Donegal Youth Service

What Donegal Youth Service does

Donegal Youth Service is a registered Irish charity (RCN: 20050696) founded in 1981 that delivers youth services across County Donegal through 30+ affiliated youth clubs and projects, supporting more than 15,000 young people aged 3-30 annually. Headquartered at 16-18 Port Road, Letterkenny, the organization provides a portfolio of programmes including the LOFT (Learning Opportunities For Teens) project jointly managed with Foróige and funded by Tusla, the Letterkenny Youth Information Centre, Ireland's first online Youth Information Live Chat service launched in 2020, and the Our Generation Mental Wellness App launched in September 2023.

The organization's technology footprint includes digital service delivery through the Youth Information Live Chat platform connecting young people aged 16-25 with trained Youth Information Officers, and the Our Generation mobile mental wellness application designed by young people within the Our Generation cross-border peacebuilding project. Additional digital infrastructure participation includes INTERREG ATLANTIC AREA projects and European youth information networks (Eurodesk, ERYICA, Europe Direct Letterkenny).

Donegal Youth Service's revenue model relies on three streams: core government and statutory grants from Tusla, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, HSE, Donegal County Council, and the International Fund for Ireland; charitable donations and fundraising via PayPal, Facebook, and corporate partnerships; and nominal program fees (€20-50 per person for summer camps), with most direct services provided free to participants. The organization operates under a Board of Directors with Lorraine Thompson serving as Regional Director, supported by a management team of 31 employees including Youth Information, Youth Outreach, and Community Employment scheme supervisors.

Name

Donegal Youth Service

Legal name

Donegal Youth Service

Website

https://donegalyouthservice.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Donegal Youth Service is an Irish registered charity founded in 1981 that delivers youth services through 30+ affiliated clubs and projects across County Donegal, supporting more than 15,000 young people aged 3-30 annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Youth Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD), Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth services
• Youth support programs
• Youth information services
• Community youth work
• Youth employability training

Headquarters

HQ city

Ireland

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations and Fundraising: Relies on public donations and fundraising activities including PayPal donations, Facebook fundraising, and corporate donations. Registered charity accepting one-time and monthly contributions.
2. Government and Statutory Funding: Core funding from government bodies including Tusla, Department of Children and Youth Affairs, HSE, Donegal County Council, and International Fund for Ireland for specific projects.
3. Program Fees: Some programs charge nominal fees for summer camps and activities (e.g., €20-50 per person for summer camps), though many services are free to participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Donegal Youth Service is a registered charity that delivers youth services across County Donegal through 30+ affiliated youth clubs and projects. It provides drop-in youth information centres, online chat counselling support, summer camps, employability programmes, LGBTI+ support, mental wellness tools, and targeted programmes for vulnerable groups including young carers and NEET youth.

Product overview

Donegal Youth Service is a countywide youth support organisation offering a portfolio of programmes and projects through 30+ affiliated youth clubs and projects. The core offerings include the Youth Information Live Chat service (online chat for ages 16-25), the LOFT (Learning Opportunities For Teens) project (ages 12-25, jointly managed with Foróige), and numerous targeted programmes including BreakOut (LGBTI support with national accreditation), Youthscape (NEET youth support ages 14-24), Our Generation (cross-border peacebuilding with mental wellness app), World Wide Voices (integration), Young Carers support, and specialized youth clubs. The service operates from Letterkenny and supports young people aged 3-30 across County Donegal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LOFT (Learning Opportunities For Teens): A youth project for teens providing drop-in services, summer programmes, and activities for young people aged 12-25, jointly managed with Foróige and funded by Tusla.
• ASPIRE
• BreakOut
• Youthscape
• Our Generation
• Letterkenny Youth Information Centre (YIC)
• Youth Talk & Counselling Service
• European Youth Work / Europe Direct
• Elevate 55
• IGNITE
• GOGREEN
• World Wide Voices
• Young Carers
• ATLIC
• CLYP
• TYESI (The Targeted Youth Employability Support Initiative)
• Community Employment
• Youth Information Live Chat

