Echo 18

September 2013 - Issue 18

Letterkenny Youth Information Centre Newsletter 16-18 Port Road, Letterkenny Tel 074-9129640

ECHO

MENTAL HEALTH Special!

Summer at the LOFT

DYC presents Sparks RIVERTEEN’S PROJECT

STAFF PROFILES FRANKIE GARETH GIBSON Gareth started working in the YIC in October 2001 and he has a background in Business Studies, Youth Work and Research.

What do you do in the YIC? My job is to coordinate the YIC and the Loft, which involves quite a bit of desk based work, dealing with budgets and funding etc and ensuring we have the best possible services and facilities available for young people to use.

What do you like about working for the YIC? Honestly, I like the variety and scope that comes with working in the Youth Service. It’s great to be able to help others and work with young people on so many exciting projects and initiatives.

What would be your hopes for the YIC? Apart from the obvious hopes like better funding etc, I just hope that the YIC continues to develop and grow as it has done since 1998, and that the young people that use our service continue to get a lot from it and enjoy coming back again and again.

MCGREEVY Frankie started working at the YIC in March 2002 and he

has a background in Politics, Community Youth Work and restorative practice How did you come to work at the YIC? I don’t know I was just visiting my Mom in Letterkenny and spotted the job ad and went for it, I knew there was something different and exciting about the place when I visited before the interview and I am still here 11 years later.

What do you do in the YIC? I do Youth Work, this is all about building positive educative relationships with young people individually and in groups, We provide informal education opportunities for young people helping them build confidence, recognise their own strengths and work for positive social change together.

What would be your hopes for the YIC? That we expand our very successful model across the county of Donegal.

BREDA COYLE

LOUISE LYNCH Louise began working in February 2013 and has a background in psychology, youth work and photography.

What do you do in the YIC? The work here is so diverse; I do centre based work which is taking queries from the public, advocacy, supervising the drop-in, working with the development officers in overseeing our social media, video production, podcasts, newspaper column etc. As part of our outreach I also deliver information sessions around cyber bullying. The YIC has a media group for young people which produce videos and photography around youth issues.

Why do you like working for the YIC? The best part of my job is the people. The young people are great and the team we have is so positive, fun and creative yet work hard and are innovative in everything we do. I love the diversity of the job, the flexibility and how we are allowed to work around what young people want and need.

Breda began working in April 2013 and has a background in youth work and community development.

How did you come to work in the YIC? I did the youth Leadership course and was a volunteer with the Loft for quite a while. I also had experience in other community settings. When I saw the job advertised I applied for it.

What do you do in the YIC? I do various tasks, mainly administration, supervising, planning and organising activities. I run Tropical Thursdays which is a new part of the drop-in where we make up different drinks and just generally have a lot of fun. I also work with media group.

What would be your hopes for the YIC in the future?

That we will get more funding and be able to continue all

the work we do.

SARA SANTIAGO

ANA CÁCERES Ana began working through the European Voluntary Service (EVS) in February 2013 and will finish in November 2013. Her background is in communication and media and she has specialised in audio-visual design.

Sara began working through the European Voluntary Service in February 2013 and will finish in November 2013.

Her background is in media, communication and events management.

How did you come to work in the YIC? I was looking for an EVS project that was interested in media and design specifically in a country that spoke English. I wanted to work in Ireland because I have always been interested in Ireland and the Irish culture. I put out a general application and was selected to join the YIC. What type of work do you do?

I do media work, mainly audio-visuals such as video production, stop motion animation and keeping the social media sites’ updates. I do blog posts and create posters.

How did you come to work in the Yic? I was looking for an EVS project when I saw the opportunity for work in Ireland on the youth networks. I sent in my curriculum and was trying a lot of countries. I was selected then to come here to work, I was so happy when I found out.

What’s been your favourite part of working in the Yic so far?

The fun we have in the office, it is a great place to work. I suppose I specifically like video editing.

What do you do in the Yic? I have two main jobs; I design media stuff, posters, clips for radio shows, editing videos and uploading stuff on social networks. But I also supervise the drop in and help on trips.

Have there been any issues with working in the Yic so far?

Not really, language barrier can be a problem but that is only small. My only big problem is we have to go in November.

How did you come to work in the YIC? I was involved with the Loft a few years ago as a drawing workshop facilitator and subsequently did some voluntary work and work on a few project design posters. So when the opportunity of a CE Scheme arose I applied and got the job.

