for Effective Services is part of a new generation of intermediary organisations across
the world connecting scientific evidence of what works to policy and practice to improve the lives
of children, young people and the families and communities in which they live.

The Centre undertakes a wide range of project work ranging from whole-sector strategic
development, supporting evidence-informed policy and practice; to focused technical assistance
for individual service-providing organisations. In July this year the CES in conjunction with the
Department of Children and Youth Affairs will host a Symposium on Exploring Outcomes in Youth
Work and Related Provision. This Symposium will take place on Tuesday July 24th in the Main
Conference Hall in Dublin Castle.

Background
The Youth Affairs Unit (YAU) of the Department of Children
and Youth Affairs working in partnership with CES aims to            Scientific Evidence
enhance linkages with evidence-informed practice to                Implementing scientific
ensure that youth work and related practice provision in          evidence of what works
Ireland is of the highest quality. The Symposium will involve
bringing together a wide range of people with an interest                  Policy
in this topic to discuss and focus on achieving                  Guiding strategic decisions
option outcomes.
                                                                    based on evidence
Purpose of the Symposium                                                  Practice
The symposium will explore issues in relation to the findings   Getting frontline services to
from an international literature review (commissioned by        work on evidence instead of
CES on behalf of YAU) undertaken by the Institute of
Education, London, which maps the research literature in                assumptions
relation to youth development.

The Symposium will Provide an Opportunity:
       To launch the report from the Institute of Education.
       For practitioners and managers of young peoples’ services, academics, researchers and
       others to learn from leading commentators.
       For participants to reflect on their own practice in light of the inputs from the international
       commentators.
       To inform the development of the Youth Policy Framework.

Keynote Speakers
Leading international writers and practitioners in the area of youth development will address and
build upon the findings of the international literature review. Three keynote speakers will include:

Dr. Dale A. Blyth, Extension Professor, School of Social Work and Director of the Youth Work
Institute, University of Minnesota
Dr. Dana Fusco, Associate Professor, Department of Teacher Education, York College,
City University of New York
Dr. John Bamber, Principal Fellow, Centre for Effective Services.

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Issue 72 - Magazine for Irish youth work practitioners - Scene
Workshops
Participants will have the opportunity to reflect and discuss
the morning inputs in relation to their own practices and
emerging issues.

Target Audience
The Symposium is free of charge and targeted at
practitioners in youth work organisations and services,
administrating agencies, and related disciplines working
with young people in out-of-school time settings.

Outline of the Day
Time              Programme
9.30am‐10.00am Registration
10.00am‐10.30am Welcome by Conference Chair
                  Dr. Maurice Devlin, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Applied Social Studies, NUI Maynooth

                  Introduction to the Symposium
                  Jim Breslin, Secretary General, Department of Children and Youth Affairs

                  Setting the Context
                  Conor Rowley, National Assessor of Youth Work, Department of Children and Youth Affairs

10.30am‐11.00am Issues in Focusing on Outcomes in Youth Work and Related Provision
                  Dr. John Bamber, Centre for Effective Services
11.00am‐11.30am Break
11.30am‐12.15pm Current and Emerging Issues and Trends in Youth Work Practice and Related Provision
                  Dr. Dana Fusco, Associate Professor, Department of Teacher Education, York College, City
                  University of New York
12.15pm‐1.00pm Exploring Issues in Measurement and Accountability in Youth Work and Related Provision
                  Dr. Dale Blyth, Associate Dean for Youth Development and Director of the Youth Work Institute,
                  University of Minnesota Extension
 1.00pm‐2.00pm    Lunch

 2.00pm‐4.00pm    Workshop
                  Reflecting on the morning’s themes in relation to participants’ practice and issues, through
                  structured dialogue
 4.00pm‐5.00pm    Plenary ‐ Feedback on workshop considerations
                  Close of conference by Minister for Children & Youth Affairs Francis Fitzgerald T.D.

For further details on this event contact Breda Ryan, CES, bryan@effectiveservices.org
www.effectiveservices.org

                                                                                Irish Youth Work Scene ¦ 5
Issue 72 - Magazine for Irish youth work practitioners - Scene
THE IYMAs 2012
                                            by Dermot Lambert
 On Saturday 28th April                    record sales and touring experience,     The formula involved (and still
                                           I had a vast experience of the ups and   involves), 2 local events in each
  2012 the Irish Youth                     downs of the music industry, and as      participating region, in which a team
      Music Awards                         such I was in a good position to         is created, a representing act is
                                           understand the wants and needs of        chosen (only by the young partici‐
 celebrated its fifth year                 artists, while also understanding the    pants themselves) and a mini record
 in Liberty Hall, Dublin.                  realities of the music industry.         company is set up.

As organisers of The IYMAs, we were        On meeting Michael, he explained to      The formula is aimed at creating
taken completely by surprise and by        me that Youth Work Ireland would         teamwork, education and even some
storm at the goodwill at this year’s       like to stage a one‐day music event.     work experience. We would then
event. Youth workers, mentors, staff,      As we spoke though, it became clear      have a National Event, which would
volunteers and the young participants      that with a potential 1,000 partici‐     be screened back to each local region
seemed to create a volcano of positiv‐     pants, and as many as 8,000              via YouTube so as to allow home
ity which the building could barely        interested supporters, we would have     supporters to watch and partake in
contain. It was clear from the start of    to think of some way to include          realtime.
the day that we were witnessing            everybody, which would be difficult.
something very special this year, even     Even if we could hire out the O2 there   This programme would look like a
more so than the four previous years       would still only be a certain amount     band competition on the surface,
– which had been pretty momentous          of young people who could take part      complete with competing acts,
themselves!                                in the actual playing.                   awards and prizes but underneath it
                                                                                    would be anything but a band
The IYMAs started in 2007 when             We knew what had caused                  competition. We banned the word
Michael McLoughlin contacted me by                                                  ‘competition’, and acts chosen to play
                                              it, but we were still                 in the National Event are instead
email. He and Paul Gralton from
Youth Work Ireland National Office         surprised to see it work so              referred to as ‘Representing Acts’. At
had been engaged in efforts to get a        unbelievably special this               the end of the entire process we
music programme off the ground for                                                  would have a region (not an act) who
                                                      time.                         became the National Recipients of
Youth Work Ireland. They had
become aware of my company                                                          the Award – this is to try to avoid
                                           We came up with a formula which we       ‘local hero’ of band members, and
Garageland, which helps new acts to
                                           believed could accommodate 1,000         ‘loser’ status of all others.
get through the first difficult years of
                                           potential participants, and where
their career. As lead singer and
                                           everybody involved would be incen‐       We then went to some of the most
songwriter in Blink, with substantial
                                           tivised and there would be no losers.    influential music industry people to

