Foróige: Where ‘ordinary magic’ is a daily event

”Working with young people is one of the greatest privileges, being allowed into their lives at the most important stages,” shares one Foróige employee.

Foróige clubs are a safe place for young people to hang out, meet new friends and have a voice. Guided by the tagline ‘Empowering Youth, Enriching Communities’, what makes a Foróige club different is the fact that it is run by the young people themselves, allowing them to believe in themselves, make decisions and practice leadership. As the leading youth organisation in Ireland since 1952, its purpose is to enable young people to involve themselves consciously and actively in their development and in the development of society.

Sarah O’Dwyer has been in Foróige since she was 10 years old, and is now Senior Youth Officer, South Region. “Having been with Foróige for 27 years, I have seen the organisation from every perspective — I tell people that I’ve been on a Foróige apprentice trial for most of my life,” she says with a smile. “I have gone on a professional and personal journey with Foróige, so it really has made me who I am.” 

With such an extended professional tenure within the non-profit social sector, Sarah’s expertise lies in the management of services catering to the needs of young individuals and their families. Having consistently demonstrated her proficiency as a Youth Development manager, her skill set encompasses an effective engagement with diverse stakeholders, while fostering fruitful professional connections with adults, young individuals, and their families.

Sarah O'Dwyer, Senior Youth Officer with Foróige.

“I have had multiple roles within Foróige, including volunteer, youth worker, case mentoring and area manager — so I’ve seen it from all sides. Truly, it is a job where you can rightly say no two days are the same. Our whole job is built around developing young people, committing to society and trying to get the best out of them. More than anything, it gives you great job satisfaction, even during those times when young people are not at their best.

“While it is about programmes, skill development and fun, we do have a lot of targeted services where sometimes we’re meeting young people at vulnerable stages in their lives. You get to support that, to be with them during that vulnerability and then watch that young person grow and develop. You get to see them develop from age 10 up to 20, and it is just so rewarding watch that happen.” 

Even when they progress into adulthood, those former young people will often return to the Foróige fold: “There is always that young person who will come back to you and who will say ‘I am where I am today because of what you said to me five years ago’. That is so very rewarding, and it doesn’t go away.” 

Foróige works with over 50,000 young people aged 10-18 each year through volunteer-led clubs and staff-led Youth Projects. It currently operates in 26 counties, with more than 600 Foróige Clubs, 150 Youth Projects, the Big Brother-Big Sister mentoring programme, the Foróige Youth Entrepreneurship programme, in addition to Youth Citizenship and Youth Leadership programmes. Targeted services such as Youth Diversion Projects, Teen Parent Support Programmes and Neighbourhood Youth Projects, help young people to deal with issues associated with poverty, marginalisation and social exclusion, under-achievement at school, early school leaving, youth crime, substance abuse and family difficulties — all in a safe, friendly environment.

When Sarah proudly received her Masters in Family Support Studies from the University of Galway recently, it was another step on a career journey dedicated to helping others, as she was herself. “What a journey it has been to this stage of my life. For me, it was a particularly proud moment. When I became a mother at such a young age the idea at that point in time that I would have ever been able to continue in my education and fulfil my goals of achieving my Masters would have seemed impossible.” 

While her primary degree was in Business Studies, Sarah wanted to copper fasten the experience gained from so many years in youth work with an appropriate Masters to underline that calling. “I wanted to get a Masters that would support me as a manager, and no better place to do it than at the Child & Family Research Centre, for best practise in that area, nationally and internationally. I have been so lucky to have had such amazing support along my journey so far and credit a lot of my success to the people around me and the role that youth work played in supporting me at such a challenging time in my life. It is my goal now to continue in my journey of learning and work to support young people and families to the best of my ability.” 

Today, Foróige has 350 staff and over 5,500 volunteers nationwide — coming a long way from its origins at Mooncoin, Co Kilkenny on March 14th 1952. It was formerly known as Macra na Tuaithe, the youth branch of Macra na Feirme. “There can be no remedy for our manifold national ills if we cannot create a spirit of courage and enterprise in our young people,” said then Minister for Education, Sean Moylan. The organisation changed its name in 1981 to Foróige, demonstrating its move from a rural based organisation to one that works with young people with a wide variety of needs in both rural and urban settings across Ireland. The name Foróige is derived from ‘forbairt na hóige,’ which means ‘development of youth’.

In 2024, the organisation looks to a fertile future, in the sure hands of people like Sarah O’Dwyer, happy in a career where helping the next generation is the guiding incentive.

“There is nobody better than young people to show you the best there is in the world. At 37, I wouldn’t consider myself old just yet, but to witness on a daily basis the drive and determination that young people have is a constant lift in your life. No matter what the complexity of their lives, the resilience that they demonstrate in wanting to achieve that sense of belonging is truly remarkable. What they want that is that one good adult, that relationship outside of the home, someone who believes in them. For those of us who work with those young people, one of the greatest privileges we receive is being allowed into their lives at those important stages of their lives. If you believe in them, they believe in you back. It is a process I call ‘ordinary magic’ — and it the most amazing thing for anyone to be part of.”