What do you do in the YIC? I work as an Assistant Information Officer and part of my job is to provide information to young people and their family about any kind of queries, and I am also involved with the media group, world 11 and the world wide voices project. I have also a background in Art and Graphic Design which came in handy whenever the opportunity arises to design posters for any sort of campaign that we would take on.

FRANCK SAUCIAN

Why do you like working for the YIC? I really love working with young people, their carefree attitude and the creative ways they have in taking on any situation.

I am looking forward to going through the learning process this job is going to provide, and will embrace opportunity to get a better understanding of young people.

ABOUT LETTERKENNY YOUTH INFORMATION CENTRE The Youth Information Centre is a well established resource for the local community providing Young people and those who work with them a one stop shop for information and training opportunities in the following areas: Job and Housing Lists - Law and Justice - CV Preparation - Travel opportunities - College applications - Student Travel card service - Practice for Driver Theory Test - Leadership training - Media skills training - Drop in service Letterkenny Youth Information Centre, 16-18 Port Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal Tel 0749129640 or email yicletterkenny@donegalyouthservice.ie

PARTY IN THE CAR PARK The Donegal Youth Service “Party in the Car Park” took place last Saturday on Oliver Plunkett Road and was a 100% success according to those surveyed during the event. There were 20 live acts and loads of fun activities including Inflatable fun, Art tent, Magic Show, BBQ and the Road Safety Authority Rollover interactive exhibit. The day was characterised by a fun family atmosphere with the great buzz being helped enormously by the good weather and the Donegal Youth Councillors entertaining the crowd with street games, some traditional ones and some not so traditional!

The bands were from all over Donegal, we had “The Nameless” from Dungloe, “Blunt Vegas” from Letterkenny and “Eve Murtagh” from Magheroarty.

We also had “ Lost Avenue” from Derry.

One of those surveyed said “everyone got involved, everyone was relaxed and it was great crack.”

Gareth Gibson Information Coordinator said “This has been an annual event for 9 years now and is a great chance for families of the town to have a day out and appreciate young bands expressing themselves.

It takes a lot of work behind the scenes to organise an event like this and the young people, volunteers and staff deserve a lot of credit. Furthermore, working in partnership with the Letterkenny Live Committee has benefited our event. All in all, a great day, the young people of the County did themselves proud, yet again” Donegal Youth Service would like to thank everyone who contributed to what was a great day at “Party in the Car Park” 2013. We are looking forward to next already and welcome anybody who wants to get involved.

MEDIA GROUP FIRST EVER PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION The 31st of August this year saw the first ever media group photography exhibition in the ArtCo gallery. The exhibition consisted of a selection of photographs taken by the young people in the media group at Donegal youth Information Centre. The photos showed some of the fun and exciting photoshoots, which the media group had undertaken throughout the year Doors opened for the exhibition at five o clock, the atmosphere throughout the two hours was a happy, exciting, electric one.

The exhibition gave the public for the first time an insight into what the media group is and what they do. It also gave the parents of the young people participating in the group to see what their son/daughters do every Tuesday for two hours. All those who attended the exhibition were treated to a variety of cakes and drinks brought by the young people.

Overall the exhibition was a success with almost all of the photographs being sold and all of the young people feeling proud of their work. All of the funds raised from the sale of photographs will be reinvested into media group. Talks are already underway for next year’s exhibition.

DYC PRESENT SPARKS YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH ROADSHOW Members of the Donegal Youth Council are busily preparing for our upcoming Mental Health Roadshow entitled “SPARKS”. The Donegal Youth Council “SPARKS” Youth Mental Health roadshow is an exciting new initiative in Donegal developed by young people for young people. The roadshow, which kicks off in October, will take place in each electoral area, with events in Letterkenny, Stranorlar, Gweedore, Buncrana and Donegal Town. The roadshow will cater for 1000 young people across Donegal with the aim of having representatives from every secondary school and Youthreach in the county participating.

The events, which have been developed by members of the Donegal Youth Council following extensive research and consultation with young people, aims to offer information and advice on how to manage stress in your life during exam times and other difficult situations and how to be more aware of what supports you have around you and how you can be a support to others. The event will have a strong focus on fun with a range of inspirational speakers, workshops and other activities, with a few surprises along the way.

The roadshow has been developed using the model of the Mental Health 5 a day, which is internationally now recognised as 5 key areas you can focus on which can have a big effect on your health and wellbeing.

