No Name Clubs: Helping Cork teenagers navigate modern life

No Name Clubs are a safe space for all young people, and research has shown that they have a profound, long-term affect on their members, writes Gemma Fullam

Emily O’Brien, Jake Costen, Olivia Meade, Ewan Stockley and Jake McCarthy pictured at the St. Joseph’s No Name club in Mayfield. Picture Chani Anderson

“IF YOU’D asked me a year ago, ‘would you get up on stage and be confident talking to the person on stage?’, I’d tell you 100% no, because I wouldn’t have had the confidence,” says Jake Costin.

Nevertheless, when the 17-year-old from St Joseph’s No Name Club in Cork’s Mayfield saw one of his pals on stage at the organisation’s annual Youth Awards in 2024, he turned to his leaders and said, “I want to do this next year. I feel like I could do it”.