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.
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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.
2021 was another unusual year, but some of the successful programmes and activities with young people included:
- Woodale Driver Theory Training Programming
- Bonnybrook Vegetable Garden Programme
- Priorswood Christmas Craft Market
- Darndale Stilt Walking Programme
- Kilbarrack Camping trip
- Made in Darndale Summer Arts Programme
- LGTBi+ - Stand Up Week Campaign
- Climate Justice – Future Generations project
- Bonnybrook Nature Walks and Steps Challenge
- Kilbarrack Train Station Art Project
Some other highlights and achievements from the last year include:
- Visit to Sphere 17 Regional Youth Facility by hip hop group, Versatile
- Installation of 12m x 4m polytunnel in Kilbarrack
- Creative Places Award funding issued by the Arts Council to Sphere 17 and the Darndale Community
- Installation of outdoor huts in Darndale and Priorswood
- Schools-based youth counselling pilot
- Establishment of new Communications Coordinator Role
- YAG group award from An Garda Siochana
- Street Work Programme with EDIT
- Get On Board initiative
- Get the Message Out campaign
- New Coolock-Kilmore Hard to Reach Service
- Full compliance with the new Charities Governance Code
Unsurprisingly, there were some challenges too!
- Working with reduced numbers, and a loss of some core youth service activities including drop-ins.
- Maintaining contact with some young people who disengaged during the 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.