My time at Belvedere Youth Club started when I was 14 years of age. Even though BYC is open to young people from the age of 7, I never went to BYC until I was 14 because I attended youth services in Sheriff Street. It wasn’t until secondary school, when some of my classmates asked me to come to the club and ever since, BYC has been an integral part of my life, both as a young person and a member of the team.
As a young person, BYC supported me through a tough time in life as a teenager by providing me with a safe space to socialise with friends, play sports such as football and pool. It provided me with great opportunities in traveling abroad through youth exchanges and residentials.
Now, today as a staff member, BYC has supported my professional development in the youth and community work sector by trusting me to run programmes and activities with the next generation of young people in the NEIC. It is such a privilege to work for an amazing organisation which has been a vital service to young people in our community. My plan is to move on to third level education in the future and it is great having BYC behind me.