EUROPE WELCOMES KDYS AS FIRST IRISH MEMBER OF ELITE GROUPING
CELEBRATIONS IN KILLARNEY AS CENTRE IS OFFICIALLY A EURO MEMBER
WHEN KDYS Killarney Chief Executive Tim O’Donoghue spoke to The Kerryman last September, it was hard not to admire his ambition, but arguably harder to envisage that ambition becoming reality.
He wanted Killarney to become Ireland’s first European Youth Centre. Nobody doubted the Fairhill centre’s excellence, but it was chasing a status only previously obtained by Strasbourg and Budapest, and Tim’s hopes might have seemed fanciful.
But they’ve done it. Some eight months ago, a delegation from the Council of Europe visited the KDYS headquarters to assess the centre – and the results were excellent.
In January, Killarney was confirmed as a European Youth Centre on what was one of its greatest days since its opening in 2001. Last evening (June 6), Head of Youth Development of the Council of Europe Antje Rothemund and Minister of Children and Youth Affairs Dr Katherine Zappone visited the town for a special presentation ceremony, formally confirming the Killarney centre -- launched last night as “Euróg” -- as the first Irish centre to receive the Quality Label for Youth Centres from the Council of Europe.
“It’s taken lots of hard work, imagination and hope, but now it has been achieved,” Tim said.
“The award recognised the quality of our service, and it’s honour to be the first Irish youth centre to achieve this.”
Among KDYS’ main functions are organising youth activities; a Comhairle na nÓg; youth centres; support systems; awareness programmes; training and educational programmes; and more, and Tim went on to explain to The Kerryman that the new recognition will connect the Kerry service to the rest of the continent.
“It means we’ll be working with the Council of Europe in new and exciting ways,” he said.
“Killarney will open opportunities to many young people. They can learn, co-design, and co-create opportunities and services, develop leadership skills, and explore Europe through a variety of programmes.
“For example, young people in Ireland will be able to engage with the European Voluntary Service and volunteer abroad, while young people from Europe and elsewhere will have opportunities to source volunteering opportunities in Kerry.”
The centre opened its doors to the public yesterday evening prior to the main celebration. Tim described the KDYS as “somewhere to stay, to hang out, to experience, to grow”, and called upon the public to support the centre as it steps onto the European stage.
“We have a strong vision and really big plans to develop EurÓg, and we’ll always appreciate support,” he said.
“If you would like to make a donation to KDYS, you can do so at www.kdys.ie, but you can also help by joining our team.
“With this new status, we’re very open to hearing from members of the public interested in joining us, and our website provides all necessary details on how you can volunteer.