Club Support
Voluntary Led Youth Clubs
Many young people do not have a safe place where they have a sense of belonging, where they have people who believe in them, or a place where they can form positive relationships with adults. Youth Work Ireland, through the clubs and projects run from out Member Youth Services, offers young people from every background a place to go, a listening ear, and support if they need it. We have over 200 clubs in communities all over Ireland. The local youth club is often the heart of the community where young people, youth leaders, adult volunteers, and staff come together to be part of something important. The youth club encourages participation and fosters a sense of belonging for young people, as well as training and support for volunteers.
Youth Work Ireland offers a range of supports and services to youth clubs – see below.
Youth Wave 2024
Youth Wave 2024 takes place on Saturday October 5th in the National Sports Campus, Dublin.
This event is an annual celebration of youth clubs and is a chance for youth club participants, workers and volunteers to come together at a national level to take part in fun, educational and interactive workshops where they can learn new skills, be entertained and have fun. Workshops themes this year include Creative Tech, Tin Pot Podcasting, Arts, Halloween Crafts, Face Paining & Circus Skills and much more…
My Youth Club App
Ireland’s first ever App dedicated to youth clubs was launched on October 16th in Limerick. My Youth Club App was pioneered by Youth Work Ireland and Limerick Youth Service and will be rolled out through local youth services. The App provides user friendly mechanism for parents and guardians to register their child in their local youth club, learn about upcoming activities and events and consent to participate in activities.
The App will streamline how Volunteers manage registrations in their club, volunteer training and Garda Vetting. The APP will simplify many processes for clubs and for Youth Services a key issue for Youth Clubs.
You can download the app at the respective Android and Apple app stores.
Youth Cafés
Youth Cafés are safe, alcohol-free places where young people can meet friends, have fun, and take part in a wide range of activities. Youth cafés are for young people and run by young people. The young people are supported to set up their youth café by the regional service. There is a number of youth cafés run by Youth Work Ireland services. The informality of the Youth Café offers young people a space to develop relationships outside the school and family structures, while also staying in a safe environment. Youth Cafes also offer the young people who run them, a set of skills that they would not receive anywhere else, such as entrepreneurship, leadership and management. Youth Cafés are an increasingly popular service for young people and are met with a growing demand. Investment will provide dedicated supports and training to multiply the numbers of these cost effective and much needed services throughout Ireland.
The Youth Café is great for their confidence. It gives them brilliant organisational skills and responsibility
Club Volunteers
Volunteer Led Youth Groups are the lifeblood of our communities. The local youth club is where young people go to have free, unstructured, safe spaces to be with their friends with the support of adult volunteers. If you would like to volunteer with your local club/ group, contact your Member Youth Service here.
Clubs Network
The clubs network is a space to share club information, offer support and share ideas. It is made up of club development officers from each of Youth Work Irelands Member Youth Services. The group meets approximately 4 times a year (currently online). If you would like further information, please contact Geraldine at gmoore@youthworkireland.ie
