Young people from across North Belfast have joined forces to highlight the need for youth work.
Over the past number of months young leaders who attend New Lodge Youth Centre, Ardoyne Youth Club, John Paul Youth Club and Holy Family Youth Centre have been raising awareness of the need for the sector to continue its work within their communities.
With fears that potential cuts to funding in their sector are looming, those who are there during the good times and the more pressured scenarios of Belfast's youth scene, opened up about the passion they have for their work.
READ MORE: Belfast youth clubs come together to stand against funding cuts
Young leaders who are employed by the four above organisations met this week to discuss what youth work means to them how proposed cuts will affect them.
Shonagh McConnell is a youth support worker at Ardoyne Youth Club and says the sector helped her as a young woman with little interest in formal education.
"There are many reasons that I am involved in youth work," she told Belfast Live.
"One reason being the impact it has had in my community. Growing up, I had a lack of interest in formal education and youth work opened a door for me to explore what i was passionate about. That enabled me to grow both personally and sociably.
"It made me motivated to go on and do the same thing for young people in my community. Youth work has helped my community massively, in terms of antisocial behaviour. Having centres open nearly seven days a week., gives young people the space where they can feel safe.
"That means they aren't lashing out at their communities through organised fights or graffiti. Youth work has also helped with one-to-one support. With these cuts, that will put counselling waiting lists through the roof. Having youth workers on the streets, they are a friendly face that young people can always go to for support.
"With these cuts, you will see a lack of outreach and support workers which will drain a lot of resources in the community."
Dearbhla attends Holy Family Youth Centre on the Limestone Road in North Belfast.
Her involvement with the centre from a young age, has allowed her to gain qualifications which she will take into future career prospects.
"Cuts will have a big impact on me and my friends as we will feel like we'll have nowhere to go," she said.
"Coming up to the bright nights in the summer, they'll have a bigger impact if the youth centre cannot be opened. Our only alternative is to socialise in the area, which is on an interface.
"Throughout my years of attending Holy Family, they have given me opportunities to gain qualifications and education. If these cuts go ahead as planned, the younger generation won't get to experience what I have."
Donal work in Holy Family Youth Centre and says one of the benefits for him growing up was having a safe place to go to and switch off.
He told Belfast Live: "It was somewhere to go if things outside the centre weren't going well. It was somewhere to go to get away from it all.
"A lot of influence for me was that it was tied in with the community. There was good connections with people who lived locally to the club, and they understood the benefits of the centre.
"For me, these proposed cuts devalue youth work as a profession. The main sticking point is the poor communication between funders and us, who have been left in a pickle trying to find out what is happening next.
"It has got to the point now where you are looking at youth work in a voluntary versus public sector. For us, we would like a unity between different centres to utilise what we have and to be there to offer the best service as possible for the young people."
Ella Nocher works in New Lodge Youth Centre and amid possible cuts, the 19-year-old fears an increase in anti-social behaviour if outreach resources are limited.
"From a young age I have always known that I wanted to be a youth worker because I was a young person in the centre, and seen first hand how the youth workers supported, encouraged, gave opportunities and provided a safe space for me and other young people.
"To me, youth work is a way for young people to be pushed to become the best version of themselves and to have a great network of youth workers who genuinely want the best for the young people.
"Youth work plays a massive role within different communities - for example, Christmas appeals and food parcel collections. Having youth centres open throughout the week decreases the levels of antisocial behaviour - if nights on outreach are decreased, then rates in antisocial behaviour may rise.
"The sector also contributes to improving the mental heath of our communities by providing one-to-one work and having connections to signpost to other agencies.
"Youth work brings a sense of togetherness across different communities."
An EA spokesperson said: “The Education Authority fully understands the vital role youth services play in all communities.
"We will continue to work with the Department of Education to minimise the risk to these really important services against the backdrop of very significant financial challenges."
READ NEXT:
Thousands of health workers take part in strike action across NI
- NI teachers to stage half-day walk out next month in dispute over pay
NI university students face more disruption as staff set to strike
NI care workers stage protests calling for improved mileage rates
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
