Youth Club to cease activities next month

The Kilcullen Youth Club, KiYC, is to close in December after 10 years of operation, writes Brian Byrne.

Inaugurated by Olivia Byrne, and run by her with the help of a corps of volunteer leaders through the decade, the closing will be marked on 14 December by a Christmas Party for all members and past members, and leaders and volunteers.

The event will be in the Tennis Club building which has functioned as a drop-in space for Club members on Thursday and Friday nights since July 2012.

Over that time, KiYC members were involved in a myriad of activities, including youth mental health projects, gaming competitions, CPR training, youth theatre workshops, discos and much more.

The Club's leaders were presented with a Kilcullen Community Award by KCA in 2012.

Last year the Club organised a trip to Krakow in Poland for the World Youth Day celebrations which were attended by Pope Francis. Its fundraising for this included a sponsored walk along the Wicklow Way.

A Youth Leadership Training programme jointly with the Western Education & Library Board's Youth Service in Northern Ireland, under the banner of the Aspirations (North & South) Exchange Project, included reciprocal visits between KiYC and counterparts in Strabane in 2015.

"I would like to thank all the volunteers who have helped us out over the years," Olivia Byrne posted on the Club's Facebook page this week. "Also to the leaders who are with us presently. I have been privileged to work with such an amazing group of leaders and youths. I would like to thank my daughter Sarah for volunteering with me from the beginning giving up every Thursday and Friday without complaint and Niamh who helped out when she could. The club was totally voluntary. None of us got paid, we did it because we loved what we do."