The event will have input from a range of organisations, including Jigsaw, Donegal Youth Service, HSE Health Promotion, Foroige and Mental Health Ireland, with other guest speakers from the wider community who have each conquered their own personal challenges in life, such as Mount Everest conqueror Jason Black.

The first event kicks off in Letterkenny on the Mount Errigal Hotel on October 10th , before going to Stranorlar (Finn Valley Centre) on October 24th, Gweedore (Ionad Naomh Padraig) on 7th Novermber, Buncrana (Plaza) on 21st November and Donegal Town (Mill Park Hotel ) on 28th November.

Donegal Youth Council is funded by Donegal County Council and HSE Health Promotion and is coordinated at local level by the Donegal Youth Service. For more information you can contact Donegal Youth Council Co-ordinator Marty Keeney on 087-6806676 or email youthcouncil@donegalyouthservice.ie.

Summer at the LOFT Creativity was the leading theme at this year’s summer programme at the LOFT. We started with a get creative week which included mural painting and ceramic arts. Then it was the turn of the fashion week to develop and create their own pieces as well as learning the budget friendly skills of clothes customization.

The following week our budding chefs cooked up three course meals each day and made themselves very popular providing lunch for all the staff in DYS. During the AMP week we were treated to painting classes, theatre of the oppressed, music production and creative writing. The volume was turned up during Rockschool with classes in guitar, bass, drums, song writing, various tunings, instrument care, performance skills, sound engineering, finger picking styles and more. The outdoor week made great use of the summer sun with treasure hunts, canoeing, survival skills and a park Olympics. Thank you to all who took part in the activities and made it a great summer, especially the 21 volunteers who gave up their time to make sure everyone had a great summer.

X-HALE Youth Awards 2013

(Left to Right): Jason MGroarty, Sharon McLoughlin, Saoirse O’Shea, Lorcan Hughes, Lorcan Muldowney. Members of the LOFT Youth Project attending a Filmmaking Workshop with the Irish Film Society as part of the X-Hale Youth Awards.

The X-HALE Youth Awards is an initiative of the Irish Cancer Society which aims to prevent young people from starting to smoke and remain smoke free.

X-HALE 2013 is a short film competition for young people and youth groups around Ireland, the aim is to help prevent young people from starting to smoke.

A group of young people at The Loft Youth Project got creative and delivered the message through youth friendly mediums such as film and art. They made a short film about the issues around smoking that affects young people in their communities and entered the short film competition. The film is called “Following the Pack” and can be found on YouTube.

BreakOut get stamp of approval ‘BreakOut’ has been given the official thumbs up by BeLong To, the national organisation for LGBT young people.

BeLonG To Youth Service awards accreditation to LGBT youth groups as a mark of the quality of service delivery and support that they deliver.

To get the stamp of approval organisations must meet a set standard in six criteria including ethos, training, child protection, youth leadership, critical social education and partnership.

“I would like to express our thanks to the Health Promotion Department of the HSE (Western Region) for their support and funding to ensure this vital support service is available in the county.”

BreakOut now has LGBT youth groups in two towns, Letterkenny & Buncrana and has worked with over 50 young people over the last year.

“The commitment of the team in DYS in supporting LGBT young people is being acknowledged as meeting best practice in Ireland and internationally.”

Speaking at the Accreditation ceremony Michael Barron, Executive Director of BeLonG To Youth Services, said: “We’re delighted to accredit the BreakOut group in Donegal Youth Services.

“The commitment of the team in Donegal Youth Services in supporting LGBT young people is being acknowledged as meeting best practice here in Ireland and internationally.

The groups meet weekly and participate in the annual Stand Up! LGBT Awareness Week aimed at ending homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools and communities across Ireland.

Lorraine Thompson, Regional Director of Donegal Youth Services said “We are delighted to accept this accreditation for BreakOut, since the inception of the project it has expanded and developed, shaped by the young people themselves and in keeping with the quality standards of Donegal Youth Service. We are very proud of the work of BreakOut including the young people, staff and volunteers who make it the success that it is.”

RIVERTEE For some, setting foot inside an Orange Hall would be no big deal, for some it may appear threatening. For some, , visiting a Centre for Republican Ex-Prisoners would be natural enough and for others a complete no-go..

Odds are slim, though, that a person from East Donegal or West Tyrone would be equally likely to enter each type of organisation.

