Keep showing up

"Keep showing up, speaking up, keep bringing your ideas" was the encouragement to all the young people who helped shape Bounce Back over the past ten years. The popular youth initiative is not a programme where kids are simply spoken to, it has created a space where they are heard. In this spirit, the anniversary celebrations in the County Museum in Ballyjamesduff last Friday was put together by staff, partners and the young people themselves, reflecting the respectful environment the youth support thrives on.

For Dr Linda Pinkster, Director of Further Education and Training with the Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB), the story of Bounce Back is also a story of how a small youth programme can have a big impact. Back in 2016, she explained, there was “a growing recognition that young people should be supported within their own communities with practical help and trusted relationships, and a real voice in the services that were going to be delivered for them in their communities”.

The CMETB was one of four ETBs nationally involved in developing the new approach. For three years, Bounce Back was a pilot project - trying new ideas, learning what worked and, just as importantly, ensuring young people were not simply invited into the service but were a part of it.

Those lessons went on to influence the development of the UBU – Your Place Your Space programme, launched nationally in 2019.

“Small acorns, mighty oaks can grow,” Dr Pinkster said, pointing to the way the original Bounce Back project helped contribute to further youth projects being established in Cavan and Monaghan.

“Bounce Back remains an example of youth work at its best,” Dr Pinkster said. Over the years, young people have come through its doors for many different reasons. Some came for an activity, some needed support, and some did not come through the doors at all.

These were then met through detached youth work. Bounce Back staff goes out to where young people are, particularly in the evenings, meeting them in their own communities. Ballyjamesduff residents are familiar with youth worker Con Cullen engaging with kids at the Basketball court, a popular and welcome hangout for young people. The youth worker's hope is that the currently developed community hub in the former Percy French Hotel will give them more space to flourish.

Whatever route brought a young person to the service, Dr Pinkster said, the important thing was that “they stayed” because they found something that mattered to them.

“For some people, they may have found confidence. Others found friendship. Others a listening ear, new opportunities, good fun, and perhaps most importantly, they found a place to belong.”

Janice Niblock, Services Manager with the ISPCC, said it was particularly important to include young people's voices in the anniversary celebrations. Among the messages she shared were: “Thank you for making my world a little brighter and my heart a little lighter. You may not realise it, but your kindness has made a massive difference in my life.” Another young person described the service as “a safe place to talk and engage in activities that I don't have to resort to my home”.

While two teenagers MC'd the event, others shared their experiences with the audience. 15-year old Cian said he had become more confident and improved his communication skills. He values "becoming more comfortable talking to people and sharing ideas" as important assets, especially "later in life when we need to get a job". He described Bounce Back like a school, "but much more fun" - learning through activities and experiences. "Bounce back has also taught me about important topics such as the dangers of vaping, smoking, and drugs. Young people can sometimes face pressure from friends or social media, and understanding the risks helps people make better choices."

Parents, too, have seen the difference. One parent told the service: “It's time to be proud of your accomplishments regarding my daughter's progress. I can see the positive differences in her behaviours and in her ability to explain how her anxiety is affecting her.” Another said of the support given to their son: “You really went above and beyond to make him feel comfortable and help our confidence and anxiety.”

For Janice Niblock, those experiences are what make Bounce Back: “We look back on ten years of listening, ten years of navigating complex challenges and supporting young people, and ten years of watching young people find their voice when they needed it most,” she said.

She paid tribute to the staff and volunteers whose “empathy, understanding and belief in young people” have been central to the service, saying they help young people face “modern pressures, anxiety and isolation, and give them the confidence to face a brighter future”.

Youth Work Ireland's Caolon Faux also stressed that Bounce Back belongs first and foremost to the young people who use it: “The young people who come through Bounce Back's doors are whole people,” he said. “They have humour, opinions, talents, and ambitions, and they also have the right to be taken seriously when life is difficult, when their confidence is low, or when they just need somebody in their corner. That is the heart of youth work.”

He paid particular tribute to the staff, including team leader Con Cullen, describing Con as “one of the most principled and ethical, and vocal advocates for young people and for this sector”.

“Young people need adults that will speak up for them, and Con does that every time,” he said.

As Dr Linda Pinkster put it, good youth work happens because “dedicated people turn up, they care, and they go the extra mile. And those dedicated people see the potential in the young people, when perhaps the young people might not see it in themselves.”

For Con himself, the privilege has been watching them grow: “I love working with young people, because it's challenging and ever changing, like Covid and social media – and it has been a privilege to see so many of the children grow and flourish throughout those challenges they faced,” he said.

“I love working with young people because they are so resilient.”

Looking towards the next ten years, there are ambitions for Bounce Back to grow its presence in the surrounding communities and potentially move into new premises. But whatever the future holds, Dr. Linda Pinkster urged the young to play an active part in it: “You haven't merely taken part in Bounce Back. You've shaped it, you've challenged it, and you've made it better. Keep us adults reminded that young people are not just the future; you're part of the present too.”