ESC: Making Change

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, volunteers, Community employment and Job Initiative workers who work across 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 & Alcohol Peer Education programmes, including two youth club centres (Decies and Gurteen), two information offices with IT Suites (Drumfinn and Decies), one mini bus, an Outdoor Education & Residential centre (Wicklow) and an Amenity centre (Park West). BYS engage young people in social and personal development programmes and opportunities. Our range of youth work methodologies include group work, peer education, arts, outdoor education, mentoring, outreach, information services and International youth exchanges to name but a few, our target age group is 10 and 24 years. BYS receives funding from Targeted Youth Services Fund. underwritten by the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, administered by the City of Dublin Youth Service Board (CDYSB). Funding for our Erasmus + Programme is derived from a variety of sources including, the European Union through Léargas in Ireland and their national counterparts in other European countries. The main aims & 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 developmental social programmes. These programmes use critical social and non formal education approaches. Our groups meet on a weekly basis with youth worker’s to reflect their interests, or sometime’s as a direct response to issues arising with young people in the Ballyfermot area. These programmes allow young people to be critically think and tackle issues that are affecting them, and to gain knowledge that enhances their personal, social, political, and cultural awareness. Youth mobility is a core principal of BYS which offers challenges and impact on young people we work with, therefore staff are aware of the Erasmus + National and European practices and policies to engage long term in the context of European mobility projects. We aim at a European level to be a champion and empower others to develop, create, influence and understand the potentials of mobility projects. BYS is committed to the provision of quality youth services in a manner that ensures the safety and welfare of young people. Our Designated Liaison Officer on staff 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. BYS is a multi-site organisation, our centres provide a range of activities in a non-formal setting. Our youth café includes an intercultural café once a month. There are also links with other service providers in the community, such as schools and joint initiatives with other youth services. Our Outward Bounds Centre operates and provides a huge range of outdoor education. Our Youth Information Centre provide a free, confidential service for all needs to young people. We have developed many contacts using the Erasmus+ and promote this in our work. To date over 1000 young people have experienced a youth in action /Erasmus + project organised by us. We have built up many links with other European Youth Groups and develop these links in a strategic way. Ballyfermot is a suburb of Dublin City situated 8km from the city centre. The 2016 census recorded Ballyfermot to have a population of 22,613, with 22.5% aged under 18 (5085) and another 9.6% aged between18 and 25 (2167). The areas of Ballyfermot and Cherry Orchard are made up of 7 electoral divisions, of which 6 areas are rated as disadvantaged. The Dublin City South CYPSC Evidence Baseline Report from 2017 highlighted that, in the 2016 Census results, Ballyfermot Child and Family Service Network area had the highest proportion of unemployment with 21.9% (2,449) within the Dublin City South region. As of July 2017, there were 1,454 young people (under 25 years) on the Live Register from the Dublin City South region and of these 394 were from the Ballyfermot area representing 16.5%. In relation to educational attainment, 3955 people had no formal or primary only education within the Ballyfermot area which represents 17.5% of the total population. 12.4% (2,812) of the Ballyfermot population had achieved third level education.