Irish Youth Work Scene ¦ 6
Issue 72 - Magazine for Irish youth work practitioners - Scene
seek their support and possible             music industry panel on the IYMAs is      became a very difficult task to mark
attendance at the National Event.           one of the strongest in any music         the Facebook results. You could feel
We hoped having some heavy hitters          event in Ireland.                         the whole country buzzing with The
on the panel would attract young                                                      IYMAs.
musicians to the programme, and             The IYMAs has grown at a massive
lend it some weight that no other           rate, we have released four albums,       We were also aware that many youth
youth programme had thus far                one of which charted in the Irish         workers around the country were far
achieved at a National level.               Music Charts. There have been over        more involved, supportive, and giving
                                            190 regional events, we have set up       of their time than perhaps they were
Jackie Hayden of Hot Press Magazine         over 90 web pages and we have been        ever expected to be, and the level of
and Willie Kavanagh of EMI Records          on radio and TV several times. The        goodwill was tangible. Then to see
both loved the idea so much that they       Irish Times has written about us,         Liberty Hall fill up on the day with
became permanent panellists on              along with nearly every regional          eager faces, faces that had made
what has now become known as The            paper in the land. We have had            something their own in these difficult
IYMAs (The Irish Youth Music                launches in the RDS, and we’ve taken      times – this was how we knew we had
Awards). With these two iconic              over Liberty Hall Theater!                created something special in 2012.
figures onboard, we knew we could
get whomever we wanted on our               We believe The IYMAs 2012 was a           Since April 28th, the final day of the
panel, and that we had created some‐        very special event because it came        IYMAs 2012, we have received an
thing great for young people.               back into itself. In the massive growth   unprecedented number of positive
                                            and fanfare, there was a great under‐     and excited, and some quite touch‐
14 of the 22 Youth Work Ireland             current of sense of self. With the        ing, emails and texts congradulating
Member Youth Services took part in          economic conditions as bleak as they      the team, for which we are very
the first year (we called it 7 Steps Up     are in our country in 2012, there was     grateful. However, what we are most
in its first year). Theses were Limerick,   a sense at the IYMAs 2012 that we         grateful for is being allowed to work
Carlow, Kilkenny (Ossory), CDYS,            were doing something good.                with such a great community of
Donegal, Kildare, FDYS (Wexford),                                                     people on such a positive and
Kerry, Meath, Midlands, Louth,                                                        important programme for young
                                                …so why was IYMAs                     people. So thanks to all involved and
Galway, Clare and Tipperary. Over the
following years we’ve had the                    2012 so special?                     well done Youth Work Ireland,
addition of Laois, Monaghan, Water‐                                                   CDYSB, YANI and all involved in IYMAs
ford, Belfast, Newry, Enniskillen,          From our initial meetings around the      2012!
Derry, Donnycarney, Ballybough,             country it was clear that this year’s
Arklow,        Dunlaoire     Rathdown,      programme was very personal, at              For more information contact:
Ballyfermot, Lucan, Finglas, Glanmire,      least that’s how it seemed to us. All
Blarney, …                                  the young people involved seemed               www.youthworkireland.ie
                                            happy to be just that ‐ involved! We             www.garageland.ie
We now proudly work with CDYSB,             watched the enthusiasm on the Face‐
YANI (Youth Action Northern Ireland)        book pages which was so engaging in
and many independent Youth Organ‐           2012, far more than any other
isations throughout Ireland – North,        year. The engagement and teamwork
South, East and West. By year 5, the        at local level was so strong that it

