Longford's Attic House is on the look out for new volunteers

From when they first opened their doors in October 2016 the award winning Attic House has been a pillar for the youth of Longford for almost a decade.

The youth centre provides programmes, activities and events for young people across the county from ages 10 to 18.
In the 8 years they’ve been open the centre has won multiple awards on both a local and national level, as well as contributing vital support to the community everyday. A lot of that can be attributed to those working there, the volunteers and employees who make the house what it is.

While the centre has gone through many changes during its time, it has always prioritised the young people it serves.
Taniel Adur is the Youth Officer in Attic House, she also provides club and volunteer support.

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Speaking with the Longford Leader, Adur explained why she believes Attic House is such an asset to the Longford community.

She started in the Attic House in March 2024 after applying through Foróige which is Ireland's leading youth organisation.

“My main purpose is to create a safe environment for 10 to 17 year olds where they can come and be themselves,” she explained.

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“It’s for young people to come after school or during summer, to kind of stay off the streets basically,”

“We run various activities such as, stem programmes, girl groups and soccer clubs,”

They also offer music generation workshops, cooking classes, Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) groups for the older teenagers and on fridays they host regular drop ins in which young people can just pop in and spend their time how they see fit.

There is also a Parkour club.

“Most people come thinking they have to pay a fee but most of the programmes are free,” said Taniel, when speaking about one of the more common misconceptions people have of Attic House.”

These groups seem to have a positive impact on the young people attending, helping to build their confidence and skill sets.

“From week one, when they join they’re quite shy, they're quite timid and then several weeks later they're sure of themselves and they’re enjoying the skills they’ve learned.” Taniel explains.

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She recalls a young girl discovering her love of the piano, “This child in particular was kind of shy, and then she actually started playing the piano, she hadn't done this before at all; it was her first time but she developed well.”

This couldn't have been achieved without the help of those working in the Attic House such as the Music Generation teachers, the volunteers and Taniel herself.

“The growth in numbers is the best thing that I have seen in the Attic, when i started in March there was kind of nothing going on”

“It's growing and it's continuing to grow, we keep getting new young people weekly so we really need volunteers to come in at the same rate as the kids are rather than loads of kids coming in and we can't do anything with them because there's no volunteers coming in to help.” explained Taniel.

“We're looking for volunteers aged 18 and over to come in for an hour and a half one or two days a week for an hour and a half to help run the club.”

Training is provided for volunteers as well as a special day hosted with Foróige to celebrate their volunteers.
Speaking with Taniel it's clear that volunteers are a vital resource for Attic House.

“The volunteers are a standing stone to Attic House, they’re the foundation,”