Extern is a charity which supports young people, families and individuals through a range of projects and services across the island of Ireland. Its aim is to transform lives for the better and help to create safer communities for all.
The charity currently operates in 28 counties in NI and ROI, providing critical and life-changing support to people whose lives are affected by a range of issues. These include Young People and Families; Housing and Homelessness; Mental Health &; Suicide; Alcohol & Drugs; Minority Communities; Justice Services; and Skills/Employability, among others.
Every year, almost 25,000 people benefit from the support provided by Extern’s dedicated, professional team of 650 staff, supported by dozens more volunteers.
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Extern was founded in Belfast in 1978 when a small group of people who were working with marginalised and disadvantaged adults felt that they could make a difference to their lives by offering more structured activities than had been available before.
Within Extern’s first year the Ormeau Centre had opened its doors, catering for people who are homeless and who had complex problems. The Centre continues to operate to this day, supporting dozens of people every year through its person-centred and individually-tailored support plans.
Across Northern Ireland, the support provided by Extern ranges from crisis intervention, counselling and complementary therapies through its mental health projects, to respite stays and mentoring/befriending programmes for young people who are facing crisis or upheaval in their lives.
Teams of dedicated staff and volunteers also offer services as diverse as alternative education programmes through our Pathways project, and skills and employability projects such as Moving Forward Moving On, as well as drop-in centres and group-based programmes for young people.
Extern is also a leading provider of services within the areas of homelessness and addictions. The charity operates hostels and floating support services for people who are facing homelessness or who have been through the criminal justice system, as well as providing longer-term housing opportunities for people through its Extern Homes project.
Those facing problem drug and alcohol use can also access a range of services tailored towards reducing harm and managing their addictions. These include the Step 2 programmes in the Northern and Southern Trust areas, among others, as well as the Street Injectors Support Service and Needle Exchange in Belfast city centre.
Extern is also a lead organisation in providing support for refugees through its NI Refugee Resettlement and Homes for Ukraine services, and its dedicated Refugee Floating Support programme.
In 2003, Extern made the move into the Republic of Ireland and has since grown its services to include youth justice and family support programmes, such as Janus, the Bail Supervision Scheme and the Intensive Home Support Service. The charity also supports people from the Traveller Community in Co Cavan, as well as people who have autism through the Extern Outreach Support
Service in Co Limerick. In 2019, Extern merged with Problem Gambling Ireland to create the Extern Problem Gambling project, which provides counselling and support to people affected by this issue.
Extern prides itself on its two core beliefs which guide and direct its work. These are captured in what it calls the Extern Difference.
The charity say: "We don’t walk away - we believe in giving people as many chances as they need to transform their lives. Whatever problems or challenges a person may be facing, we keep going back - and back - until they are ready to engage with us.
"We reach in - we are proud to work alongside people who society may have forgotten about, or dismissed as ‘hard to reach’. So, when that person is ready, we help them open the door to begin to change their life, by ‘reaching in’ and offering the support that they need."
Extern are delighted to have been selected as one of Big Give’s chosen charities for Mental Health Awareness Week. This means every penny donated has the opportunity to be doubled, as Extern will receive up to £5,000 of match funding, helping them to support even more people in local communities with their mental health.
For further details on Extern’s work, visit www.extern.org
You can donate to Extern for their Big Give campaign right here.
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