John Russell, co-ordinator of the Díon youth project at the YMCA in Cork, finds his busy days empowering young people rewarding and energising
The Díon project is a relatively new scheme, which aims to equip young people with independent living skills so that they can lead more successful lives.
A particular focus of the programme is to prevent homelessness among young people by teaching them the skills to sustain a tenancy, i.e. rented accommodation in a house or apartment.
Research has indicated that young people who manage to find rented accommodation may end up losing the accommodation for numerous reasons, for example, due to non-payment of rent, or inappropriate use of the premises.
If these young people don't have the back-up support of family or relatives, they can sometimes end up sleeping rough as may have nowhere else to go.
Even if they don't end up sleeping rough, they may have to sleep on a friend's floor for months, or stay in a homeless shelter, so in a sense they are still "home-less" as they don't have adequate accommodation.
As coordinator of the programme, my first task has been to liaise with all the different agencies that work with young people in difficulty - e.g. social workers, the HSE, probation services, other youth organisations, homelessness agencies, the gardaí, support services for unemployed people - to address the services that are needed by young people in this area and also to make the different agencies aware of the services provided by the Díon project.
Another core part of my job as coordinator has been to put together an "independent living skills" programme for young people.
This programme runs over 10 to 12 weeks and aims to teach participants appropriate skills so that they can successfully rent and maintain their own accommodation.
It also makes them aware of their entitlements in this area and of the services available to them if they do run into difficulty.
In addition, the programme provides services to facilitate participants in finding a job, e.g. help with their CV, as well as having a strong sexual health awareness and personal development element.
Ultimately, the Díon project acts as a central point where all the different agencies can come together to address the needs of young people in the 16 to 21 years age group, particularly those who have family or other personal problems, who may be in residential or foster care, or who are referred by probation services or by a social worker.
As an adjunct to the project, I am also involved in setting up a youth café at the YMCA centre in Cork city.
The café will act as a youth-friendly drop-in point, where young people can come in and have a coffee and, at the same time, access information about services available to them, or make an appointment to see a youth worker if they want to discuss any particular issues or problems.
I find that working with young people in this particular age group is extremely rewarding and energising.
Once you gain their trust and respect, young people will tell you what's bothering them and what it is that they need.
Very often, they just need some understanding and guidance to give them a greater sense of direction in their lives.
To contact the Díon project, phone 021-4270187 or email dion.ymca@gmailcom.