As the national umbrella body for youth work in Ireland NYCI has implemented a series of measures to enhance interculturalism in youth work. Through its Equality and Intercultural Programme staff NYCI offers guidelines, facilitates networking and gives training that will empower youth organizations to embed interculturalism in their own youth work practices and policies. NYCI promotes interculturalism as the responsibility and commitment of all in the youth work sector in working towards achieving a society based on equality and inclusion for all. Interculturalism should be seen like other inclusion and equality issues – such as gender and disability – embedded in our thinking, planning, implementation and evaluations with a concerted emphasis on equality of outcome.
This document responds to Frequently Asked Questions that NYCI receives on the inclusion of cultural and minority ethnic young people and leaders in youth work.
As the national umbrella body for youth work in Ireland NYCI has implemented a series of measures to enhance interculturalism in youth work. Through its Equality and Intercultural Programme staff NYCI offers guidelines, facilitates networking and gives training that will empower youth organizations to embed interculturalism in their own youth work practices and policies. NYCI promotes interculturalism as the responsibility and commitment of all in the youth work sector in working towards achieving a society based on equality and inclusion for all. Interculturalism should be seen like other inclusion and equality issues – such as gender and disability – embedded in our thinking, planning, implementation and evaluations with a concerted emphasis on equality of outcome.
This document responds to Frequently Asked Questions that NYCI receives on the inclusion of cultural and minority ethnic young people and leaders in youth work.
I have no idea how to start including young people from diverse cultures.
Many people are wary of including youth from minority ethnic backgrounds into their youth organisations because of fears around language, culture and racism.
The most important thing is just to do it. The added value that comes from working with people from diverse cultures is worth any extra effort.
There are lots of terms that you can use when talking about people from diverse cultural backgrounds. All the following terms are frequently used. Some people will find some of these terms inappropriate but our advice is that you initially use what you are comfortable with:
· Foreign-national
· Non-Irish national
· Immigrant
· Migrant
· People from overseas
· New communities
· New Irish
· Minority Ethnic
· Minority Ethnic background – this is the favoured term
· Ethnic Minority
· Cultural minority
· Minority language people – people whose first language/mother tongue is not English
· Black
· Brown – sometimes used by people speaking of themselves but not generally appropriate for others to use
· Black and Minority Ethnicities (BMEs) – an official term used by NCCRI and also in UK
· Cultural and Ethnic Minorities – a term that consciously includes Travellers who are recognised officially as a cultural minority group in Ireland but not an ethnic minority group
The following terms should be avoided when referring to people from diverse cultural backgrounds
· Non-national – this implies that the person has no nationality. Most people have a nationality and this term negates their personal identity. Negative words are also exclusionary.
· Coloured – this is a term that has links to the apartheid era and causes considerable offence.
REMEMBER – in intercultural work we are talking about engaging with people from minority ethnic and cultural backgrounds. However, the ethnicity in question refers to their background and not necessarily their own definition of themselves. Identity – and ethnic identity in particular – is self-defined. It is acquired rather than given. Do not assume someone else’s ethnicity and try not to describe someone by your own definition of their ethnicity. If in doubt ask them how they like to be described. More and more people would prefer to describe themselves by their more complex and often mixed ethnicities. Also African-Irish, Polish-Irish, Nigerian-Irish, Indian-Irish, etc. will be used more frequently into the future and these choices should be encouraged as it denotes a sense of belonging in a community as much as a personal identity. For this reason we use the term ‘minority ethnic background’ to acknowledge a person’s past, current or future ethnicity.
Organisations we have consulted with have advised that there are several steps that need to be taken to successfully integrate young people from minority ethnic backgrounds into youth clubs/services.
Step 1
Most youth workers advise that it is preferable to introduce youth from a minority ethnic background straight into existing services. Some groups have chosen to work with a minority ethnic group separately to Irish majority groups in order to build trust, confidence and capacity. Others work with groups from minority ethnic backgrounds in a parallel process with their existing services. However all advise that integration must the end and stated goal from the outset and there must be effective engagement with the majority ethnic group as soon as possible and in a sustainable format.
Step 2
Prepare both youth from minority ethnic backgrounds – and their parents – and Irish youth, in advance of meeting each other. Training and activity packs for Irish youth and youth workers are available from NYCI on global justice issues and equality and inclusion issues. If the groups aren’t fully ready to engage have taster sessions such as open days, etc.
