Report of a Youth Inspection - Long Tower Youth Club

Long Tower Youth Club

December 2025

1. Introduction

A. Background information

Long Tower Youth Club is a registered charity and voluntary youth setting situated in the Brandywell area of Derry. The club is an active member of the Northwest Youth Service, with eight other voluntary youth organisations across the Moor ward of the city. The club is located in an area which experiences significant socio-economic deprivation, where young people are or may be at risk of facing barriers to inclusion, participation and well-being. The youth club provides youth work services for young people aged between five and 18 years, mainly from Brandywell, Creggan South, Foyle Hill and Bishop’s Street. The main building was converted from a former Northern Ireland Fire Service property, and a substantial extension was added in 1997 which includes a full-size sports hall, storage and office space, as well as accommodation for an EOTAS (education other than at school) provision. Long Tower has recently supported the establishment of outreach provision at Killea, in a rural setting just outside the city which is staffed by experienced volunteers from the club.

Staffing at the Long Tower site and at Killea comprises one full-time worker in charge, ten part-time workers, three volunteers and a building supervisor. At the time of the inspection, 538 young people were registered, a significant increase over the last four years. Over the same period, the average nightly attendance has risen by more than one-third, from 34 to 48 young people currently. Funding for the club comes from the Department of Education through the Education Authority (EA), other government funded initiatives and a range of other funding bodies.

In response to the needs identified by the young people and staff, the club provides: a safe space; opportunities for new experiences within the centre, in the city and beyond, including outdoor learning in Spring and Summer; and a range of pathways for progression. The centre is open to young people five evenings per week and the programmes include: junior, intermediate and senior drop-in clubs; DJing skills; targeted support for young people preparing for OCN Essential Skills Level 2 qualifications in literacy and numeracy, as well as an OCN Level 1 qualification in youth work; a Common Purpose group from Long Tower working with young people from three other centres across Northern Ireland; the outreach to Killea; and collaborative programmes with local primary and post-primary schools. In addition, the centre delivers T:BUC* (Together Building United Communities) and Engage* programmes.

B. Views of young people, parents and staff

Focus groups and discussions were held with young people, parents and staff during the inspection and the responses, where relevant, are referenced within the main body of the report.

C. The process of inspection

The ETI worked alongside Long Tower Youth Club to consider how well the provision:

has identified and articulates its vision;
prioritises actions to achieve the vision;
overcomes the main challenges it faces;
monitors and reviews progression to identify, celebrate and embed success; and
grows and develops an inclusive community of learning.

2. Main report

A. Setting the vision

The vision for Long Tower, ‘Empowering young people for the future’, was articulated in 2018 when Long Tower and St Mary’s youth clubs initiated a collaborative network of nine discrete voluntary settings into one headquarters organisation, Northwest Youth Service (NWYS) and is complemented well by the NWYS mission statement which prioritises ‘promoting well-being, fostering personal growth and building a resilient community’. The management and staff know the area, its young people and their needs very well: Long Tower’s vision and mission statements are lived out visibly and consistently through the staff’s sensitive and positive interactions with the young people attending. All of the parents who met with us emphasised the staff’s commitment to their children, their firm and fair management of difficult issues and the trust which they build with the young people and their families. The evidence of the inspection endorses the parents’ view that the centre is not only a safe, stable space for the young people, but also a place where they can benefit from, and experience success in, new sporting, cultural and outdoor activities which build their confidence and broaden their horizons.

The management committee provides effective governance, oversight and support for Long Tower staff and enables them to deliver confidently and effectively a range of generic and targeted programmes focused sharply on the young people’s development.

The staff monitor closely the impact of the planned programmes through ‘Target Monitor’ and ongoing evaluations of the Delivery Plan. The evaluations are robust and measure accurately the extent to which the targets have been achieved. The monthly staff meetings are well informed by feedback from the young people which is used to adjust the next stages of programme delivery. The staff de-briefs have enhanced recently, sharpening the staff’s focus on their meaningful exchanges with young people and on their incremental gains personally and socially over time.

B. Implementing and improving to achieve the vision

All of the sessions observed were effective. A key strength is that sessions are well‑structured and underpinned by open, positive and trusting relationships between staff and young people. The staff know the young people well and work skilfully to maintain their full engagement throughout sessions. The intentionally relational ethos is evident and reinforced by a ‘no phone’ policy that promotes interpersonal skills and meaningful participation. Behaviour management, when needed, is firm, fair and consistent, ensuring a safe and respectful environment.

The programmes are well planned, responsive to young people’s needs and aligned with both local and regional priorities. The development of programmes is led very effectively by the staff and informed well by session debriefs and progress reports. To support local need, planning is informed by and contributes to, the NWYS strategy. Co-ordination within the centre, as well as between Long Tower and the other settings in NWYS, is enhanced greatly by the bespoke management information system (MIS) developed in-house.

