Award for Tipp youth service

Accolade for LGBTQ+ inclusion

Youth Work Ireland, Tipperary, which works with over 800 young people across the county was awarded Belong To - LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland’s Rainbow Award on at a recent ceremony at Woodquay Venue in Dublin . The youth service was recognised for its work as part of the Rainbow Award initiative which is dedicated to creating LGBTQ+ inclusive youth services in Tipperary and across the country. The event was also attended by youth and staff representatives of the eight other services being recognised with the award and was hosted by presenter and podcaster Fionnuala Jones. In total, the nine awarded youth services work with more than 11,000 young people across Ireland.

The Rainbow Award initiative was established by Belong To in 2023 to support and accredit LGBTQ+ safe and supportive youth services. Over the course of 12 to 18 months, youth services are supported in implementing evidence-based actions across a number of key areas, which research shows improve the wellbeing and safety of LGBTQ+ youth.

Providing LGBTQ+ people with a space to feel safe and welcome

Carmel Walsh, Director of Youth Services at Belong To said: “In a world growing more polarised, young people in Tipperary and across the country need to know they are celebrated. The Rainbow Award is a promise to LGBTQ+ youth that there is a local space where they are seen, valued and supported. When a young person walks into a service, they aren't just entering a building. They are entering a sanctuary. They are letting their guard down, perhaps for the first time all day. Whether it is sitting down over a slice of pizza or offering a listening ear, these youth workers, staff, and volunteers are creating the safe and inclusive environments that our community depends on.”

Mary Kate Moore (she/her), Community Youth Worker and LGBTQIA+ Co-ordinator at Youth Work Ireland, Tipperary, said: “Achieving Belong To’s Rainbow Award is more than a milestone for Youth Work Ireland Tipperary — it’s a promise. A promise that every young person, no matter who they are or who they love, will be met with safety, dignity and celebration. It shows our commitment to building a community where inclusion isn’t just encouraged, it’s lived every day.”

Awardees

As well as Youth Work Ireland, Tipperary, nine other services were awarded, including:

Crosscare Dun Laoghaire Youth Service, Dublin

Crosscare Swords & Baldoyle Youth Service, Swords

EPIC – Empowering People in Care, nationwide

Foróige Dublin City, Dublin

Kerry Community Youth Service, Kerry

Sphere17, Dublin

Swan Regional Youth Services, Dublin

Youth Theatre Ireland, nationwide

Belong To - LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland is the national organisation supporting LGBTQ+ youth across the country. Applications are now open for youth services and organisations in Tipperary and across Ireland which would like to work towards achieving the Rainbow Award in 2026.

For more information, www.belongto.org.