JOHN Paul II Youth Club are celebrating their 50th anniversary. Former in October 1972 as Herbert Street Youth Club, its name was changed after the Pope's visit to Ireland in September 1979.

Established at the height of the Troubles, the original club premises was a three-storey shop dwelling, with female parents and an elected committee charged with running the club.

In 1976, with the help of the Belfast Education and Library Board (BELB), funding was secured to build a purpose-built youth club.

Jacqui Maguire, who was involved in the original Herbert Street Youth Club, explained more about its early beginnings.

"The club started in 1972 with a group of parents. There was a lot of trouble in Herbert Street. Children were not able to play in the streets," she said.

"We got the old building tidied and cleaned it up and used it as a youth club for the kids to take them off the street. It kept us away from getting involved in the trouble

"Finally, we got a purpose built youth club, which opened under the name of John Paul II.

"I was a volunteer, then became a part-time youth worker, got my degree and became a full-time youth worker.

"Throughout the years, thousands of people have come through the doors.

"Nowadays, the club is open six nights a week. On a Friday night, we are opened to midnight.

"We have around 80 kids in every night, from the age of nine to 18-years-old and our popular summer scheme is open to children from the age of five.

"As well as the normal youth group activities, we do a lot of group work looking at issues which affect them. Our young people are very involved in the club. We have a Youth Committee and Peer Buddies.

"We do a lot of surveys, asking young people what they want to see the club doing, what can we do better, what the kids want to do in the club. It is all about giving them a voice. It is a young person’s led club.

"We don’t have a big staff team because the budget is not there."

Like so many organisations, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was huge on the youth club but their work continued.

"We worked the whole way through the pandemic. We did a lot of stuff online," continued Jacqui. "We had tea and coffee nights, drugs and alcohol and sexual health programmes online.

"We also helped deliver food parcels all over North Belfast on behalf of the Community Food Bank in Ardoyne. We really missed the group work side of things.

"The summer scheme was the hardest. We had to work in bubbles of 12.

"We are still dealing with the effects of Covid on our young people in terms of their mental health, confidence and self-esteem.

"There is still a fear out there. We will be very careful this winter because we don’t know what lies ahead with the virus."

As the club marks its 50th anniversary, Jacqui is very proud of how the club has grown from strength to strength over the years.

"The most pleasing thing is seeing kids from the youth club who have gone on to university, got their degree and are now working in the community sector," she said.

"For me and my generation who went to the club back in 1972, the youth club stopped us from getting involved in the Troubles.

"For me, the youth club has enhanced so many people’s lives throughout the years. It has made kids more confident and has addressed so many issues."

As for the future, Jacqui is aware of tough times ahead and hopes politicians will prioritise youth provision in the coming years.

"I hope John Paul II Youth Club can continue to serve Ardoyne and North Belfast for many more years to come," she said.

"Funding is a major issue for us. It is a constant fight to secure money.

"I would like to see the government here put more value into youth services and the benefits they bring to young people."

John Paul II held a gala night in the Europa Hotel to celebrate their 50th anniversary. See gallery pages 66 and 67 in this week's paper.