Ten minutes with Brenda Keating of Foróige
Brenda Keating, who enjoys her roles as a senior youth officer with the youth development organisation Foróige.
Brenda Keating has been working with Foróige for 18 years and finds great satisfaction in her current role as a senior youth officer with the youth development organisation.
Foróige engages with more than 50,000 young people and 5,500 volunteers each year. Brenda holds a degree in Government and Public Policy, as well as a Community Development diploma and a Masters in Social and Cooperative Enterprise.
I have been involved in youth work since I was five years old! I have so many happy memories of growing as a member of our local Youth Club and taking part in the Summer Scheme in Ballinlough in Cork. I progressed through the ranks from member to Leader, gaining great experience along the way. In 2007, I heard that the Foróige Big Brother Big Sister Mentoring Programme was starting in Cork. I was really taken with the power and potential of mentoring to improve the lives of young people. I jumped at the chance to work with Foróige. I spent 17 years working with the Big Brother Big Sister Programme before moving to a new role as a Senior Youth Officer with Youth Diversion Projects in Cork last year.
Foróige was my first choice for a career in youth work. Young people are at the centre of everything we do and we are constantly innovating and evolving to meet their needs. I love that Foróige is a leader in so many aspects of youth work. We have built on our foundations of supporting community-based Clubs and Summer Schemes to develop a large network of targeted youth projects that support young people facing particular challenges in their lives, to provide youth mentoring opportunities across Ireland, to embrace gaming and Virtual Reality and to offer innovative programmes in areas such as Leadership, Citizenship and Entrepreneurship to young people. I love being a part of such an energetic, vibrant and positive organisation.
The Youth Justice Strategy has changed the landscape of how we support families and it is great to see such a strong commitment to Youth Justice in the new Programme for Government. Foróige now offers additional services and we have created new teams to support the communities we work in. I am managing a fantastic team made up of Youth Justice Workers, a Family Support Worker and an Early Intervention Worker. We have a great blend of new perspectives and experience on our team. My job is to create an environment where staff feel supported and empowered to do the work on the ground in communities. We receive funding from the Department of Justice and European Social Fund so I’m also responsible for reporting back on how we put that money to good use.
Having spent 17 years working as part of a national Mentoring Team, it has been brilliant to progress into a different area of youth work and to join a great management team in Cork. There is so much variety and you’re learning and developing every day. The staff on my team are so committed, energetic and dedicated. Supporting their work is the best part of my job. We regularly hear from Gardaí, parents and most importantly, young people themselves, about the impact that Foróige has on their lives and the opportunities that they have been given through being involved in our projects and programmes.
Last year, I developed a partnership between Regan Wall Law Firm in Cork City and Coláiste Eamonn Rís to offer a twelve-week mentoring programme to fifth year students. Seeing the volunteer mentors and the students get to know each other and learn from each other over the course of the programme was incredible. This year, I attended the Cork Foróige Citizenship Awards and met some young people from our Clubs and Projects who had undertaken initiatives to improve their community. Seeing these young people being recognised and celebrated was a definite highlight of my new role.
Connecting with young people where they are at has always been Foróige’s way. In five years, we will still be welcoming young people into our Clubs and Projects. Having said that, the young people of 2025 are digital natives. I’m sure in five years Foróige’s offering of digital youth work opportunities will have expanded even further.
When I was filling out my CAO form, my Dad told me that if you’re good at something, you’ll always find work. His advice was to pick a career that I would be passionate about, that would keep me curious and interested. I can honestly say I have never been bored working for Foróige! I ended up following a different path to many of my school and college friends by following my heart but I have never looked back.
Bring your best and that’s enough. Working with young people and families who need support can be challenging. Often, we aren’t in a position to change the circumstances that young people and families find themselves in. Accepting that is part of the journey of becoming a good youth worker. Over the years, I have come to accept what my role is and value the importance of doing that to the very best of my ability.
We look for positive and capable people who share our values. Research Foróige’s purpose and philosophy to see whether it aligns to what you believe in. Foróige is very dynamic so it helps to be familiar with the programmes we offer to young people. Having energy and enthusiasm is key. Whether you are helping to create friendships for our Mentoring, Club and Summer Scheme participants, supporting one of our Youth Diversion Project participants through a tough time in their lives or empowering volunteers, you have to believe in what you are doing and give it your best.
Having a strong focus on promoting positive outcomes for young people is at the heart of what I do. My role is very busy so it helps to have good organisational skills. We work in teams so being able to listen to other perspectives, work together and learn from each other is very important. We work with many other agencies from An Garda Síochána and Tusla to local Family Support Centres so maintaining positive relationships with other stakeholders is vital. Empathy, understanding and having a sense of humour help too!
Say yes to opportunities that come along. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in so many things over the years, from developing new mentoring programmes, being part of a Virtual Reality Pilot Programme and delivering Leadership training to young people from different parts of the world to getting involved in our Foróige Induction training for new staff. Being part of different projects means you meet new people and keeps your work life interesting.
Foróige regularly share updates across our social media channels, so definitely follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram All Foróige job opportunities are advertised on our website foroige.ie and Activelink is also really useful for job opportunities and courses.
Books by Brené Brown and Karen Treisman are always great resources. My best advice is to learn from others who are further along the road than you, be open to trying new things and don’t be afraid to bring your own skills and talents to your role. If you are passionate about something, sharing that with a young person is a great gift.
If you are interested in current vacancies in Foróige, see: www.foroige.ie/careers