                                                                                         Irish Youth Work Scene ¦ 7
Issue 72 - Magazine for Irish youth work practitioners - Scene
Youth Work Ireland Week 2012
                                         by John Gilmore,
                                   President, Youth Work Ireland
The Irish people are well known for their      A taste of what we do
humility and when it comes to institu‐         As well as a week of celebration for our
tional recognition, we at Youth Work           federation, its staff, volunteers and young
Ireland are equally unwilling to pat           people, Youth Work Ireland Week raised
ourselves on the back. There are, no           awareness of our profile and provided a
doubt, very organic and specific reasons       much needed opportunity to gain public‐
for this. For one thing, the precarious‐       ity and engagement with the community
ness of funding in the sector in recent        at large. Local radio and newspapers
years has engendered a very unique form        were well informed with news of what
of pressure on our vital services; one that    was happening in the various youth
has left little time for a reflection on our   services and many youth projects opened
collective accomplishments thus far.           their doors to allow the general public a
                                               feel for, or in some cases a taste of, what
National showcase                              we do. A highly significant part of the
However, as 2012 marks our 50th year,          week involved the Political Briefing on
the Board agreed that it was time for us       Youth issues at Leinster House. As well as
to have a national showcase of all the         providing a platform for the airing of
fantastic work being carried out. The          significant issues faced by local youth
inaugural Youth Work Ireland Week              services and local communities, the
witnessed almost two hundred events            briefing also offered a chance for TDs and
take place around the country and in the       Senators to meet their local youth              around the country for Youth Work
spirit of the organisation the emphasis        service, a chance that was warmly               Ireland Week. As well as conveying the
was on the local communities we work           welcomed on both sides.                         fantastic work being carried out, the
within. As you can imagine, the events
                                                                                               conversation on the day also afforded a
were diverse and ranged from music gigs        We certainly weren’t alone in our
                                                                                               much needed chance to demonstrate to
in Mallow to creative writing in Galway,       celebrations during the week and the
                                                                                               the minister the need for further invest‐
running in Kilkenny to playing soccer in       huge amount of interagency and collabo‐
                                                                                               ment into local community based youth
Wexford. In Waterford participants             rative work engaged in was evident in all
                                                                                               projects. In Limerick our celebrations
discussed volunteerism, while the              services. For example, on my visit to
                                                                                               were joined by young people from all
Donegal contingent, both young and old,        Louth I was cordially invited to celebrate
                                                                                               over Europe during the YELL Youth
engaged in shared conversations about          the 21st birthday of a community project
                                                                                               Empowerment Conference. During this
sexual health and well being.                  “The House” at Cox’s Demesne in
                                                                                               vibrant and diverse occasion, the
                                               Dundalk supported by Youth Work
Innovation and excitement                                                                      language (and accent) differences
                                               Ireland. “The House” has made a huge
I was fortunate enough to be able to visit                                                     certainly weren’t an obstacle to construc‐
                                               impact in the local community and,
several services throughout the week                                                           tion of rich and intelligent dialogue of
                                               although independent, the service
and was met with great excitement,                                                             young people in action.
                                               acknowledged the meaningful and
innovation and hard work. I started my         enduring support of Youth Work Ireland          The week proved a huge success and is
week at Kerry Diocesan Youth Service.          Louth throughout the years.                     certainly a platform for us to build on in
KDYS had incorporated their longstand‐
                                                                                               the future. Travelling around the country
ing and acclaimed Youth Day into our            A word in the ear of the Minister
                                                                                               to the various events made me ever
week long celebrations. In between the         Later that day, while still in Dundalk, I
                                                                                               more proud to be the president of such a
inflatable obstacles and “Zumba” classes,      was present while the Minister for
                                                                                               dynamic, engaging and active organisa‐
I had the opportunity to meet with a           Children and Youth Affairs Frances
                                                                                               tion. The volunteers, staff and particu‐
large cohort of young people from both         Fitzgerald opened a new youth mental
                                                                                               larly the young people right around the
rural to the urban based projects and          health space led by young people. As
                                                                                               country did as they always do in putting
even got time for a cup of tea and a chat      well as officiating at this special occasion,
                                                                                               on a fantastic show, and the hard work
with a man who has volunteered in his          Minister Fitzgerald enjoyed being briefed
                                                                                               and dedication of all involved made for a
local youth club for over thirty years.        on the local youth service progress and
                                                                                               wonderful week!
                                               on the collective celebrations occurring
Issue 72 - Magazine for Irish youth work practitioners - Scene
The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, is inviting
  young Irish people at home and abroad to play
  an active part in shaping Ireland’s shared future.
Being Young and Irish                       1. What is your vision for Ireland?        section of the President’s website and
President Higgins has launched Being        2. What can you and other young peo‐       similarly on the President’s official Face‐
Young and Irish, a consultation process        ple do to help achieve this Ireland?    book page.
with young people running from May          3. What else needs to happen to make
to September that will culminate with          this possible?                          A selection of contributions will be
a Presidency Seminar later this year.                                                  showcased at the regional workshops.
                                            Submission guidelines:                     When the consultation process is
Being Young and Irish is looking to         Please provide your name, address,         completed the President will host the
consult with Irish people aged 17 to 26,    email, d.o.b. and phone number as well     Presidency Seminar – ‘Being Young and
to seek to advance the national dis‐        as either of the following:                Irish’ where young people will sit side‐
course on inclusion by harnessing the                                                  by‐side with invited decision makers.
power of young people, enabling them        Written submissions: Maximum word
to participate and be more involved in      count is 500 words.                        During the consultation a number of
that discourse. The ambition is to create   Audio: Maximum length of audio is 4        young people will be selected and
a society which values every citizen in     minutes. Upload to any online audio        mentored to present key findings at The
every generation.                           host (e.g. soundcloud) and submit your     Presidency Seminar. A final report on
                                            link.                                      ‘Being Young and Irish’ and young
The central goal is to engage young         Video: Maximum length of video is 4        people’s vision for Ireland’s shared
people as active and reflective citizens    minutes. Upload to any online video        future will be published.
in contemporary Ireland and to endorse      host (e.g. youtube, vimeo) and submit
them as one of the sources of wisdom in     your link.                                 Where are the workshops taking
solving core social, political, economic                                               place?
and cultural issues confronting Ireland.    Why should I contribute?                   The workshops will take place in four
                                            The President believes that young Irish    different locations around the country:
Being Young and Irish wishes to:            people are a source of wisdom and that
Open up channels of participation for       they can help solve Ireland’s fundamen‐    DUBLIN, Saturday, September 8th
young people and involve them in the        tal social, political, economic and        CORK, Saturday, September 15th
national discussion and debate about        cultural issues. He wants to gather your   MONAGHAN, Saturday, September 22nd
what kind of country we now have,           suggestions and ideas for change and       GALWAY, Saturday, September 29th
what form of republic we wish to create     ensure they are reflected in his
and how it can be achieved.                 Presidency.                                What will be the outputs of the
                                                                                       Workshops?
Identify, promote and celebrate origi‐      When is this happening?                    The outputs of all four regional work‐
nal, youth‐led sensitive and realisable     Between now and the end of Septem‐         shops and the multimedia consultation
solutions to our present conditions and     ber 2012 the President wishes to           will be presented at the final National
proposals for a better society in the       engage in a dialogue with you, to re‐      Seminar on Being Young and Irish.
future.                                     ceive, review and discuss your sugges‐
                                            tions for change to Irish society.         What Now?
Hear from young people and seek their
                                                                                       If you would like to apply to participate
views on the difficulties young people      How will this happen?                      in one of the ‘Being Young and Irish’
from diverse backgrounds are experi‐        Our dialogue will take place in a number   regional workshops, please fill out the
encing, as young and Irish people today     of ways:                                   ‘Application Form’ at
 Between now and 29 September you                Multimedia consultation process
                                                 Four regional workshops               www.president.ie/being‐young‐irish
 can submit ideas on Ireland’s shared
    future to President Higgins at:              The Presidency Seminar
                                                                                        You can also send the completed form
    youngandirish@president.ie.                                                                  back to us by post:
                                            What to expect?
The President suggests that you             Your ideas and suggestions will be                  BEING YOUNG & IRISH
address the following questions in your     reviewed by the President and his team               Áras an Uachtaráin
submissions:                                and a selection of these will be identi‐                Phoenix Park
                                            fied and showcased on an appropriate                      Dublin 8