Parents of youth from minority ethnic backgrounds must be consulted with; clear explanations of youth work given and fears must be allayed.
Develop a proactive strategy to recruit volunteers and professional staff from different ethnic groups to become leaders and supporters.
“Each group participated in an anti-racism workshop which consisted of exercises that challenged young people’s thinking regarding difference.
This was critical to the success of the event”
Youth worker
Step 3
Plan your programme in accordance with needs. Art, Drama, Music, Sports and computer-based programmes work best.
Step 4
Be ready for conflict and respond proactively. Take a no-tolerance approach to racism.
Step 5
Remember that intercultural events are at best introductory as a mechanism towards real inclusion. Involve everyone in the event – remember everyone has culture but we seldom are conscious of our own. Any event should ideally be an interagency endeavour. For example your local ethnic liaison police officer will often get involved in this type of activity. Consult with people who have done it before.The following are guidelines that oterhs have advised:
· Food is mandatory
· Music/entertainment is mandatory
· Funding should be provided to contributors – for food, travel and child care – but be careful or clear about offering something that cannot be sustained in the long term. People from minority ethnic backgrounds often work on a different economy scale – in relation to child care – to what you might be familiar with so ask what their costs are. It is usual to ask for receipts for your funding bodies
· Volunteerism is an accepted norm in many cultures so it is usually easy to find volunteers
· Invite a variety of service providers to be at the event
· Where possible engage an outreach worker for the duration of the event organisation
· Your local ETB Youth Officer and your local Council should have contacts for groups in your area and amke sure to invite them too
· Funding support for intercultural events are usually readily available from local businesses. Dep of Justice and Equality offer small grants for integration activities.
As with all good youth work practice it is important to plan any intercultural work well. Youth workers should become aware of some of the needs of the young people they will be engaging with and develop contacts with a support person or organisation who will help to smooth the process. If you are bringing two existing groups together you will have to do preparation work with both these groups so that the integration is positive and sustainable. That said, engaging with young people from a minority ethnic background should never be avoided for fear of doing the wrong thing. If you apply good youth work practice to any situation you will do good intercultural work. Remember that what you do not know – about a young persons needs, cultural considerations etc. – can usually be discovered by asking the young people themselves. Website resources and training opportunities are also available (see below) but these are never a substitute for talking directly with the young people and their parents. The following guidelines outline some key considerations in creating a service that young people from minority ethnic backgrounds will want to engage with:
· Create a welcoming environment – food is an integral part of most cultural groups interactions. Try to find a way to include food provision at meetings however small. If you can’t provide food, try to explain why
· Have visual imagery in your centres that shows you are open to diversity – show images of people from different parts of the world, pictures of flags from around the world, welcome signs in several languages
· Create a safe environment where a trusted person is present
· Specialised psychosocial support may be needed depending on young persons personal history – develop relationships with other agencies that can offer the appropriate support where necessary
· Peer Mentor Programmes work very well – involve the young people you are currently working with in any changes
· Be flexible in your programming – your organisation’s customary ways of doing things may not work with different cultural groups. Explore what activities are the most relevant to your group members. Art, sport, music, drama and computer-based projects are good options for mixed cultural groups
· Skills development is often hugely important to many people from minority ethnic backgrounds
· Culture proof your programming (ask yourself if what you are planning will work cross-culturally). For example witchcraft is a very powerful idea in many cultures – replace any mention of witches/devils/fairies/spirits in your planned activities with something more neutral
I used Theatre of the oppressed: very simple game, used idea of chase game; one person nominated as devil; game called ‘Devils Advocate’ and did with mixed group; some young ME participants froze in fear; quizzed them on why? (to them) devil is powerful., Culturally I found this disempowered me as I didn’t expect the reaction; I found I wasn’t culturally aware; I learned more information about cultural issues/beliefs and parameters I can work with; Language can also be misconstrued/ miscommunication; I feel youth workers need to be more aware; it made me stop and think; never thought for a second that a word would frighten them –Youth Worker
· Gender issues can often arise. Deal with them as sensitively as possible taking equality guidelines into consideration
· Consider that members from minority ethnic backgrounds may not have adequate financial resources to take part in activities
Involving youth from minority ethnic backgrounds usually takes more recruitment time – advertising using leaflets or posters is not adequate – going out and meeting the young people and their parents is essential.
