Youth Work Ireland Laois aims to empower young people in Laois to be the creators of their own futures
Aims:
Objectives:
There are 5 key strategic objectives agreed that we believe will enable the Board and staff of Youth Work Ireland Laois to provide the best possible service to the young people of Laois.
1. Targeted Youth Work and Research
We aim to seek out and actively support and develop specific and/or minority youth groups in the county. We fully intend to actively engage in researching the needs of the youth in the county through mapping, statistics and research, and follow this with the best programmes to meet these needs, which are properly funded and supported by our staff, to ensure they continue on an ongoing basis.
2. Youth Clubs
We plan to grow and support our youth club network in both rural and disadvantaged town areas to ensure we do our utmost to target the majority of youth in the county.
3. Governance
We intend to be fully compliant with all child protection law, National Quality Standards Framework and Youth Work Ireland National Office, so that anything we do is above reproach, to ensure we can continue to operate. We will put structures in place at Board and staff levels, so that the service is compliant with all regulatory and good practice guidelines that will ensure the future sustainability of the company as a whole.
4. Funding & Lobbying
We seek to diversify our approach to funding via government, commercial and philanthropic entities to ensure our service can continue to develop and prosper. We endeavour to actively lobby politicians, councillors, agency leaders and any other valuable stakeholder to ensure we receive the best funding, support, marketing and best outcome for YWI Laois and the services it provides.
5. Branding & Marketing
Our aim is to make certain that anyone, be it young or old, knows that Youth Work Ireland Laois is the premier service and brand for youth services in the county of Laois.
Guiding Principles
Trust & Honesty
We will work in a way which is open and honest. We come from a position that is trusting of others and encourages others to trust us.
Rights & Democracy
Our work with young people is rights-based and democratic in nature.
Empowerment & Participation
We believe that young people have the right to participate in decisions that impact on their lives and we work in a way that empowers them to do so.
Quality
We believe young people deserve the best possible service. We strive to achieve the highest quality standards in the work that we do.
Personal Development
We work to support young people to develop as active citizens who contribute positively to their community.
Learning
We are committed to learning from our experience and our interaction with others and we will, through reflective practice, integrate this learning in our future actions.
Equality
We will actively promote equality for all and challenge inequalities experienced by young people and their communities.
Safety
We will work to ensure that we provide a safe space for young people.
Change
Young people’s needs and the environment in which they live are constantly changing. We work to be responsive to these changes and support young people in meeting the challenges that they face.