                                                                                           Irish Youth Work Scene ¦ 9
Issue 72 - Magazine for Irish youth work practitioners - Scene
Setting Up A Youth Club Guide
                   Launch by Donegal Youth Service
      Donegal Youth Service has launched          empowering volunteers to take on         Service, via Youth Work Ireland
      its Handy Guide to Setting up a             the work and provide a service that is   National Office and Child Protection
      Youth Club. After numerous encoun‐          in tune with local needs.                Training is set up and provided by the
      ters with communities thinking of                                                    Youth Outreach Project. The new
      organising youth provision in their         The Youth Outreach Project assists       committee is kept in contact via
      area, the Youth Outreach Project was        with compiling questions for a com‐      email, phone or in person to support
      charged to produce this handy reader        munity audit, printing literature on     their ongoing work. If the group then
      to assist volunteers in their plans for a   behalf of a group for any leaflet drop   decide to, they are welcome to apply
      youth club set up. Working from a           and assisting with compiling the         to join Donegal Youth Service as a
      ‘Quality Standards Framework’               responses. We don’t carry out sur‐       ‘full’ or ‘associate’ member. We
      perspective, to ensure prospective          veys or audits for communities; we       appreciate that we invest in Garda
      youth clubs keep in line with National      provide the tools for them to do it      Vetting and Child Protection in
      Policies and best practice guidelines,      themselves. We encourage those           advance of affiliation, but we prefer
      the short booklet was produced for          who have a desire to form a local        volunteers are screened and ‘good to
      dissemination across the county in          youth club to hold a public meeting      go’ before becoming affiliated and
      shops, health centres, parish halls,        and we make ourselves available at       potentially operating outside of ‘best
      community halls, FRC’s and CDP’s, in        these meetings. We usually meet          practice’ guidelines. Anyway, we feel
      fact anywhere people met to plan            with the young people separately         that as long as volunteers are provid‐
      and provide for their own communi‐          from the adults to gauge interest        ing a quality service locally, it isn’t
      ties.                                       levels and ascertain information, per‐   important who they ‘belong to’. Local
                                                  tinent to the needs of young people.     youth clubs are free to approach
      Donegal Youth Service provide a qual‐                                                other youth service agencies at any
      ity Youth Outreach Project to a             The next step is meeting with any        time.
      membership of over 30 youth clubs           intending/existing committee and of
      and aim at ensuring intending youth         course encouraging that a junior         When all the paperwork and training
      clubs are assisted in their set up and      committee become established.            is in order, clubs are free to open and
      formation and enabled to become full        Training in committee roles and          operate. We provide policies for clubs
      members of the organisation. Volun‐         responsibilities is provided for both    to operate to, provide all associated
      teers wanting to set up a youth club        the adult volunteers if needed and       paperwork (consent forms, medical
      in their area are met by the Senior         the junior committee members to          record forms, registration forms,
      Youth Worker to discuss local needs         enable them to operate effectively.      accident/injury forms etc.) as
      and to gain information on the ‘offer’      Of course some areas have existing       templates that the local youth club is
      provided by Donegal Youth Service,          committees and a wealth of knowl‐        free to use or amend accordingly.
      i.e. programmes, activities, training,      edge in this area and we respect this.   Once affiliated, the club is encour‐
      events, insurance etc. We are very                                                   aged to participate in the Youth
      clear that we ‘do with’ but not ‘do         Garda Vetting forms are distributed      Outreach Project services.
      for’ local communities. We believe in       and processed by Donegal Youth

                                                                                   For further information or to request a
                                                                                  copy of the Guide please contact Lorraine
                                                                                                or Charlene at:

                                                                                             Donegal Youth Service
                                                                                   lorraine.thompson@donegalyouthservice.ie
                                                                                     charlene.logue@donegalyouthservice.ie

                                                                                       www.donegalyouthservice.ie

Sheena Boyle-Laverty, Lorraine Thompson and Charlene Logue of
  Donegal Youth Service at the launch of the Youth Club Guide
The Media and Body Image
              Activity Supplement
For young people media messages          make it interesting you can alternate        who then throws it to another
about body shape and size can be         between male and female stars on             person.
hugely influential on how they feel      every turn.                                  Only the person holding the ball
about themselves and their own                                                        is allowed to speak.
                                         Body Modification: How many differ‐
bodies. Media messages that create                                                Source: Gok The Naked Truth Teachers
                                         ent ways can they think of to change
cultural definitions of beauty and                                                Pack
                                         the appearance of their body? This
attractiveness are often acknowl‐
                                         could include everything from hair,
edged as being amongst the factors
                                         makeup, tattoos, piercings, diets and        Activity One:
that contribute to the rise of eating
                                         exercise, to tummy tucks, boob jobs,
disorders in young people. This
                                         hair implants and facelifts etc..
                                                                                      Defining Body
activity supplement looks at how the
media uses unrealistic body images to    Eating: How many different eating             Image and
sell products and provides activities    disorders or bad eating habits can             Influences
for youth workes in tackling this        they think of?
sensitive topic with young people.       Begin activity:                          Aim: To increase awareness of where
                                             Throw the ball to a random           influences come from around the
       Ice Breaker                           young person who has to come         issue of body image.
                                             up with a name, idea or word
Aim: To get young people to think            which fits the current topic.        Materials: Flip chart paper, markers
about the sorts of questions and wor‐        If they get stuck or fail to come    and various fashion magazines with
ries they have about body image,             up with an answer within 10          pictures of “perfect” bodies.
confidence and self‐esteem while             seconds, they pass the ball to
making them comfortable with shar‐           the person on their left who             Ask them what they think “body
ing their feelings and thoughts.             tries to come up with an answer          image” means to hem?
                                             instead.                                 How do the young people see
Materials: A space large enough for          Once they have spoken, the               their body?
everyone to sit on the floor and a           young person holding the ball            How do they think others see
tennis ball. When everyone is seated         tosses it back to the group leader       their body?
tell the young people that this
exercise is designed to get them to
think about beauty, body image and
healthy eating.

Here are some sample ideas and
topics to use in this activity:
A‐Z of Beautiful Celebrities: Can they
think of a celebrity for every letter?
Each young person has to use the
next letter in the alphabet to name a
different glamorous celebrity. To

                                                                                   Irish Youth Work Scene ¦ 11
How do they feel as a result? Make a
list of their responses on the flip chart
paper.

Ask the young people what “positive
body image” is (seeing and appreci‐
ating your body as it really is and
feeling comfortable and confident
with your body). Write their
responses on the flip chart paper.

Then ask them what “negative body
image” is (having a distorted percep‐
tion of body shape, feeling ashamed
and self‐conscious about your body or
feeling uncomfortable and awkward
in your body). Write their responses
on the flip chart paper too.

Ask the young people what they feel
influences their ideas of body image
                                            in our society even though food is
                                            abundant, and certain body shapes
                                                                                       Activity Three:
and what is their idea about what an
ideal body should be. Get the young
                                            are valued.                               Buy the Perfect
people to make up posters of all the        What messages do the media give                Body!
qualities they think make up a              about food and physical beauty?
“perfect” body based on photographs
                                            Divide the young people into small     Aim: To get young people to explore
from magazines.
                                            groups and give them a selection of    the impact of magazine advertise‐
Source: Nutrition and Physical Activity
                                            magazines and newspapers, ask them     ments on body image and individual
for Lifelong Health Lesson Fourteen /
ETR Associates
                                            to find examples of conflicting        purchasing and to get them to take a
                                            messages about eating and body         good look at society’s pressure to
                                            image, such as ads for high‐calorie    conform to standards of beauty,
    Activity Two:                           foods with overly thin models.         particularly to be thin and the
   Create a Mixed                           Ask them to think of their own
                                                                                   prejudice against being “overweight.”
                                            examples, and after they have
   Message Board                            compiled 5 to 10 powerful mixed
                                                                                   Materials: Magazines, glue, sample
                                                                                   advertisements, scissors, flip chart
                                            messages, have each group create a
Aim: This is a hands‐on arts activity                                              paper for each group and markers.
                                            “Mixed Messages” poster or collage
that will help young people learn           that shows the volume of messages
more about body image, eating                                                      Before the group meet, gather some
                                            we receive in our daily lives about
disorders and recognise the mixed                                                  sample advertisements of high profile
                                            food and appearances.
messages portrayed by the media                                                    brands that young people may
regarding health, body, nutrition and       Put up the posters around your youth   relate to and ask them:
reality!                                    club. Finish by asking the young
                                            people how they can help themselves        What is it in the ad that appeals
Materials: Magazines, newspapers,           to become more aware of the mixed          to them?
glue, flip chart paper and markers.         messages and avoid conditions that         How does the ad get people to
                                            trigger eating disorders.                  buy the product?
                                            Source:                                    How does the ad make the
Begin by asking the group what they
                                            www.discoveryeducation.com                 person/people look?
know about body image and eating
disorders, their causes and effects.                                                   How does seeing or reading
How have they heard of these                                                           this ad make them feel?
diseases? They may know celebrities                                                    Does the ad tell the truth (give
who have been identified as having                                                     the whole picture)? Why or why
eating disorders.                                                                      not?”

