Category Archives: YOUTH GROUPS

Ozanam Youth Groups and Youth Services

Sep 18 2020

Summer Sessions Poetry

Summer was a testing time for our teens in the Summer Sessions given the social restrictions in place. They turned to poetry to help express themselves. Their words can be viewed below;

Social Life in Quarantine 

Life is great, I have a week off

I really hope I don’t get a cough 

I’ve just downloaded this app called Zoom

I meet all my friends in this small old room

It also helps me do music classes online

They gave us another month off, which was good at the time 

The days went slowly but now its August

Some shops are still closed and full of dust 

I wish things could go back to normal

I’m glad this will pass because 

Life back then was awful 

In This House During Lockdown 

There is too many people in here

Wherever you are, there’s always someone near 

Wreaking my head all day 

My younger siblings always want me to play 

“Fortnite, whats that, don’t care”

This new reality is becoming a nightmare

Every day feels the same 

I’m sick of hearing my name 

“Jerry get out of that fecking room”

“Mum shut up I’m on a call on Zoom”

Each month another two weeks added on

I should have been out of here, gone, 

Sitting next to the pool cold drink in hand

Listening to the live band. 

I wish they’d fast forward the clocks

But no

Still stuck in this box. 

Another Day Inside These Walls

No School 

I’m stuck in bed all day 

My parents always have something to say 

I get up for school but 

Not any more

I wasn’t really bothered doing it before

“get your PlayStation off the floor”

I’m so paralysed I just want to roar

It started when everything closed

There is nowhere to get my clothes

I cant even get a burger

I was left looking for a cow to murder

Fighting with my friend all the time

My sister keeps taking what’s mine

A vaccine hopefully soon

And walk all over the moon

Masks for now will have to do

No hugs or handshakes, Its cruelty! 

People don’t care any more 

Most did before

Aug 21 2020

The Summer Sessions 2020: Different, but Still Fun

Earlier in the summer, in midst of uncertainty and anxiety, we asked our past and current volunteers to brave the challenges this year has thrown at us and help us provide small Summer Sessions for children and young people in our community. More than ever before, our volunteers’ commitment and care for our centre have blown us away!

It has been so fantastic to see familiar faces coming back in the centre and slowly and surely filling the building up with warmth and laughter again. With volunteers’ help and support, we were able to make the best of a very challenging summer and provide the children and young people with a place to get away and have fun. They have needed this break even more so this summer. 


We may not have gone to our usual summer destinations but this didn’t stop us packing in as much fun as we could; we made our own ice cream, turned Mountjoy Square Park into our own water fighting zone, went kayaking in the Liffey, made friends with tons of puppies in the park, everyone got their own bowls for cooking and what a delight it has been for the younger children, learned some Ukulele, learned all the TicTok dances, some were better than others at this! Community scavenger hunters made friends with our local Garda, wrote heartfelt poetry, did some cool graffiti art and so much more!  


For all us, this year has been underlined by the personal and social challenges of all sorts. However, this year has also shown us the strength of our community spirit and the continued trust and passion of our volunteers and community alike. While the months ahead may continue to be filled with challenges we know that no matter what we can rely on each other to support our communities. 

Jun 17 2020

Our Youth Groups Have Been Keeping Fit and Preparing for a Concert

This week, the young people and volunteers in our senior youth services were taking part in our Plank Challenge to see who would be able to do the longest plank. We had a lot of young people take part and do an amazing job at this! Doing a plank is a lot more difficult than it looks! Our winners for this did 5 and 3-minute planks each! 

This Saturday is our last day for Violin music classes. They have been practising different pieces to celebrate their last day with a small group concert. 

May 25 2020

A Fun Week For Our Youth Groups Ahead

This week, we are starting a little project with our younger youth groups to stay connected. Postcards have been connecting people across the world since the late 19th century and once again they are a fab little way to say hello to our loved ones. We are going to be sending two cards from us; one with a little message from our leaders and a blank one the children can design and write on and pop it back in the post box. Any cards returned to us will be going up on our Grenville Street windows to see next time the children pass our side entrance! Very excited to get some cool art and messages from the children! ??


The weekly quizzes and general hang out with the older teenagers have been as fun and enjoyable as they usually are in the centre. It’s amazing to see the young people’s resilience and perseverance in such difficult times. This week, we are going to be starting a photo competition called ‘Moments of Joy’. It’s so important to take a moment in our days to notice all the beautiful and joyful things in small moments from getting an ice cream for a friend or taking a beautiful sunset in. Everyone is welcome to join the competition and send us beautiful photos. 

