Article 37 of the Education and Libraries (NI) Order 1986 requires each Education and Library Board to secure adequate youth provision. This includes establishing youth centres and specialist facilities, organising developmental opportunities, resourcing others and developing quality leadership within the service.
The Youth Service works with young people and local communities to examine and address key issues in today's society. This includes innovative and developmental work targeting those most in need — in relation to community conflict and division; health education; alcohol; drugs; sex; crime; unemployment; rural isolation and disaffection from school.
Youth work is delivered in a variety of settings including centre-based work, area based work, specialist projects and outdoor education centres. Increasingly, modern youth work engages individuals and groups in intensive processes including peer led projects; mentoring projects; street work; detached work and outreach work; active citizenship; I.C.T; work in schools; community development and international education.
In order to ensure that the highest quality of service is delivered by the five Education and Library Boards, an extensive co-ordinated training programme for all staff working with young people is provided. Training is offered at all levels ranging from courses on basic awareness of youth issues to nationally accredited certificate programmes.
All youth work within the Education and Library Boards is underpinned by a strong ethos of evaluation. Key to this process is the active involvement of young people in defining their needs, developing activities/programmes and influencing future development based on their personal experience and growth.
Common policies, procedures and extensive evaluation ensure that activities and programmes are carried out in a safe manner protecting all aspects of the welfare of young people.
In a holistic approach to the welfare and personal development of young people, the Boards Youth Services have long recognised the value of partnerships to ensure the most comprehensive range and highest quality of support services for young people.
Ongoing partnerships have been developed with Voluntary Headquarter Organisations, Community Organisations, Health Trusts, Councils, The Youth Council for Northern Ireland, The Sports Council, Governing Bodies, Mainstream Education, The Training and Employment Agency and other statutory agencies.