Ask them to brainstorm the reasons                                                 Next divide students into small
that eating disorders are so prevalent                                             groups and give them magazines and
                                                                                   other materials.

Irish Youth Work Scene ¦ 12
Ask them to go through the maga‐
zines and cut out pictures or words
                                          have a good mixture of magazines
                                          that show images of people of varied
                                                                                         Activity Five:
from ads that make them want to buy       race, ethnicity, shape and age.                Coat of Arms
that product or be more like the
                                          Point out that many people young or
person in the ad and have them make                                                 Aim: To bolster a young person’s self
                                          old do not feel proud and confident
a poster which they present to the                                                  image and self‐esteem.
                                          about how they look.
larger group.
                                          Divide the young people into small        Materials: Give each of the young
Follow up with, “Why would compa‐         same sex groups and give each group       people a piece of blank A4 paper and
nies only use images of ‘perfect’         flip chart paper and a marker.            some markers, coloured pencils or
people to sell their product?”                                                      paints.
                                          Ask the young people to make a list
Discuss how the ‘perfect’ images are      on one piece of flip chart paper of the
produced; e.g., computer enhance‐         parts of the body that people of their        Ask each of them to design their
ment, airbrushing or combining vari‐      gender often feel dissatisfied with.          own ‘coat of arms’, listing four
ous parts of different people to create                                                 personal strengths that they
                                          Label your list Men often do not
one image, etc.                                                                         believe they possess. These
                                          like... or Women often do not like...
                                                                                        could be physical, personality‐
Ask them what they feel the media         Using two or three magazines, find            based or a particular skill they
could do differently to make sure they    pictures of people of their gender            have mastered.
are not giving out the wrong idea of      that they think are attractive.
                                                                                        Ask them to also come up with
the ‘perfect’ body or what it means to    Make a collage of these pictures on           a personal motto to go under
be healthy?                               the flip chart paper and add words or         neath their shield.
Source: www.uen.org/Lessonplan            phrases that describe an attractive
                                                                                        When the students have finish‐
                                          member of their own gender.
                                                                                        ed, make a wall display out of
     Activity Four:                       When they have finished the collage,          their creations so everyone can
    Prejudice and                         selleotape both the list and the              see the things they like about
                                          collage side by side on the walls.            themselves.
     Body Image
                                          Then ask the young people to take         It might be a good idea for you as
      Discussion                          some time to read and look at all the     the youth worker to come up with
                                          collages.                                 your own shield and motto too!
Aim: To increase the young people’s                                                 Source: Gok The Naked Truth Teachers
awareness of their physical self and of   Discussion                                Pack
media influences on their body image
and behavior.
                                          Do you think that, in general young           Activity Six:
                                          people are satisfied with their own
                                          appearance?                                 Fashion, Media
Materials: Magazines, glue, scissors,
markers, sellotape, flip chart paper ‐    Where do we get our ideas about            and Body Image
two sheets for each group. Try to         what is attractive and what is not?
                                          Did you find pictures that coincided      Aim: To explore the global dimension
                                          with your ideas about what is attrac‐     of media marketing and body image.
                                          tive? If not, what were you looking for
                                          that you couldn’t find?                   Materials: Selection of magazines
                                                                                    and newspapers and Internet access
                                          Do media images influence how             if possible.
                                          attractive or appealing we feel?
                                          Can we change some parts of our               Ask groups of young people to
                                          body? and do we as people change              look through newspapers and
                                          when we change parts of our bodies?           magazines and cut out as many
                                                                                        images of people they can find.
                                          What parts of us can we not change?
                                                                                        Ask them to group the images
                                                                                        into 3 groups of men, women
                                          What things can an adolescent do to
                                                                                        and children.
                                          feel better about his or her body?
                                                                                        Then ask them to divide the
                                          Source: www.advocatesforyouth.org
                                                                                        groups again into racial groups,
                                                                                        national groups, cultural groups,
                                                                                        or professions.

                                                                                      Irish Youth Work Scene ¦ 13
Finally ask them what they            about it. If you’re worried about your   Try building your self-esteem
    notice about what sorts of peo‐       weight or size, check with your          by giving yourself three
    ple are commonly represented as       doctor to verify that things are OK.     compliments every day.
    being professional or fashion         But it’s no one’s business but your      While you’re at it, every evening list
    symbols etc.                          own what your body is like; you have     three things in your day that really
    Why do they think this is?            to be happy with yourself.               gave you pleasure. It can be anything
    What does this say about stere‐                                                from the way the sun felt on your
    otypes of men and women,              Identify which aspects of                face, the sound of your favourite
    about different races and             your appearance you can                  band, or the way someone laughed at
    cultures and about what is            realistically change and                 your jokes. By focusing on the good
    considered ‘beautiful’?               which you can’t.                         things you do and the positive as‐
                                          Humans, by definition, are imperfect.    pects of your life, you can change
Adaptations:                              It’s what makes each of us unique and    how you feel about yourself. Some
If the group has Internet access the      original! Everyone (even the most        people with physical disabilities or
young people can look at fashion/         perfect‐seeming celeb) has things        differences may feel they are not
news web‐sites from different             that they can’t change and need to       seen for their true selves because of
countries and cultures – and do a         accept — like their height, for exam‐    their bodies and what they can and
similar activity.                         ple, or their shoe size. Remind your‐    can’t do. Other people may have such
Source: www.cyfanfyd.org.uk                                                        serious body image issues that they
                                          self that real people aren’t perfect
                                          and perfect people aren’t real           need a bit more help. Working with a
                                          (they’re usually airbrushed!).           counsellor or therapist can help some
                                                                                   people gain perspective and learn to
                                          If there are things about                focus on their individual strengths as
                                          yourself that you want to                well as develop healthier thinking.
                                          change and can, do this by
                                          making goals for yourself.
                                          For example, if you want to get fit,
                                          make a plan to exercise everyday and
                                          eat healthy. Then keep track of your
                                          progress until you reach your goal.
                                          Meeting a challenge you set for
                                          yourself is a great way to boost self‐
                                          esteem!