· Advertising on radio, websites and in newspapers can be effective as members of minority ethnic communities see this coverage as a symbol of their acceptance in society.
· Open days and taster events can also be effective
· Develop interagency networks and take part in information forums to reach the target group and to promote the work of your organisation. This gives an opportunity to engage in dialogue particularly regarding concerns that parents might have.
· Visit services that young people already access and trust such as schools or churches
Parents were sometimes reluctant for their children to join youth groups particularly if they do not know what the group would be doing. Some have the fear or concern that their young people will get involved in bad behaviour or “with the wrong crowd”. They would be concerned that their children could be bullied or abused for being different. Their children may be mixing with peers who have different norms of sexual behaviour and this caused concern.
Many times it was a lack of information and understanding about the projects/groups/clubs – its aims, benefits, structure, activities etc. For example: in some cases parents thought they had to pay for everything. There is a need to be far more proactive in communicating this information to the groups and to give much more specific detail. There was also a greater need for personal contact, dialogue and discussion with parents and ethnic groups and with the agencies that supported the groups.
Youth officer
· Reassure parents about your programme. Explain the ethos of your organisation and the safety guidelines you follow. Explain your organisation’s role in detail as youth organisations in other countries may differ dramatically. Many parents are wary of letting their children get involved as they often observe Irish children as having more freedom and less respect for their parents. Reassurance is crucial. Where possible, translate material for parents.
Parents should be involved; I’m very protective about my child; when no information is given this is one of our problems. We believe in respect, we believe children should be respectful. We want it written out and not have our children telling us Minority Ethnic parent
Language barriers can exist but they are often not as difficult to cope with as you might imagine:
· Don’t assume everyone has strong literacy skills
· It is always good to give information on meeting times, places and dates in written form as well as verbally
· Repeat instructions if it is not clear that someone has understood
· Don’t be afraid to ask people to repeat what they have said if you have not understood what they are trying to communicate
· Don’t expect to understand everything someone says to you – give your conversations time, ask questions to clarify things and make sure you know just enough to move forward. Some detail will often remain unclear
· Telephone conversations can be more difficult so people from minority ethnic backgrounds can be reluctant to ring up for information, registration etc. Clear information on how the young person can drop-in personally to get information needs to be provided
· Where possible provide information in translated form – especially for parents who may not have the English language skills of their children
· Plan programmes that do not rely heavily on language proficiency such as art, music, sport, drama, computer skills etc.
People lack information; it might be on radio but not many understand it; many parents can’t read English so they don’t understand newsletters, leaflets, /brochures helps if you come and speak or provide information in a persons own language
Minority Ethnic community member
· Trust building cannot be over estimated – youth from minority ethnic backgrounds will often have had bad experiences in the past and their trust may have been eroded. If you offer a trusting relationship to someone from a minority ethnic background, be prepared to maintain that relationship. Do not offer what cannot be maintained
· When you develop a relationship with someone from a minority ethnic background it can be interpreted as a friendship rather than a relationship based on service provision. When you enter into a relationship you should be careful about the commitment you are making, enter into it in a manner that you can maintain, be mindful of the trust you need to build and make sure your role is very clear. Having a trusting relationship allows you to deal with most issues that can arise.
There is no doubt that cultural differences do have to be considered in culturally diverse youth groups. For example some cultures may not be as expressive and outspoken as western culture; mannerisms and codes of behaviour can be different and these can give rise to misinterpretation and misunderstandings. However, a concise guide on cultural differences based on ethnicity is not easy to provide as the scale of the information is too vast. There are usually several distinctly different ethnic groups living in one country – for example there are over 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria alone – so even providing information based on one nationality may not be particularly helpful. Neither is it possible to be definitive about any one cultural group as people are individuals as well as cultural individuals. Furthermore cultural traits vary considerably within ethnic groups – there is no one definitive culture that is evident for each ethnic group. There are currently approximately 200 different languages spoken in Ireland today so it is difficult to determine which information would be most relevant as groups may engage with people from many different minority ethnic backgrounds. However, information is available on the web and these resources can be very useful, especially if you are meeting someone for the first time. They include information about religion, feast days, festivals, languages and other important facts. We do advise that the best source for learning about someone’s culture should be directly from the young people or their parents themselves but do remember that individuals may not necessarily be able to describe their own culture very well. For most of us our culture is largely invisible to ourselves but we will be able to talk about common practices and traditions. For a more detailed understanding of cultural differences we recommend intercultural training.
