Hi, I'm Fergal...
Who am I? In a nutshell - Parent, Grandparent, Youth Worker, Facilitator, Trainer, Airbnb Host, Landlord, sometimes-suffering Liverpool Supporter, Tea Drinker, avid Book Reader, Humour and Music Lover, Law Changer, and Occasional Author.
I've been involved in Youth Work full-time since 1987 (professionally qualified since 1995) and have worked in areas such as Youth Information, Education Welfare, Community Relations, Volunteering, Peace & Reconciliation; Centre Based, Street, Participation, Rural & Urban based Youth Work; Family Support; facilitation (local, national and international), consultation, evaluation and research; YOUTH/Youth in Action/Erasmus+, Social Justice, Community Development and most recently Shared Education.
I have worked freelance for a variety of local, regional, national and international organisations including Youth Work Ireland Tipperary, Momentum World, British Council, Ecorys, Leargas, Co-operation North/Ireland, The Warrington Project, NUS/USI, The NI Youth Forum, Youth Council for NI, Derry City Council and Derry City & Strabane District Council.
In addition, I have worked for the Anna-Lindh Foundation, Viennese Association of Youth Clubs & ELT (Austria), Klick e.V. (Germany) and YouthArt (Turkey), South Bank University, Coleraine Youth Forum, Focus on Family, Public Achievement, Ulster University, NEELB (North Eastern Education and Library Board) Curriculum Development Unit, WHSSB (Western Health and Social Services Board) Community Support Services and Eglinton Community Limited.
I have three grown-up children - Michaela, Laya and Josh, and two grandchildren, Gerry and Phoebe. My passions are Humour and Music. I enjoy reading and writing, travelling, debates and discussions. I am a life-long (sometimes suffering) fan of Liverpool FC.
Experience in:
Youth Work
Community Development
Project Management
Event Organisation
Consultation & Research
Training & Facilitation
Supervision & Moderation
Report Writing
Hosting Fun Quizzes
Having a laugh
Occasionally dressing up (or down depending on how you look at it) as comedian Harry Hill!
Mobile:
+44 (0)75 8523 2560
Email:
Trainer Profile
https://www.salto-youth.net/tools/toy/fergal-barr.443/
Social Media:
TESTIMONIALS
"The great reliability he demonstrated proved a great support not only in the preparation phase but also during the course. More than once Fergal was prepared to go beyond his strict role as Visiting Co-ordinator just to help the creation of a supportive learning environment for the course."
For more testimonials click on Testimonials
MY MANTRAS
"It is what it is"
"Be careful what you wish for"
"There's always somebody worse off than you"
"Humour is the shortest distance between people"
"It's not a matter of if, only a matter of when"
"It doesn’t matter what you say people will talk about you anyway"
"Actions speak louder than words"
'Never go to a party you're not invited too'
ON-GOING / RECENT PROJECTS
Nov 2023: Published Beyond Erasmus, Stories from Outside The Box
Oct 2023: Published fourth book, '50 Years 50 Lessons, A Middle-aged Man's Suggestions for not fecking things up!
2021: Organised and co-ordinated 'The Last Hurrah' Conference.
2021: Organised and co-ordinated the first ever Youth Work Humour Festival
2021: Organised and jointly-managed the development of the Youth Work and Trainers Bazaar
2020: Published third book (second book of poetry), In No Particular Order
2020: Designed, developed and published a Good Relations Activity Pack for Belfast Interface Project,
2008-2022: Co-ordinator of The LID (Leadership through Intercultural Dialogue) Programme.
2017: Developed and delivered the 'EC-funded LID+ Project; Redhead300 fundraising walk (length of Ireland) for The Irish Cancer Society; and The Claudy Visioning Process Research Project.