                                          When you hear negative
                                          comments coming from
 Tips for Improving                       within, tell yourself to stop.
                                          Appreciate that each person is more
  Body Image for                          than just how he or she looks on any
                                          given day. We’re complex and con‐
   Young People                           stantly changing. Try to focus on
                                          what’s unique and interesting about
Some young people think they need         yourself.
to change how they look to feel good
about themselves. But all you need to      Where to go next...
do is change the way you see your
body and how you think about your‐              www.bodywhys.ie                    www.mentalhealthireland.ie
self. Here are some tips on doing that:          www.spunout.ie                    www.media-awareness.ca
                                               www.headstrong.ie                     www.headroom.net.au
Recognise that your body is
                                               www.mindyourself.ie                      www.cyh.com
your own, no matter what
                                              www.eatingdisorder.ie                   www.kidshealth.org
shape or size it comes in.
Try to focus on how strong and                 www.irishhealth.com                  www.youthhealthtalk.org
healthy your body is and the things it           www.aware.ie                        www.me-and-us.co.uk
can do, not what’s wrong with it or            www.reachout.com                      www.teenissues.co.uk
what you feel you want to change
                                             www.healthpromotion.ie

Irish Youth Work Scene ¦ 14
Limerick Youth Service
Still Going Strong After Four Decades
                                              By Dermot Troy

Founded in 1973 by the late Sr. Joan     visit        from       a        UK      our young people.
Bowles, Limerick Youth Service           Somali Community Group, a                Speaking at the launch Minister
(LYS) remains an integral part of life   Question and Answers session with        Fitzgerald thanked everyone for
in Limerick city and county. As it       local politicians and the launch of      their hospitality and Limerick Youth
approaches its 40th Anniversary,         Limerick’s      first  Anti‐Bullying     Service for having the foresight to
Limerick Youth Service continues to      Awareness Week.                          develop such a service.          The
be at the forefront of youth affairs,                                             Minister commented:
providing educational training and          Minister Launches
recreational programmes for young         Limerick Youth Service                   ‘there is great frontline work
people, while supporting numerous                                                  being done here. It is a state of
youth cafés and clubs. Limerick
                                              Strategic Plan                       the art service including a combi‐
Youth Service remains committed          April began with a visit from the         nation of community workshops
to supporting and encouraging            Minister for Children and Youth           with training facilities and youth
young people to be active                Affairs, Francis Fitzgerald T.D. After    cafes that are reaching young
participants in shaping their future.    a tour of our city centre training and    people and giving them an alter‐
                                         educational facilities, Minister          native place to meet their peers,
The Story so Far                         Fitzgerald was treated to lunch from      which is a really important
                                         our award winning catering team,          alternative to drink and drugs. I
It has been a busy few months for        where she was officially welcomed         commend the work of everyone
Limerick Youth Service as we played      by Limerick Youth Service Director        here.’
host to a Ministerial visit, launched    Catherine Kelly. The Minister then
our Four Year Strategic Plan and         launched our Four Year Strategic         Minister Fitzgerald was then given a
hosted        Y.E.L.L.         (Youth    Plan 2012‐16 which aims to               tour of our other city locations and
Empowerment Looks @ Limerick)            promote new and diverse ways of          was treated to some song and
Week. This hectic period also saw        working with young people, while         dance from local young people. On
the launch of our debut album,           also engaging with other organisa‐       departing Catherine Kelly, thanked
Underground Sounds: A Charity CD         tions to enhance opportunities for       the Minister for her visit and her
Raising Funds for LYS Youth Clubs, a
kind words.                            workshops, seminars and were           outlet for young musicians who are
  Limerick Youth Sevice                given a comprehensive tour of the      looking for a place to perform. If you
   YELLs for Youth Work                facilities. SEWF was founded in 2004   are interested in performing at Lava
                                       and according to youth leader          Java’s please contact John Real at:
      Ireland Week                     Ahmed Mirrah its aim is to               johnr@limerickyouthservice.com
As part of the inaugural Youth Work     ‘enable full access to services of
Ireland Week, Limerick Youth            education, suitable employment,       Grilled at Limerick Youth
Service hosted an International         training and integration with the
Conference titled: YELL! Youth                                                         Service
                                        objective of alleviating poverty
Empowerment Looks @ Limerick.           through promoting social and          Minister for Housing, Jan O’
The event saw delegates from            economic regeneration.’               Sullivan TD was among a number of
several European nations including                                            Limerick politicians that took part in
Poland and the British Somali          Mr. Mirah was full of praise for       a Q&A evening with young people
Community spend the week               Limerick Youth Service and indeed      on May 14th last at Limerick Youth
working with the YELL Group. The       the role of youth work adding that     Service HQ. The Q&A developed
visitors were given an insight into    last year’s August Riots (in the UK)   after a meeting between Oireachtas
the achievements in promoting                                                 members and local volunteer,
youth participation in the commu‐       ‘highlighted the importance of
                                                                              Elaine Flynn at Leinster House, dur‐
nity. Priscilla Sheehan of Limerick     youth work in showing young
                                                                              ing Youth Work Ireland’s recent
Youth Service said :                    people an alternative to anti‐
                                                                              ‘Show and Tell Political Briefing.’
                                        social behaviour.’
 ‘the idea of YELL is to encourage
 and empower young people to                                                  On the night issues such as the
                                             Sounds of the                    Limerick Regeneration Project,
 take control of their lives and
 become active citizens in their            Underground CD                    cutbacks in education, suicide and
 local community.’                              Launch                        young people’s attitude towards
                                                                              politics were discussed. Eamon
                                       Limerick Youth Service’s Glenworth     O’Brien, who chaired the Q&A,
 For further information on YELL
                                       Street Head Quarters was buzzing       suggested that politics and the
  please contact Eibhlis Bray at:
                                       on Thursday April 26th last as we      political system:
eibhlisb@limerickyouthservice.com
                                       launched our debut album, ‘Under‐
                                       ground Sounds’ at Lava Java’s Youth       ‘should become more of a
UK’s Somali Community                  Cafe. The album was recorded and        feature of the school curriculum.’
  Visit Limerick Youth                 produced by staff and volunteers at    This was looked upon favourably by
          Service                      our recording studios at The Factory   all in attendance including the
                                       Southside Youth Space, near            political representatives. Comment‐
Following on from the success of       Southill in the city.                  ing on the evening Limerick Youth
YELL Week, a group from the                                                   Service Director, Catherine Kelly
Birmingham‐Derby based Somali          It features a diverse mix of local
                                                                              said:
Educational and Welfare Founda‐        artists such as Sum Young Wans,
tion (SEWF) paid a return visit to     who were finalists at the recent        ‘it was inspirational to see these
Limerick Youth Service. During their   Irish Youth Music Awards. Lava          confident young people question
week long stay they engaged in         Java’s is quickly becoming a popular    our politicians and hold their own

