Making Things Happen - Foroige · ‘Making Things Happen’: Fifty Years of Foróige, 1952 - 2002...

Making ThingsHappen

An Exhibition of 50 years of Foróige

1952 - 2002

History Booklet 2002 21/12/05 9:51 am

The history of Foróige was researched by MarkDuncan, a freelance researcher with a particularinterest in twentieth century Irish history.


■ The drudgery of rural life: Drawingwater, Corr na Móna, Co. Galway,1955. (Courtesy of the Departmentof Irish Folklore, UCD).

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‘Making ThingsHappen’: Fifty Years ofForóige, 1952 - 2002Commissioned to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the foundationof Foróige - originally Macra na Tuaithe - this exhibitionexamines the development of the organisation in the context ofthe changing social and economic climate of late 20th centuryIreland. Foróige’s role has evolved in response to these shiftingcurrents, and its commitment to the principle of socialimprovement through education and voluntary endeavour has

remained constant. With its originsin the popular movement torevitalise rural Ireland in the wakeof World War II, Foróige todaychampions the cause of socialinclusion through personal andcommunity developmentamong the young in bothurban and rural contexts.Throughout its fifty-yearhistory, the organisation hasbeen a catalyst of socialchange, strengthening Irishdemocracy by buildinghuman potential andpromoting its applicationin community life.

(I) The Lie of the Land: Whither Rural Ireland?

Foróige was founded in 1952 when twelve Pilot Clubs wereestablished in different areas on a trial basis. These clubs,conceived as a reaction to the particular problems that afflictedpost-war rural Ireland, came together under the name Macra naTuaithe a year later. The new organisation formed part of asometimes uneasy coalition of voluntary interests, includingMuintir na Tíre, the Irish Countrywoman’s Association and Macrana Feirme, that aimed to reverse the trend of deteriorating livingstandards in rural Ireland. The Irish experience during theSecond World War had confirmed the primacy of agriculture ineconomic affairs, but a number of factors - structural weaknessesin the agricultural sector, outmoded farmpractices and incoherentgovernment policy -combined to reducemany rural dwellersto a condition ofmiserablepoverty.According to aGovernment-launchedCommission onEmigration and OtherPopulation Problems, which reported in 1954:

‘Poor material standards of life {were} to be found in many parts

of the country, but particularly in rural areas where the exacting

demands of agricultural activities are aggravated, in many cases

by the inadequacy of such amenities for houses and farms as

power, light, water and sanitation. Much drudgery is caused by

out-moded methods of day to day working and living.’

■ A hard-earned break from the harvest:A Kilkenny farming family, 1943.

PresidentChilders

"What young peopledo with their sparetime, how they usetheir minds and howtheir hearts areenlightened willlargely determine thefuture character ofour society".

(Speaking atCrosserlough ForóigeClub's CitizenshipSymposium, Co Cavan,1973)

John Bruton, TD, then ParliamentarySecretary to Minister for Education.

"There are groupswho make veryerudite criticisms ofour present society,but who cannot ordo not demonstratetheir commitmentby doing somethingabout the matterthemselves. This cannot be saidof Macra na Tuaitheas their actionprojects so clearlydemonstrate. Under this aspect of the programme,members go out,turn up their sleevesand tackle our social problemsthemselves".

(Speaking at ForóigeCitizenship Awards1973)


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Sustaining the fantasy of a rural idyll - an indulgence of many romantic nationalistsand religious ideologues - became increasinglydifficult in the face of such damningobservation. The problems of rural Irelanddemanded practical remedies, not escapes intorhetorical fancy. Above all, they required amodernisation of Irish farming. How else wererural living standards to be improved and thefuture of the Irish economy to be secured?Education was critical to this modernisingproject.

While post-primary education remained the preserve of aprivileged few until the late 1960s, the introduction of a systemof Vocational Schools (known colloquially as ‘Techs’) in 1930afforded broader access to agricultural instruction, alreadyavailable through the Agricultural Advisory Service. Within a decade, over 200 Vocational Schools had been establishedthroughout the country. Working through this system, ruralscience teachers exerted a profound influence: they helpedawaken an interest in education beyond the classroom and in the early 1940s presided over informal rural discussion groups. A number of these groups evolved into Young Farmers Clubs,which in 1944 came under the umbrella of the nationalorganisation later known as Macra na Feirme. Spearheaded byprogressive young farmers, Macra na Feirme sought to empowerlocal communities by instilling an appreciation of the importance of education.

