Kerry Community Youth Service (KCYS)

What Kerry Community Youth Service (KCYS) does

Kerry Community Youth Service (KCYS) is a registered Irish charity (Registered Charity Number 20014292) and non-profit community youth organisation headquartered in Killarney, County Kerry. Founded in 1971 as Kerry Diocesan Youth Service and rebranded Kerry Community Youth Service in November 2024, the organisation employs 68 staff and serves more than 4,000 members across County Kerry and into the Beara Peninsula and Duhallow region of North West Cork. KCYS operates five physical youth centres in Tralee, Listowel, Killarney, Killorglin, and Castleisland, delivering a portfolio of programmes that includes Community Youth Work, the UBU youth programme, the Euróg European Youth Work stream, Comhairle na nÓg, a Youth Advisory Group, a Youth Diversion Project, Youth Mentoring, and a Family Support cluster.

The Family Support offering comprises a Family Centre, Access & Teens Service, Education and Training programmes, and a Family Contact Centre. The organisation supplements its paid workforce with a volunteer-supported youth work model, integrating community members into service delivery. KCYS holds Triple Lock certification from the Charities Institute Ireland and is compliant with the Governance Code, and it is grant-funded through the Department of Rural and Community Development and Pobal under the Community Services Programme, alongside other statutory and EU funding streams.

The business model is grant-funded non-profit operations rather than commercial revenue: KCYS is funded by state bodies (Pobal, the Department of Rural and Community Development, Tusla, the HSE), national policy programmes (UBU, Youth Diversion Project, Comhairle na nÓg), and European instruments (Euróg). No pricing model, fee-for-service charges, or commercial revenue lines are described. The customer base is non-paying: young people aged typically 10–24, families in need of support, and statutory referral partners. Distribution is via the five physical centres and outreach across the Kerry, Beara, and Duhallow catchment, with no digital platform or technology-mediated delivery channel disclosed.

Name

Kerry Community Youth Service (KCYS)

Legal name

Kerry Community Youth Service (KCYS)

Website

https://kdys.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kerry Community Youth Service (KCYS) is an Irish registered charity (founded 1971, rebranded 2024) employing 68 staff across five youth centres in Kerry to deliver community youth work, family support, mentoring, and statutory-funded programmes to 4,000+ young people and families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Youth Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK), After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM), Mental Health Counseling & Therapy Services (K–12) (EDAJALAG)

Keywords

• Community youth services
• Youth diversion programmes
• Family support services
• Youth mentoring programmes
• Charity youth work

Headquarters

HQ city

Tralee

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: KCYS receives core operational funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development and Pobal through the Community Services Programme. Additional programme funding comes from various government departments for specific initiatives such as the Youth Diversion Project and UBU Programme.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KCYS is a registered Irish charity delivering community-based youth work, youth diversion, mentoring, family support, European youth exchange, and youth participation programmes to over 4,000 young people and families across County Kerry, the Beara Peninsula, and the Duhallow region of North West Cork. Services are provided free of charge through five physical youth centres, community youth clubs, in-home family interventions, and an online Youth Information Hub.

Product overview

KCYS is a single integrated charity service offering multiple interconnected youth and family support programmes, not a technology platform. The organisation provides community youth work (including UBU Programme), European youth work (Euróg), youth participation (Comhairle na nÓg, Youth Advisory Group), a Youth Diversion Project, Youth Mentoring, Family Support services (Family Centre, Access & Teens Service, Education & Training, Family Contact Centre), and volunteer-supported youth work. These services are delivered through five youth centres across Kerry (Tralee, Listowel, Killarney, Killorglin, Castleisland) and serve over 4000 members across Kerry and Cork.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UBU Programme: KCYS Community Youth Work programme under the UBU initiative.
• Euróg
• KCYS Comhairle na nÓg
• KCYS Youth Advisory Group
• KCYS Youth Diversion Project
• Youth Mentoring
• KCYS Family Support

