Belturbet Youth on a more enlightened path

In January 2008, Belturbet Youth Initiative was set up to give young people in the area an opportunity to socialise and have fun in a safe and supervised environment. The club has been operating from a small premises at the Railway Station and the young people attend every Friday evening (7-9pm). The Youth Club Initiative is the brainchild of Patricia Boyle. Now that the club continues to attract larger numbers, the good news is that it has acquired access to the expansive upstairs area in the Townhall. Patricia is a trained counsellor with a background in psychology and did her Masters in addiction studies. During the week this busy lady works with the Dublin Drugs Taskforce in the Inchicore, Rialto and Bluebell areas. She also finds time to lecture in DCU. Belturbet has experienced considerable isolation regarding the provision of youth services over the last 20 years. There are few facilities for youth, and from a recent youth consultation, 94% of young people said they would benefit from a dedicated service in the locality. The role of the youth club is to start programs and activities where a need has been identified by the young people from the area eg social events, drug and alcohol awareness programs, anti-bullying programs, arts and drama, dance and sports programs. One of the priorities for the initiative is to engage with young people in a meaningful and non-judgemental way, listening to and valuing their ideas and opinions. Perhaps more importantly for some young people, talking about issues affecting them may not be an option elsewhere, so Belturbet Youth Initiative provides the space and opportunity for young people to speak if they need to. All volunteers are involved in ongoing child protection training, which enables them to respond appropriately to issues that arise, maintaining confidentiality while protecting the rights of young people. The long term goal for the club is to extend its opening hours to additional evenings, catering for an older and younger age range, perhaps incorporating a homework club. 'It"s also our hope that we can move into a larger, more sustainable premises. However, as with many other organisations, our work depends on volunteers, and we"re appealing to members of our community to support this initiative, by volunteering two hours a week to assist with the supervision of and organisation of new activities that will continue to hold youth interest,' said Patricia. 'We would also benefit greatly from additional parental involvement on our committee, which meets monthly for an hour to discuss issues of concern and progress. This type of involvement ensures the voices of young people and their parents are heard, and allows parents to monitor the content and progress of programmes,' she explained. From conception and throughout the development so far, Maureen McIntyre from Cavan VEC and Eimear Ryan from Cavan Partnership have made an important contribution. The Community and Enterprise team from Cavan County Council have also been a huge source of support. Many other people have given much time and energy to ensuring the club remains a success, ranging from Belturbet town mayor Cllr. Peggy Gray, Rev. Steve Clarke, Sergeant Jim McGennis, and Cllr. John McDonald, a member of Belturbet Town Council. 'Special mention must go to our volunteer leaders who dedicate their time each week, especially Rory Lynch and Natalie McCaul, without whom club nights couldn"t happen, and Ann Gilsenan has joined the team in recent weeks. Heart These volunteer leaders are at the heart of the club - they give up their time with no other reward than to benefit the young people. 'This altruism is to be admired and acknowledged: so thank you for your dedication and community spirit,' said Patricia. The club operates on a drop-in basis; young people attend for the duration and take part in the organised activities, which range from facilitated workshops around various youth issues, to games and quizzes. DVD nights are also popular. At present, because of space restrictions, they have reached maximum capacity, with 22 young people from 13 to 15 years registered. Patricia points out that they are aware that issues affecting young people vary according to their age and all work is age appropriate. A recent anti-bullying program, facilitated by Positive Youth Education, was a huge success in terms of the development of the group. The programme ended with a visit to Outdoor and Dirty (ODD) in Brackley, which the young people really enjoyed. They finished 2008 on a high note, and Patricia wishes to thank all of the volunteers and members of BYI committee for their hard work and dedication. They look forward to more fun and games in 2009. The members of the 14-strong committee, which is chaired by Patricia, are Sergeant McGennis, Cllr. Gray, Cllr. McDonald, Natalie McCaul, Rory Lynch, Catherine McGuigan, Reverend Steve Clarke, Fidelma Fay, Fr. Cooke, Alana McAvenue, Maria Fitzpatrick, Youth representative, Leona Smith and Kelly O"Reilly. The club has acquired a television, CD and DVD players and a computer. Readers who have items that would be of use to the young people can pass them on to Patricia or any of the committee members. Badminton Ireland officials will attend a future meeting of the club with a view to arranging an inter-town competition - and the members of the club will have space to hone their skills in the Townhall. They are also considering an innovative youth event during the Festival of the Erne at the end of July. A church gate collection during that month should help to raise funds for the club. At a time when the youth in some towns claim there is nothing to do, this is not the scenario in Belturbet, because the people there have banded together with commendable community spirit to ensure the young people take a more enlightened path.