FOUR leading Irish youth organisations have launched a new unique online youth chat system called the Digital Youth Information Chat Service.

This service is a result of a pioneering national pilot conducted in association with Clare Youth Service late in 2019 and, in an uncanny harbinger of future events, put in place new digital structures to provide online information to young people and to engage and communicate with them.

Crosscare, SpunOut, YMCA and Youth Work Ireland, to whom Clare Youth Service is affiliated, have expedited the launch to support young people during Covid 19 lockdown.

Having being piloted in Clare, the Youth Information Online chat service is now the first national service of its kind in Ireland.

The Youth Information online chat service builds on a long standing partnership of professional Youth Information providers in Ireland and involves communications, safeguarding, data protection, and youth information practice.

The service is staffed by professional Youth Information workers and is  aimed at young people aged between 16 and 25. It has the support of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and it is impartial, non-judgemental, reliable, and accurate.

Jean O’Keeffe of Clare Youth Service said that the new venture “ is a natural extension of what youth information workers do day to day but enhances this work by recognising both the importance of the online lives that young people lead and of course the current period which presents huge challenges for young people.

“It builds on the pilot we were delighted to initiate in Clare and we expect it to make a significant contribution to young people’s lives here.”

CEO of Clare Youth Service, Margaret Slattery believes the new service is crucial given the spread of inaccurate information on some online platforms,

“In an era of false news and confusion online, Youth Information Service partners bring expertise to this work by providing quality youth information to young people in a way that helps them to use the information and take positive action in their lives.

“It will provide youth information to young people who can’t easily access physical Youth Information Centres.  We know the need for the service based on our day to day experience. The service is critical because it responds to young people’s information needs in real time and helps them navigate different arguments and information sources by being able to interact with a trained professional through the chat service.”

Young people can access the service by going to https://direct.lc.chat/10341532/

The system will be initially live from 4pm to 8pm Monday toFriday. Young people can make queries outside of these times, which will generate a “ticket.” Youth Information Workers then pick up and respond to outstanding ticket when they system next becomes active.

Related News

treacys oakwood (1)
Curtain falls on fundraising concert series with final show for Laura Lynn
court yard lanters 1-2
Gort Arts to host exhibition at Kennedy studio for Culture Night
donna mcgettigan 1
Abnormal rental prices in Clare says McGettigan
donald trump 2
Trump 'more than welcome' in Doonbeg for Irish Open says Agriculture Minister
Latest News
roisin considine liscannor 2
'I don't know when it will happen for Liscannor but hopefully it won't be much longer' - Considine
treacys oakwood (1)
Curtain falls on fundraising concert series with final show for Laura Lynn
cratloe v st josephs doora barefield 16-08-25 samuel costelloe podge collins 2
Semi-final pairings set for senior, intermediate & junior football championships
david speed mural killaloe 1-2
Salmon of knowledge mural unveiled in Killaloe
colm walsh o'loghlen marco cleary 1-2
Marco makes his mark to claim player of the week
Premium
Clondegad cruise past Naomh Eoin to qualify for Clare IFC semi-finals
Cratloe claim victory over Ennistymon following extra-time excitement
Parish produce big second half pump to knock out Kilmurry Ibrickane
O'Currys relegated to Junior A ranks for first time since 95 following Ennistymon loss
Wind in Corofin's sails to bounce back to top tier after quarter-final win over Gaels

Advertisement

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.