21 years of YMCA STEP!

A special graduation event was held in the Marketing Suite Ballincollig Shopping Centre on Thursday 18 June to celebrate 21 years of the YMCA’s STEP programme.

Graduates from YMCA centres in Ballincollig, Bandon, Bantry, Cork City and Cobh received their certificates from Batt O Keefe TD Minister for Education.

In the early 1980’s YMCAs became involved in setting up drop-in centres offering leisure based activities for young unemployed people in both parts of the island.  It became clear that many of the young people using these centres had few or no qualifications and were often quite alienated from the formal educational sector and were in vocational “cul-de-sacs”.

In 1985 YMCA Ireland initiated a major study into the causes and effects of youth unemployment and as a result the “Bridge of Hope” project was born out of collaboration between YMCA Ireland and the YMCA USA.  With this YMCA STEP attempted to re-engage young people who had left school early with few or no qualifications through an experiential learning process.