Many worthwhile projects have been planned throughout the State to mark the new millennium, among them a £6.5m youth centre in Killarney, Co Kerry. The Irish Province of the Franciscans and Kerry Diocesan Youth Service (KDYS) are behind the project, which should be completed by next October. The centre will provide a social outlet and place of learning for young people, especially those who have been deprived of such facilities. While Kerry Diocesan Youth Service has youth centres in Tralee and Listowel, there was no centre in Killarney. The new centre will amalgamate its youth office, youth information office and full-time early school-leavers' programme in the same premises.
The Franciscans made the development of the long-awaited centre possible by donating their former novitiate and residential block to the Diocesan Youth Service. When development is complete, the building, currently valued at £4.5 million, will contain rooms for workshops and meetings, a multi-media facility, a recording and sound studio and a residential floor to cater for visiting youth groups from around the State and from other parts of Europe. The centre will offer childcare facilities, primarily for young mothers who left school early, to enable them to participate in courses such as literacy, numeracy, catering, arts and music. Some of the courses offered will be NCVA-accredited, with a work experience provision, and will give participants a chance to take up formal education or go on to further training.
WHILE much of Killarney's financial resources have been ploughed into its tourist industry, it is acknowledged that more attention must be given to the provision of services for young people.
Tim O'Donoghue, project co-ordinator of Killarney Youth Centre, says: "The centre will be a place where people from a disadvantaged background can meet friends and access information relevant to their situation in an atmosphere that is non-threatening." The project has received £250,000 in funding from the Probation and Welfare Service of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform; £100,000 from the National Millennium Committee and contributions from other sources. Fr Ger Godley, director of KDYS, has invited businesses, voluntary organisations and individuals to help raise the extra funding necessary.
