Youth group offering to clean up a local area

An enterprising group of young people in Kilkenny City is making their community an offer to help clean up a local area over an up-coming weekend this spring, and they are putting out a call for areas to be nominated.

The young people are members of Youthink, a youth social club facilitated by Ossory Youth, whose goal is to play a positive role in the life of the city and environs.

The group is offering a local community group, club, residents association or charity a “Weekend Challenge” – to join with 20 or 30 young people from Youthink to give a neglected, disused, derelict or unsightly space or building a make-over in two days of hard work. This could involve cleaning-up, painting or landscaping, etc. The group is inviting local people of all ages to join them and give their time and energy to change their local area in a positive way.

Last October, Youthink offered their time to undertake a litter-pick or clean-up to a local community group. The application from Bishop Birch Place was chosen and 20 young people spent half a day clearing a green area of rubbish on very wet Saturday morning. This turned out to be a great partnership between young people and a local community, and Youthink would like to replicate this work on a larger scale in March or April this year with their “Weekend Challenge.”

“There was a great sense of achievement and community participation when the group helped the residents of Bishop Birch Place with their cleanup,” said Mick Greene, part-time youth worker with Ossory Youth. “They have now set their ambitions even higher and would like to take on a bigger community project.”

Group member Conor Homan agreed: “Even if it’s picking up rubbish in the rain in October, if you get out and do something where you’re working with other people of a similar purpose it’s fantastic, not to mention great fun.”

Any group interested in Youthink’s cleanup offer is asked to make a brief written submission to pbookle@ossoryyouth.com. The group will make their selection mid-February.

For more information, contact Patrick Bookle at Ossory Youth at 056 7761200, email pbookle@ossoryyouth.com or see the Youthink profile on Facebook.