Project workers walk the streets to engage with young people

SIX days a week, a small team of project workers walk around the streets of West Tallaght and engage with young people who are disconnected from support services and clubs.

The youth work project, called Connect 4, covers Killinarden, MacUiliam, Glenshane and Jobstown with the aim of supporting at-risk young people between the ages of ten and 24.

Connect 4 is still in its infancy as it was set up in early 2022, but it has a dedicated team of staff in the form of Paul Perth, Alana Sheridan Fennell, and David Bissett – and they’re already having an impact.

Paul Perth, 50, grew up in Killinarden and, after leaving school early, he returned to education in An Cosán in his late 20s to become a qualified youth worker, and has worked in that sector ever since.

His previous experience includes ten years working in the Bluebell Youth Project, the WASP drug project in Rathfarnham and the SWAN Family Support Project.

However, Paul was keen to work directly with young people in the area he grew up in and when the recruitment process for Connect 4 workers began, he applied and was delighted when he was hired.

“I’ve always had an interest in working with and supporting young people through difficult times,” Paul told The Echo.

“I got some support when I was younger and it shaped my life. I had some positive male role models who came into my life and helped me out.”

He added: “I saw this job advertisement and I always had it in my mind that I wanted to go back to where I came from.

“I was interested in seeing if I could go back and see if I could support young people and be that positive role model for them.”

Connect 4 operates as a detached street team, so they approach young people on the streets and try to engage them in services in an informal way and steer them towards positive outlets and activities.

“The difference between us and mainstream youthwork would be that when we’re on the street, it’s completely on the young person’s terms,” Paul explained.

“We go out there and we’re in the young people’s space and they can ask us to leave at any time, so it’s a complete imbalance of power [in their favour], the roles are reversed.

“When we ask someone if we can come into their space, 99 out of 100 times they’ll interact with you because they’re curious and want to know what you’re about.

“I’ve certainly never come across any aggression and young people want to talk – every young person has a story, and they want to be heard.”

Once a Connect 4 worker has linked in with a young person, they can then signpost them to a variety of services, and invite them to engage in weekly football street leagues that are run by Connect 4 if it aligns with their interests.

“On a daily basis, our aim is to target young people who are disconnected or isolated from services like drug projects, youth clubs, and sports clubs,” said Paul.

“West Tallaght is awash with services, and we would like to enhance the work that’s already being done by them.

“We would target young people who don’t have the confidence or social skills to go to clubs or services.

“So we identify those young people, we empower them, we get to know them and we help them to reach their full potential.”

Connect 4 recently received a pop-up marquee under the Sláintecare initiative, which will be used as a mobile facility for Connect 4 in parks and estates in West Tallaght in the coming weeks.

“We’ll have an open marquee where young people can come and go as they please,” said Paul.

“If this was around when I was younger, I would’ve engaged in it, and that’s why I’m passionate about streetwork.

“Nobody came into the park to talk to me when I was younger, unless it was the police. No one told me about services or courses.”

Along with his colleagues, Paul is hoping to give other young people the opportunities that he was unaware were available to him when he was their age.

He’s also keen to thank the manager of the service, Grace Hill, the County Partnership, Tallaght Leisure Centre, and local drug projects CARP, JADD, TRP and SWAN for their continued support.

Commenting on the Connect 4 staff members’ roles, Paul said: “A lot of what we do is based on our own experiences professionally and when we were growing up.

“The pride in our work comes from building positive relationships with young people and becoming positive role models for them.”

For more information follow the Connect 4 Project on Facebook.