In the mid seventies a group of teachers established Ballycastle High Schools Youth Club as part of a developing extra curricular programme. In 1979 a Youth Tutor was put into the post to manage and develop the Youth Club.

The Club is open to any young person in the school and wider community and today boasts membership from both sides of our local community. Members travel from many outlying areas to attend the club and are driven home after club in the school minibus to designated pick-up points.

The Club is a Controlled Club funded by the NEELB Youth Service and the Youth Tutor acts as a local representative of the Service in the Moyle area.

The Headmaster of Ballycastle High School aided by a sub committee of the Board of Governors manages the Tutors post.

As is common in modern society Ballycastle High School is subject to a Service Level agreement and the introductory pages are reproduced below.

The Youth Club's Mission statement with particular reference to its goals, ethos and philosophy under-pinning the Youth Work Provision of the Unit are as follows.

The main purpose in the work of Ballycastle High School Youth Club is to fulfil the three key principles of the youth service through personal and social education, participation by the members and through partnership with other agencies. The aim is to assist the school and the wider community in fulfilling the major aim of educating the whole person.

This is achieved in two ways, firstly by providing a recreational facility for the young people where they can come together away from the formal structures of the classroom or workplace to meet with their peers in a safe environment. Secondly by working with the older teenagers in partnership with other agencies in the local community such as Corrymeela , Moyle District Council, PSNI.

Our goal is to provide an interesting and varied programme as identified in the Youth Service Strategy Document meeting the needs of the young people who choose to be members of the club.

We will offer the members opportunities of empowerment through membership of youth forum and committee structures. This is achieved by learning about themselves and others, exploring leisure activities, participating in group activities and therefore developing a sense of belonging, a club identity.

By being participants in such a programme our young people should develop socially into caring individuals, confident and ready to meet any of life's challenges, aware of what is important in the modern world and prepared to take their place as citizens of this new millennium.