Jigsaw puts the pieces together

A drop-in centre where young people can talk about issues that affect them is so helpful that their parents want one, writes LORNA SIGGINS

‘IT LOOKS LIKE it, though it doesn’t feel like it, but shouldn’t this be Habitat? And then I realise that I am not in the wrong place, nobody is looking for my money, and they just want to give me their time.”

The words of one west of Ireland teenager about Galway’s new home for both Jigsaw, the drop-in centre for 15 to 25 year-olds, and the Gaf youth cafe, just several minutes from Eyre Square.

Pastels, primary colours and the sort of minimalist furniture and soft seating, which the aforementioned retailer was famous for, immediately catch the eye. There are no white coats, no forbidding receptionist cubicles, and the informality is inviting.

“Empowering,” is how Jigsaw’s programme manager John Fitzmaurice describes the atmosphere.

Jigsaw and the Gaf both wore that “safe space” mantle in their former homes in Eglinton and Mary streets. Though separate entities, both attract a young footfall, and both are now neighbours in a multi-storey complex where Habitat formerly traded. Health Service Executive (HSE) West’s after-care service also shares the Fairgreen building.

Jigsaw opened in January 2009 around the corner from the Gaf cafe. Psychologist Dr Tony Bates recalls that he had finished working with colleagues on the State’s mental health policy, A Vision for Change, when he felt the need to put theory into practice by founding Headstrong, the national centre for youth mental health.

“Next step was Jigsaw, which aimed to reach kids who needed support in their various struggles and their journey to adulthood,” he says. “We wanted to ensure that the right resources were there before these kids took the very courageous step across the threshold, and we also knew there were different pathways of care,” he says.

“We undertook a lot of research, talked to a lot of young people, and what we came up was a model of best practice that is non-stigmatising. We were inspired by Australia’s Headspace initiative, but what’s different about this model is that we involve a community.”

So members of the youth panel had to be as important as the matrix of professional supports. “The young panel advised on the programmes, on recruitment, on the physical design of the space, because Jigsaw has to be working for and about, but also with them,” says Bates.

“Comforting, rather than clinical,” is how Rowan Marshall, member of the youth panel, describes it. Her first contact was personal, as she was dealing with her own crisis at the time. Now 22, she works on an advocacy basis with the centre.

“As panel members, we can sit in on board meetings and they value our inputs,” she explains.

“I think the fact that you can drop in and have a chat, and that it doesn’t have to be something that takes over your whole day or your whole life, is the attraction for many people who come here.

“When I’m in there myself, I notice that the young people waiting to be seen by support workers look at ease. Which is the way it should be.”

John Fitzmaurice works with a staff of 10, and principal funders are HSE West, Mental Health Ireland, Headstrong and the Western Region Drugs Task Force.

“We started with five staff, as we had no real idea about demand, but we outgrew Mary Street very quickly, and had reached our potential with the first month.”

Given Galway’s profile as a young people’s city, it shouldn’t have been too surprising. With festivals of one kind or another throughout the year, alcohol is all pervasive, as are other substances.

Pressure to party is relentless. Significantly, when a notably younger audience than normal turned up to the city’s recent jazz festival, the organisers received a warm round of applause on explaining their policy of not accepting sponsorship from alcohol companies.

Jigsaw put itself on the map two years ago by visiting schools and running workshops in drama, dance and music. It also maintains a presence on social networks.

Considerable thought was applied to the smallest details, even making appointments, according to one student.

“So you were feeling down, and you could send a text in. Jigsaw would text back to suggest a time to call in for a chat. The fact that you knew it was there for you made all the difference,” he says.

“We get about 15 to 20 referrals a week, but there has also been a nine per cent rise in people just calling in,” Fitzmaurice says.

Issues range from family problems to stress at school, alcohol and substance misuse, diet, nutrition and self-esteem – the sorts of problems which affect a large cohort of the population at various stages in their life.

“It’s a primary care kind of model,” Fitzmaurice says. “The level of support is appropriate to need, and early intervention helps to develop coping skills.

“We don’t aim to create a dependency culture, but to allow young people to grow in their own time.”

That ethos is carried through into the organisation’s own long-term management. “We know we have to create our own funding streams,” Fitzmaurice says.

“So we raised nearly €10,000 on a recent cycle, involving up to 150 young people pedalling around Connemara. That sort of event has its own obvious benefits, as a social activity and because exercise can help to lift one’s mood.”

Jigsaw now has a presence in Ballymun, Dublin, Tralee, Co Kerry, Roscommon and Meath – and has announced plans for more centres this week.

As several parents whose children have benefited from the Galway centre observe, “it’s only a pity there isn’t something like this for adults”.

jigsaw.ie