Young people from the Riverine area of the two counties have done just that, however, as part of an International Fund for Irelandfunded cross-border youth project aimed at building understanding and trust among border community members.

The “Youth Participation Programme of the ‘Reconciliation through the Riverine Project’” has to date involved over 100 young people from youth groups in towns surrounding the Finn, Foyle, and Mourne Rivers in cross-community activities designed by Donegal Youth Service to tackle racism and sectarianism.

Cairde Strabane Republican Ex-Prisoners Centre and an East Donegal Orange Hall on consecutive days.

The visits lasted The “Youth Participation about an hour Programme of the and included ‘Reconciliation through tours of the Riverine Project’” has exhibitions on the premises, to date involved over 100 young people. informational presentations by organisation members, and Q&A sessions.

Pre-visit workshops run by DYS Youth Worker Dominic McGlinchey explored the young peoples’ attitudes towards the two different types of organisation.

“Based on evaluation feedback from a previous EU Peace and Reconciliation project, the goal of the ‘Tell Me About It, Warts and All’ programme was to enable young people to learn about the historical, fact-based significance of local organisations which emerged before and during “This arm of the Programme has strengthened The Troubles by asking their questions directly relationships between themselves,” Mr. McGlinchey ‘Tell Me About It, Warts and All’ groups of young people said. “The project included programme was to enable young across the Riverine the opportunity to participate area,” said Charlene people to learn about the historical in conversations with Logue, DYS Senior Youth representatives of the of local organisations which Worker. “We want to emerged before and during The Orange Order throughout encourage young people East Donegal, who gave Troubles. to have an increased a Unionist/Protestant level of acceptance and perspective, and of Cairde, tolerance of others, while not diluting their own a Republican ex-prisoners’ organisation in heritage, nationality or culture. This project also the Strabane area, who gave a Nationalist seeks to reinvigorate the sense of community in perspective to young people from across the the area and to building a sense of shared space Donegal and Tyrone border hinterlands. The preand belonging.” visit workshops gave an amazing insight to the views and misconceptions the participants had in The programme began last November with relation to the organisations we intended visiting. a module called “Tell Me about It, Warts and The personal experience of having questions All” during which four groups of young people answered directly created an attentive atmosphere from towns including Lifford, Raphoe, and throughout the visits, leading to an extremely Manorcunningham in the South and Sion, successful informal education process which was Strabane, and Clady in the North visited the reflected in the content of the evaluations.”

ENS PROJECT

Young peoples’ responses to evaluation questions about their visit to the Cairde Strabane Republican Ex-Prisoners’ Centre included: -- It was very interesting, I learnt a lot about Irish history and the community I live in; -- I liked the openness and the view from actual ex-prisoners as they were speaking from actual experience; -- Having an insight into our history helps us to form an opinion today; -- One of my main questions was not answered, which I felt was the most important; and -- There was plenty of time to speak out and questions were answered to a high standard.

Young peoples’ responses to evaluation questions about their visits to an Orange Hall in Convoy, Newtowncunningham, Raphoe, or St. Johnston, which were arranged with the assistance of the CADELEMO organisation, included: -- I liked learning about the history of the Orange Order in the Republic of Ireland; -- I liked hearing that they help other people and raise funds for other charities; -- I felt good after listening because it teaches you not to judge people; -- I felt a bit offended, but I understand that it’s their view of it; and -- I was amazed at what I heard; I never thought we had so much in common.

A second module in the Youth Participation Programme called “Reach Across the River” ran in February and March this year, and involved the young people in attending a 16-hour Open College Networkaccredited course entitled “Understanding Diversity Within Society.” The course, which was designed and delivered by DYS, culminated in all of the Riverine-area youth groups coming together for an outdoor activity outing at the Breesy Centre in Cashelard, during which participants undertook teambuilding exercises and surfing together.

The third and final project entitled ‘A Space to Go, A Space to Grow’ worked on building capacity of young people across the area with the focus on personal development, community leadership, and working in partnership with their cross border neighbours. Paintballing in the Old Foundry allowed participants to burn off stream and get their own back on the youth leaders!!

The final celebration event took place in Smugglers Inn, Clady on Monday 29th July, where all participants gathered to receive certificates and to celebrate the success of the 3 x projects.

“Without the participation of community organisations such as Donegal Youth Service, we wouldn’t be able to deliver the project with the effective participation of the community on the ground,” said Catherine Anne Kelly, Reconciliation Officer at Donegal County Council. The Council is responsible for managing the overall Reconciliation through the Riverine Project, to which the IFI has granted more than 1 million euros for a wide-range of peace-building initiatives in the Riverine area.