Irish Youth Work Scene ¦ 16
in the debate.’                                                                 Limerick Youth Service and there is
                                          ‘each year the newly elected
Thanks were expressed to all who                                                 a lot more to come with an array of
                                          Comhairle chooses a topic of
gave their time to attend the Q&A.                                               events planned for the summer
                                          relevance to young people to
                                                                                 months.
                                          work upon, based upon the
       Bullying...WHY?                    findings of the AGM, in which
                                                                                 If you would like to know more
                                          more than 80 students from
Limerick’s inaugural Anti‐Bullying                                               about the goings‐on Shannonside
                                          across Limerick usually attend.
Week ran from May 18th to 25th as                                                contact us at:
                                          This year Comhairle members
Limerick Youth Service, in conjunc‐       have chosen the topic of young
tion with Limerick County Council                                                          Dermot Troy
                                          people’s mental health and in
proudly supported this Comhairle                                                      Communications Officer
                                          particular, bullying as a key issue
na nÓg’s initiative. Throughout the                                                   Limerick Youth Service.
                                          facing young people in Limerick.’
week Comhairle and Limerick Youth                                                        (t): 061‐412444
Service volunteers raised awareness      Following on from this week’s event
of the different types of bullying and                                                       Email:
                                         Limerick Youth Service will host an
the impact it can have on a person,                                              dermott@limerickyouthservice.com
                                         Anti‐Bullying Awareness Evening on
family and community.                    Thursday, June 28th.
                                                                                  www.limerickyouthservice.com
Posters that drew attention to the         For further information please
effects of bullying were on display in                                             or follow us on Facebook and
                                                contact Joe Walsh at:
youth spaces, with staff and                                                                  Twitter
                                          joew@limerickyouthservice.com
volunteers sporting wristbands with
the message:
                                             More to Come at
Bullying...Why?                           Limerick Youth Service
                                         So that was just a brief insight into
Speaking about the development of        what has been a busy few months
Anti‐Bullying Week, Joe Walsh of         and indeed a busy four decades at
Limerick Youth Service said:
Round Up
   Consultation on                       until Saturday 3rd November youth         are the rights, liberties and freedoms
                                         arts activity will be celebrated around   guaranteed under the Irish Constitu‐
 Improving the Lives                     the County, as this annual showcase       tion and under international agree‐
   of Children and                       of young people’s participation in the    ments, treaties and conventions to
                                         arts comes to life. If you are a young    which Ireland is a party.
    Young People                         person between the ages of 12 and
                                         25 who is involved in singing,             For more information contact:
Minister for Children and Youth          performing, playing, dancing, organ‐               Fidelma Joyce
Affairs Frances Fitzgerald T.D. has      ising, talking or making, register your           (t): 01 8589601
launched a public consultation on        interest in letting people know what             (e): joyce@ihrc.ie
improving the lives of children and      you are up to. Or if you represent an
young people. The consultation will      organisation, project or programme
inform the development of all key        that works with, or on behalf of,           Teen-Line Ireland Call
policies and strategies within the       young people in a creative way then            for Volunteers
Department over the next five years.     STOP LOOK LISTEN is for you too!
                                         Young people are making exciting,         Teen‐line Ireland
This consultation is for anyone with     creative work all over the County and     is a registered
an interest in improving the lives of    we want to highlight and celebrate        charity that pro‐
children and young people. The over‐     this work.                                vides a national
all aim of this consultation is to
                                                                                   free‐phone
ensure children and young people          For more information contact:            helpline for young
growing up in Ireland are:                      Mary Mac Namara                    people in Ireland. The aim of the
                                            (e) grainstore@dlrcoco.ie              organisation is to provide emotional
   Safe and secure.
                                                  (t): 01 2047978                  support, through a national listening
   Have a say in decisions that affect
                                                                                   service for young people who may be
   their lives.
                                                                                   feeling lonely, alone, worried or de‐
   Enjoy learning in all aspects of           SCSPE Students:                      pressed. Teen‐line is built on the be‐
   their lives.
   Be good citizens                           Act to Promote                       lief that young people need to be
                                                                                   listened to and the service is a confi‐
   Be healthy and active.                      Human Rights                        dential secure and non judgemental
   Move confidently into adulthood.
                                                                                   one for young people to express their
   Experience economic security.         The Irish Human                           feelings. Teen‐line believes that all
                                         Rights Commis‐                            young people from all social, religious
To take part in this consultation        sion (IHRC) is                            and ethnic backgrounds can experi‐
please go to:                            inviting      CSPE                        ence challenging times at some point
 www.dcya.gov.ie/Consultation‐2012       students to creatively communicate        in their lives.
                                         about a human rights issue that con‐
This link will remain open until
                                         cerns them through their CSPE Action      Teen‐Line Ireland's volunteers are
Friday 6th July.
                                         Project and submit their work to the      ordinary, every‐day people who
                                         IHRC. It is planned to exhibit the work   understand that young people need
   Stop, Look, Listen                    later in the year. The IHRC’s Human       to be heard ‐ they volunteer to listen
                                         Rights Action Project Initiative will     ‐ If you are over 21, a good listener
          2012                           launch in September 2012.                 and have 3 hours a week to spare and
Dún Laoghaire                                                                      feel that Teen‐line Ireland is a charity
Rathdown                                 The Irish Human Rights Commission         that you would like to volunteer with
County Coun‐                             (IHRC) was established under statute      please contact:
cil is delighted                         in 2000, to promote and protect the
to announce that applications are        human rights of everyone in Ireland.                (t) 01 4622124
now open for STOP LOOK LISTEN            The human rights that the IHRC is             (e) volunteer@teenline.ie
2012. From Thursday 25th October         mandated to promote and protect
                                                                                            www.teenline.ie