Members were encouraged to take charge of their own affairs,speak for themselves, plan their own programmes and run theirown clubs. Macra na Feirme provided a lesson in self-determination and a model upon which a youth-orientedorganisation with similar focus could be based.

(II) Macra na Tuaithe & the Future of Rural Youth

Macra na Feirme’s identification of the education needs of youngfarmers was significant. Selling self-improvement to generationsthat had known nothing but instability and a low level of materialexpectancy was unlikely to succeed: theirs was a conservatismborne of bitter experience. By directing its message at thosebetween the ages of 18 and 35, Macra na Feirme hoped toinculcate a belief in the idea of a better future on the land. Macra na Tuaithe, which aimed at boys and girls in the 12-18age-category, was set up in 1952 with a somewhat similar intent,the impetus coming from Macra na Feirme, rural scienceteachers and the Department of Education in the person ofMorgan Sheehy. Linked inextricably with the VocationalEducation system, Macra na Tuaithe initially functioned as ameans of implementing the extra-curricular activities, in ruralscience and home economics, of the rural Vocational Schools.The association between the organisation and the state systemwas strengthened further by the abundance of Vocational Schoolteachers in adult leadership roles. Macra na Tuaithe, however,

was a voluntary organisation built onprinciples pioneered by the 4 H

(Head, Heart, Hands andHealth) youth movement in

the United States, thoseof individualempowerment and‘learning by doing’.

Fr Pat Brady"Macra na Tuaithe'seducationalprogrammes, eg.Culture, YoungHomemakers, Future Farmers andCitizenship helpmembers in self-confidence as theytalk about themand see themthrough. Theydevelop the abilityto communicateand speak inpublic, to plan anddo research, to co-operate, to enjoyleisure, to set up ahome and live withothers. Above all they develop apride in the localarea, become goodmembers of thecommunity and,with that, goodcitizens of thecountry".

Fr Pat Brady - Former Leader withCrosserlough ForóigeClub, Co Cavan,speaking in 1974

■ Macra na Feirmeat play: Sheaf-throwing in Swordsin the late 1940s.

■ Macra na Feirme members receive instructionin new technology at their summer gathering,1947.


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Speaking on 14 March 1952, at the establishment of the first Macra na Tuaithe Club in Mooncoin, Co. Kilkenny, Sean Moylan, then Minister for Education, identified these asprinciples to underpin the task of national recovery: “There can

be no remedy for our manifold national ills if we cannot create

a spirit of courage and enterprise in our young people.”

Political acclaim was to be expected: by fostering a self-helpethos, voluntary organisations like Macra na Tuaithe provided

an ideological bulwark against the perceivedadvance of a culture of state-dependence.

But goodwill alone carried no guarantee of growth.

Macra na Tuaithe, which operated as an independent organisation

governed by a twelve-member Council comprising representatives of

the Vocational education system, Macra naFeirme, club leaders and members, found it difficult at first

to raise funds and attract club leaders. Compounding theseproblems was the emergence in 1955 of the National FarmersAssociation to press the political and economic interests offarmers, the effect of which was to weaken Macra na Feirme and reduce its involvement with Macra na Tuaithe at local level.This splintering of rural energies threatened to check the steadyprogress of Macra na Tuaithe, imperilling both its future and that of Macra na Feirme.

Displaying an instinct for survival, both organisations agreed amarriage of convenience. Macra na Tuaithe’s Governing Councildissolved itself, passing control to a sub-committee of Macra naFeirme. Macra na Tuaithe became, in effect, the junior wing ofMacra na Feirme, a constitutional arrangement that endured until 1967.

Matthew James Corr

“If I had not joinedthe Macra na TuaitheClub and started myfarming projects Iwould be workingand living in Englandnow”.

Matthew James Corr -Former member andleader with CastlewarrenMacra na Tuaithe Club,Co Kilkenny speaking in1974

■ The opening of thefirst Macra na TuaitheClub at MooncoinVocational School,14th March 1952.

■ Seamus Doran, firstMacra na Tuaithe Clubleader in Mooncoin,Co. Kilkenny.(Photographed on 13thMarch, 2002).