Charlene Logue, Senior Youth Worker expressed thanks to everyone who has made the programme a success, including the young people themselves, the volunteer leaders who have supported the project, the Cairde Strabane Republican Ex-Prisoners Centre, local Orange Halls, CADELEMO, and IFI, “for showing faith in the project and in the young people of the area.”

In July 2013 the DYS Youth Outreach Project piloted a Summer Programme Support scheme in which youth clubs running Summer Programmes across the county could avail of the skills and services of Donegal Youth Service staff. Three Donegal Youth Service staff members embarked on a journey of madness and mayhem around the county offering Games, Art, Craft, Cookery and any other support requested from member youth clubs.

In all, there were eight courageous Youth Club Committees who stepped up and challenged us: Glengad YC, The YARD in Falcarragh, The Forge in Pettigo, Muff YC, Doneyloop YC, Lifford YP’s NGAGE Project, Cockhill YC and Planet Youth in Ballybofey. Dominic, Marina and Sheena loaded up their cars with everything from paints to pizza tins and headed out to tour the county. All in all, 318 young people aged from 5-25 benefited from the support offered across the 8 youth clubs, creating canvases, cupcakes and having the craic!

We were delighted with the response and welcomes we received from young people and leaders in each and every one of the clubs and have July circled for next year so we can do it all again!

This project is supported by the Reconciliation through the Riverine Project which is managed by Donegal County Council in collaboration with Strabane District Council and funded by the International Fund for Ireland.

FOCUS ON YO MENTAL HEALTH Positive mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community (WHO, 2007). Although this is a very admirable definition of mental health it is not the one and only. Mental health can mean different things to different people as it affects people differently and at different stages of their lives. In the same way that our personalities, interests, feelings and emotions differ so does our mental health. Lets face it, being a young person can be tough, especially when trying to deal with the challenges of life such as school, work, relationships, family, friends, even bullies and all at the one time and sometimes this can take its toll on our mental health.

Therefore it’s just as important that we care for our mental health as we would for our physical health.

Mental health is not just about having a mental illness and is widely misunderstood.Life events such as the end of a relationship, loss of employment, stress, bereavement and grief can affect our mental health. Some mental health disorders can even be genetic.

There are various types of mental health disorders, some of which are listed below.

Anxiety disorders Bi- polar disorder Eating disorders Personality disorders Schizophrenia

Mental health Facts -- At least 1 in 5 young people in Ireland are experiencing a mental health problem at any one time. (Health Service Executive Clonmel Project, 2006).

-- In any given year, at least 1 in 10 young people in Ireland will self-harm. (NSRF Young People’s Mental Health Report, 2005).

-- International studies are now showing that as many as 1 in 2 of us will experience a mental health difficulty at some point, and we know that the huge majority of these problems begin by age 24. (Moffitt et al, Psychological Medicine, 2010 and Kessler et al, Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005).

-- Over 80 % of young people in Ireland use or would use the Internet as a source of mental health info (Internet use and seeking health information online in Ireland: Demographics of users and non-users, Health Research Board Series 4, 2008).

-- About half of mental disorders begin before the age of 14. Around 20% of the world’s children and adolescents are estimated to have mental disorders or problems, with similar types of disorders being reported across cultures. Yet, regions of the world with the highest percentage of population under the age of 19 have the poorest level of mental health resources. Most low- and middle-income countries have only one child psychiatrist for every 1 to 4 million people.( World Health Organisation).

OUTH ISSUES Who to turn to Friends & Family When your ready to talk to someone consider your social circle such as a close friend or group of friends from school that your comfortable talking to. They might even be willing to accompany you when you tell your family. Although telling a friend is sometimes not the best option for everyone. So when telling your friends aren’t the way to go, try confiding in a member of your family.

Teacher & Youth workers For some of us we may consider our teachers as a potential person that we could confide openly and honestly to about a concern. So if this is the case have the confidence to tell them your concerns and let them help. A lot like teachers,youth workers can be very supportive and understanding of us. So if you know a youth worker in your area don’t be afraid to approach them.

Local GP & Mental Health Services, Aware, Samaritans Many of us may not have the support of friends, family, teachers or a youth worker and this is when services such as the ones named above would be of benefit to us. These types of services are confidential and this tends to be appealing to young people especially to those who aren’t ready to speak to someone they know personally or face to face. These services can offer valuable advice and most often may refer you to other sources that can help you further.

