Sphere 17 celebrate 10th anniversary

A NORTHSIDE group for young people had an added bonus for their 10th anniversary celebrations when its members got their hands on the Sam Maguire Cup. 

The appearance of the famous old trophy was just one of the highlights when Sphere 17 Regional Youth Service marked the milestone with the opening of Priorswood Youth Centre. 

The event was held to showcase how young people in the Dublin 17 area engage with their youth service and centres. 

It also gave Sphere 17’s funders and the local community a chance to see first-hand the services the new centre is providing.

Young DJs showed off the skills they had learned through CreateSound, a music production and education project. 

Youths who had travelled to Poland on a cultural exchange, shared their experiences, while others displayed the arts and crafts they had produced in the centre, and young volunteers provided the catering. 

Before cutting the ribbon on the new centre, Seán Taaffe (14) and Karla Keegan (15) spoke of their experiences with the service. 

Karla said: “When I first came to Sphere 17, I was very shy but I became closer to new people and the youth workers. 

“It’s a safe, friendly place to mix and make new friends, and it’s always open to new faces.”

Sphere 17 was established in October 2005 with the merging of existing community youth projects in Darndale, Bonnybrook and Priorswood. 

In addition to providing support and information, it adopts a creative, participatory approach to engaging local young people in social, recreational, educational and health programmes. 

Sphere 17 believes that meaningful involvement of young people at all levels is central to its service. 

A 2012 survey of the views of young people in the area – ‘Our Service, Our Say’ – helped to shape the service’s current strategic plan, while young people in Priorswood were also directly involved in discussions about the design of the new centre.

Manager of Sphere 17 Mick Ferron said the success and strength of the service comes from the people involved in it. 

“That means everyone from young people to the board, staff and volunteers who engage with them,” said Mr Ferron. 

“And while individuals may come and go, this won’t change. Key to it is to keep young people at the heart of what we do. That will remain our focus over the next 10, 20, 50 or even a 100 years.”

Support from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Irish Youth Justice Service, City of Dublin Youth Service Board, Pobal and St Stephen’s Green Trust enabled Sphere 17 to raise the €125,000 required to develop the new youth centre.