The Coolock Development Council is home to a range of impactful community and youth organisations. These include Sphere 17, ayouth service working with young people in North Dublin between the age of 10-24, and Northside Partnership, which offers employment services and sponsors Tús, a community work placement scheme providing short-term working opportunities for unemployed people.
The organisation supports 77 community members on the Community Services Programme, Community Employment Scheme and Jobs Initiative Scheme, who are engaged in both work and learning opportunities. Through these programmes, community members are able to gain valuable skills in areas such as maintenance, first aid, horticulture, health, security, and safety.
During our visit, we spoke with Kieran, a participant in the horticulture course, who shared his enthusiasm for the programme:
“It gives you more confidence. I’m inquisitive and like to learn, but what I think is most important is the domino effect it has on young people—my own children included. The young people from Sphere 17 come over and ask us all about growing food. They’re genuinely interested and love the idea that you can grow your own food and bring it home to cook. It gets them excited about growing food and teaches them how to save money, especially with how expensive food is. It’s just great—it gives me a real buzz.”
Through providing education and support services across generations and igniting local businesses, Coolock Development Council is transforming the local community. We look forward to continuing to partner with them through the Community Education Network.
