Tag Archives: Youthreach

SOUTH Clare Youthreach in Shannon will close its doors for the last time in the coming days. The Shannon facility had the capacity to accommodate 13 learners at any one time. The service users are people who have left mainstream schools prematurely, for various reasons, and engaged with Youthreach to continue education. Young people aged from 15 to 18 were catered for in Shannon and they will now have to go to Ennis instead. The Shannon closure is an unpopular decision locally, and Councillor Mike McKee said the timing is unfortunate. “I’m very disappointed with the decision. While it had been expected I didn’t expect it’d happen during the middle of the term. It’s very unfortunate for the students that participated in the Youthreach course and I think it’ll have a detrimental effect on them, having to move to Ennis.” He added, “These are teenagers who left second level education for one reason or another. It could have been bullying …

A new resource, www.Eatright.eu, designed to help Early School Leavers learn skills in healthy eating and food safety, has been launched by safefood. It is the first free online resource specifically designed with early school leavers in mind. With up to one in five teenagers leaving school early, this can impact negatively on their longer-term health, as limited knowledge around healthy eating and physical activity is a contributory factor to the growing problem of obesity on the island. Gerry Griffin, national coordinator of Youthreach, said “This website is a great opportunity for our staff to deliver life skills training around food and hygiene, in a way that is engaging, empowering and relevant to the needs of young people in society.” Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan, director, human health and nutrition, at safefood, added, “We know from speaking with early school leavers that their diets and levels of physical activity are of real concern to them. “Eatright.eu was developed with the input of …