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Youthreach is a Department of Education and Skills official education , training and work experience programme for early school leavers aged 15-20 , providing them with opportunities to acquire certification through QQI accredited courses or to complete Junior or Leaving and Leaving Certificate Applied programmes . Youthreach focuses on the holistic development of the individual within a learning environment which is safe , structured , challenging , studentcentred and participant-led . The curriculum is varied , ( academic and non-academic subjects ), and integrated across modules enabling the individual to develop their personal , social and civic skills in a supportive and caring environment , increasing their self-esteem while achieving certification allowing progression into work , college and / or apprenticeships . It promotes independence , personal autonomy , active citizenship and helps create a pattern of lifelong learning .
Josephine 2015 – ‘ What it means to be in Youthreach to me is that I am able to express myself through the work that I do and I ’ m able to live up to my true potential .’
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Rhys 2015 – ‘ Youthreach is a place where you feel safe , enjoy your time and can be confident the teachers will help you leave with qualifications that will help you get further in life .’
Although all centres are alike , no two are the same and flexibility at all levels is essential to achieve the goal of helping young people return to learning , prepare for employment and adult life .
Youthreach adopts a credit approach , as opposed to a therapeutic approach . Young people are not approached on the basis of perceived deficits ; rather , they are regarded as equals . The essential question is - ' what do you think are your strengths and how can we help you to maximise them , and what do you think are your weaknesses and how can we help you to address them ?'
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Niall 2017 –‘ Youthreach is a place where you can come out of your shell and grow as a person .’ |
Ryan 2014 – ‘ Youthreach meant getting my QQI Level 4 , having fun and being myself . They gave me the skills to help me complete assignments in college .’
Abdifatah 2018 – ‘ Youthreach helped me get a place in college and supported me with language classes ’.
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Interactions with staff are less formal and many observers argue that this is an important component in the programme ' s success . The young people perceive themselves to be listened to and respected . Groups are relatively small - the teacher-learner ratio is about 12:1 .
Youthreach is an integrated experience - personal , communications and vocational skills are integrated in a curricular and experiential matrix . There is a growing focus on developing individualised action plans , building self-agency and encouraging the learner to take responsibility for learning and evaluating their own learning .
Kassidy 2015 - ‘ Youthreach to me is like a second home . Youthreach makes me feel confident and secure in an educational environment . It ’ s turned my life around and made me realise that I CAN do well in education and get my qualifications allowing me to have a career .’
All Youthreach staff are multidisciplinarians , highly qualified in their particular field and come from a variety of backgrounds including teaching , vocational education and training , youth-work and welfare . Evaluations of the programme have found that this mix has been critical to the success of the programme , resulting in a cross fertilisation of expertise from the different disciplines . For more informaion check out our social media pages DDLETBYOUTHREACH
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www . youthreach . ie or www . ddletb . ie |
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