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(III) Consolidation & Crisis: 1957-1967

The decade 1957 to 1967 was, for the most part, a period ofconsolidation and modest growth for Macra na Tuaithe. It wasalso a time of revived national fortune, the blueprint for recoverybeing provided by the First Programme for Economic Expansion,published in 1958. Inspired by civil servant T.K. Whitaker, theFirst Programme shifted the emphasis of national economicpolicy away from protection towards free trade and the attraction

of foreign investment. With this jettisoning oftraditional pieties came a belated recognition of the need for increased investment in education. For Macra na Tuaithe, Government acceptance of the role of education in promoting social andeconomic development was of little immediatebenefit. The organisation funded an expansion ofits activities, not with public finance, but with a five-year development grant of £30,000, secured fromthe W.K. Kellogg Foundation of America in 1958. A Director of Education, Maurice Kennedy, wasemployed, joining a small national staff; neweducation programmes were launched, imparting

practical instruction on subjects as diverse as calf-rearing and knitting; and a system of awards was introduced for both members and club leaders.

The number of clubs affiliated to Macra na Tuaitheincreased from 159 in 1958 to 253 in1963, prompted by the availabilityof improved resources and theextension of the Vocational Schoolsystem. Many club leaders weredrawn from the teaching professionand Vocational schools served as themost popular location for club meetings.Indeed, the number and calibre ofvoluntary club leaders was identified bythe organisation as the most salient factorin its continued growth. But publicity alsoplayed a role in raising awareness of Macrana Tuaithe, details of club activitiesand sponsored competitionsfinding regular expressionon Radio Éireann’s Downthe Country programme, aswell as in the national and localpress. The most high profile eventof all was the “Young Farmer of the

Year” competition, which was open toboth boys and girls of registered clubs whohad undertaken a project in Agriculture,Horticulture or Forestry. The standard of entrywas consistently high, with many of the submittedprojects maturing into viable commercial enterprises,

aided by a special bank loan schemeestablished for registered Macra na

Tuaithe members. The primaryaim of the loan scheme was to

educate young people in thehandling of money and the use ofcredit, but it also had the effect ofnurturing an entrepreneurial spirit

among rural youth.

■ An Taoiseach, Sean Lemass,presents the Young farmer of theYear Award.

MaireGeoghegan-Quinn, TD, then Minister of State at the Dept of Education

"Foróige's YCE (Youth Co-operativeEducation)Programme not onlyassists young peopleto prepare for workand employment butalso provides themwith the skills andself-confidence togenerateemployment".

(Speaking at NationalRecognition function for the YCE Programme, 1982)

■ Maurice Kennedy,Director of Education, 1963-1966.

■ Banking on abetter future: AMacra na Tuaithemember avails ofthe Junior LoanScheme.


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In terms of the modernisation of rural Ireland,however, Macra na Tuaithe’s support for the ruralelectrification scheme was perhaps of more far-reaching significance. The extension of electricity torural parts, faciliated by Macra na Tuaithe clubs and

other community-based groups, effected what thewriter Michael Shiel described as a “Quiet Revolution”

in the Irish countryside.

Improvements in rural living standards came too late for many. For all their efforts to revive communities and all their belief inself-determination, voluntary groups were powerless to arrestthe decline of rural Ireland. As circumstance got the better ofaspiration, the flight from the land gathered pace. The numbersemployed in agriculture in Ireland declined by 272,000 between1926 and 1961. In the 1950s alone, a remarkable 400,000 Irishpeople emigrated, many of them small farmers and unskilledlabourers, the children of whom Macra na Tuaithe membershipwas predominantly drawn. Emigration thus contributed to anerosion of the organisation’s base, a process compounded bychanges sweeping the Secondary education sector.

In May 1963, the Minister for Education, Dr. Patrick Hillery,announced plans to establish, in areas with scatteredpopulations, comprehensive schools which would includeelements of both the Secondary and Vocational schoolscurriculum.

Accompanied by a move to introduce a Common Intermediate Certificate for Secondary and Vocational schools, Hillery’s initiativesignalled a shift towards academic disciplines at the expense oftechnical studies. It was also the first of a number of importantmeasures designed to democratise access to post-primaryeducation during the 1960s. Culminating with the introduction by Donogh O’Malley of schemes for free Post-Primary educationand transport in 1967, these changes afforded an unprecedentedopportunity to children from less-privileged backgrounds, butthey also diminished further the appeal of the vocationaleducation system that had contributed so much to thedevelopment of Macra na Tuaithe.