Web based resources
This is an easy to navigate portal site that allows you to view several different cultural profiles based on nationality, religion or ethnic group. The site was developed primarily for health care workers so specialist health sites are featured including Cross-Cultural Health Care, Baylor School of Medicine, Ethnomed, and American Public Health Association. Other sites included are UNICEF, Wikipedia, BBC, CIA, Library of Congress, and a Canadian cultural profiles project.
Pavee Point offers excellent information on Irish Traveller culture. See www.pavee.ie. They also have regular information evenings in their centre in Dublin.
Scouting UK have developed these fact sheets on different religions.
Irish Girl Guides have produced an intercultural activity resource pack which includes helpful fact sheets on various religions. See
www.irishgirlguides.ie
Understanding the political situation in a young person’s country of origin:
Practical advice
NYCI Intercultural project staff are available to give you direct information or guidance on cultural issues that might arise in your youth organisation.
What training is available from NYCI on working with young people from a minority ethnic background?
NYCI has five training modules on working with ethnically diverse youth groups. These will be available from January 2009 and will each be run twice during the year. NYCI can advise on other Intercultural training opportunities. Trainings can also be given on request to organisations in response to their own requirements.
NYCI Intercultural training programme
1 Designing an intercultural programme
2 Intercultural awareness and cultural competency
3 Practical supports for doing intercultural youth work
4 Tackling racism and managing conflict in relation to racism
5 Developing intercultural policies and implementation plans (2 day course)
What can we do about tackling racism at our youth service?
Ideas for preventing racism
Responding to racism
NYCI offers anti-racism training and resources for anti-racist activities
NCCRI has a number of web based anti-racism training resources on www.nccri.ie
NYCI has an excellent anti-bullying resource that could be used to tackle racist bullying
Let’s Beat Bullying (PDF)
Many youth organisations work with vulnerable minority ethnic groups such as asylum seekers, refugees, separated children, aged-out minors, and children of undocumented migrants. The young people you are working with may have specific legal, health or educational needs that may be unfamiliar to you. None of these needs should preclude your engagement with the young people.
Definitions:
Asylum seeker: someone who has sought asylum in Ireland due to fear of persecution in their home country. They live in direct provision centres, are entitled to attend school up to the age of 18, and receive €19.10 a week. They cannot work. They enter a legal system once they apply for asylum which is currently up to three stages in length. The process can take several years and is extremely traumatic
Refugee: someone who has been granted asylum. They are entitled to everything an Irish person is entitled to except that they must be in Ireland three years before accessing free 3rd level education or applying for a passport.
Separated Child (sometimes referred to as unaccompanied minor): a person under the age of 18 who has arrived in Ireland without a guardian and who applies for asylum. They will be under the care of the HSE and will live in specialist hostels or in foster care.
Aged out minors: a young person who came to Ireland as a separated child who has reached the age of 18. They lose the care of the HSE and must move into the adult direct provision hostels. Most have reached an age when they can no longer access full time education and therefore are very vulnerable.
Undocumented migrants (sometimes referred to as illegal immigrants): a number of young people become illegal due to either their or their parent’s visa expiring. Often this is through no fault of their own. For young people it often becomes an issue when they reach university age as they can only access university as a foreign student which is usually too expensive for them. They also cannot work legally so they have to rely on illegal work to survive. Sometimes they have lived in Ireland so long that they do not have the language skills to return to their parent’s country of origin.
Key specialist support bodies
For specific up-to-date information it is best to stay in touch with a local support network as immigration advice is constantly changing. Advice and contact details of local support groups is available from the Intercultural Project staff at NYCI and also from the following organisations:
We encourage organisations to develop their own policies and practices so that there is ownership of the process. We also advise that policies are both in keeping with current thinking and standards and are adapted to the unique strengths, methodologies and values of each organisation. However, the NYCI Intercultural Project staff will assist you in developing policies and will provide sample templates.
Where can we access funding to enable youth organisations to embrace interculturalism?
