Young Adult Programme

Specially designed for young adults from 18 - 24 years old, who have/had cancer

What is Barretstown’s YA Programme?

Barretstown is delighted to launch our new Young Adult Programme. Introduced in 2021, this free residential programme, including meals and accommodation, caters to young adults (aged 18-24). who have or have had cancer.

Run in conjunction with the Irish Cancer Society, the schedule for the weekend is a mix of activities and education/information based workshops designed to give you access to the information you need.

Sessions are optional for people to participate in, just like the ‘challenge by choice’ philosophy we use in all our therapeutic recreation based programmes.

Read on for more information or get in touch if you have any questions!

2024 dates

Session1: April 26th to 28th, Session 2: September 13th to 15th.

What’s it about?

• Offering an age-appropriate residential programme experience to young adults between the age of 18yrs-24yrs.
• Helping create a better quality of life for young adults affected by serious illness.
• Enhancing core skills such as autonomy, self-confidence, teamwork, communication. and social skills.
• Providing information and access to services through workshops and guest speakers.

Apply for YA Programme

What will you gain from it?

• A chance to grow your support network, meet new people and reconnect with old friends.
• A chance to learn from others and understand where to access information and services available.
• An opportunity to provide input into the growth of our programme to ensure we continue to meet the needs of the group.
• A weekend with the perfect mix of fun, learning and chill out time to enjoy the grounds and the facility.

Download our Young Adult Programme Info Sheet Click Here

FAQs

What do I need to bring?

Comfortable clothes depending on the season and closed toed shoes. Also a pen and paper would be great as there will be some great info shared during the workshops.

What is a typical day like?

Participants arrive on Friday evening (around 6pm) and leave again Sunday morning (around 10:30am) so it’s a quick programme. Saturday is the main day for activities and workshops, starting at 9am for Breakfast and finishing around 10pm with some breaks and meals scattered in between.

Where will I sleep?

Participants will sleep in our new accommodation block, Paul’s Hideout. Bed linen and towels are provided but please bring your own toiletries. Depending on the number of people attending you may be in a shared room with one other person.

Is transport provided?

We will have a bus coming to Barretstown from Heuston Station Dublin on Friday late afternoon and back again to Heuston late Sunday morning when the programme is complete. Parking is available onsite for those who chose to drive and participants can also be dropped off and collected.

Can I recommend this programme to a friend?

Yes please do. If you know someone in this age bracket who has or has had cancer please share the info with them.

Will there be a chance to meet other young adults who have had cancer?

Yes there will. The group of participants will stay together as one large group for the duration of the programme. We have also built in some down time in the schedule to allow the group to mingle and get to know one another.

Is alcohol/smoking allowed on site?

Barretstown is an alcohol free site and there is one designated smoking area which can be shown to people on arrival if necessary.

Can I bring my partner?

Due to the space we have available and as we are hoping to serve as many young adults as possible we are asking participants not to bring partners to this programme.

How do I sign up? Apply for YA Programme

The Barretstown Young Adult Programme is run in conjunction with the Irish Cancer Society. To learn more about the services they provide, please click below.

Learn More