The Fingal Centre “Stayin’ On” Programme aims to bridge a gap in provision for young people at risk of early school leaving in Finglas and Cabra. This programme is funded by CDYSB.
The Programme will provide a safe space where young people can:
- Discover something new about themselves
- Make new friends and have fun
- Explore issues/concerns
- Confide in staff
- Learn new skills
- Increase their confidence / self-esteem
- Increase their ability to communicate
- Express their opinions
- Explore what they want for their future education
Recruitment takes place in conjunction with schools and agencies. This process happens via the referral system, followed by, one to one meetings with each young person and the parents. At each stage, the young person is reminded that they have a choice in whether they take part or not.
Aims & Objectives
We aim to engage and work with the identified young people and their parents/guardians by providing a programme of support.
Through a needs based assessment, we aim to engage and provide supports for teenagers with early school leaving support issues.
Our programme seeks to build on the strengths and problem-solving abilities of the identified young people and their parents/guardians. It will restore their confidence in their capacity and ability to deal with whatever difficulties may arise.
Programme Schedule
- Identify 10 young people and their parents/ guardians through the schools for 6 week summer programme for young people at risk of early school leaving.
- Programme will run over 6 weeks in the summer.
- 1 two hour evening session per week for young people for 4 weeks.
- 1 two hour evening session per week for parent’s/guardian’s for 4 weeks.
- 2 Combined young person/parent/guardian session (Alcohol & Drug Awareness) for 2 weeks.
- 1 social outing per week for the young people.
Session content will be needs based and can be reviewed and adapted depending on the needs of the group once it is formed. An example of session content includes:
- Group Bonding
- Mental Health / Sexual Health
- Personal Development & Self Esteem
- Communication Skills
- Drug & Alcohol Awareness
- Evaluation of programme
Expected Outcomes
- Improved quality of life for participating families
- Greater capacity to respond positively & constructively to day to day life difficulties
- Improved communication within participating families
- Entire family system of drug/alcohol miss-user supported in addressing relevant issues
- A formal 6 week programme which is so diverse that it has something to offer every participant
- Further follow up and support after graduating from the programme
- A voice for young people in the community
- An innovative model for working with young people
- A link and referral system for young people based on strong relationships with other agencies
- Advocacy for young people experiencing difficulty, especially in relation to education