Pressures from without were mirrored within: finance posed adifficulty after the Kellogg development grant ended, whileconstitutional issues led to a fraying of relations with Macra naFeirme. The problem of finance was temporarily eased by thesetting up of a fundraising ‘Foundation’, which solicited and

received support from a large number of Irishindustries and commercial

concerns.

■ Donogh O’Malley, the Minister for Education responsiblefor the introduction of free post-primary education andtransport in 1967.

■ Memorandum and Articles of‘Fundraising’ Foundation beingshown by Mr. F.B. Farely to(from left) Mr. M.J. Noonan,Dr. G. Creech and SeanLemass, 1963.

John Sullivan

“We should takeconfidence in thebelief of the peoplewho started Foróige50 years ago thatthey could changethings. We shouldbelieve that we toocan change thingsfor the better.We're looking backand admiring thosepeople for whatthey did - Willsomeone do thesame for us in 50years time?”

John Sullivan has beena leader with Danesfort-Cuffesgrange ForóigeClub, Co Kilkenny foralmost 40 years. He isa former Chairperson ofForóige and is currentlyChairperson of KilkennyDistrict Council.

Shane Cullen“Foróige hasachieved inproviding anenvironment for thedevelopment of Irishteenagers. For 50years it has createdfriendships, acommunity spiritand self-confidencefor the youth ofIreland. It gives members theskills and qualities todeal with lifes'challenges. Longlive Foróige. May itcontinue to benefitfuture generations inthe way it hasmine”.

Shane Cullen has been amember of KillargueForóige Club, Co Leitrimfor five years. He iscurrently ClubChairperson and was amember of the ForóigeReference Panel in 2001.


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This income was supported bya meagre grant-in-aid from theDepartment of Education,

endorsed by the Dáil toassist Macra na Tuaithe

“in their educational work

among the young of the

countryside”. The response of the Sean Lemass-led

Government accorded with theirbelief that the social ills of rural

Ireland could only be seriously addressed if the State supported rather than led local initiative. Resolving thequestion of Macra na Tuaithe’s constitutional status was a morefractious matter. Frustrated at the organisation’s subordinateposition to Macra na Feirme under the Constitutional frameworkagreed in 1957, members of Macra na Tuaithe’s National ExecutiveCommittee struggled to assert their independence. The tensionsengendered by the issue wreaked ‘havoc’ on staff morale, leadingeventually to mass resignations, including that of Macra naTuaithe’s Director of Education. Closure on this matter was onlyachieved when Macra na Feirme acceded to a referendum of Macrana Tuaithe leaders in April 1967, a ‘large majority’ of whom voted to declare the organisation autonomous.

(IV) The Challenge of Change: 1968-1980

Autonomy brought with it pressure to adjust to the demands of achanging society. Continued rural depopulation and the increasedacademic emphasis of the Vocational School curriculum impressedupon a revitalised staff the necessity of both a reappraisal of policyand a search for a wider application of Macra na Tuaithe principles.Under the direction of a new Education Officer - later Director -Michael B. Cleary, seven new educational programmes wereintroduced in 1969. These programmes, covering suchareas as Citizenship, Leadership,Agriculture / Horticulture,Family & Life Skills,Culture, Science andHealth, marked amajor advance in theprovision of out-of-school education andthey remain - with someadaptation - the basis forMacra na Tuaithe clubwork to the present day.With curriculum reform, the emphasis of club projects shifted fromthe individual to the group, and Macra na Tuaithe was transformedinto an organisation based around the community rather than theschool. But a revision of programme content alone was insufficient

to broaden the reach of the organisation. This dependedon the employment of a network of Regional YouthOfficers, six of whom were appointed under the terms of a second five year grant from the KelloggFoundation, secured in 1969. Buoyed once more byKellogg munificence - £62,650 on this occasion - thefortunes of the organisation improved and clubnumbers increased.

Growth was not confined to rural parts. It wasimperative, given the drift towards urban living, that

Macra na Tuaithe realise the potential for establishing clubs beyondareas of traditional concern. The proportion of the Irish populationliving in urban environments surpassed that of rural areas for firsttime in 1971. Although urban growth was most pronounced inDublin, no town in the country with a population over 3,000 in 1956

failed to experience an increase in ‘cumulativepopulation’ between then and 1971. This was a trend of profound importance to an

organisation whose initial raisond’etre had been thepromotion of rural life.

