A community led scheme in Southill, Limerick aims to cater for the needs of young people in the area.
The Southill suburb of Limerick City was built in the mid-1960s in response to a housing emergency. At the time no provision was given for social and recreational facilities for the area. Now Southill is home to over 6,000 people, half of them young people.
In the early 1970s the Southill Community Council recognised the needs of young people and set up a community youth centre. In late 1977 the Department of Health announced Southill as one of three countrywide locations for a three year pilot neighbourhood youth scheme.
Southill Community Council general secretary John Hanafin believes their selection for the pilot project recognises the effort and community development work undertaken by the group.
It is most heartening to see this development recognised.
The Neighbourhood Youth Project is run by the Southill Development Council with the Department of Health spending some £40,000 in the area. John Hanafin says it is the first time,
A government department has actually placed the basic trust in a community and based adequate resources to that community to meet its own evolving needs.
The Neighbourhood Youth Project is completely managed by a voluntary management committee.
The committee is made up of members from the Southill Community Council and the youth club. Other members are from the Mid-Western Health Board and the schools board,
It is totally manged locally there is very little interference if you like from the Department.
John Hanafin wholeheartedly believes there is great potential for the development in the community. In addition to the Neighbourhood Youth Project, the Southill Community Council is negotiating with AnCo and Shannon Development to create employment opportunities for the entire community.
Neighbourhood Youth Project leader Tom Ward explains the scheme is essentially a childcare project that deals with the evolving needs of youth within the community. The project works with the children, the families of the children, and members of the community.
Tom Ward dislikes labels such as delinquent and problem child. There are many reasons why a child may follow a problematic route in life,
Some children have problems, and some children are problems, but the thing is, children have differing needs.
Looking after the welfare of the young people in Southill is a community effort. By supporting The Neighbourhood Youth Project, the Department of Health recognises that,
The community itself has the most important role to play.
Tom Ward believs the Department of Health is saying to the people of Southill,
Here's an opportunity to take responsibility for your own children, let’s see how it goes.
The episode of 'Week In' was broadcast on 7 January 1980. The reporter is Áine O'Connor.