Our Violin classes are flying along with their fantastic online lessons. They started learning new blues pieces and created a virtual Blues Café, where they share their music. However, they have also started imagining and working on some decorations, menus and layouts for an actual Blues Café, for when we go back to Ozanam House. We hope to invite our parents and friends to come along for some jam sessions in the Café! Below are two pieces from our beginner’s class! 


This Saturday we are going to be celebrating the bank holiday weekend by dressing up for the classes and doing a mini home music festival! Hope everyone dusts their flower crowns down in time! ???

Yes I canDownload
AndanteDownload
May 6 2020

Our Youth Groups Activities For This Week

We have been working with the young people and volunteers through our online platforms on Instagram and Zoom. This varies day by day from giving them up to date current information on what is happening while promoting their continued adherence to physical distancing. In the last few weeks, we have done quizzes, arts and baking projects with the young people. We have also been building our online relationships with the youth group members and adjusting to the new way of communicating through social media. Checking in on them every few days and having a catch-up. Currently, we are doing Friday hangout sessions with young people and volunteers from our senior services once a week. 


For the younger children, we have been sending activity packs and activity project ideas to the parents to do with children. Our violin classes have adapted greatly to working through Zoom and have learned new skills they would have not otherwise. Parents are becoming involved in helping children tune their violins and go through their notes, providing learning and bonding for both. 


For the next two weeks, we will be continuing the work we have been doing so far. Sending another batch of activity packs to younger children, our violin classes are looking at ways of possibly doing an online Zoom concert or possibly putting a video together of everyone playing their pieces, this is something that will take a bit of work from all parties. One of our volunteers is going to be doing an art project for Instagram as well as inviting our Instagram followers to do a photography project with us, something that could easily be done while out for a walk.  Hopefully, our Zoom hangout will grow and we will be looking at different online games and projects we could do during the call. 

Apr 24 2020

What Our Youth Programmes Have Been Doing During the COVID-19 Measures

In our Youth Groups at the moment, we are providing several different forms of online and phone support to the children, young people and parents.   

For our Music Clubs, CoderDojo and Grinds for the Junior and Leaving Certs we are using Google Classrooms and providing notes and online material for children to practice at home if possible. We are also posting links where the children can work on whatever programmes they need. Instagram is a great asset and many of the projects and activities are available there.

We are also hopeful of setting up more online resources over the next week.


To date, we have done small projects on staying active, motivation, mental health and supports available, community supports, arts and baking through our Instagram account. This will be a platform to provide up to date information and promote their social solidarity. 

We have a group of 8 amazing volunteers who are going to be recording and working on different activities, projects and ideas that can be shared on our Instagram page. The hope is this is going to be an interactive and informal way to get young people’s attention and support them through this time. 

Some ideas of projects are; mini art club– in which we get the participants to share their work–, mindfulness, reading stories, story writing, educational topics; like exploring interesting topics like women’s rights including getting the vote in Ireland, cooking sessions, online safety, current age-friendly updates, coding, fitness and keeping healthy, mental health etc…  

It is also a way of us reinforcing the guidance and practices of social distancing and isolation by the young people and for us to see and respond to any developing mental health issues. 

We are available on the phone and if anyone wants to reach out on my email or on our social media channels.

Apr 23 2020

Summer Project Assistant

A safe place where people learn and grow,

   that serves our needs and enriches our lives

   in a supportive, fun and caring environment

Ozanam House Resource Centre is a community centre based on Mountjoy Square in the north inner city and operated by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, one of the largest charitable and voluntary organisations in the world.

The centre offers various educational (adult and youth), community, youth and childcare programs that are aimed at addressing social exclusion as well as the many needs of the local community in Dublin’s north inner city. The centre now offers 600 programme places to 500 people per week where our youngest member is 2 and our eldest is 96. We also engage 80 active volunteers who share their time and skills each week for the benefit of others.

One of our biggest and most successful programmes is our summer projects where we engage up to 200 children and young people on an action-packed activities programme throughout the months of June, July each year.

We engage as many volunteers as possible to facilitate this activity programme, mentoring the children, facilitating activities where skills allow and acting as role models to the children throughout.

