High hopes for €100,000 youth centre funding

TEENAGERS in Killaloe and Ballina are keeping their fingers crossed that plans for a multi-purpose €100,000 youth centre will not fall victim to Government cutbacks in the forthcoming Budget.
An application for funding has been made to the Minister for Community and Gaeltacht Affairs, Eamonn Ó Cuív and hopes are high that the needs of young people in the area will be addressed.
It is expected that a final decision on the provision of the long-awaited youth café in Luas Villas, Killaloe, opposite Bond Auto, will be made by the Government in late November or December. Clare County Council and local Foroige clubs are supporting the ambitious bid at a time of swinging cutbacks.
Facilities in the new building would include space to facilitate youth training and development, community development, counseling, a social area, band practice, recording area and workshops.
The need for a proper building for young people who don’t participate in sport or water-based activities has been identified in a number of surveys conducted by youth worker, Tracy Doyle from the Killaloe Ballina Family Resource Centre.
Speaking to The Clare Champion, regional Foroige youth officer, Bríd Canny, explained there is now a proper building for youth to congregate in Killaloe or Ballina. She said the new youth café would be run by teenagers on a voluntary basis, following appropriate training and consultancy advice from Foroige.
Following the identification of a suitable location, she confirmed Foroige is recruiting volunteers and had already hosted a child protection course devised by the group at national level for 20 adults and youth leaders from Ballina, Killaloe and Scariff last Thursday night.
“It is important that young people in Killaloe and Ballina get a chance to be able to do things together and also contribute to developments and projects, which benefit the local community.
“Even if funding isn’t allocated by the Government, we are planning to set up a youth café on a smaller scale. Other Foroige groups in Clare and North Tipperary could also use this youth café.
“We have organised another day-long training course on October 30. The research into the needs of young people in the area is ongoing,” she noted.
The need for a dedicated youth space was highlighted by Bronagh Moriarty from the Killaloe/Ballina Family Resource Centre in a documentary DVD about the staging of Fáile na nÓg during the Féile Brian Ború festival last July, which was shown in the Lakeside Hotel, Ballina on Friday night. Ms Moriarty explained that young people need proper facilities to ensure the great creativity displayed during the festival continues to blossom and develop over the coming years.
The documentary shows how 20 young people came together to produce an entertaining festival for the youth in the locality.
Eighteen-year-old Niamh Foley from Ballina described the training course as very useful for setting down the correct boundaries for looking after young people.
She said she now feels more comfortable volunteering to work with young people and recommends the course to other prospective youth leaders.
Orla Watson, one of the organisers of Féile na nÓg, told The Clare Champion she was delighted with the feedback they had received from the screening of the documentary DVD.
“The DVD gave a flavour of the work we carried out during the festival. It showed the sense of community spirit that was in evidence during the festival and it gave young people a focus.
“We have got great publicity, which was needed. It showed that young people don’t need to depend solely on adults to have achievements. We had support and help but it was great to show other youth groups what can be done.
“EMC Scariff set up the Plectrum Music Festival originally and we have developed a good working relationship with them. We plan to build on what we have achieved and to learn from the festival. We know what we are good at and what we have to improve on for next year,” she said.