The island of Ireland is located in the North Atlantic to the west of Great Britain. Since 1921 the country has been divided into the Republic of Ireland, consisting of 26 counties, and the six counties of Northern Ireland, subject to British rule.
The Catholic Republic's population is roughly 3.9 million, with 1 million citizens residing in the greater Dublin area. The population of Northern Ireland-46 percent of which is protestant-is 1.7 million; 350,000 people live in or near the capitol city of Belfast. There are 2 official languages, Irish (Gaelic), which is also referred to as "the first official language," and English.
Over its long history, Ireland has survived invasions, famine and civil war, but has recently come into its own, benefiting from peace in the North, support from the EU and its own rapid economic development.
The YMCA of Ireland
The YMCA has operated in Ireland since 1849 (Dublin). Five of the country's 21 YMCAs were founded in the 19th century. Of the current Ys, eight are in the Republic and 13 in Northern Ireland. The YMCA serves about 22,000 young people through 230 staff and approximately 460 volunteers.
The YMCA in Ireland is very focused on youth work, particularly in the realms of health, unemployment, preventing crime, prejudice reduction, housing and citizenship. Having recently emerged from a long period of violence, Northern Ireland YMCAs concentrate on building a ‘shared future' for its young people.
One very successful program is STEP, which has been operating since 1989. A 23-week ‘second chance' program, STEP works to develop core skills such as communications and personal effectiveness among participants while introducing them to the world of Information and Communications Technology and preparing them for the workplace. STEP is also actively involved in seeking certification for participants through the Further Education Training and Awards Council (FETAC) and trains and tests them to acquire the European Computer Driving License (ECDL). ▼
To learn more about YMCA work around the world, visit www.ymca.net/worldservice.