Key Roles and Responsibilities are:

1. Coordinator Assistant

  • Assisting the Coordinator with all aspects of planning and preparation for the summer projects in the weeks leading up the start date in July and throughout the 4 weeks of the project in July
  • Working as part of the summer project team with volunteers, students and managers, Assisting the Coordinator with identified tasks and roles throughout the 4-week project in July 
  • Working directly with the children and young people supporting them in all aspects of their daily activities and routines while aiming to build a bond with the young people and the volunteers
  • Utilising and sharing your skills to ensure that the time you offer the programme is quality time
  • Acting as a role model to the children and young people, supporting them in all areas of their learning and development
  • To learn about youth work and good youth work practices with the help and support of the team through development meetings with the team
  • Using policies and procedures in working with the children
  • Taking part in daily briefing sessions and end of day debriefs with volunteers  Continuous on-going supervision as agreed with the coordinator

Skills, Experience & Qualities 

  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to establish good relationships with children and young people 
  • Strong commitment and enthusiasm to children and young people and an understanding of the factors affecting their lives 
  • Interest and commitment to developing the capacity to provide reliable support to children and young people in times of stress and act with integrity, respect and support 
  • Good organizational skills & Admin skills for admin assistant role 
  • Good level of energy and fun as well as an accepting and non-authoritarian approach 
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team 
  • Reliability, patience, resilience and flexibility  Ability to treat children and young people’s concerns with respect, tact and sensitivity 
  • Ability to be aware of own limits, to admit it and to ask for support  Previous experience is desirable but not essential

Training & Support 

  • Volunteers will attend an induction/information night in the centre prior to starting and will get a general information pack to become familiar with the centre and our policies and procedures 
  • A Child Protection (safeguarding vulnerable children) Training session will be provided. This training will inform the volunteer of the protection and welfare of children under the Children’s Act 1997 and best practices when working with young people in this environment. 
  • The volunteer will attend specific summer project training focusing further on the details of the project itself and the role of the youth leader/mentor with lots of practical tips and guidance on all areas of the summer project 
  • Daily and ongoing individual supports will be provided throughout your time on the project

Support & Supervision

Daily debriefing meetings occur throughout the placement where the volunteer will have an opportunity to review the day and get support and advice from training and qualified staff members in the centre. More formal supervision will be provided weekly if and where necessary.

Benefits  

  • Personal and professional development in terms of confidence, patience, adaptability. 
  • Learn new skills (decision-making and finding alternatives, leadership skills, communication skills, organizational skills, behavioural competencies…) 
  • The chance to contribute towards the development of children and young people to enhance the sense of self-worth and belief 
  • Opportunity to use and develop skills and talents  Opportunity to bring ideas on board and develop the centre 
  • Opportunity to develop friendships and meaningful relationships with like-minded peers 
  • Opportunity to build up valuable work experience  Opportunity to be a part of a dynamic and progressive team

Contact

Kim Haugh

Email; admin@ozanamhouse.ie

Phone; 087 1836978

Apr 23 2020

Summer Project Administrator

A safe place where people learn and grow,

   that serves our needs and enriches our lives

   in a supportive, fun and caring environment

                                 Summer Project Administration Position

Ozanam House Resource Centre is a community centre based on Mountjoy Square in the north inner city and operated by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, one of the largest charitable and voluntary organisations in the world.

The centre offers various educational (adult and youth), community, youth and childcare programs that are aimed at addressing social exclusion as well as the many needs of the local community in Dublin’s north inner city. The centre now offers 600 programme places to 500 people per week where our youngest member is 2 and our eldest is 96. We also engage 80 active volunteers who share their time and skills each week for the benefit of others.

One of our biggest and most successful programmes is our summer projects where we engage up to 200 children and young people on an action-packed activities programme throughout the months of June, July each year.

We engage as many volunteers as possible to facilitate this activity programme, mentoring the children, facilitating activities where skills allow and acting as role models to the children throughout.

Key Roles and Responsibilities are:

1. Project assistant – Administration 

  • Assisting the Coordinator with all aspects of planning and preparation for the summer projects in the weeks leading up the start date in July and throughout the 4 weeks of the project in July
  • Keeping up to date information on data spreadsheets on Ozanam House computer system
  • Making phone calls to parents and service users as directed by the coordinator
  • Setting up Notice Boards in each base room and updating regularly
  • Signage – Displays around the house – General information around the centre – updating as required
  • Notes going home – Trip details / liaising with venues, gathering required information, preparing notes etc, informing parents of upcoming events
  • Managing lunch support team as well as stock control of food supplies given to those children who may not have enough
  • Trip Liaison and preparation officer – Ensuring all required information is to hand in advance of trips. On trip days each group will have a bag with juice, jugs, plastic cups, biscuits and travel bag (wipes, tissues, newspapers, black bag, bin liners, cheque/money)
  • Volunteer Support – checking in with volunteers each day, following up with volunteers – confirming attendance, updating rosters and acting as Information Liaison officer, organising social nights out on Fridays for Volunteers