Imelda Kelly

“My involvementwith Foróige hasbeen one of themost influentialfactors shaping my life: who I amand what I do.Through the rangeof activities andgroups that I haveparticipated in Ihave made friends,had lots of fun,gotten to knowabout thecommunity I live in and becomeinvolved in localaffairs and issues. In a nutshell, Foróigehas cushioned andsupported me whentimes have beenhard and celebratedand rejoiced whentimes have beengood. It hasprovided me with a window ofopportunities andthat is what I ammost grateful for”.

Imelda Kelly is avolunteer with the GlenYoung Adults Project inCork City, havingpreviously volunteeredwith the GAP (GlenAction Project). She has been involved withForóige for six years.

■ (Above): ParliamentarySecretary Bobby Molloy,TD., T.J. Maher, Presidentof the NFA and MattRyan, Chairperson ofMacra na Tuaithe at theannouncement of theW.K. Kellogg grant.

■ (Opposite): Educationprogrammes introducedin 1969 remain thebasis of Foróige Clubwork.


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And yet, despite earliertentative moves towards

urban development, thedecision of Macra na

Tuaithe in 1971 to ‘initiate

a more systematic approach

to expansion in urban areas

on an experimental basis’ wasexplained as a response to

community demand rather than an act of self-preservation. Meeting this demand presentedthe organisation with a new set of opportunities and challenges: in certain places, urban Ireland

offered more readily available facilities and services, as well as a larger pool of youth from which to draw, yet it was here thatcompetition for resources and from other attractions wasgreatest. The appeal of Macra na Tuaithe to urban audiences layin its unique approach to youth work, in particular its concernwith developing programmes that took greater account of theneeds of the person than the facilities available. Who could deny the attraction of a philosophy that stressed the uniqueness,creativity, dignity and value of the individual person? It was theidealism of Macra na Tuaithe’s guiding principles that enticednew leaders and members, and steady growth was achieved in urban areas throughout the 1970s. By that decade’s end,however, over 70% of Macra na Tuaithe clubs remainedrural-based.

The policy of expansion embarkedupon in the late 1960s triggeredother important developments.Aided by the Kellogg grant, apermanent headquarters was secured alongside other rural-basedorganisations in the new Irish FarmCentre in Dublin, while the task ofimplementing the new educationalprogrammes precipitated a deeperengagement by leaders in the affairs of the organisation. It was with thepurpose of training leaders in the delivery of these programmes that the first NationalConference of leaders was held inTermonfeckin, County Louth, in 1971. Held annually since, Macra na Tuaithe Leaders’Conferences have differed from those of othervoluntary organisations in their emphasis oneducation instead of policy-making. When in1975, the Constitution of the organisation wasagain amended, vastly increased representationwas afforded to leaders, who by this time weredrawn from a wider range of occupationalbackgrounds. To assist leaders in the implementationof Macra na Tuaithe’s complex new curriculum, greaterconsideration was given to their training requirements. This interest in adult education ‘evolved’ not just from Macra na Tuaithe’s commitment to the principle of volunteerism, butalso from an awareness of the link between the success ofyouth-oriented programmes and the quality of adult leadershipprovided. Contributing in a voluntary capacity, leaders werenonetheless ill-equipped to drive the expansion of theorganisation into urban Ireland. This was a task forprofessional youth workers and Macra na Tuaithe lookedtowards Government to provide these professionals with the requisite in-service training.

Towards the Edge of the AbyssDuring the 1970s, successive Irish governments movedtowards a National Youth Policy without ever reaching it.Failure to deliver on this policy objective wascompounded by a refusal to adequately resourcevoluntary organisations working in the field. Lauding thesocial contribution of the voluntary sector while denyingit proper financial support was like flirting withoutintent. Despite achieving both a 700% increase in thenumber trained by the organisation up to the mid-1970s and a “very substantial increase in

membership”, fiscal pressures, manifest after the ending of the second Kellogg grant in 1974, forced Macra na Tuaithe to reduce investment in staff and training.

GarethDonnelly

“It's important tohave somewhereto go each week,something to lookforward to. It'sgreat to be a partof a club likeForóige. You getto do activities,have fun and dosome good workfor others likeraising money for charity”.

Gareth Donnelly (14)is a member of"Hellraisers" ForóigeClub, Co Longford.

Joe Horan

“Foróige helps to nurture ourgreatest asset: our youth, thefuture. I hopethis continues for a long time to come”.

Joe Horan has been a leader with MoateForóige Club, Co.Westmeath, for three years.


