‘Teen Talk’, the one-to-one mental health support service at Donegal Youth Service has a new name. It is now called ‘Youth Talk Donegal’, to better reflect the cohort of young people it supports.
Youth Talk Donegal has a new name, but will be the same service. Young people aged 12-25 can avail of the free and confidential support service based in Letterkenny.
The name is the only thing that’s changing; everything else about the service is staying the same. The service was launched officially by Donegal Youth Service in 2014 due to high demand for one-to-one work in the youth work setting. Demand for Youth Talk Donegal has been consistently growing since. In 2017 Youth Talk supported 110 young people and their families with 943 individual sessions.
Youth Talk is an evidence-based service, always staying up to date with the latest research and following best practice. It is not time limited, so one-to-one sessions continue for as long as the young person and the youth worker feel is best. Young people are also welcome to return whenever they want to, and they can continue to use Youth Talk even if they are using another service.
Youth Talk Donegal supports young people with LGBTI issues, family, relationship and friendship issues, stress, problems at school, bullying or anything else they may be struggling with. No problem is too small, and the aim is to take a preventative approach when possible, as well as providing support in a crisis.
A past Youth Talk participant shared what the service meant to them: “The support I received from my worker was fantastic, when I thought nobody cared or wanted to listen, they were there. I feel now that I’m able to approach anything in a more calm and positive way. When something goes wrong, there’s always another way without feeling like giving up. I got a new chance to get who I am back, I’m so thankful.“
The service receives no core funding, so fundraising is essential to keep it running, help it expand to meet growing demand, and to keep supporting young people’s wellbeing in our communities. Please get in touch if you can help, or would like more information.
For more information about Youth Talk Donegal, or any other Donegal Youth Service projects please contact 074 91 29630, admin@donegalyouthservice.ie, call in to 16-18 Port Road Letterkenny, or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Donegal Youth Service are a registered charity. Charity No. CHY 15027
