LGBTI Youth Work
Youth Work Ireland Member Youth Services are the largest providers of LGBTQI+ youth work in Ireland and provide direct supports and services to young LGBTQ+ people. Our work is guided by best practices, principles and values of inclusive youth work.
Our clubs, projects and youth groups provide young LGBTQ+ people with a safe and inclusive space where they can hang out with their peers in a safe environment where they can meet, relax, talk, listen to music, and participate in games and organised social and educational activities, supported by trained and professional youth practitioners. Through our services we address issues and concerns that affect LGBTQ+ young people and help increase the self-confidence and self acceptance of LGBTQ+ young people. We also work with other community groups, organisations and schools to increase awareness about homophobic bullying and discrimination.
Youth Work Ireland at Dublin Pride
Over 650 young people and youth workers gathered at Youth Work Ireland’s National Offices on June 24th to Protest, Remember and Celebrate as part of Dublin Pride
Together with Belong To we again welcomed youth groups to Dublin the morning of Dublin Pride for a pre-Pride breakfast. This event is a highlight of our year and creates a safe space for young LGBTQI people to come together, celebrate and get ready to march. As always it was colourful, energetic, fun, life changing for some, and most importantly, a safe and inclusive space for young people from our LGBTQI+ youth groups to celebrate their identity in a safe and accepting environment.
This event is also a chance for us to recognise and promote the role youth work and youth workers plays in accompanying young LGBTQI+ people on their journey to self-actualisation. By providing a whole range of services, activities, proud spaces and advocacy efforts, our Youth Work Ireland youth services throughout Ireland, help create a more inclusive society where all young people can flourish.
Proud Spaces
Proud Spaces is a three-year Erasmus+ funded project that will evidence the positive outcomes youth work practices can and do achieve in supporting young LGBTQI+ people. The project will develop tools to support youth workers in creating safe and inclusive spaces for young LGBTQI+ people. These tools will be identified through research, surveys, consultations with both youth workers and young people.
So it is really about supporting young people and practitioners to name the practices, activities they do in their youth group that achieve positive outcomes for young LGBT+ people
By the end of the three years we will have developed tools based on evidential best practices and young people’s opinions and experience that will support workers in creating their own inclusive spaces. Our partners in this project are Youth Work Ireland Laois, European Confederation of Youth Clubs (ECYC) and Growspace.
Proud Spaces Multiplier Event Laois
On March 30th Youth Work Ireland Laois released the first set of findings from the Proud Spaces project. The findings emerged from an extensive evidence review of youth work practices, processes and activities that youth workers and young people say achieve positive outcomes. The findings clearly articulate a model of inclusive practice that is evidenced to create inclusive, safe and proud spaces for young LGBTQI+ people. It also sets this practice within a European policy and practice framework.
The evidence from the research, surveys, and young peoples’ workshops will inform the next phase of the project which will be the development of an evidence informed practice framework to support youth work practices with young LGBTQI+ people.
Bí Tusa: Be Bold, Be Proud, Be You
Youth Work Ireland are thrilled to launch a new resource to support and promote the understanding of issues facing young LGBTI+ people in Ireland today.
The Bí Tusa resource will build on the brilliant work already taking place in Youth Work Ireland LGBTI+ & Ally groups around the country. This resource will support professionals, communities and parents to become more educated on the issues facing young LGBTI+ people so we can all play our part in being advocates for young LGBTI+ people.
This resource is building on the large body of work done in Youth Work Ireland services to support young LGBTI+ in their personal journeys, and also to increase the visibility and acceptance of all young people.
#BeBoldBeProudBeYou
#BíTusa
Young and Trans Resource Launched
Youth Work Ireland has produced two resources to raise awareness of trans issues and how society and those working with young trans people, can better support this group. In recent years Ireland has become a more inclusive society with the passing of equality-based referenda and legislation, however young trans people, particularly those living in rural areas continue to face high levels of transphobic bullying, social anxiety, discrimination and isolation.
Youth Work Ireland is now responding to this need by facilitating youth work with trans young people and developing resources to promote this as a normal mainstream part of youth work throughout Ireland. We were delighted to work with our friends in TENI in producing these publications.
