This article is from page 10 of the 2006-01-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
CLARE Youth Service has drawn up a comprehensive plan for the next three years. Strategic Plan 20052008 was launched in Glór last Thursday by the Minister of State for Education, Síle de Valera.
This is the first such plan drawn up by Clare Youth Service since the enactment of the Youth Work Act 2001 and the publication of the National Youth Work Development Plan 2003-2007.
Youth Work for the first time ever now has a statutory footing and is defined in the act as “a planned programme of education designed for the purpose of aiding and enhancing the personal and social development of young persons through their voluntary participation.”
Eight areas of concentration have been mapped out by the Youth Service. These include programme development, public relations, partnerships and alliances, training and development and infrastructure and capital programmes.
Since 1974, there have been 15,000 members of Clare Youth Service and 2,000 volunteers.
Today there are 25 staff working in the service.
Since its inception in 1986, the Youth Service Bureau has had 210,000 queries from young people.
“These are very compelling statistics. Clare Youth Service has touched the lives of an extraordinary number of young people and is an extremely positive force within the community,” said the Youth Service Chairperson, Mary Cashin at the launch of the strategic plan.
“It is our goal to build on our existing external relationships with out partners, both voluntary and statutory, and to form new relationships for the purpose of working with these partnerships in the delivery of services to young people,” she added.
“The priorities of this plan are the result of inclusive and comprehensive consultation with all the various strands of the organisation.
“The Strategic plan is a process rather than an end in itself and this process is important in order to develop a real sense of ownership and commitment to the plan,” said Leslie Button of the Youth Service.