Monthly feedback from the young people, along with committee structures, ensure that the voice of young people influences provision. Additionally, evaluations gathered through its MIS inform well the staff’s future planning and help track closely the young people’s progression. The young people told us that they feel listened to, they are given opportunities to discuss which programmes they would like to participate in, and they feel their voices are heard through decision-making about the programmes and operation of the youth centre.

The well-designed youth work curriculum promotes resilience and progression pathways into volunteering and active citizenship. The young people are happy and have fun through participation in the programmes offered. Specific programmes within the club’s relevant preventative curriculum incorporate restorative practices and preventative work, including firework and bonfire safety, and measures to reduce anti-social behaviour. The progress of the young people is tracked regularly; their physical and emotional health is developed effectively through targeted programmes and monitored closely through the club’s own processes for ongoing assessment. Parents and carers told us how highly they value the staff’s sensitive and proactive interventions to help the young people integrate with the local community and avoid risk-taking behaviours.

C. Building equity

There is a strong and consistent focus on inclusion across the provision. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the individual contexts and starting points of the young people and actively encourage participation: they respond sensitively and positively to overcome any negative attitudes or behaviours. No young person is excluded from activities and all are treated with respect: in return, as observed by ETI, they respect the staff, listen to them and regulate their own behaviours when necessary.

Staff know the young people well and respond effectively to their needs, often going beyond expectations to support progression, both in the club and in their wider education. The staff have high aspirations for all young people and implement appropriate support measures to sustain engagement and enable achievement at a level suited to each young person. For example, young people have opportunities to undertake the Essential Skills qualifications; and to progress to higher-level courses in further education and, notably, to access specific qualifications in youth work.

Young people develop personal capabilities, social skills and positive dispositions. They interact confidently and respectfully with their peers, staff and the wider community. Parents report that members, including those with special educational needs (SEN), are well supported and engage positively in centre-based programmes, trips and residentials, all of which are open to them.

The staff use various strategies to maintain engagement, particularly for those young people who experience barriers to progression. Staff use strength-based and trauma-informed approaches to develop and maintain positive and productive relationships with young people. This is underpinned by effective communication and collaboration with parents to support the ongoing development of the young person.

Staff have identified appropriately the need to break down barriers with the Newcomer community to increase diversity within the membership, and ETI endorses this target as appropriate in the club’s context. Additionally, Long Tower Youth Club has previously provided a SEN specific provision and have plans to re‑establish this, which would enable the club to provide further support to young people with SEN.

D. Embedding success

The staff prioritise appropriately the young people’s enjoyment of their activities. As a result, the young people are happy, respond readily to challenges, grow in confidence and are well prepared to progress from generic to targeted programmes. Their overall engagement throughout the inspection was consistently positive. Through well-planned opportunities to work with their peers, they also develop valuable communication and interpersonal skills which they will need in later life.

Inspectors observed purposeful collaboration, positive relationships and active engagement among participants which foster a supportive learning environment and enhance the young people’s social and emotional development. The consistent celebration of achievement and the staff’s intentional use of affirming feedback contributes to the young people’s increased motivation and self-esteem which are key factors in promoting resilience in the young people and long-term personal growth.

Almost all of the current staff have progressed from junior membership in the club to leadership positions: this demonstrates the effective and intentional capacity-building in Long Tower Youth Club. This succession planning not only strengthens internal leadership, but also models aspirational pathways for the young people. The participation of young people in the well-established Horizons* leadership programme, for example, is central to their progression.

The young people’s achievements are celebrated within and beyond the club. The recent International Men’s Day (19 Nov 2025) showcases male members’ leadership qualities through a well-planned session on positive mental health, reinforcing the club’s focus on well-being. The Magic Movers Awards celebrates junior members’ skills in dance, while the annual Youth Awards Evening in the club recognises all the young people’s contributions, with the Brian McMenamin Award honouring exceptional participation and commitment.

The well-established links with Féile Derry have enhanced the young people’s skills in the visual arts in particular, enabling them to script, then make mini movies and reels to be shared through social media. In this instance and in many others, the staff use social media powerfully to celebrate success. The young people’s participation and achievements, as well as the achievements of staff, are shared promptly and regularly. The posts are viewed by over 3,500 followers, so the young people’s successes reach a wide audience within and beyond the locality.

E. Growing a community of learning

The commitment to building a community of learning, shared by staff and management at Long Tower, is a strength. Once in post, the staff demonstrate their dedication to ongoing professional learning by gaining further qualifications in, for example, outdoor education-related skills as kayaking, mountain biking and climbing. The funding of such additional training by the management at Long Tower is a strategic longer-term investment in building the capacity of staff to extend the young people’s experiences, enable them to overcome new challenges and grow in confidence. Members of staff told us that their own well-being is prioritised and is central to building a cohesive staff team, based on mutual support. Supervision is scheduled throughout the year and is designed positively to enable staff to recognise their own strengths and build on them.

