Members of CDYS Mallow pictured at the Big Blue Club in Gouldshill.
CDYS Youth Work Ireland is thrilled to be part of the gradual re-opening of the country by supporting young people to re-connect in a safe way outdoors. CDYS Mallow will be taking part in Youth Work Ireland Week 2021, which runs from April 26th-May 2nd and will celebrate and promote the value which local youth services like ourselves provide every week in our communities to support our young people.
This week will mark our first tentative steps back to some sort of normality and we look forward to meeting up with small groups of young people in outdoors setting to do youth work. We will be running music groups, art projects, photography along with games and physical activities with small groups in Mallow town and parks.
The past year has been particularly hard on young people, who have spent a lot of time indoors, on screens and separated from each other. Getting back outdoors and reconnecting with each other in a safe physical way is hugely important for young people’s sense of connectedness and their mental and physical health.
Throughout the pandemic our youth workers have not stopped working to support young people, and they have come up with innovative and creative ways which have helped young people feel supported during these challenging times. This work has been recognised and acknowledged by Minister O’Gorman who said: “In this last dramatic year, I have been very impressed by the passion and determination at every level of the youth sector in responding to a wide range of challenges… I have also been impressed at the ability of the sector to harness innovation to the benefit of all young people.”
In our newly-opening society, there is a huge role for youth work and youth workers to ensure that when young people do get back to socialising, they do so in a safe way which adheres to all the national guidelines.
A young person aged 17 years said, “Joining CDYS has made a very positive impact in my life. The group meeting was the only social outlet I had with the lockdown. It has not been the same, even though the youth workers have been trying to get us going with online group meetings. I am super excited to be able to see everyone in person again. I’m looking forward to it.”
Don’t forgot, for any young person who is struggling and who may need counselling please contact our in-house counsellor who would be delighted to hear from you. Contact Finbarr at 086 18 41 860.
If you need further information on services available with CDYS check out of web page www.cdys.ie, or contact us 086 80 312 06 or 087 714826.