Here for Youth

Our Mission

Waterford and South Tipperary Community Youth Service exists to:

  • Cater for the needs of young people and local communities, particularly those experiencing marginalisation, disadvantage and social exclusion
  • Enable young people to become free active human beings who take responsibility for their lives and participate fully in the development of their community, environment and society
  • Empower young people to recognise inequalities in society and to work together to effect change.

Our Ethos

The overall ethos of WSTCYS is that young people, families and communities will have access to services and supports which are:

  • Accessible, engaging and coherent
  • Volunteer-driven
  • Connected to other services and community resources
  • Created by young people and service users in association with others
  • Responsive to their needs
  • Delivered by interested and effective staff and volunteers
  • Culturally sensitive and anti-discriminatory

Our Services

There are 3 key strands to the services we provide:

1. Project Work

Community Youth Projects; Garda Youth Diversion Projects; Community Based Drugs Initiatives; Drug Outreach Projects; Early School Leavers Projects; Local Training Initiatives & Recovery Programmes

2. Special Services

Youth Information Service; Woodstown Residential and Activity Centre; Premises and Facilities;

3. Mainline Youth Work (Club Development)

Training; Technical Support; Regional Programmes; Volunteer Recruitment and Development

Our Defining Features

  • An integrated approach that is needs-led and outcomes-focused.
  • Locally-based services and responses on a city-wide and county basis in Waterford and part of south Tipperary.
  • A systematic approach to evaluation and planning.
  • Emphasis on developing a network of regionally owned/managed centres to act as community-based “hubs” of quality youth work practice and integrated service provision.
  • A participatory approach which places “Youth at the Centre”; adult-youth partnership through which responses and spaces are co-constructed.
  • A community development ethos which seeks to enable all service users, in the context of their local communities, to work collectively towards achieving improvements in their quality of life.