When you finally build up the courage to talk to someone the next step is to get some help and the following is some people that can do that.

Who can help Mental-Health Services Doctors General Hospital Psychiatrists Psychologists Counsellors

Remember no matter who it is that you tell or who it is that you turn too for help the most important thing is that you tell someone you trust!

If you need more information please do not hesitate to contact: Youth Information Centre, 16-18 Port Road, Letterkenny.

Tel: 0749129640

YOUTH VOICE

by Aidan Curran

When you are young, someone is always stereotyping and accusing you of doing things just because they think they know what I’m like. I think that not only is this wrong, it’s a form of ageism. I will stand up for myself and for my friends.

An elderly woman looks out her window to see two young teenage boys walking past smoking, with their hoods up and I bet the first thing on her mind is “what have they done?” or “what are they about to do?”.

A week later she looks out to see another young man, well dressed in his shirt and jeans but smoking. She thinks the same because she has seen it before and assumes that all teenage boys are the same. The people who think they know them should remember an old saying “never judge a book by its cover”. To be judged by your appearance rather than your actual personality is wrong and no one will understand until they are on the receiving end.

Recently, myself and two of my friends were throwing a ball between us when a man who lived near by walked past and told us to clean a mess that had nothing to do with any one of us. After I stated that, he snapped and told me to stop lying and said we had nothing better to do in this life. We found this offensive, I quickly replied saying that we were doing no wrong and causing no disturbance to anyone, his response involved accusing us of being wasters and low lifes. My friend asked him to cop on and to not say things like that. The man continued to give us abuse and reiterated that we would never become anything in life.

He mentioned drugs and approaching him face-to-face, inviting us into a physical altercation. It is a shame that I had to mention the terms “minor” and “court” to get him to back off. He then cowered back to his home after I took the upper hand.

I was extremely enraged by this incident but the feeling of sticking up for my friends and me was a great feeling of courage. I know that man will never see us teenagers as good people again but I have no regrets.

From that day on I vowed to stand up against youth prejudice and ageism to fight stereotyping.

Never judge a book by its cover; don’t judge young people by their appearance, we have hearts and we are people too.

YIC LETTERKENNY SERVICES & PROGRAMMES • • • • • • • •

INFO AVAILABLE ON:

Employment Rights & Entitlements Understanding Tax CV Preparation Interview Preparation Job Seeking Skills Dealing with conflict in the workplace Self Assessment Participation is FREE

For more information contact: Letterkenny Youth Information Centre on 074-9129640

DROP IN HOURS The YIC drop in continues to open until 6pm Monday to Thursday, while we are open to 5pm on Fridays. The Loft drop-in remains open until 8pm on Wednesday and Thursdays and opens from 5-10pm on Fridays, as well as 2-6pm on Saturdays.

YOUTH MEDIA GROUP The Youth Media Group meets Tuesday evenings from 6-8pm. If you would like to get involved contact a member of staff now.

OUTREACH IN SCHOOLS Letterkenny YIC are reguarly providing outreach in different schools across the town and county. We offer workshops in a range of areas including peer mentoring, school council training, internet safety workshops, study skills & much more. Contact the centre if you feel we could be of benefit to your school.

EURODESK Thinking of travelling, working or volunteering in Europe. Letterkenny YIC are your local Eurodesk Relay. We have access to lots of European Information so give us a call today.

STUDENT TRAVEL CARD Letterkenny Youth Information Centre is an agent for the Student Travel Card. We can process your card for you in the centre.

Log on to www.studenttravelcard.ie for more details on the discounts on offer.

WEEKLY ACCOMMODATION & EMPLOYMENT LIST Our weekly employment and accommodation lists for Letterkenny can now be accessed online.

See www.donegalyouthservice.ie/yic for more details.

SOCIAL MEDIA At the Youth Information Centre we are making full use of the social media networks available to us to allow our service users to keep up to date with everything we do. Social media has revolutionised the way the information centre works; we can communicate instantly with people and events and groups can be organised and communicated with effortlessly.

Follow us on twitter @yicletterkenny, check out our Tumblr page and our Youtube channel.

Our EVS volunteers have been documenting their experiences here in Ireland, you can find their tales on www.evsletterkenny.wordpress.com And finally like us here on Facebook where we keep you up to date with all of our work and events.