Inevitably, good intercultural work will demand more resources especially the employment of key staff, in particular outreach staff. Increasingly, funding is being targeted at groups who can demonstrably show that they are working with young people from diverse backgrounds including people from minority ethnicities. The following are excellent resources fro sourcing funding opportunities:
The Irish Fundraising Handbook – 6th edition, published by CREATE, the national development agency for collaborative arts, has just been published in association with Clann Credo (Social Investment Fund), The Wheel, and with financial support from the Citizens Information Board. ISBN 978-1-869895-07-5
This excellent Handbook presents:
Meath 4 Community isan excellent website developed by Meath County Council with hundreds of funding opportunities listed and an easily accessible search facility
Community Exchange sends aweeklye-mail bulletin to subscribers which includes upcoming funding opportunities.
There are numerous examples of good intercultural practice in youth work that NYCI has been collecting. We are keen to know about more projects. Examples of a range of good practice initiatives and learnings will be put on our website so that they can be shared by everyone. If you have examples please send details to anne@nyci.ie
Good Practice Projects include:
Details of the above projects will be available at www.intercultural.ie during the Summer 2009
The following advice was given by youth workers:
“Spend time getting to know the young people”
“Building up trust and a sense of safety and stability
is crucial”
“Youth leaders turning up every week to where the young people are (e.g. hostels) and actively looking for the young people in order to get them involved really helped”
“Security, reliability and stability are very important. It is important to know that the group/club will always be run at a certain time or place. It is important to get the young people in a group together so that they get time to know each other and norms of positive codes of behaviour are developed. In the structured youth group they learned to get on together and listen to each other”
“The personal touch in recruiting volunteers from minority ethnic backgrounds was a critical factor. Word of mouth is also a good method where volunteers from ethnic groups can recruit others. In one case they designed their own recruitment materials and handouts for this purpose. Advertising the clubs in local papers was viewed as very important and exciting as it gave the volunteers and young people recognition. Just signing forms was not a good idea as potential volunteers were suspicious of divulging information without personal contact.” Youth worker
NCCRI anti-racism activities for schools
www.nccri.ie/sch-pack.html
Show Racism the Red Card sports based anti-racism activity pack www.theredcard.ie
NYCI
www.youthdeved.ie has a large number of publications including:
Life stories
All Different All Equal
Give Stereotyping the Boot
https://www.youth.ie/nyci/stereotyping-young-people-resource-pack
Irish Girl Guides new excellent intercultural activity pack covers a wide age range
www.irishgirlguides.ie/ or contact NYCI
SALTO-YOUTH a European web-based guide with an extensive number of resources on cultural diversity www.salto-youth.net
For activities based on themes go to
www.salto-youth.net/find-a-tool/?SALTO=jke70c8ocgojvarbjllgus71e6
If you know of other good resources please let us know and we will share them on our website.
What other useful resources are available?
North West Inner City Network has developed an excellent Intercultural Toolkit – entitled Opening Doors. Contact 01 6774025 or info@nwicn.ie
www.nwicn.ie
CDYSB have recently published a Toolkit of Essential Guidelines for Good Youth Work Practice
For those working with or thinking of working with young asylum seekers and separated children
Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) have recently produced an excellent resource guide for community workers who are working with migrants www.mrci.ie
Many thanks to all the many people who have contributed to this document.
If you would like to contribute your experiences or questions to this document we would like to hear from you.
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I have over 30 years experience in the voluntary Youth Work and Youth Sector in Ireland.
I am currently the Volunteer Development Manager with Forόige. In this role I am responsible for key tasks such as managing, developing and supporting the involvement of thousands of Forόige volunteers in all aspects of the organisation. I also lead on the design, dissemination and implementation of best practice standards in volunteer recruitment, management and retention policies and procedures. I am a member of Foróige’s child safeguarding and protection internal working group. I also was a member of the Ministerial advisory group for development of the National Volunteering Strategy, launched in late 2020, and I am currently on the communications working group for the role out of the strategy.
I believe that youth work’s essential role in young people’s lives has been made all the more obvious as a result of the pandemic. The restrictions caused by the need to protect vulnerable people in particular from COVID 19, were imposed on young people without them having any say in the matter. They became takes of others rules and priorities, without input or choice. This, while necessary at the time, is the exact opposite of what we want for young people. We want them to be heard, to be helped to develop their own views and values (not just absorb ours). We want them to be involved in decisions that impact on them and to feel they have an influence, with which comes connection to society and hope for the future. The National Youth Council of Ireland plays a huge role in representing the shared interests of the organisations who are its members. These organisations, large and small, bring a range of youth work approaches arising from various traditions and a focus on particular youth needs. The diversity of organisations provides choice and opportunity for young people to pursue their own interests.