Skills, Experience & Qualities 

  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to establish good relationships with children and young people 
  • Strong commitment and enthusiasm to children and young people and an understanding of the factors affecting their lives 
  • Interest and commitment to developing the capacity to provide reliable support to children and young people in times of stress and act with integrity, respect and support 
  • Good organizational skills & Admin skills for Admin Assistant role 
  • Good level of energy and fun as well as an accepting and non-authoritarian approach 
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team 
  • Reliability, patience, resilience and flexibility  Ability to treat children and young people’s concerns with respect, tact and sensitivity 
  • Ability to be aware of own limits, to admit it and to ask for support  Previous experience is desirable but not essential

Training & Support 

  • Volunteer will attend an induction/information night in the centre prior to starting and will get a general information pack to become familiar with the centre and our policies and procedures 
  • A Child Protection (safeguarding vulnerable children) Training session will be provided. This training will inform the volunteer of the protection and welfare of children under the Children’s Act 1997 and best practices when working with young people in this environment. 
  • The volunteer will attend specific summer project training focusing further on the details of the project itself and the role of the youth leader/mentor with lots of practical tips and guidance on all areas of the summer project 
  • Daily and ongoing individual supports will be provided throughout your time on the project

Support & Supervision

Daily de-briefing meetings occur throughout the placement where the volunteer will have an opportunity to review the day and get support and advice from training and qualified staff members in the centre. More formal supervision will be provided weekly if and where necessary.

Benefits  

  • Personal and professional development in terms of confidence, patience, adaptability. 
  • Learn new skills (decision-making and finding alternatives, leadership skills, communication skills, organizational skills, behavioural competencies …) 
  • The chance to contribute towards the development of children and young people to enhance the sense of self-worth and belief 
  • Opportunity to use and develop skills and talents  Opportunity to bring ideas on board and develop the centre 
  • Opportunity to develop friendships and meaningful relationships with like-minded peers 
  • Opportunity to build up valuable work experience  Opportunity to be a part of a dynamic and progressive team

Contact

Kim Haugh

Email; admin@ozanamhouse.ie

Phone; 087 1836978

Apr 23 2020

Summer Project Volunteer

                   

                                 

A safe place where people learn and grow,

that serves our needs and enriches our lives

in a supportive, fun and caring environment’

 

OZANAM HOUSE RESOURCE CENTRE

Ozanam House is a community resource centre run by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. It is located on the site of the original clothing and furniture warehouse in a building that has also been used by the Society for a variety of purposes for over 100 years. Since our opening in September 2002 we have continued to develop various programmes and projects aimed at addressing the issue of social exclusion as well as the many needs of the local community.

SUMMER PROJECT VOLUNTEERS

Commitment:  Flexible with a minimum of five days required during the project

Hours:  Project runs from 10.00am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday throughout the Month of July.

During the month of July Ozanam House is bursting at the seams with the happy voices of 250 children from the North Inner City who attend our highly successful Summer Project.  We are seeking volunteers who enjoy the challenge of working closely with children from the age of 6 to 13 in a fun, safe and structured environment.

The Ozanam House Summer Project is an activity based project with some excursions included each week. These activities include Arts & Crafts, Cookery, Computers, sports and games, swimming, Karaoke, violin and guitar classes, treasure hunts, drama, sign language and singing amongst others. We engage 250 children from the local community. Our children are divided into groups of 20 and each group is lead and supported by up to 5 volunteers each. Our volunteers act as mentors and friends to the children, encouraging and supporting them throughout the project.

Training Provided

Induction Training – Introduction to the centre and all aspects of the project

Child Protection Training. 

Summer Project Training Day – Team building / programme details / behaviour management / planning and Scheduling.

Skills Required:

Sense of fun and enjoyment

Previous experience engaging young people and advantage but not necessary

Good communication skills

Understanding of community development

Support & Supervision

Daily debriefing meeting occur throughout the summer project where volunteers review the day and get support and advice from training and qualified staff members in the centre.

Benefits

  • General happiness and satisfaction
  • Personal and professional development in terms of confidence, patience, adaptability.
  • Learn new skills (decision-making and finding alternatives, leadership skills, communication skills, organizational skills, behavioural competencies …)
  • The change to contribute towards the development of children and young people to enhance the sense of self-worth and belief
  • Opportunity to use and develop skills and talents
  • Opportunity to bring ideas on board and develop the centre
  • Opportunity to work in a relaxed atmosphere
  • Opportunity to develop friendships and meaningful relationships with like-minded peers
  • Opportunity to build up valuable work experience
  • Tea and coffee will be provided for all volunteers

Contact

Kim Haugh

Email; admin@ozanamhouse.ie

Phone; 0871836978