Products and services

• KCYS Community Youth Work Core youth work programme providing community-based support and activities for young people aged 10-24 across County Kerry and North West Cork.
• UBU Programme Targeted youth support programme under the community youth work umbrella providing tailored interventions for marginalised young people aged 10-24.
• KCYS European Youth Work European mobility and exchange programmes providing cross-border youth engagement opportunities for young people in Kerry and North West Cork.
• Euróg European youth exchange programme providing cross-border mobility and engagement opportunities for young people in Kerry.
• KCYS Comhairle na nÓg Local youth council giving young people aged 12-17 in Kerry a voice in local government decisions, operating as part of the national Comhairle na nÓg framework.
• KCYS Youth Advisory Group Advisory group that enables young people to contribute to KCYS planning, policy development, and organisational decision-making.
• KCYS Youth Diversion Project Justice-oriented youth project providing diversionary interventions and activities across Kerry for at-risk young people referred through Garda/youth justice pathways to prevent anti-social behaviour.
• Youth Mentoring One-to-one mentoring programme pairing young people with trained volunteer mentors for sustained support and personal development.
• KCYS Family Support Multi-component family support service comprising the Family Centre, Access & Teens Service, Education and Training, and Family Contact Centre, delivered to families in their homes and community settings.
• KCYS Family Centre Dedicated centre providing family support services and interventions for families in Kerry.
• KCYS Access & Teens Service Specialised service for teenagers providing tailored support and access to KCYS resources and interventions.
• KCYS Family Support Education and Training Educational and training programmes for families engaged with KCYS Family Support services.
• KCYS Family Contact Centre Supervised contact service for families requiring structured and safe visitation arrangements.
• KCYS Volunteer-supported Youth Work Volunteer-supported youth club network providing community-based structured activities and mentorship for young people across the service area.
• KCYS Youth Centres Five physical youth centre locations across Kerry (Tralee, Listowel, Killarney, Killorglin, and Castleisland) providing physical facilities for delivering youth services and safe social spaces.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI): Umbrella representative body for youth organisations in Ireland. Comparable as a national-level coordinating and policy body working in the youth work sector across the country.

Direct peers

• Crosscare: Dublin-based social care agency providing youth services, family support, and community programmes. Directly comparable as an Irish nonprofit delivering community youth work and family support services to vulnerable populations.
• Scouting Ireland: National scouting association delivering youth development activities across Ireland. Comparable as a volunteer-supported youth organisation providing structured activities and personal development for young people.
• YMCA Ireland: Irish federation of YMCA organisations operating youth programmes, family support, and community services. Comparable as a youth-focused charity with physical centres delivering community-based programming.
• Youth Work Ireland: National federation of youth organisations in Ireland supporting member groups delivering youth work services. Directly comparable as a peer network providing similar youth development and community youth work programming.
• Foróige: Ireland's leading youth work organisation operating youth clubs, projects, and services nationwide. Directly comparable as a community-based youth work charity delivering youth development programmes across Ireland.
• Barnardo's Ireland: Irish arm of the children's charity delivering services to vulnerable children, young people, and families. Comparable for its family support services and work with at-risk youth in Ireland.

Emerging players

• SpunOut.ie: Online youth information platform in Ireland serving 16-24 year-olds with mental health, education, and rights information. Comparable as a youth information resource targeting similar demographics in Ireland, but differentiated by online-only delivery model.
• Jigsaw (National Centre for Youth Mental Health): Irish youth mental health charity providing early intervention support to young people aged 12-25. Comparable as a youth-focused charity addressing mental health and wellbeing needs of Irish youth, with partial overlap in target demographics.

Regional players

• Childline by ISPCC: Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children operating Childline and support services for children and young people. Comparable as an Irish children's charity delivering support and intervention services to young people in need.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KerryYouth
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KerryYouthTube
• Facebookfacebook.com/KDYS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kerry-community-youth-service
• Instagraminstagram.com/kdysyouth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kerry Community Youth Service (KCYS)