Our history

The Federation of Boys Clubs – Founded in Belfast, 1940. Life in 1940 was very different. The second world war was on, the great depression was slowly finishing, and the future looked bleak for children and young people. This created a clear need for our services, to inspire hope, and support young people in these challenging times. Back in the 1940′s and 1950′s few people had phones or cars and TV was a dream for most people. Food was rationed until 1953, supermarkets and fast-food outlets didn’t exist, and electricity was a novelty.

Today we have PCs, laptops, email, mobiles, texting, video games, the Internet, the Cloud and virtual reality. We take these for granted but the terminology and technology would have been beyond the comprehension and imagination of young people – and all people – in the 1940′s, 50′s, 60′s and later.

Over the years we’ve changed too. The activities we organise, the facilities we provide and the services we offer move with the interests and needs of young people, our member organisations and the time in which we live. Our offices have been in different places and along the way there have been good and difficult times.

In the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s & 90’s, the troubles occurred, a 30-year conflict that divided our society and decimated community relations across the country. Throughout this period, we continued to promote good relations, challenge perceptions, and provide youth programmes for disadvantaged young people across Northern Ireland. During this period while society was divided, we continued to push for reconciliation through shared learning. For example, in 1973 we convened the first educational advisory board to support education in all sections of the community, held international events to bring young people together, hosted football leagues, boxing competitions and provided young people with opportunities to get away from conflict and expand their mind. Despite the conflict and certain areas unavailable to certain sections of the community, we held shared events and brought people together through youth work, sport, physical activity and education.

While society has changed, some things shouldn’t change…

Despite economic collapse, WW2, the troubles, and various other challenges, Boys & Girls Clubs NI has continued to support children, young people and those who work on their behalf. Often, we strive for equality of opportunity and open doors to disadvantaged individuals and groups. Ultimately, we encourage young people to realise their potential and develop as positive, responsible members of our society. Time, macro-adversity and technology won’t change this.