Locals map out a bright future  

A GROUP of young people received certificates in Darndale last week after completing a project that focused on whether services in the area were youth-friendly.

The community mapping project saw them undergoing a ‘secret shopper’ experience.

This involved the participants going to services in the area and observing a number of things, including how the staff treated young people in comparison to older people; whether the service was open to working with young people; and   whether the buildings/receptions were intimidating to young people and if so, why?

The ‘mappers’ wanted to create an incentive to get some services to ‘up their game’ in relation to being youth-friendly. 

They awarded the successful organisations with a ‘youth friendly badge’ which will be visible via a website that will be launched at a later date by their funders, the Community Foundation for Ireland and SpunOut.ie.

Shannon Baker, project coordinator for the Young Mappers Project in Sphere 17 Regional Youth Service (RYS), Darndale, said: “We took on 12 young people from the Dublin 17 area who were Not in Education Employment or Training (NEET).

“As the programme progressed a few dropped off, some due to personal reasons, and some were a direct result of engaging in the programme 100 per cent and getting themselves a job or back to education. 

“We finished our project with four young people between 18 and 24 who were fully trained in Leadership, Research and with a Level 2 in STEPS accredited by the Pacific Institute Uk & Irl.

“Further to this, the young people completed the community mapping project.”