Ballyfermot Youth Service (BYS)

Ballyfermot Youth Service is a limited company registered in Ireland as a charity (Charity No. 20150532) with a board of voluntary directors. Established in 1985, BYS currently employs a total of six full-time and four  part-time staff. The staff team consists of a Youth Service Manager, four full-time and one part-time Youth Worker, an Outwards Bound Senior Instructor and Instructor, Activities Co-ordinator, two part-time Youth Information Officers.

Services

BYS provides a range of services to the young people of Ballyfermot from  Outdoor Education  programmes, Drop in Information  centres , Music and Arts programmes, access to the Erasmus + programme and a comprehensive  Drugs Peer Education programme.

BYS provides planned educational and recreational activities for young people in Ballyfermot between the ages of 10 and 24 years. BYS receives funding from Targeted Youth Services Fund. These funds are underwritten by the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and administered by the City Dublin Youth Service Board (CDYSB). Funding for the youth exchanges is derived from a variety of sources including, the European Union through Léargas in Ireland and their national counterparts in other European countries.

Objectives

The main objectives of BYS are to work with young people in the Ballyfermot area to empower them to make positive decisions around their life  choices, to meet their needs by providing appropriate social, personal and development social programmes. These programmes use critical social and non formal  education approaches.

The groups meet on a weekly basis with  the youth worker’s to reflect the interests of the group, or sometime’s as a direct response to issues arising with young people in Ballyfermot. These programmes allow young people to be critical and tackle issues that are affecting them, and to gain knowledge that  enhances  their personal, social, political, and cultural  awareness .

Programmes include:

Essential Skills	Sports Programmes	Youth Exchanges
Stay in School Programmes	Young Men & Women's Groups	Outdoor Education Programme
After School Programmes	Music Lessons	Youth Information Centres

Facilities

BYS also provides a range of services and facilities to young people, including two youth club centres (Decies and Gurteen), two information offices with IT suites (Drumfinn and Decies), one mini bus, a residential house, an Outdoor Education centre (Wicklow) and an Amenity centre (Park West).

Our Commitment

BYS is committed to the provision of quality youth services in a manner that ensures the safety and welfare of young people. It has a Designated Liaison Officer on staff who is available to advise and support any youth worker, group or project working with young people that has a child protection concern, be it around policy, procedures or a specific issue.