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As inflation rates soared in response to an international oil crisis, the value of State assistance to Macra na Tuaithedeclined dramatically in real terms. With exhortations to

Government for more adequate funding yielding little inreturn, plans for further expansion were thwarted, and

existing activities jeopardised. Financial disaster was onlyaverted by the decision of the Department of Education toincrease its subvention at the end of 1979. The Chairman ofMacra na Tuaithe at the time, Ray Charles, reflecting on howclose to the abyss the organisation had come, remarked: “Many of us doubted if the organisation could continue at

all and even if it could, whether it could possibly play any

significant educational and developmental role in relation

to Irish young people.”

(V) In a Time of Poverty & Plenty: Foróige 1981-2002

1979 marked a turning point for Macra na Tuaithe. Governmentintervened not alone to alleviate the organisation’s financialburden, but also, for the first time, to confer recognition on youthwork as an integral part of the national education system.Signalling a departure from the practice of official neglect, Fianna Fáil Minister for State at the Department of Youth Affairs,Jim Tunney, declared that the State had an“obligation” to support voluntary youthorganisations for providing “a vital form of

education to

young

people in

what is

generally

an informal and

leisure

environment“.

After a decade ofprocrastination, it appeared thatpolitical deeds andrhetoric were at lastheading for closer alignment.But it was not until 1985, after thecompletion of a further period of consultation,

that a National Youth Policy was finallyintroduced. Containing much that had beenrecommended by the various voluntary youthorganisations, the National Youth Policy aimedtowards the development of a National YouthService, to be administered at national level bythe Department of Education and at local level bynew Local Youth Service Boards. The idea forsuch a Service was borne of the belief - held byMacra na Tuaithe from its birth - that home andschool were ill-equipped to meet all theeducational needs of young people. The NationalYouth Service thus set about offering “young

people on the basis of their voluntary involvement,

developmental and educational experiences which

will equip them to play an active part in our

democratic society as well as meeting their own

development needs.”

Macra na Tuaithe did not await delivery of alegislative framework for youth development to setabout reinventing itself. In a change more symbolic

than real, Macra na Tuaithe was renamed Foróige the National

Youth Development Organisation in 1981. This rebranding involved nocompromise of fundamentalprinciple. It was intendedmerely to better reflect thebroad appeal of theorganisation’sphilosophy and tomake identificationwith it easier for all, bethey from city, town orcountry.

Olivia Fox

“I love to seeyoung peoplebeing allowed tobe young people.It gives them achance to grow in many ways andthey get a sense of validation,recognition forwhatevercontribution they can make. The Project givesthem theopportunity toexperience a moreholistic education,providing for moresupportive and nurturingrelationships”.

Olivia Fox is a teacher and has beena volunteer with theBallina NYP(NeighbourhoodYouth Project) for four years, havingpreviously been amember, chairpersonand leader withBonniconlon ForóigeClub, Co Mayo.

■ Ray Charles,Chairperson, 1978-1980.


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The new name would, it was believed, facilitatefurther expansion into growing urban centres,Dublin in particular. Accounting for less than 15% of the State’s population in 1926, Dublinabsorbed almost 30% of it by 1986. City planners,in order to accommodate this populationexplosion, adopted an American rather than aEuropean model of urban development, buildingnew colonies on the outskirts of the city. The

policy was a social disaster. As the centre of thecity collapsed into decay, sprawling suburbs lacking

in basic services or amenities were built along itswestern rim. Parts of these new settlements, starved

of adequate resources, soon became oases ofdeprivation and in 1982, Foróige, with the assistance of

the County Dublin VEC, moved to supplement local voluntaryefforts by providing a comprehensive youth service to youngpeople growing up in such conditions. What began on a pilotbasis in the densely populated suburbs of Tallaght andBlanchardstown, which enclosed areas of acute deprivation, was developed further under the provisions of the NationalYouth Policy. Training, parenting and drugawareness were just some of theconcerns addressed by Foróige-managed programmes, the aimof which was to help local youthhelp themselves.