Irish Youth Work Scene ¦ 18
Training
Specialist Certificate in                      Children First Training                 Music, for young people, is often at
                                                                                       the centre of their forming identity. It
Youth Health Promotion                          Level 1 and Level 2
                                                                                       connects them to their peers and
        2012-13                                course info with the 1                  informs their ideas around life’s topics
                                                Stop Training Shop                     and issues. The Music for Youth
Dates: 1st October‐31th May 2012                                                       Project engages young people posi‐
                                             “Seeing the Signs – An Introduction       tively though music and creates
Details: The National Health Youth
                                             to Child Protection” (Level 1)            opportunities for their development.
Programme is now inviting applicants
                                             The 3 Rs – Responsibilities, Recog‐       Through its outreach music training
for the Specialist Certificate in Youth
                                             nising and Reporting”(Level 2)            and learning initiative, the My Project
Health Promotion 2012‐13.
                                             “Seeing the Signs – An Introduction       promotes young people’s growth i n
This 3rd level Certificate is delivered by   to Child Protection” (Level 1)            such areas as ‐ confidence, self
the      National       Youth      Health                                              esteem, group work, creativity and
                                             Seeing the Signs is a national child
Programme and is Accredited by NUI                                                     self expression.
                                             protection training programme. The
Galway. The course provides partici‐
                                             courses run at Level 1, 2 and 3 and are
pants with the opportunity to                                                              For more information please
                                             aimed at staff members who have
develop knowledge and skills to                                                                      contact:
                                             direct or indirect contact with
facilitate their youth organisation in                                                             087‐7085019
                                             children during the course of their
becoming an effective setting for                                                              info@themyproject
                                             work. These sessions will provide
health promotion, while working                                                               www.themyproject.ie
                                             details of how to recognise child
within the National Quality Standards
                                             abuse and ensure that staff members
Framework (NQSF) for youth work. It
                                             are aware of how to respond to situ‐           Limerick Play and
also enables participants and their
                                             ations. Some aims of the course are:               Learning
organisations to begin the process of
achieving a Health Quality Mark.                To provide a greater understand‐
                                                                                       Date: Monday 23rd‐Friday 27th July
                                                ing of the signs and indicators of
The Health Quality Mark is a health             abuse.
                                                                                       Week long residential summer school
promotion initiative which aims to              To raise awareness regarding the
                                                                                       with Marc Armitage and Steve Goode
enhance best practice and a high                fundamental issues of Safeguard‐
                                                                                       at the University of Limerick.
standard of quality in all aspects of           ing and well being.
health promotion in youth organisa‐
                                                                                       This is a Challenging Continuing
tions. The HQ Mark is a set of quality         For a full listing of training dates
                                                                                       Professional Development event
standards in youth health promotion                           contact:
                                                                                       aimed at youth workers, managers,
and takes the form of an award                             085 7494383
                                                                                       teachers, development officers and
conferred on organisations that               info.1stoptrainingshop@yahoo.ie
                                                                                       advisors in Childcare, Schools, Play‐
satisfy agreed quality criteria.
                                                                                       work, After‐Schools, Youthwork and
The Specialist Certificate in Youth            MY Project: Music                       others who work with children.
Health promotion is an important first       Workshops and Training
step in this process. It is designed for                                               The residential week will be packed
anyone working with young people in          Summer 2012 – Music Workshop and          full of new ideas, reflection, discus‐
a youth work, out‐of‐school or non           Training Activities Available             sion, challenges, new research, world‐
formal education setting, who are                                                      wide examples, films, photos .... and
interested in promoting health within        Summer 2012 is nearly here and The        a BBQ.
their work setting.                          Music for Youth Project has a limited
                                             number of workshops, programs and            Contact Steve Goode for more
   For more information contact:             activities available. Our trained youth
           01‐4784122                                                                             information:
                                             music facilitators can come to your                   087 9972974
          kevin@nyci.ie                      project, school, service or community
           www.nyci.ie                                                                    stevegoode@stevegoode.org
                                             and deliver hands on learning
                                             through music for young people.

                                                                                         Irish Youth Work Scene ¦ 19
I   Evaluation in Action:                         excitement comes some anxiety too. Most
                                                  young people handle the move pretty
    Theory and practice for effective
                                                  well, but some may find it a lot tougher
    evaluation                                    than others. Many factors contribute to
    By Gillian Squirrell, 2012

Y
                                                  how you adapt to your new surroundings
                                                  such as personality, maturity, attitude, self-
    Evaluation is a powerful                      image and general coping ability. As with
    tool that can create                          most transistions things can be made
    considerable fear. It                         easier with preparation and having vital

W   may be used to decide
    how to allocate often
    scarce resources, it can
                                                  information. This guide aims at helping
                                                  young people leaving home for the first
                                                  time to be as prepared as possible for this
    be the forerunner of                          new and exciting adventure. Topics

C   bad news, or just be a
    means to preserve the
    status quo. But evalua-
                                                  covered include how best to make the
                                                  adjustment, preparation, settling in, find-
                                                  ing the right accommodation, tenant
    tion is always about                          rights, costs, budgeting, health and
    people, and can empower the disem-            personal safety.
    powered, stimulate change, and support
    democratic innovation and creativity,         Irish Non Profits: What do we
    and it is these elements that this book
                                                  know?
R   emphasises.

    Exploring its emotional as well as social,
    political and technical aspects, this book
                                                  By the Irish Non profits Knowledge
                                                  Exchange, 2012

E   shows how evaluation is always about
    people, and that what it becomes is a
    matter of choice.
                                                  Nonprofit organisations
                                                  are to be found in every
                                                  parish and town-land in
                                                  the country. Their work

S   Accessible for those early in their experi-
    ence of evaluation, this book takes them
    and those with more experience to more
    advanced levels, by providing: theory,
                                                  touches all of us directly
                                                  and indirectly, and they
                                                  play an incalculable
                                                  role in the quality of our

O   background information, history and
    reflections on the diversity of possible
    developments of evaluation. It offers
    readers opportunities to reflect on
                                                  lives and our civil soci-
                                                  ety.

                                                  Since 2007, when INKE started life as a

U
    examples and on their own practice, and       feasibility research project, we have built
    to make use of some guidelines and            an informational infrastructure as a service
    check-lists.                                  to the public, to the sector, and to
                                                  government. It is hoped that everybody

R   Flying The Coop 2012:                         will benefit when the work of nonprofits is
                                                  more visible, more transparent and more
    A guide to leaving home &
                                                  accountable. This report illustrates how
    going To college                              much information is already available in
    By Youth Work Ireland Roscommon/N.E.          the public domain – the work has involved

C   Galway, 2012

    Going to third-level
                                                  gathering, harmonising and storing it
                                                  together for the first time, in a digital form
                                                  that allows anybody to study the data, for
    college can be a really                       any reason.

E   fun time; plenty of free-
    dom and independ-
    ence, new friendships,
                                                  This first report only scratches the surface:
                                                  as more data is captured year on year,
    living in a new environ-                      the database will become even more

S   ment, not to mention
    the relief of having
    survived the Leaving
                                                  valuable as a source of trend, as well as
                                                  comparative data.

    Cert. But with all this

    Irish Youth Work Scene ¦ 20
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