Long Tower is an active member of the NWYS and cites the benefits of this collaboration as resulting in: efficiencies through having a single joint administrative team for all the settings involved; a higher proportion of funding going into front-line services; shared resources, including staffing, as needs arise in different centres; an overall management group to provide governance; joint staff training; greater consistency in policies and procedures in relation to child and adult protection; and increased capacity to meet the needs of young people in the Moor ward.

Collaboration with other community partners is extensive, well planned and purposeful. Long Tower Youth Club collaborates with two local primary schools to enhance educational and developmental outcomes. A key initiative is their Fundamental Movement Programme for key stage 1 children, which helps school staff in the early identification of underdeveloped gross motor skills. This proactive approach enables timely interventions, including referrals to external agencies when necessary, which is an example of targeted support that can prevent long-term barriers to physical development. The staff also provide valuable support to a newly appointed home-school liaison teacher at a local post-primary school to help young people overcome barriers to attendance and re-engage in education.

In line with a key target in the youth club’s delivery plan, Living in Safety and Stability, the staff and young people have engaged positively in their immediate locality. The Community Clean-Up Social Action engaged 16 young people, fostering a sense of responsibility and pride in their local area. Beyond the environmental impact of their work, this initiative strengthened community relationships and promoted positive contributions. The young people developed teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving skills. Such experiences are empowering the young people to make meaningful contributions while acquiring transferable life skills that support their future education and employment pathways.

Other support for positive community relations includes Long Tower staff working effectively alongside Derry City Football Club to help address anti-social behaviour on match days. This work is complemented by ongoing and impactful collaboration with Community Restorative Justice to support young people at risk, and support for the Engage programme within NWYS. In response to the issues faced by young people and the wider community during for example periods of heightened community tension, staff from the youth club deliver the EA funded SPARK programme: through this relevant and proactive youth work intervention programme, young people develop the skills to engage positively in their community and stay safe.

For the last two years, Long Tower’s commitment to forging cross-community links has been demonstrated in their participation in four discrete T:BUC Summer programmes with another local youth club. In addition, the Common Purpose* group of young people from Long Tower and St Mary’s clubs are completing an accredited qualification in research and youth leadership which involves residentials with their peers from Ballysillan and Portadown.

Junior and senior committees actively shape the club’s programmes, demonstrating strong youth voice and leadership. Senior members progress to volunteer roles in for example the annual summer scheme, evidencing effective succession planning and capacity-building. To build further on this strong foundation, it is timely for the staff to promote the young people’s involvement in wider participative structures through which they can speak on behalf of their community in other places.

F. Child & adult protection

At the time of the inspection, the evidence provided by the youth club demonstrates that the arrangements for child and adult protection align to the current statutory guidance. In discussions with focus groups, the young people told us that they feel safe in their club and know what to do if they have any concerns about their safety or well-being.

3. Next steps

Deeply rooted in its locality, Long Tower Youth Club is a vibrant community of learning for the young people and staff, providing a significant and beneficial service within and beyond the immediate area. The centre lives out the vision of ‘Empowering young people for the future’. The inspection has highlighted an area for action which will enable Long Tower Youth Club to realise its vision more fully: to build on the participative structures already in place and extend the reach of the young people’s voice to advocate for their wider community and beyond.

The District Inspector will monitor the youth centre’s progress in addressing the area for action, as part of ETI’s monitoring processes.

Inspectors identified aspects of highly effective practice from which others may learn. The aspects of practice which should be shared more widely are:

the progressive pathways to leadership, including support for young people to access courses in further and higher education, and the strategic investment in continuous staff professional learning to build staff capacity and enrich the young people’s development; and
the extensive collaboration and mutual support between Long Tower Youth Club and its community partners in protecting young people from risk and harm and improving their life chances.

4. Appendices

Appendix 1: Quantitative Terms

In this report, proportions may be described as percentages, common fractions and in more general quantitative terms. Where more general terms are used, they should be interpreted as follows:

Almost/nearly all - more than 90%

Most - 75% - 90%

A majority - 50% - 74%

A significant minority - 30% - 49%

A minority - 10% - 29%

Very few/a small number - less than 10%

Appendix 2: Notes

Page 1

T:BUC*

Together: Building United Communities (T:BUC) began in summer 2015. The programme provides a range of opportunities for young people aged 11 to 19 across Northern Ireland to come together to build positive relationships across what have become divided parts of our community. The programme is funded through The Executive Office and administered by the Education Authority.

Engage*

Engage is a programme funded by the Education Authority to help tackle paramilitarism, criminality and organised crime.

Page 4

Horizons*

The Horizons Programme is supported through the Department of Education ‘A Fair Start’ action plan under key action five, which aims to develop skilled qualified and experienced youth work volunteers between the ages of 15-17 years. The programme provides the opportunity for young leaders to gain leadership accreditation and vocational qualifications, through developing social action and social enterprise projects.

Page 6

Common Purpose*

Common Purpose is a Youth Work Alliance project funded by Children in Need.