With the development of theTallaght and Blanchardstown YouthServices, Foróige courageouslyextended its reach beyond itsown membership. Thesuccess of this initiativein securing a broaderapplication of Foróigeeducational methodsled to greaterinvolvement in theprovision of servicesthroughout the1980s, and it was inthis area that staffand resources wereincreasingly deployed. Indeed, the late 1980ssaw the introduction, first in Tallaght and later inBlanchardstown, of Foróige’s first Youth Information Centres.Diversification, however, did nothing to damage core, or

‘Mainline’, Foróige activity. Club numbers - no longer an exclusive measure of the organisation’s

social impact - mushroomed with the support of agrowing number of committed voluntary leaders and

professional Youth Officers. There were more than twiceas many clubs at the end of the 1980s as there had been

at the beginning - 508 as against 252 - and these provedremarkably successful in retaining the allegiance of

members in the 15 to 18 years age category. These gainswere achieved against a backdrop of national decline. Public

finances in the 1980s deteriorated to a pointsuch as to raisequestions aboutthe country’seconomic viability,while, in a dismalretreat to 1950strends, unemploymentand emigrationincreased to worktheir corrosiveeffects on family andcommunity life, aswell as to limit the opportunities of youth. The strength of‘Mainline’ Foróige - over half of whose members came fromwhat could be termed working class backgrounds - at this timespeaks volumes for the response of ordinary people and theircommunities to these enervating pressures. Rather thansuccumb to a dispiriting fatalism, the organisation devisedspecial programmes and projects to cushion the impact of themost striking symptoms of societal decay: unemployment,poverty and emigration. Addressing a Conference of ClubLeaders in 1988, Foróige Chairperson, Brendan Coyne,reaffirmed the organisation’s preference for action overaspiration. Foróige, he said, could not “wait around for final

solutions to be arrived at. We must deal for the practical effects

{of poverty} now.”

FrancisWright

“I like Foróigebecause it's a lot of fun and we helppeople in thecommunity. I'd like to do morefundraising becauseit's fun when you doit with a lot of yourfriends. The leadersare brilliant. They'revery, very kind. I'dlike to become ClubChairperson someday”.

Francis Wright (12) is amember of AllenwoodForóige Club, CoKildare.

■ Aerial view ofTallaght.

■ Brian Lenihan, TD.,presenting the ForóigeCitizenship Awards atBlanchardstown YouthService, 1990.

■ At the official launchof Tallaght Youth Servicein 1987. (left to right):Jim Murphy,Chairperson, Dublin VEC;Caroline Hope, Manager,Tallaght Youth Service;Frank Fahey, TD.,Minister of State forYouth Affairs.


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“The Dizzying Pace of Social Change”It was not until the mid-1990s that Ireland broke decisively with its post-Independence record of economic underperformance. A number of factors - social partnership, EU structural funds,increased inward investment, the availability of an educated

young workforce and a favourable internationalclimate - contributed to the achievement ofspectacular economic growth rates and theraising of Irish living standards to Europeannorms. But as with the more muted 1960sexperience of expansion, the rising economictide of the last decade has failed to lift all boats.Sure there have been salutary developments:involuntary emigration and massunemployment have been ended (for thepresent), but iniquities persist and the numberliving in relative poverty has increased. Globalprocesses such as the revolution incommunications technology have only addedto the almost dizzying pace of social change.All these developments have impactedgreatly on Irish youth. As received moraland cultural absolutes collapse under thecollective weight of these forces, thejourney through adolescence has

become an even more testing one for many young people,especially those from broken homes and disadvantaged areas. In an attempt to ease their passage, Foróige has, over the lastdecade, sought not just to shape youth-related public policy, butalso to become an instrument of its enforcement. Across a rangeof public policy areas - Education, Health, Social Welfare andJustice - Foróige has become a vehicle through which the Statehas pursued the goal of greater social inclusion. Throughpartnership with Health Boards, the Garda Síochána, Local AreaPartnerships, the VECs and others, Foróige has been to the forein helping youth in difficulty.

To this end, improved State funding and corporate philanthropyhave facilitated the employment of extra staff and the provisionof a broadened range of services and projects in both urban andrural areas. However, ‘Mainline’ Foróige, reliant as it is onvoluntary involvement, has fared less well. Club numbers havedeclined by 10% since the late-1990s, a consequence of changinglifestyle patterns and a general crisis in volunteerism. Ensuringthe retention of an Irish tradition of volunteerism has become akey concern for Foróige at the outset of the new Millennium, forwithout this sort of social commitment, Michael Cleary warned in2000, there would be a palpable diminution in ‘the quality of lifein communities and in society generally’.

Emma Roche

“My friends and Igot involved withForóige becausethere were noactivities inKilmallock for us.We wanted to makenew friends andlearn new thingsand to socialise. It's a way of gettingout of the houseand off the streetand we love thecraic in the group”.

