A year in the life of the YMCA in Ireland
October 2019
Heritage and New Development in Londonderry YMCA and Carrickfergus YMCA
In 2019 Londonderry YMCA built a Childcare and Community Hub in an area at the rear of our existing main building. The new building is 300sq meters giving us 170sq meters for child care. This allows us to have two daycare rooms for 20 places 2-3 year olds and 16 places 3-5 year olds. We also have two community and training hub rooms, which have high quality facilities and IT.
Celebrating 175 years - Heritage Roadshow comes to town
YMCA showcases untold history as part of 175th Anniversary Roadshow
The Heritage Exhibition launched in the Palace of Westminster on 6 June 2019 to celebrate the 175th anniversary of YMCA. Playing a significant role at the YMCA175 event in the ExCeL London, the Exhibition went on the road visiting 9 YMCAs across the four nations between September 2019 and March 2020.
In October 2019, YMCA Carrickfergus had the privilege of hosting the YMCA 175 Heritage Exhibition - bringing together 175 years of history from YMCA both globally and locally.
Supporting young people is at the core of what YMCA believes and the roadshow saw young people involved in local research, compiling heritage material and recording oral histories, as well as facilitating the setup and hosting of the event.
Joined by past and present members, staff and volunteers from all parts of the national movement, the Exhibition saw over 300 people visit throughout the 4 days and experience the rich history of one of the world’s oldest and largest youth-focused movements.
You can now visit the Exhibition online at www.ymcaheritage.com
November 2019
All Ireland Practitioner's Conference
The theme of the 2019 Practitioners Conference was inclusion. This theme is part of an ongoing conversation on how the YMCA can continue to provide a flourishing, inclusive space for young people, where they contribute and feel valued, value others, accept and are accepted, love and are loved. Workshops were held to explore diverse cultures, diverse faiths and none, diverse sexualities, diverse political backgrounds and diverse needs. We also had storytelling as part of this event with workers sharing their own stories of a time when they felt safe or helped someone else to feel safe.
December 2019
Clonakilty Christmas Express
When Courtney and the new members of YMCAs Carbery Youth Service heard that the annual Christmas parade was in danger of being called off for lack of volunteers, they stepped up and made a huge contribution:
"HOORAY! HOORAY! The brand new YMCA Clonakilty Youth Group have SAVED the Clonakilty Christmas Express!! All the usual fun is planned with a few new additions too!! "
January 2020
New Members Added to the YMCA National Team
YMCA Ireland was delighted to welcome Geraldine Stinton and Ken to the national Sr. Staff team. Geraldine is National Personnel and Policy Worker and Ken Humphrey is National m-power coordinator.
February 2020
National Secretaries Conference, Bethlehem
The World Alliance of YMCAs gathered National Secretaries from around the globe for a Conference in Bethlehem, Palestine. Some of the key elements were: Continuing the future scenarios journey to 2044, the NGS worked to develop three drafts of the North Star vision, World YMCA launched a Climate Community of Interest to work to develop a cohesive global climate policy, and improve communications on climate-related activities, World YMCA is creating a data gathering platform using Vera Solutions and Salesforce in order to help quantifiably show our collective impact.
March 2020
Greenhill Staff Respond to Covid Crisis
The extraordinary circumstances and situation surrounding COVID 19 had an enormous impact on nearly all service provision and supports within the children’s disability service of the SEHSCT. This placed additional pressures on existing stresses that these children and families were already experiencing. Greenhill YMCA was able to respond promptly and effectively, within days of the initial lockdown, to provide much needed support to these children and families. YMCA volunteers from South America, who had been stranded in Greenhill, enthusiastically divided themselves between committing to this vital work with these young people, and carrying out essential food deliveries to those vulnerable and sheltering in the local community.
April 2020
PAKT Develops and Delivers Online Parenting Course
One of our most exciting innovations in our family work through the lockdown in Spring 2020 was when we identified the potential for an interactive online parenting support course. In response, we developed a six session course for parents focusing on the theme of resilience. Called ‘Coping in Challenging Times: helping children to grow and thrive’. We decided to advertise this widely and were surprised that over 200 people signed up! The course ran May-June 2020, crucially during evening time while children were home during lockdown and over 70 people attended regularly. It was a great experience for all involved and so successful that we decided to do a re-run in November 2020 where we have over 75 attendees once again!
May 2020
STEP and Elevate Courses Rise to the Challenge
Even in the midst of the Covid challenge, our Youth Vocation programmes finished the term very strong. Tutors and students rapidly moved the work online, providing computers and equipment, and rescheduling and redesigning everything to work in the new context. In the end, 53 minor QQI Awards and 11 major QQI awards were achieved by young people online even in the midst of lockdown.
June 2020
m-power Goes From Strength to Strength Despite Restrictions
By June m-power had 343 completers verified and audited by SEUPB (funders) as well as 155 participants already recruited to start in September! A testament to the impact of the m-power programme in schools and the community. High Achievers!
July 2020
YMCA Portadown Supports Families in Need
Portadown Covid food response programme comes to an end after delivering 1263 emergency food packs and 468 packs with milk and bread, the young people planned and organised a mass delivery for our neighbourhood.
August 2020
Newcastle YMCA moves into New Glenada Premises
During the summer of 2020 in the midst of a pandemic, Newcastle YMCA delivered a streamlined 7 week summer intervention programme (online, outreach and TBUC whilst making the move to our new and improved Youth work premises in Glenada Conference Centre! July and August 2020 were certainly a busy time for our small but mighty youth work team.
The strategic move allows for greater reach and collaboration based on Shimna and All children's primary and post primary on our doorstep, we also have M power in situ and Club Olge and the larger premises allowing for all things youth and partnership building to ensure quality and inclusive provision for all young people at the foot of the Forest of the Mountains of Mourne Sweep down to the sea.
September 2020
Lisa McCloy begins as Director of Operations in Larne YMCA
In September, the YMCA family was happy to welcome Lisa McCloy to her new post as Director of Operations in Larne YMCA.
October 2020
New Premises Opening in Lisburn
"We are officially owners of our own building!!! We are in, keys handed over and ready to rock your world!!!"
