New youth diversion project having major impact on young Tipperary people

POINT is a Youth Diversion Project which seeks to divert young people from entering or remaining within the justice system.

They work with young people and their families, in their communities, from a strengths-based perspective, to support positive change, improve their long-term outcomes and enable them to reach their full potential.

POINT YDP is administered by Foróige, Ireland’s largest youth organisation.

POINT Youth Diversion Project Service serves the areas of Thurles Garda District, encompassing the areas of Ballingary, Borisoleigh, Holycross, Killenaule, Littleton, Moyne, Shevry, Templederry, Templemore, Templetuohy and Thurles, in the Tipperary Central Functional Area.

Speaking with the Tipperary Star, Serena Orr, Senior Youth Officer with the Foróige POINT Youth Diversion Project, spoke of the operations carried out by the team in Thurles, and the services they provide.

“The YDP is a multifaceted approach to supporting young people, so we do direct interventions with young people and families. We have an early intervention worker who works with ages eight to 11, a family support worker, and we have three 12 to 17 year-old workers, and they’re all supported by a senior youth officer and an area manager. The family support worker works with the family of the young people in the project, and again, our main issue is to address behaviours in the area such as offending, substance misuse, to continue education, to increase education attainment or find alternative forms of education for young people, any underlying factors that can lead to criminal behaviour, or put people at risk of criminal behaviour.”

Serena spoke of the opportunities the service provides for young people, encouraging engagement within the local community.

“Recently we had three young people who did a barista course with a local café in town, and that’s giving them skills that they can go out and get further employment, but also creating relationships with services in the area, which is really nice, because a lot of young people don’t have a connection with their community, so having that connection is really important for young people, and like it increases their confidence, their self esteem. They may never work in a coffee shop, but to just know that they completed something is really important for young people.”

The POINT Youth Diversion Project was established last year to address a long-identified gap in services within the Thurles Garda District.

Since then, the project has built strong partnerships with local agencies, schools and community organisations and is already supporting young people and families across North

Tipperary.

At present the project staff are continuing the development of relations with other services within the communities, all of which have been extremely welcoming.

The aim of the YDP project in relation to short term goals for the young people would

include increasing skills such as self-management, problem solving, decision making, communication, self-advocacy, critical thinking, resilience and determination, creativity, emotional regulation, empathy, increased pro social behaviours, positive use of leisure time, reduced substance use, and positive engagement with education/training/employment.

The project also hopes to foster improved attitudes, leading to better self-worth, hope, a sense of self-efficacy, respect and concern for self and others, and being open to others’ ideas and opinions.

The project aims for improved circumstances, striving to promote positive and effective relationships with family, peers, authority and community, sense of belonging and connection to community, effective parenting and family functioning, and improved health and wellbeing.

When asked about what sort of impact she hopes the programme has on the town and the community, Serena said: “For young people to enjoy their time here. It is a safe space. We’ve had young people that have literally come in here and kicked up their feet and turned on the TV. It is a home away from home for them.

“For them to have an ownership within their community, that connection within their connection. When you have that, you have respect, so the likes of the town park, it can be vandalised, but if a young person has that ownership, that sense of pride and respect, they’re not going to do that, and that’s really what we’d love to see.”

The project is delivered by a dedicated team consisting of a Senior Youth Officer Serena Orr, Project Workers Lauren Culbert, Joan Irwin, and Emma Shelly, Early Intervention Worker Mags Higgins, and Family Support Worker Fiona Douglass, supported by Foróige’s wider network of youth development experts.

Tipperary Club Development Officer Maria King supports the overseeing of clubs in Thurles and the surrounding areas.

Foróige Clubs offers ten to 17-year-olds a safe, fun space to make friends, build confidence and life skills while taking part in a range of fun activities, from tech, arts and music to community projects.

Volunteers who help facilitate, guide and mentor the local youth in Foróige club are offered full training, vetting and ongoing support provided by Foróige.

The group has received extremely positive feedback from other services, schools, parents and young people.

They recently held a family day for all the young people and their families to attend the project.

Serena says the young people were delighted to bring their siblings, parents and carers into the project, saying they were so proud of the space and have a great deal of respect for the building.

Serena says the biggest challenge they have experienced was getting a suitable building.

She said while there are some vacant buildings in Thurles, the majority weren’t suitable, be it the need for construction work that would be costly, location was a priority.

The group wanted to be close to the town so it was walking distance for young people after school.

They viewed another premise that Serena says was beautiful, however not suitable, however the owner told them about their current building.

They attained the landlady’s number and from there, things took shape.

It has taken the group nearly five months of hard work to get to where we are now with the building.

Those interested in signing up to the programme are advised to contact Maria King on 086 033 8071, or email [email protected].