In January, YMCA Lurgan were delighted to receive the published Education and Training Inspectorate report following our ETI inspection in November 2023.  The wider ‘YMCA Lurgan community’ including young people, parents, staff, volunteers and management board  as well as a range of external stakeholders from local schools, other local youth providers, Ulster University, and statutory partners including SHSCT and PCSP all participated in the Inspection process. Having so many of our stakeholders involved was very supportive to the team and has already strengthened our partnerships and opportunities for young people, moving forward. 

Findings from the inspection concluded that  YMCA Lurgan is ‘providing high quality, inclusive youth work for the young people of the area. Working with their members the staff have developed and embedded a clear vision which is facilitating the young people to be welcomed into a safe place of diversity, inclusion and acceptance. Through a youth and community-led approach, the staff create opportunities for the young people to grow and develop skills for life.’   Whilst identifying several areas of ‘highly effective practice from which others may learn’. 

When the word ‘Inspection’ is talked about, it’s hard not to feel stressful, especially when faced with only a few weeks to prepare! However, despite the process being extremely thorough, it was also a time for everyone involved to reflect on our practice and the wider impact that our programmes have on the young people who we work with. As a learning organisation, our approach was to embrace this as another opportunity for us to grow and learn, and we are grateful to all involved, for supporting us in this process.

Young people are at the heart of all we do at YMCA Lurgan and as a team we are passionate about creating safe, inclusive spaces for them to thrive and flourish. We believe that this report highlights how the team has worked alongside young people and our community partners with a shared sense of purpose to effectively support better outcomes for young people in Lurgan.

Read the full ETI Inspection report here

Michele Taylor – Chief Executive, YMCA Lurgan