Limerick Youth Service
Limerick Youth Service, 5 Lr. Glentworth St., V94 YF95 Limerick, Ireland
A Local Organisation Embedding Inclusivity in Youth Mobility. As an organisation we worked together to ensure that all young people had equal opportunity to access and engage in international youth work.
Please describe your good practice based on the above given information (Explain your practice as such, in ‘technical’ terms and as clear and simple as possible.)
Before we could plan for our future, we needed to look at our past. We developed a research project including all of the young people, staff and volunteers. Exploring what worked well during their experience, what could have been better, how could they have been more supported? Document outcomes for those who have engaged in international youth work. ‘International Youth Work’ was Identified as one of the ways in which we deliver youth work and was named in our strategic plan. with all of this learning informing our practice we worked with a group of youth workers and young people to develop two toolkits. One designed by and for youth workers. The other designed by and for young people. These toolkits outlined best practice when engaging in international youth work, as well as promoting inclusion in international youth work. Thus ensuring all young people have equal opportunity to participate.
Please describe eventual challenges and problems related to the creation, implementation, and/or running of your good practice? (Explain the eventual difficulties that you have come across, so that others know what to think about if they want to implement your practice.)
We were very fortunate that we did not run into any challenges or problems relating to completing our good practice. Our organisation has been involved in international youth work for many years and is supportive of staff who engage in international youth work. Staff are supported by policy as well as the strategic plan. Some of the challenges that others may face could be: An organisation who does not see the validity of international youth work, youth workers not supported to promote inclusive within their programmes, lack of policy supporting workers.
Please give the names, roles and tasks of eventual partners involved in the creation, implementation and/or running of your good practice.
Fiona O Grady, CEO
Maurice Walsh, Youth Work Manager
Eibhlis Brey, Youth Work Line Manager
Graham Quantrell, CTC Advocate
Dermot Troy, Youth Information Officer
Priscilla Sheehan, Youth Justice Worker
Shelly Goggin, Youth Worker
John Real, Youth Worker
Stacy Lyons, Youth Worker
Fiona Bailey, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer
Input from Sinead Noonan, HR Manager
Support from Léargas
Please give an overview of the resources needed in order to establish and run your good practice. (Please describe the human, financial and other resources that are needed. Please also explain if you have got external financing from sources available for others, and if so, from what funding scheme(s).)
Time from Young people, Working Group members & Youth workers
Buildings and Facilities from Limerick Youth Service
Expertise within the organisation and the working group
Support from our national agency Léargas
Support from the CEO, Limerick Youth Service and its board to undertake this piece of work.
For young people:
For the young people involved in the process they have designed and implemented a toolkit for other young people to ensure they are fully supported to participate and engage in international youth work. Embedding inclusivity in our practice in international youth work ensures all young people, regardless of circumstance or background have the opportunity to engage in developmental international youth work.
For youth workers:
Youth workers now have research and evidence to draw from when considering engaging in International youth work. Youth workers within Limerick Youth service have a suite of tools that support them in undertaking, promoting, participating and engaging in inclusive youth work practice. Youth workers are further supported by policy and the strategic plan.
For your organisation as such:
Our organisation has embedded international youth work into its strategic plan, this action promotes the validity and importance that international youth work has within out organisation. As an organisation we will continue to promote inclusive opportunities for young people in international youth work and beyond.
For youth work in general:
Youth workers have access to the two tool kits developed by Limerick Youth Service that promote inclusivity in international youth work. The Youth Workers Guide to International Youth Work & The Young Persons Guide to International Youth Work. As well as the research piece developed by Limerick Youth Service informed by our years of international youth work practice.
For society/your community in general:
The communities of Limerick will benefit from this piece of work because it has increased the opportunity for young people from all backgrounds to engage and participate in inclusive international youth work practice.