Products and services

• Youth Information Live Chat Online chat service connecting young people aged 16-25 with trained Youth Information Officers for free professional and personalised information on a wide range of topics.
• Our Generation Mental Wellness App Mobile application that teaches mental wellness to young people in a fun and engaging way, created and designed directly by young people from Donegal Youth Service under the Our Generation project.
• LOFT (Learning Opportunities For Teens) Youth project jointly managed by Donegal Youth Service and Foróige and funded by Tusla, offering programmes, groups, and activities for young people aged 12-25, including drop-in services, summer camps, fitness programmes, music, art, and one-to-one support.
• ASPIRE Project dedicated to helping local youth clubs get started and thrive, supporting the development of youth clubs across County Donegal.
• BreakOut Programme for LGBTI young people, their friends and allies, providing support and safe spaces; has achieved national accreditation.
• Youthscape Cross-community and cross-border programme for young people aged 14-24 who are not in employment, education or training, providing mentoring, accredited training, and financial incentives for completion.
• Our Generation Cross-border and cross-community initiative to build peace through youth development, delivered in partnership across Sligo, Monaghan and Donegal.
• Letterkenny Youth Information Centre (YIC) Drop-in youth information service operating 12-6pm Monday to Friday, offering guidance and support for young people aged 16-25.
• World Wide Voices Integration project helping international students and young people from different cultures and backgrounds connect and build leadership skills.
• Young Carers Support group for young people aged 12-24 who have extra caring responsibilities at home, providing connection, understanding, and activities.
• Youth Talk & Counselling Service Counselling and youth support service for young people.
• TYESI (Targeted Youth Employability Support Initiative) Employability support initiative designed to help young people move toward employment, education, or training.
• ATLIC INTERREG ATLANTIC AREA project fostering youth innovation and entrepreneurship in the blue economy.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,000+ young people supported annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• ForóigecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-management partnership for LOFT (Learning Opportunities For Teens) youth project in Letterkenny. Foróige and Donegal Youth Service jointly manage the LOFT project, which is funded by Tusla.
• Youth Work IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization providing Garda Vetting services. Youth Work Ireland is a registered organisation with the Garda Central Vetting Unit and processes approximately 2,000 vetting applications per year for Member Youth Services including Donegal Youth Service.
• ERYICAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Youth Information and Counselling Agency. DYS received the European Youth Information Quality Label from ERYICA in partnership with Council of Europe.
• EurodeskcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean youth information network. DYS participates in Eurodesk campaigns including Time to Move, providing information on mobility opportunities across Europe.
• Europe Direct LetterkennycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on European mobility events and information sessions. Partners on Time to Move events and Europe Day celebrations.
• Regional Cultural Centre LetterkennysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for cultural events including 'Alone Together' online music festival as part of Cruinniu na nÓg. Joint programming for arts and cultural activities for young people.
• Donegal County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for community events, youth council funding, and social inclusion initiatives. Funded Donegal Youth Council and various community programs.
• Kids OwnsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublishing partnership for youth writing workshops. Collaborated on Transatlantic Youth Writers Workshop with Young Chicago Authors.
• Young Chicago AuthorssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cultural partner for Transatlantic Youth Writers Workshop as part of Culture Night Donegal 2020.
• Northwest Regional Drug and Alcohol Task ForcesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Party in the Park annual event and community health initiatives.
• RSA (Road Safety Authority)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to host 'Check it Fits' child car seat safety service in Donegal locations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Foróige: Ireland's largest youth organization, co-manages DYS's flagship LOFT project. Operates a nationwide network of youth clubs and projects serving similar age groups with comparable programmes such as mentoring, employability support, and personal development.
• Crosscare: Irish voluntary social services agency delivering youth support, counselling, and community programmes. Comparable offering in youth information, mental health support, and targeted interventions for vulnerable young people.
• Scouting Ireland: National youth organization delivering personal development programmes through local clubs across Ireland. Comparable in operating an extensive county-based club network serving similar age cohorts.
• ISPCC: Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, delivering Childline and youth support services. Directly comparable in providing youth counselling, child safeguarding, and protective services in Ireland.
• BeLonG To Youth Services: Irish national LGBTI+ youth organization. Directly comparable to DYS's BreakOut programme in supporting LGBTI young people, with national accreditation and a more specialized focus.

Broad incumbents

• Youth Work Ireland: National federation of which DYS is an affiliated Member Youth Service. Provides Garda Vetting infrastructure for DYS and offers directly competing youth work services across Ireland at greater scale.
• Barnardos Ireland: Major Irish children's charity providing services including support for young carers, mental health, and youth development. Operates nationally with overlapping programmes for vulnerable and at-risk youth.
• National Youth Council of Ireland: Representative body for voluntary youth organizations in Ireland. Coordinates the youth work sector and engages with European networks such as Eurodesk and ERYICA, mirroring DYS's European partnerships.

Emerging players

• Jigsaw: Irish youth mental health service supporting 12-25 year olds. Comparable in addressing youth mental wellbeing through one-to-one support and digital tools, including a youth wellness app similar to Our Generation.
• SpunOut.ie: Ireland's primary youth information digital platform, providing online information on mental health, education, and wellbeing. Closely comparable to DYS's Youth Information Live Chat service in target audience and content.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DonegalYouthService
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/donegal-youth-service

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Donegal Youth Service