This diversity presents a challenge too, in identifying and agreeing their shared interests on which NYCI can represent, advocate and influence. This calls for a president who will listen support, facilitate. It calls for an NYCI which is effective, well governed and compliant with all relevant governance and financial, management requirements.
I believe I have the necessary skills for this role from my role in Foróige and my previous experience on the board of NYCI, including a term as its vice president. I am aware of the need to represent negotiate, assert firmly but respectfully, to act together in seeking to influence government departments and politicians. I understand the need for a strong working relationship between president and CEO.
Nicola has been involved in Girl Guiding for over 44 years and has been employed in the CGI National Office in Dublin since 2013. Nicola has also been a volunteer leader with CGI in Wexford for the last 19 years.
In her role as National Office Coordinator, Nicola works closely with the NYCI and members of other youth organisations, through the Specialist Organisations Network and represents CGI at numerous meetings. Nicola also attends meetings with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs representing the uniformed bodies of the Youth Work Electoral College.
Nicola has held voluntary positions within CGI of National Secretary and National Commissioner for Ranger Guides and was a member of the National Executive Board. Nicola continues to attend CGI Board meetings in her current role.
Before moving to Ireland, Nicola worked for the UK Government and the Environment Agency in the nuclear industry regulation division and was also a youth member and then volunteer with the Guide Association UK.
I am currently a Senior Manager with Crosscare Youth Services with over 20 years’ experience having started my youth work career in CYC in January 2000, and was part of the merger with Crosscare in 2013. I line-manage our 6 Dublin West and East Wicklow youth projects, and also have responsibility for Youth Information and Outdoor Learning in Crosscare.
I have a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Studies from Maynooth University, and last year I completed a masters qualification, gaining a (MSc) Master of Science in Innovation & Strategy in the Maynooth Business School. I feel there is a need to be innovative and strategic in future plans for the sector, as we seek to be sustainable and receive full cost recovery for the delivery of quality youth services.
I am currently a member of the Board of Adamstown Youth and Community Centre. This is in an area with broad cultural diversity and we are trying to develop some youth provision in this under-resourced area. We were recently approved for a new part-time youth worker and a dedicated Youth Diversion Project for Adamstown, to increase the Lucan Boundary. Greg has been a NYCI Board member for the last 3 years.
Eve is an active leader in her locality currently working with girls between the ages of 5 and 7, and previously worked with Irish Girl Guides’ older branch for 10- to 14-year-olds. Eve has previously represented Irish Girl Guides at the Erasmus+; Get Active! Human rights education among young people workshop.
In addition, Eve sat on the Membership, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee for Irish Girl Guides. Eve is a primary school teacher and focused her college dissertation on the impact of period poverty in schools. Eve has been a NYCI Board member since 2021.
Claire Anderson has been working with Scouting Ireland since October 2020 in the role of Communications Officer. She is an experienced journalist, marketing manager and communications expert. Claire graduated with an MA in Journalism and New Media in 2015. She is based in Cork and has worked with several high-profile businesses including the Irish Examiner. Working in marketing communications from 2017, Claire has created and implemented advertising and communications strategy for company expansion into eight new markets. She has worked closely with colleagues to build effective communication practices and systems. She has managed all content production from production to publishing and most recently developed a new central website for Scouting Ireland. Claire has over seven years of experience leading content production and successful marketing campaigns. She completed a Diploma in User Experience and User Interface Design this year. She also runs her own marketing business. Claire has been involved in dance since she was a child and is a keen supporter of the arts. She has volunteered with Cork Feminista and Husky Rescue Ireland, however, she is not actively volunteering at present. Claire lives in the countryside with her partner, dog, cats and hens. She enjoys sea swimming and hiking in her spare time as well as training for her first 10k race.
Mick Ferron is currently the Regional Youth Services Manager with Sphere 17 Regional Youth Service.
Qualifications:
BA Social Science from UCD
Higher Diploma in Youth and Community work from NUI Maynooth.
Sphere 17 is a community-based regional youth service covering Dublin 17 and the Kilbarrack area of North Dublin. The service operates from four different youth centres in the catchment area providing a range of different programmes, activities and support for young people 10-24 years.
Sphere 17 believes all young people can achieve great things. Their mission is to support young people to be the best that they can be, and they do this in different ways for different young people, as they need it, through the varied services provided.
