Annual Report 2022-2023 St.Mary’s Youth & Community Association, Newry ## “Celebrating 30+ years of youth work” Charity Information ## **Established in 1990** ## **Current Management Committee** Chairperson: Kate Cahill Treasurer: Asumpta Hyland Secretary: Georgina Jennings Trustees: Eddie Heaney, Therese Murphy, Michael Heaney, Wayne Jennings **Address and contact points** Contact: Kate Cahill katcal89@hotmail.co.uk Boat Street, Newry, Co. Down, BT342DB Office telephone number: 07749 674647 Facebook: @stmarys.youthclub.35 ## **Registrations and Affiliations** Charity Commission Northern Ireland: NIC105093 Banking: First Trust 42-44 Hill St, Newry BT34 1AU Insurance: Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance plc RSA Insurance Group plc, 20 Fenchurch Street London EC3M 3AU Accountancy Brian Mc Cullagh Caulfield Place, Newry External Examiner: Marian Shields ## Chairperson’s Foreword As leaders of St. Mary’s, we see our core values as promoting health and wellbeing in our young people by developing social and communicational. skills, while helping to build confidence in a safe and supportive environment. Our young people and indeed our older group, enjoy coming together to socialise. This gives them a sense of belonging and sharing. Our vision for the club is that it will always remain at the heart of the community, and that we can continue to plan by being able to offer a range of activities that will make a positive contribution to our community to suit both young and old. We acknowledge the support we have received from the Education Board without which; we would have been unable to continue. We have achieved awards for top club six times, and South Down club of the year twice. Netball has played a big part in our club when winning the under nineteen-team event. Dance has played a big part, as has football. Volunteers have achieved their bronze, silver and gold award over the past three years and more volunteers will be recruited before the summer scheme this year. Our plans for the coming year are reliant on Covid restrictions and periods of lockdown, we hope to continue as normal at some stage. Kate Cahill _(Chair)_ ## St. Mary’s Youth Club St. Mary’s Youth Club was established in 1990 for the purpose of giving local youth a place to come together for activities and socialising. Our premises in Boat Street, Newry are owned by the Newry Parish and partly subsidised by the Education Authority. Club activities strengthen and develop partnership between young and old while enhancing the cultural traditions of this area. They emphasise healthy lifestyle, well-being, and positively contribute to the lives of the people of the surrounding community. The diverse range of programmes offered has evolved from a commitment to give members the opportunity to express their views, and to participate in the planning and management of their own activities, outings, and learning opportunities. Volunteering is promoted and supported as cornerstone of the Club. ## **Onsite at our Youth Club & Community Hall and in outings or activities, we offer opportunities to:** - Improve the quality of personal health and well-being - Enhance community and cultural connections - Encourage positive personal contribution - Develop social and communication skills - Embrace learning and build confidence - Have fun in a safe environment ## **Our Club provides and facilitates:** - Youth Activities (including those for the under 10’s and Seniors) - Netball Club - Summer Scheme - Happy Days Club for older people - Community partnership activities ## **Youth Club** Youth Club operates three nights per week and our sports hall activities include football, netball, rounders and unihoc. We also provide a quiet room for socialising or dancing, and a games room for table tennis and pool. Members range from 4-17yrs old. There is a dedicated under 10’s room where the youngest members are supervised in doing arts and crafts. Monday – Senior members Wednesday – Girls & Boys (primarily girls) Thursday – Boys & Girls (primarily boys) ## **Examples of activity:** - Member nights at the Hall - Sports tournaments/activities with visiting clubs - Trip to Youth Action Pantomime in Belfast - Trip to Tayto - Annual summer sports day - Mourne Mountain walking - Trip to an open farm - Cookery and fun food night We also encourage and support young people to volunteer with the Club, or to participate in short skills building courses. - Ten pin bowling and karting - Youth club disco & pizza night - Cheeky Monkeys play zone - Annual ‘Kick for charity’ event to raise money for kids with cancer ## **Happy Days Club** The Happy Days Club as an umbrella group from St. Mary Youth Club, provides an opportunity for older community members to meet and socialise. It has been running since 2015. Our hall now has a dedicated room for their use. Every other Friday there is a group lunch and members lead on choosing other activities such as bowls or bingo ## **Examples of activity:** - Regular Member lunches - Bowling - Bingo - Afternoon tea and dance - Five day trip to Westport ,Co Mayo (35 travelled) - Christmas party in the club ## **Community Engagement activity this year** **We would like to thank the local community for supporting us and partnering in our valuable work.** ## **Examples of community engagement activities** - Welcomed community members who volunteered their time with the club. - Free outdoor Summer Community Event, with sports activities, bouncy castle etc and a barbeque. - Free Halloween Community Event, with fun activities, bouncy castles and light snacks. - Community Christmas Fair - Engaged in shared activities with other clubs and groups ## **Acknowledgements** **We would like to acknowledge all our supporters and funders and in particular the Education Authority as our main funder.**