Donegal Youth Service launched its latest venture the ASPIRE Project at its Letterkenny headquarters on Monday, September 20.
Clubs and Projects, Agencies and Service providers were in attendance both face to face and over zoom in to hear of our exciting new plans for the Project.
Funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth under ‘UBU, Your Place, Your Space’, ASPIRE is the merger between the former Daybreak early school leaver programme and the Youth Outreach Project (Youth Club supports across the county).
The ASPIRE ‘aim higher’ Project will work with young people aged 10-18yrs across designated areas of Letterkenny, with LGBTQI+ young people, young travellers, early school leavers and in over 27 Youth Clubs currently affiliated to Donegal Youth Service.
Since the beginning of 2021, ASPIRE staff worked over zoom and face to face to provide access to youth activities, training and events to ensure we were able to sustain our youth work programmes in line with our Strategic Plan 2020-2022. A very successful Summer Programme took place in 17 locations across the county with over 300 young people engaging in fun, outdoor activities including games, challenges, quizzes, t-shirt painting, gardening, mosaic, clay formation, get on your bike road safety and bike tour and much more.
Project staff facilitated a successful Transition Programme for 6th Class primary school children who were transitioning to secondary level education. Seven schools (145 pupils) availed of the programme. Due to COVID-19 and the government restrictions that were in place in all the schools, no visits were permitted to any Secondary School for their annual Open Days. It was important that pupils got an insight into secondary school before arriving there on their first day! Feedback from principals, teachers and pupils was extremely positive.
A comprehensive training youth leader programme including OCN Level 2 in Youth Work Practice for Youth Club Volunteers and Youth Leadership Level 1 for Young Youth club Leaders was delivered as well as Child Protection Awareness Training accredited by the National Youth Council of Ireland to ensure quality youth work delivery and adherence to Children First regulations was adhered to.
The Autumn/Winter Plan is currently underway and programmes including, arts and crafts, baking, music, life skills, health & well-being workshops, personal & social development workshops, Halloween plans & Christmas plans as well as accredited Child Protection training, all of which will be facilitated and delivered in local Youth Clubs across the county.
If you are interested in setting up a Youth Club in your area, please do not hesitate to talk with us. Contact: Charlene Logue, Youth Outreach Manager 0863817959 or at the office 0749129630.
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