Youth Work Ireland Week – LOUDER Voices Advocate for change
The young people in BallyBeg Youth Project have designed a poster voicing their concerns for the pros and cons of living in BallyBeg.
The young people brainstormed on what they believed to be the good and bad sides of living in Ballybeg.
On the positive side, the young people believe there is a strong sense of community where their neighbours are kind, friendly and always up for a chat. The young people talked about how supportive their neighbours are and how everyone looks out for eachother. The young people spoke about the opportunities such as the amount of extra support available in their community such as homework clubs, educational support groups and their youth club. The young people voiced their concerns about feeling unsafe in the community due to antisocial behaviour by being close to the garda station and fire brigade. This gives them a sense of security.
The young people voiced their concerns regarding antisocial behaviour within the community, such as vandalism, name-calling, dangerous driving, bonfires and drinking alcohol in places such as the park and graveyard. The young people spoke about how upsetting it can be to see this antisocial behaviour in their community.
The young people voiced that the community in Ballybeg has negative stereotypes as well as many difficulties but it also has a lot of strengths and a positive sense of community.