In addition to the UBU funded youth service activity, Sphere 17, in collaboration with local partners, also provides a youth counselling service – The Listen Project, manages the Woodale Youth Justice Project, and is the lead organisation behind Creative Places Darndale.
Prior to his 16 years in management with Sphere 17, Mick has worked in community-based youth service provision in Ballyfermot and in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. He has also worked in the homeless sector, and in a drugs education project in Cork.
Originally from Canada, David Backhouse has been an active youth worker in Ireland since 2008. Chiefly through the YMCA, his involvement in many youth and community initiatives has brought him into partnership with Léargas, Cork City and County Councils, Irish Aid, CDYS, Youth Information, SpunOut, Comhairle ná nÓg, Foróige, Hub ná nÓg, Youth Work Ireland, CYPSC and many other local arts and community associations.
In 2016 David took up the role of Cork Regional Director for YMCA and in November 2019, began his current role as Deputy National Secretary, responsible for YMCA Ireland operations in the Republic of Ireland as well as providing support to all YMCA agencies north and south. He is passionate about Youth Participation, Creative Methodologies and the provision of high quality, well supported professional youth services to those in Ireland most in need.
Rose Marie Maughan Is the National Traveller Youth Programme Coordinator with the Irish Traveller Movement. She has been working in the Irish Traveller Movement since 2004 on a local, regional, national and international level in different capacities such as Board member, National Accommodation Officer, Membership Officer, Education Officer, Project coordinator.
She has both a lived experience of being a young Traveller in Ireland and issues facing young Traveller youth today alongside an in-depth analysis of youth work and issues facing the sector. She strongly believes in youth’s right to self-determination and meaningful participiation in finding solutions to issues affecting their lives.
In her current role as National Traveller Programme Coordinator, she is overseeing the implementation of the Irish Traveller Movement’s Traveller Youth 5yr strategy working towards giving Traveller Youth a voice in all sectors of society.
Garry McHugh is National Director of Young Irish Film Makers, Ireland’s national youth film organisation. Responsible for strategic planning, fund raising, artistic and programme development. Managing partnerships with national funding bodies such as the Arts Council, Dept. of Children & Youth Affairs, Screen Ireland and the Education & Training Board.
Since taking over the National Development of the organisation in 2014, Garry has worked with the team at YIFM to grow the capacity of YIFM programmes to work with double the number of young people over the past five years, delivering five times the number of contact hours with participants. Young Irish Film Makers now work with over 1500 young people annually across Ireland through the youth arts practice of film and animation. Demand is continuing to grow as YIFM film making and animation workshops are recognised for their ability to deliver high quality outcomes for young people from all backgrounds.
Garry is heavily involved in the programme design and delivery of informal education workshops delivering quality personal, social and creative outcomes for young people across Ireland. With a focus on film and animation workshops for secondary schools, youth development agencies and youth workers nationwide.
Before he became involved in youth development and youth arts work, Garry was a professional filmmaker, musician and enjoyed treading the boards as an actor. He believes this grounding in the creative industries led him to where he works now, with young people through youth film programmes. He has twenty five years of experience in film production, broadcast radio and informal education & training. His CV ranges from corporate communications and music video production to training and informal education programmes in film, animation and digital media production.
My experience comes from my many years within the Irish Second-Level Students Union, chiefly as president during 2020-21 where I represented student’s throughout the covid-19 pandemic, working with the Department of Education and education stakeholders as part of the State exams Advisory group to do what was best for our young people through an extremely challenging time.
My other experience across other organisations such at Spuntout.ie national action panel or partnering with other organisations here such as ICTU on young workers rights gives me the necessary experience to bring a new perspective to the governance of the NYCI.
I have been a representative of young people for the last 5 years at a local, regional national and international level – with my particular focus on youth representing and how that can be best achieved – I hope you can put your confidence in me to work as a member of the NYCI board to deliver this for you and continue the outstanding work of the NYCI.
Niamh Quinn is a Manager with Foróige. Niamh has extensive direct youth work and management experience within the youth work and non formal education sector. With Forόige since 2004, Niamh’s previous roles include Outreach Youth Officer working with young people aged 14 – 18 years most at risk; Senior Youth Officer and Acting Area Manager.
Niamh’s current role is supporting the development, roll out and delivery of CPD training and processes for the national School Completion Programme.
Niamh is the current Vice President of NYCI. Niamh is also the current Chair of the NYCI HR & Governance Sub Committee.
Niamh is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin.