A place to be YOUng!
The youth centers are open
WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO
Sphere 17 Regional Youth Service (RYS) provides a high-quality youth service to young people between the ages of 10 – 24, in the region of Dublin 17 and Kilbarrack area. We provide many different services to young people, based on their needs, issues and interests.
Check out our current strategic plan full and summary.
We have three youth centres located in Bonnybrook, Darndale and Priorswood, and also operate a youth space from St. Benedict’s Resource Centre in Kilbarrack. The service typically operates a 6-day week and opens until 10pm in at least one of the areas/centres from Monday to Friday.
The youth service is provided in line with the Service Level Agreement as issued by the City of Dublin Youth Services Board on behalf of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY). The Woodale Youth Justice Project is a Garda Youth Diversion Project funded through the Irish Youth Justice Service covering the Darndale and Priorswood area.
FOLLOW US
OUR VISION
Sphere 17 hopes for a future where all young people are valued. We want to see a society where young people have a voice, where young people are respected, and where they feel included, no matter what community they are from. We hope for a society where young people can get high quality support and have a real chance to be the best that they can be.
OUR MISSION
Sphere 17 believes all young people can achieve great things. Our mission is to support young people to be the best that they can be. We do that in different ways for different young people, as they need it, through the varied services we provide.
2020 was an unusual year, but some of the successful programmes and activities with young people included:
- DJing Programme
- Stand Up Week Campaign
- Darkness into Light event
- Covid Crafts workshops – Tie-dying and mask making
- Revamp projects – redesigning youth spaces in the youth centres with young people
- Love your City – confidence building programme
- Climate Justice project
- Seasonal activities – incl. Halloween fancy dress, Christmas fundraising, craft and dinners
- Garden project
- Warrior programme
Some other 2020 highlights included:
- Adapting the service and youth centres to respond to the needs of interests and young people in a Covid-safe way.
- Young people’s willingness and effort to comply with new safety procedures.
- Recognition of youth work as an essential service.
- Sphere 17 – 15 stories for 15 years project.
- Tech Fest 2020 - award winning sculpture at the festival in October.
- New range of Science Technology Engineering (Arts) Maths - STE(A)M activities.
- Youth Work Changes Lives Campaign.
- Increased social media engagement by young people, and related skills development for staff.
- Increased parental engagement.
Unsurprisingly, there were a few challenges too!
- Working with reduced numbers, and a loss of some core service activities including drop-ins, traditional summer programmes/trips, and residential activities.
- Maintaining contact with some young people who did not or could not engage remotely.
- Range of different challenges for staff working remotely during pandemic.
OUR APPROACH
- We actively promote the participation of all young people in all aspects of our service.
- We aim to deliver our service in line with established best practice and in keeping with the equality and community based ethos that informs our
work. - We deliver services based on young people’s needs, interests, issues and age profile.
- We provide a range of services covering recreational, educational, health, personal and social development.
- We provide professional services, by trained and Garda-vetted Youth Workers.
- We engage in a way that is open, creative and positive.
SERVICES
Core youth service activity:
- Drop-in
- Group Work (interest and/or issue based)
- Individual Support
- Outreach (including detached youth work)
- Outings and summer projects
- Residential Activities
- Events
Other Key Projects:
OUR YOUTH CENTRES
OUR GOALS
Strategic Goals 2020 - 2022
1: Progress Sphere 17’s System of Impact Measurement
We will develop our systems so as to better understand and demonstrate how our services are working for young people.
2: Innovating Our Responses to Feedback
We will develop a system to ensure that all issues, suggestions, problems or concerns raised are listened to and responded to.
3: Further Engage Young People’s Voices
We will carry out annual youth surveys to support continuous improvement of the service. These surveys will be supported by a voluntary youth committee.