Ayla enjoys seeing service users blossom and achieve their dreams

The operational manager of the Donegal Inclusion training services says she enjoys seeing school leavers a year or two after they have joined their services having a new understanding of where they want to go and what their ambitions are.
Ayla Friel from Dungloe oversees the operational management of Donegal Inclusion training services which oversees sixteen different service locations around the county.

In recent years, they have had a lot of growth in the service as a result of the school leaver funding process. This crucial funding means that those working with the Donegal Community Inclusion training services can develop new services, in new locations.
On Tuesday, July 18, the official opening of the Community Inclusion hub in Dungloe took place. The hub has been delivering services to people in the Dungloe and surrounding areas since 2020.
“We have just moved into this new premises, this new permanent location in December 2022,” Ms Friel said.
At present there are eight service users attending the hub in Dungloe and this September four more service users will join the well-run hub to enjoy all they have to offer. Those who work in the hub in Dungloe focus on their service users and listen to what their needs, ambitions and dreams are: “Historically, I suppose, people who came into services weren’t given the opportunity to have control and autonomy over their lives and that is something that we very much try to promote in our services. We give people a say in what they want to do and how they want to do it and basically how they want to live their lives.”
The Dungloe native said they use person centred planning to try and turn their goals and aspirations into reality and build a plan to help service users to where they want to be in life.
The teams in each of the service locations spend a week preparing with service users to focus on what is important to them. Service users will then sit with their key workers and focus on goals and focus on their priorities for the next six months.
“We also have skills building modules and classes so everything from independent living skills, work experience, placement, personal decision making, computer skills, technology, money management and they can pick from any range of skills to try and increase their independence,” she said.
To date, their are services are Tobar in Gaoth Dobhair, CI Ballyraine, Letterkenny, CI hub in Letterkenny, The Therapeutic Occupational activity programme which is also based in Letterkenny, CI Dawn, CI Verve, a new service started in 2021 in Carndonagh and there is also a service in Ballybofey.
There are two programmes working out of Donegal Town, there is the CI Donegal Town programme and they also have Cosán which is an ecotherapy programme for young adults with intellectual disability and autism.
Ms Friel says it means a lot to her to see the service being made available in the place where she is from and is excited to have the opportunity to see how it develops over the next few years.

She said the work is truly rewarding: “When you see the difference in the people from when they start, when they come in from school and they are sometimes lost and they haven’t decided what they want to do and then you see them after a year or two and you can really see their personal development as well as the skills building part and everything that goes with it - it makes all of the challenges worthwhile when you see someone achieving something what is important to them.”
She said they are very happy in their centres with great teams. Those at the centre focus on the individual and nurture their ambition and help them get to where they want to be in life.