Mags GarganThe Diocese of Ferns is launching the pilot programme for a new youth group next week, which aims to engage teens with their local parish.
Spirit is a motivational youth group aimed at Transition Year students which will include a personal and spiritual development programme, weekly meetings, guest speakers and workshops with local community groups.
Colette O’Doherty, Safeguarding Coordinator, said the youth group was founded as a result of feedback from clergy workgroups organised by the diocesan safeguarding office which raised “the issue of a possible gap that had been created in working with young people and children, which would have resulted from the history of the diocese and people seeing the safeguarding measures as an obstacle”.
“Out of that and through the training and day-to-day work on the ground we decided to set up a diocesan youth group,” she said. “But this was going to be more than the normal youth group. We wanted it to be a community group, which got the young people back into the community and working with the Church.”
The initiative will be piloted in Wexford town for the next two years and will see 10 work groups focussing on areas such as animal welfare, elderly care, special needs and environmental projects.
Ms O’Doherty said the response has been “incredibly positive” with 107 applications from students in six schools.