Seamus Whitty, Chief Executive Officer of Kerry Community Youth Service, with members of the KCYS Youth Advisory Panel and KCYS Youth Worker Chloe Carey, pictured right.KERRY Community Youth Service (KCYS) has announced the appointment of Seamus Whitty as its new Chief Executive Officer.
A long-standing member of the Kerry youth work community, Seamus brings more than 25 years of experience working with young people across education, youth work and community development.
Prior to joining KCYS, he served as Youth Development Officer with Kerry Education and Training Board, supporting youth services and initiatives across the county.
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Earlier in his career, Seamus worked for many years with Kerry Life Skills, a community charity delivering wellbeing and life-skills programmes throughout Kerry.
His work focused on supporting young people to develop resilience, confidence and positive mental health through youth-centred and participatory approaches.
He has also contributed to research in the area of youth wellbeing, exploring young people’s own experiences of wellbeing programmes and the importance of their voice in shaping the supports and services developed for them.
Chairperson of KCYS, Arlene Harmann, said the Board was delighted to welcome Seamus to the organisation.
Seamus Whitty.“Seamus brings a wealth of experience in youth work and community development and a deep commitment to supporting young people. We are very much looking forward to working with him as KCYS continues to develop and strengthen its work with young people and communities across Kerry.”
Founded in 1971, Kerry Community Youth Service is the county’s longest-established youth organisation. Through its youth centres, outreach services and community programmes, KCYS works with thousands of young people across Kerry each year.
Speaking about his appointment, Seamus said he was honoured to take up the role and looked forward to building on the work already established across KCYS.
“Youth work is fundamentally about community and partnership. This is work we do together. It involves young people, families, volunteers, communities and partner organisations. It is not a cliché to say that it takes a village to raise a child – that has certainly been my experience over many years working with young people across Kerry.
Our role in KCYS is to support young people to engage with their communities and with their own lives in a positive way. The only real expert in a young person’s life is the young person themselves. Youth work is about meeting young people where they are at, supporting them to discover their strengths, and making sure the experiences we create are safe, meaningful and, importantly, fun.
I look forward greatly to working with the team at KCYS, and with our community and partner organisations across the county, to continue developing opportunities for young people and families in Kerry.”
