Donegal Youth Service offering free health and wellness fitness classes

The organiser of a health and fitness group with Donegal Youth Service, which is going from strength to strength in Letterkenny, has encouraged anyone interested in joining to get in touch.

Jason Doherty runs a health and fitness workshop at the Donegal Youth Service every Friday on Letterkenny’s Port Road for an hour before the weekly gym classes three afternoons in the month, with the fourth taking in swimming at the Aura Leisure Centre.

Initially, some 18 months ago, the group consisted of six members and since then the training has been formalised at KO Fitness with Ryan O’Donnell, thanks to the input of Jamie Kerr - a CE (Community Employment Scheme) worker who was really influential in starting the group before he moved on to Foroige - and Gareth Gibson of the Donegal Youth Service Management Team lending his support. 

The training group, which is now made up of 25 from the ages of 14 to 25, get together first to talk about things like fitness, routines, diets and how exercise can be of benefit to both physical and mental wellness in their workshop.

Thanks to funding from the International Integration Fund, the group is now in a position to expand members and roll out throughout the county.

“We meet up every Friday for a discussion for an hour at 2pm first and then go to either the gym or the swimming pool,” said Jason, who is a youth worker at Donegal Youth Service. “Physical and mental wellbeing goes hand-in-hand and the group are progressing very well and enjoying the experience of training, whilst developing friendships in the process. It’s great to see so many who are involved really enjoy it. It’s amazing to see the confidence those who take part gain from it.”

Anyone interested, at whatever level, are encouraged to join free of charge and Jason can be contacted at jason.doherty@donegalyouthservice.ie or by calling 085-2578222. 

“The group caters for all levels and everyone will take on their different challenges, with their own goals,” Jason added. “The first step in people going to a gym can be the hardest and we understand that people can be nervous about that first step, so we work in a welcoming environment. Some of the members who have since passed through the service haven taken up their own gym memberships and continued their training.”

Donegal Youth Service is a countywide youth agency with over 30 affiliated youth clubs, and numerous projects which have been developed as a direct response to the needs of young people. Projects which support their mental, emotional and physical health, provide training and empower them to reach their own individual potential. They now work with over 11,500 young people every year.