Emma Roche (14) isinvolved in the after-school group at theLoobagh Area YouthProject in Kilmallock,Co Limerick.

Nicola Radford

“I love going to theclub because of thecourses we do. Welearn lots of newthings and we'relistened to. It's funand there are lotsof surprises.President McAleesecame to see us lastyear. That wasgreat”.

Nicola Radford (14)has been involved inthe after-school clubat the dán Project,Dublin for four years.


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(VI) ConclusionNo accurate measure can be made of the contribution of Foróige to Irish educational and community life over the last half-century.The work of the organisation has been such as to defy any easy‘cause and effect’ analysis. Yet some sense of the transformativeinfluence the organisation has had on the lives of members,leaders and staff alike can be gleaned from the many personaltestimonies that survive. For anybody seeking evidence of thejoy and fulfilment that can be derived from voluntary youthwork, it is to these accounts that they should turn. But what ofForóige in the future? There is little doubt that the ideals of theorganisation retain a seductive appeal: their stress on the valueand creativity of the individual person, and on the capacity ofeach to participate fully in their own world, must be of interest toall concerned at the advance of the dehumanising forces ofcultural homogenisation and social alienation. Should theorganisation, however, continue to provide services directed atthe symptoms rather than the root causes of social inequality?Or should it broaden its reach by extending further the range ofservices and projects it provides? Will it be possible to sourcesufficient funding to drive growth in the future? Questions likethese are the substance of ongoing debate within Foróige andtheir resolution will have a large bearing on the long-termdevelopment of the organisation.

Of more immediate concern,however, will be theimplementation of theNational Youth WorkDevelopment Plan 2002-2006,proposals for which arecurrently with the Minister of State for Youth Affairs.Envisaged under the Youth Work Act2001, it is anticipated that this Plan willgive official sanction to the huge advancesmade by groups like Foróige in raising the status of youth work in Ireland.

It’s been a long road travelled!

Patty O'Brien

“When I reflect onmy time as a leader, I see that there havebeen many changesover the years, butsome things haven'tchanged. The valueand importance ofjust being there andlistening whenmembers need totalk, allowing themto develop at a pacethat suits them andgiving recognition forsmall achievements isas vital as it ever was,perhaps even moreso. It may be theonly positivefeedback they havereceived for sometime.

Patty O'Brien has been a leader with CorofinForóige Club, Co Galwayfor 13 years.

Gillian Walsh

“I think Foróige isgood because youmeet new people. I live in the country so it gives theyoung people of the parish a place to meet,supervised byadults. We also get to take part inactivities with otherForóige groups sowe get to knowpeople from other places”.

Gillian Walsh (14) isChairperson of KilcashForóige Club, Co Tipperary.

■ World record-breakers! Foróige Coin Challenge mural,consisting of 1,659,000 coins, 4th December 2001.


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“Foróige holds a special place in Irish life.

As Macra na Tuaithe, and later Foróige, theorganisation has been a force for people ofoutstanding talent, creativity, and your hallmarkhas been commitment to youth development andto service in our community. I believe that thesevalues are ever relevant to the challenges we nowface as a country. We certainly are fortunate thatwe have a great organisation such as Foróige topromote and to stand up for these central civicvalues in these changing times. And I wish youevery success as you chart a new way forward.

The Intel Computer Clubhouse, which is hostedby Foróige in the Blanchardstown Youth Service is a fantastic new facility and it’s a great andconfident step forward to modernising yourservices. It certainly shows that your heritage astrailblazers for top class youth services is beingapplied with vigour to the challenges of youthwork in a changing Ireland.

I assure you of my full admiration and supportfor your great work and wish you continuedsuccess going forward.

An Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, TD.

■ Intel Computer Clubhouseat Blanchardstown YouthService.

■ Intel ComputerClubhouselaunch: An Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern,TD., listens toDavid Morgan,Clubhousemember, keenlyobserved by Tom Coppinger,Chairperson ofForóige NationalCouncil and PeterIredale of Intel.


Foróige Head Office

Irish Farm Centre

Bluebell

Dublin 12

Tel: 01 450 1122

Fax: 01 450 1941

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.foroige.ie

The fundamental purpose

of Foróige is to enable

young people to involve

themselves consciously

and actively in their own

development and in the

development of society.


Making Things Happen - Foroige · ‘Making Things Happen’: Fifty Years of Foróige, 1952 - 2002...

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