The group which represents Donegal’s young people has appealed to clubs and other groups to help prevent St.Patrick’s Day turning into a booze-fest for teenagers.
Donegal Youth Service, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, have appealed to groups to consider running alcohol-free events on March 17th.
Spokesman for DYS Gareth Gibson said because St Patrick’s Day is very much an alcohol focused day and as a result young people tend to get a lot of bad press for underage drinking.
“I am aware that a lot of groups take part in parades throughout the county on the day but what happens after the parade? Where do the young people in your area go?
“I think a bit of joined up working would have a real impact whether you can offer a specific alcohol free event in your area or simply a few hours of drop-in on the afternoon/evening after a parade on St Patricks Day,” he said.
The DYS spokesman said Donegal can send out a strong message to young people that they can celebrate St Patricks day in an alcohol-free way.
“I appreciate that everyone is overstretched in terms of resources but I think if we encourage as many groups as possible to come on board it could be the start of an annual event aimed at keeping young people’s needs central to our work.
“The first part of the process is to identify what you can provide and to link with other groups who may come on board and engage them in the process,” he said.
Tags:
