Proud Spaces
Proud Spaces LGBTQI+ Youth Groups
Youth Work Ireland and its member youth services are proud to be the largest providers of LGBTQI+ youth work supports in rural Ireland. At the heart of this work is our Proud Spaces model, an Irish-developed, evidence-based approach that creates safe, inclusive, and empowering environments for LGBTQI+ young people. Delivered by trained and professional youth workers and rooted in the core values and principles of youth work, Proud Spaces supports young people to explore their identity, build connections, and thrive. Grounded in an Integrated Youth Service model, Proud Spaces allows local youth services to meet a wide range of needs through one trusted, community-based hub, ensuring stronger supports, better access, and real impact for young LGBTQI+ people across rural Ireland.
Proud Spaces is a key part of Youth Work Ireland’s Youth Work for All campaign, which calls for inclusive, well-funded youth work to be available to every young person, in every community, no matter who they are or where they live.
Proud Spaces Model of Youth Work
Developed by Youth Work Ireland and its 20-member youth services, the Proud Spaces model of practice is Ireland’s first evidence-based, youth-work grounded framework specifically designed for supporting LGBTQI+ young people in rural areas.
Delivered by trained, professional youth workers and guided by core youth work values, this model equips local services to offer a seamless, integrated range of supports—from group meet‑ups and one-to-one support to community outreach and creative programming.
Proud Spaces embedds LGBTQI+ best practices into a broader Integrated Youth Service environment, Proud Spaces not only creates safe, affirming, and brave spaces for identity exploration and connection, but also ensures comprehensive access to wellbeing, advocacy, and personal development resources . The result? A unified, community-based hub that delivers better outcomes, stronger support, and lasting impact for young LGBTQI+ people across rural Ireland.
LGBTQI+ Neuro Youth Cáfe
Youth Work Ireland with the support of the Department of Children, Disability & Equality’s LGBTI+ Community Fund has launched a pioneering initiative to support marginalised young LGBTQI+ people aged 18-24.
The Neuro Youth Café was established to respond to the growing need for youth spaces that are not only welcoming but specifically tailored to the experiences of neurodiverse young people. Youth Work Ireland recognised that traditional youth settings often unintentionally exclude or overwhelm neurodiverse participants, and so the café was designed to remove barriers to participation while celebrating diversity. Its vision is rooted in the belief that every young person deserves a place where they feel understood, valued, and able to express themselves authentically. Unlike conventional youth cafés, the Neuro Youth Café is carefully structured to reduce sensory overload and foster comfort. The physical environment is calm, predictable, and flexible and activities are designed with choice and autonomy in mind, allowing young people to engage at their own pace. This emphasis on creating a low-pressure, welcoming atmosphere ensures that participants can socialize without fear of judgment or misunderstanding.
The café adopts a participatory approach empowering participants to take ownership of their space and strengthen their confidence in contributing to wider community life. One of the café’s most significant contributions is its role in building peer networks and friendships among neurodiverse young people who may otherwise feel isolated. By offering a consistent, supportive environment, the café helps participants develop social connections and a sense of belonging. On a broader level, the café contributes to changing societal perceptions of neurodiversity, showing that inclusive youth work can be both practical and transformative. It also serves as a model for other organisations seeking to embed neurodiverse-friendly practices into their services.
Neuro Affirmative Spaces in Youth Work Resource
Final – Proud Spaces Neuro Affirmative Spaces Resource launched by Youth Work Ireland as part of the Proud Spaces project and funded by the DCED, outlines a neuro-affirmative approach to youth work that recognises neurodiversity as a natural and valuable part of human difference rather than something to be fixed.
Grounded in inclusion, accessibility, and youth voice, they promote flexible, sensory-aware, and affirming environments where young people can show up as their whole selves. With a strong focus on intersectionality, particularly for LGBTQI+ neurodivergent young people, the guidelines challenge stigma, reduce minority stress, and prioritise safety, trust, and empowerment to support confidence, belonging, and community.
Proud Spaces at Dublin Pride
In 2024 we again welcomed youth groups to Dublin the morning of Dublin Pride for a pre-Pride breakfast. This event is a highlight of our year and creates a safe and proud space for young LGBTQI+ people to come together, celebrate and get ready to march. As always it was colourful, energetic, fun, life changing for some, and most importantly, a safe and inclusive space for young people from our LGBTQI+ youth groups to celebrate their identity in a safe and accepting environment.
This event is also a chance for us to recognise and promote the role youth work and youth workers plays in accompanying young LGBTQI+ people on their journey to self-actualisation. By providing a whole range of services, activities, proud spaces and advocacy efforts, our Youth Work Ireland youth services throughout Ireland, help create a more inclusive society where all young people can flourish.
European Proud Spaces Project
Bí Tusa: Be Bold, Be Proud, Be You
Youth Work Ireland are thrilled to launch a new resource to support and promote the understanding of issues facing young LGBTI+ people in Ireland today.
The Bí Tusa resource will build on the brilliant work already taking place in Youth Work Ireland LGBTI+ & Ally groups around the country. This resource will support professionals, communities and parents to become more educated on the issues facing young LGBTI+ people so we can all play our part in being advocates for young LGBTI+ people.
This resource is building on the large body of work done in Youth Work Ireland services to support young LGBTI+ in their personal journeys, and also to increase the visibility and acceptance of all young people.
Young and Trans Resource Launched
Youth Work Ireland has produced two resources to raise awareness of trans issues and how society and those working with young trans people, can better support this group. In recent years Ireland has become a more inclusive society with the passing of equality-based referenda and legislation, however young trans people, particularly those living in rural areas continue to face high levels of transphobic bullying, social anxiety, discrimination and isolation.
Youth Work Ireland is now responding to this need by facilitating youth work with trans young people and developing resources to promote this as a normal mainstream part of youth work throughout Ireland. We were delighted to work with our friends in TENI in producing these publications.
