IYF Heroes
Johnny
Because of the support of the Irish Youth Foundation children like Johnny have a chance.
Johnny goes to ‘The Mendo’ every afternoon, except Wednesdays when the building is used by old age pensioners for bingo. When he arrives at 2.30, he and the other participants get a hot meal, cooked by Andreas from Poland. And then it’s homework time. He has problems with writing. “I have bad writing” and “when I get distracted, me writing goes funny”. He has been trying hard and Mairin, the project coordinator, says that Johnny’s writing has really improved over the past year. He loves to read and said he always “reads the book before seeing the film”.
After homework it’s fun and games and Johnny really loves this part of the programme as he does cooking, gardening, sports, and swimming. Once a month he and his friends from the homework club go on trips to different places. The club finishes at 5.30pm when everyone goes home
Johnny is a smiling, bubbly child. He is full of optimism and wants to help out with the homework club when he is old enough. However, he comes from a family experiencing many hardships, which makes you wonder how he is so sunny and friendly.
He lives with his mum and her partner, his granny and her partner and his two younger sisters. His father lives elsewhere with his partner, and they have a daughter – Johnny’s half sister and cousin. Drugs and alcohol are a daily part of his life, both at home and in his neighbourhood. The family have moved home five times. Now he has nowhere to play and there are no kids of his age. He likes going to his Da’s place as he has friends there.
Without the Mendo, Johnny might not be doing so well. He gets to do things that are important for a child to grow strong and flourish, to become resilient, and where they can dream that things can be better. The IYF supports many projects like the Mendo all around the country because we believe they make a real difference.
The Mendicity Institution in Dublin’s inner city has been seeking to alleviate poverty since 1818 and today it continues as a food centre providing free meals on a daily basis, including Sunday brunch. It is also the venue for after school care for children from the surrounding public housing estates. While it is a neighbourhood rich in medieval history, it is also an area where for generations families have been afflicted by alcoholism, drug addiction, crime and poverty. Things are changing, and some of those changes have had real benefits for Johnny.
Asked what the Mendo had done for him, Johnny pauses and then says “I learnt to keep me temper down”. Often it’s the small things that have big effects.
