Welcome

In many ways we might be forgiven for being glad to have seen the end of a year which has been particularly challenging not only for Extern but our fellow peers across the sector. We have been faced with the resurgence of Coronavirus, ongoing funding challenges, the effects of political uncertainty, and increasing legislation and regulation in compliance and governance.

Sadly, so many organisations in our sector have struggled to recover from the colossal impact of the Covid pandemic, as the endless cycle of lockdowns and restrictions have had a dramatic impact upon the economy.

Yet, when we think of the journey that we have been on in those twelve months alone, we are filled with immense pride at what we have achieved and for the fact that we are still here, stronger and more determined than ever.

We have opened new projects, expanded existing services and brought others to a successful conclusion with valuable learnings and experience to apply across our work in so many other areas.

We have also continued to strengthen our existing partnerships, while building new relationships and exploring innovative avenues of service delivery.

Most importantly of all, thousands of young people, families and individuals have seen their lives continue to be transformed for the better over this past year alone. We often hear reflections from our service users describing Extern as a ‘life-saver’ - and that is no faint praise, as we have indeed been the difference between life and death for some of them.

So much of this is down to the incredible team of staff and volunteers alongside whom we have been immensely proud to work. Their incredible commitment and expertise is the envy of many organisations, and we are so lucky to be able to call them colleagues and friends.

Those qualities will undoubtedly be well-tested as we face into another year of hardship for those we support, not least with the cost-of-living crisis which will impact hardest upon the most vulnerable in our communities. Yet we will continue to be there for them, providing the same diligent, focussed and compassionate support for which we have become so well known.

We do so from a much stronger position now too, as we have dedicated great time and effort to ensuring that our policies, procedures and safeguarding measures are fully strengthened and tailored for every individual project. For this we thank our Boards of Trustees for their hard work in ensuring that this vitally important work has been carried out.

We also thank our commissioners and funders for their ongoing support as we continue to ensure that our projects are better able than ever to meet the increasing needs within our society.

We hope that you find this annual report an enlightening and informative record of another incredible year in our organisation, not least the inspiring first-hand stories from those we have supported across such a wide range of projects.

These personal stories truly are the inspiration for our work, and we offer our thanks to our service users for the trust and confidence they have placed in us to support them through their challenges.

Strategic Leadership Team, Extern

We are Extern Ireland